Getting listed does not mean that you will necessarily rank well for particular terms, however. It simply means that the search engine knows your pages exist.

Think of it like a lottery. Search engine submission is akin to you purchasing a lottery ticket. Having a ticket doesn't mean that you will win, but you must have a ticket to have any chance at all.

Search Engine Marketing & Promotion: The Overall Process

Terms such as "search engine marketing" or "search engine promotion" refer to the overall process of marketing a site on search engines. This includes submission, optimization, managing paid listings and more.

These terms also highlight the fact that doing well with search engines is not just about submitting right, optimizing well or getting a good rank for a particular term. It's about the overall job of improving how your site interacts with search engines, so that the audience you seek can find you.

Despite the rise in "paid participation" programs offered by search engines, free search engine submission is still possible. However, using the paid programs that are offered will speed up the listing process and almost certainly generate more search engine related traffic for your web site.

Given this, it is necessary that any site owner establish a search engine submission budget.

How much to budget? At minimum, you need to cover submission to Yahoo for one year. This is because the flat Ј199 annual fee that Yahoo charges to be in its human-compiled directory may help ensure that Google picks up your home page quickly in Google's crawler-based results.

Huh? Pay Yahoo to do well on Google? Google crawls the web and adds pages for free. To decide which pages it should pick up (and potentially rank well); it analyzes links from across the web). Being listed in Yahoo's human-compiled directory is potentially one of the best links you can gain, to influence Google.

Often, those who launch new web sites want to appear in search engines right away. In these cases, you'll need to budget more money. By paying an "inclusion" fee to some of the crawler-based search engines, you can shorten the usual month delay of appearing to only a few days. The one-time fees are shown below, by the major crawlers that offer such programs:

Another key option to getting listed faster is to consider using paid listing programs. The budget below will get you going for at least a month, in most cases.

Now let's put it all together. Here's the ideal amount you would budget, if you want to show up in the widest range of important search engines within a matter of days:

Again, you can get listed without spending a penny, as will be explained on the following pages. However, if your goal is to be seen right away in as many places as possible, you'll set aside the amount shown above, in the combined budget.

Directories are search engines powered by human beings. Human editors compile all the listings that directories have. Getting listed with the web's key directories is very important, because their listings are seen by many people. In addition, if you are listed with them, then crawler-based search engines are more likely to find your site and add it to their listings for free.

Submitting To Google

Arguably the most important crawler-based search engine is Google, as several major search engines such as Yahoo and AOL Search have their main results "powered" by Google In addition; many people also go directly to Google to search.

The absolutely best way to get listed with Google is to build links to your web site. Indeed, this is the best way to get listed for free with all the major crawlers on the web. Crawlers follow links, so if you have good links pointing at your web site, the crawlers are more likely to find and include your pages.

Links can be built by submitting to other peoples websites and exchanging links between websites.

Inktomi is an important crawler-based search engine because it provides "backup" results to the popular MSN Search. It was also recently purchased by Yahoo and so may be providing results to Yahoo in the near future.

Inktomi has a "paid inclusion" program that will guarantee to add the pages you submit within two days and keep revisiting it on a regular basis for a year. Because of this, for a brand new site, it's well recommended to use the program. You can quickly get yourself represented in Inktomi for a modest amount.

You'll want to use the Search Submit program to get at least your home page listed, for a Ј20 fee. This also means the page will be revisited regularly, for up to a year. After this time period, if you don't renew, your page might possibly be dropped by Inktomi. However, if you've built some links, this is highly unlikely. Home pages are deemed as very important by all crawlers, and it would be unusual for these crawler-based search engines not to include them for free. Paying the fee is really only speeding up the process of getting the home page listed, for a brand-new site.

AllTheWeb is an important crawler-based search engine primarily because it powers the primary results for the popular Lycos service. The search engine was also recently purchased by paid listing provider Overture, so its listings could potentially be used by some Overture partners, in the future.

As with the other crawlers covered so far, building links is the best way to get listed for free. Like Inktomi, AllTheWeb will guarantee to include your pages if you use its paid inclusion program. It will get your new pages listed within 2 days. As with Inktomi, it's recommended that new sites use the program to get their home pages quickly listed.

The cost is Ј20 and means that the page will be revisited every two days, for up to a year. As with Inktomi, it's possible that your page could be dropped, if you don't renew. However, again as with Inktomi, this is highly unlikely to happen to a home page. 

Teoma is an important crawler-based search engine because it powers the main of the results that appear at the popular Ask Jeeves web site. In fact, Ask Jeeves owns Teoma.

As with Inktomi, Teoma has no free Add URL page -- but also as with Inktomi, Teoma crawls the web, so if you have links pointing at your web site, you may get included naturally.

Like Inktomi, Teoma will guarantee to include your pages if you use its Ask Jeeves Site Submit paid inclusion program. It will get your new pages listed in a week. As with Inktomi, it's recommended that new sites use the program to get their home pages quickly listed. The cost is Ј20 and means that the page will be revisited each week, for up to a year. As with Inktomi, it's possible that your page could be dropped, if you don't renew. However, again as with Inktomi, this is highly unlikely to happen to a home page.

