Add Your URL: Submit To Search Engines, Directories, and Blogs

If you have a Web site and are trying to get it indexed in the search engines, here are some great tips and resources for you.

First and foremost, don’t waste your time using automated software or paid services to get your Website listed. One of the best ways to get found is through links embedded on other Websites. You can do this by submitting your site to paid or free website directories.

Beware however, that most directories that accept free URL submission have rules and guidelines that may prevent your site from being listed or may require additional work on your end such as a reciprocal link. As most search engine experts will tell you, reciprocal linking has decreased value to search engines. In fact, some experts warn not to do it at all. My suggestion is that if you plan on giving someone else a link for a link in return, look at it as though you were recommending a new hire candidate to your boss. In other words, the link reflects upon your credibility! Here are some great free directory resources.

If the above strategy doesn’t work to your liking, you can manually submit your Website straight to the search engines. However, just submitting does not guarantee inclusion. Be sure to read any guidelines that the search engines publish. You only need to submit your homepage to be included by most search engines. If you haven’t already, it’s a great idea to put a sitemap on your homepage that links directly to all of your important internal pages. In addition, you may also want to give Google Sitemaps some attention if you wish to get the most out of Google. Here is great place to start to submit your Website URL to:

Major Search Engines
Google- Submit Website URL
Yahoo!- Submit Website URL (Free)

MSN- Submit Website URL (Free)
Ask- Powered by the Teoma engine, Ask.com no longer accepts website submission. Best way to get listed is by using the directory method above.
AOL- Powered by Google’s index, see Google's Submit Website URL.

Secondary Engines
AltaVista- Powered by Yahoo's index, see Yahoo's Submit Website URL.
Lycos, HotBot- Submit Website URL (Free)
DogPile- Submit Website URL (Paid)

Blog Directories and Search Engines
Blogs are no doubt getting more popular with consumers and businesses. The phenomenon could only be natually followed by blog search engines like Technoratti, BlogDigger, and Google. Blogs represent a huge opportunity to get noticed by peers in your generational cohort or industry. Getting the word out about your Blog is a daunting task. If you’re just starting, these directories and resources are a good place to begin:

Best of the Web Blog Directory- Add URL
Blawg- Add URL
Blogarama- Add URL
Blogdex- Add URL

Blogdigger- Add URL
Blogflux- Add URL
Bloggernity- Add URL
Blogintro- Add URL
Blogrankings- Add URL
Blogtopsites- Add URL
BlogWatch- Add URL
Blogwise- Add URL
BoingBoing- Add URL
Technorati- Add URL
[Tags] directories, blog directories, search engines, add url, submit site [/tags]