AltaVista is an important crawler-based search engine because, while its popularity has dropped over the past year, significant numbers of people still use it to search the web. It also is being purchased by Overture, with the acquisition expected to be completed by the end of April.

As with the other crawlers covered so far, building links is the best way to get listed for free. Like Inktomi, AltaVista will guarantee to include your pages if you use its AltaVista Express Inclusion paid inclusion program. It will get your new pages listed in about a week to two weeks. As with Inktomi, it's recommended that new sites use the program to get their home pages quickly listed.

The cost is Ј20 and means that the page will be revisited regularly, for up to six months.

Google sells paid listings that appear above its editorial results called "Premium Sponsorships" and those that appear to the side of its regular results called "Ad Words." Since it may take time for a new site to appear within Google, these advertising opportunities offer a fast way to get listed with the service. Also, as with Overture, they may be a continuing option you may wish to explore.

Google's self-service Ad Words program charges a per click fee, similar to Overture. Ad Words charges a Ј5 activation fee.

You would not want a description like this, which is full of marketing hype, which editors dislike:

So before you begin try doing a search on Yahoo, and the main results that come back generally will be "powered" by Google. Despite this, Yahoo maintains its own independent "directory" of web sites, which are compiled by its human editors. Being listed in this Yahoo Directory MAY potentially help you get included and ranking better in Google's results. And, since Yahoo uses Google results for its main listings, this means it MAY help you at Yahoo itself.

Yahoo has two submission options: "Standard," which is free, and "Yahoo Express," which involves a submission fee.

Anyone can use Standard submission to submit for free to a non-commercial category. You'll know the category is non-commercial if the "reverse bar" containing the category name at the top of the category page is blue. You'll also know because if you try to submit to a non-commercial category, the Standard submission option will be offered in addition to the Yahoo Express paid option, discussed further below.

Why might you choose to pay when the free search engine submission option is available? Simply for a fast turnaround time. If you use the free submit choice, there's no guarantee that your submission will be reviewed quickly or at all.

Your submission to a non-commercial category is more likely to be accepted if your content is not overtly commercial. For example, submitting the home page of a site that sells running shoes is likely to be seen a commercial and not accepted. However, if you have a page within that web site that discusses in depth how to select the right type of shoes for different running races, then that page might be deemed helpful, non-commercial information and accepted.

As for commercial categories, Yahoo requires that sites pay a Yahoo Express submission fee of Ј199. This fee doesn't guarantee that you will be listed, only that you'll get a yes or no answer about being accepted within seven business days. However, the vast majority of most decent sites are accepted.

If accepted, you'll be re-evaluated after a year and charged the submission fee again, if you want to stay in Yahoo's commercial area. You should review the traffic you received from Yahoo over the past year, to decide if it is worth paying the fee again. If not, you can decline to be listed, and you will not be charged.

But what about Google? If you originally signed up with Yahoo hoping to influence Google, won't dropping your Yahoo listing cause you to be dropped by Google? Not necessarily. Google will keep listing your site on its own. Whether it will rank it well is a separate question. However, after a year of existence, your web site may have other important links pointing at it. This means that losing your link from Yahoo may not have much of an impact on your ranking. If money is tight, you could try dropping the Yahoo listing and only submit again if you find it does have an impact with how you rank in Google's results.

The annual fee only applies to commercial categories. If you submit to a non-commercial category using Yahoo Express and get accepted into that area, the fee is charged only once, not on an annual basis. You might get the opposite impression, because you'll keep seeing references to "recurring annual fee." However, in the terms and conditions for Yahoo Express, the annual fee is only for sites in the Yahoo Commercial Directory.

You'll know you are submitting to a commercial category if the "reverse bar" containing the category name at the top of the category page is yellow. You'll also know because if you try to submit to a commercial category, only the Yahoo Express submission option is offered.

How do you submit? If you are submitting for free to a non-commercial category, click on the "Suggest a Site" link that appears at the bottom of category page. That will bring up a submission form. Fill it out, and you're done.

If you are paying to submit, you needn't pick a category. Instead, just go to the URL below:

Yahoo Express Submission Form
http://add.yahoo.com/fast/add?+Business

From there, Yahoo editors will choose a category for you. All you need to do is fill out the form that's presented.

Finally, even if you choose not to submit to the Yahoo Directory, you may still appear in some the results at Yahoo that come from Google.

The Open Directory is a volunteer-built guide to the web. It is provided as an option at many major search engines, including Google. Given this, being listed with the Open Directory is essential to any site owner.

The good news is that submission is absolutely free. The bad news is that this means there's no guaranteed turnaround time to getting a yes or no answer about whether you've been accepted.

To submit, locate the category you want to be listed in. Then use the "add URL" link that appears at the top of the category page. Fill out the form, and that's it -- you've submitted.

If you are accepted, you should see your site appear within about three weeks. If this doesn't happen, then you should resubmit.

As with Yahoo, it's highly recommended that you take the time to learn more about the Open Directory before submitting, in order to maximize the amount of traffic you may receive.