~~~High Search Engine Rankings~~~
This week we got a number of questions related to the process of
submitting to search engines and directories. Instead of choosing one
and answering it, I'm going to sum up a few of them and give you one
big ol' all-encompassing answer.
In sum, the questions were as follows:
Q 1: I submitted my site using an automated online service. Since
then, I have not manually submitted to all the main search engines
(Yahoo business express, Altavista, Hotbot etc.) as I have been
assured that this is part of their service. I have read conflicting
reports about this and am not sure what to do next. I understood
also, that manually submitting to all would be costly, not guaranteed
and a very timely exercise. What's the benefit of using a search
engine optimization consultant for submissions, as opposed to an
automated online service?
Q 2: Is it worthwhile to spend time, effort and money on submissions to directories and search engines like LookSmart and Inktomi? Won't
the editors and spiders pick up good sites and add them on their own?
I have a lot of links so can I expect them to find my site without
making submissions?
Q 3: Our client's website is not listed in Yahoo, but is ranked highly
in Google. Should we bother submitting it to Yahoo? Because Yahoo
doesn't have a relevant category, it reverts to Google's listings when
we search for keywords associated with our client's business---and our
client ranks high in Google's search engine. Everything we read
recommends submitting to Yahoo, as it is one of the top
directories/search engines. But if we are already getting good
results with Google, what is the point?
~~~Jill's Response~~~
These are all great (and apparently common) questions. We did talk
extensively about whether or not one should pay to get a site listed,
back in Issue 034.
However, we haven't touched upon some of these other issues.
First, let me tackle the issue of automated submission sites and
programs. The major difference between these and a "respectable" SEO
company is that, with an automated program, your site gets submitted
"as is." Nobody checks that you're focusing on the best keyphrases
for your site, and nobody looks at your copywriting or Meta tags to
see if they have what it takes to get high rankings. Yes, I realize
that some of these automated programs do have some ability to look at
tags and count keyphrases. However, there is no substitute for human
review, especially when it comes to the copywriting. Automated
programs can certainly get a site added to the spidering search
engine's database, but in all likelihood, they will not get a site a
high ranking.
As for any site getting into the Yahoo! directory (or any directory)
through an automated submission program, dream on! Directory
submittals *must* be completed by a human being. Period. Don't be the
village idiot by believing the lofty claims and lies propagated by
some automated submittal programs. The reputable ones will tell you
flat out that you need to manually submit to Directories yourself. If
they tell you otherwise, think twice about using their service and/or
investigate what they mean by their claims. Find out exactly how they
go about their Directory submittals.
As I've mentioned here before, manually submitting to search engines
is *not* a time-consuming endeavor. What *is* time consuming is the
up-front work to get a site ready to be submitted. Submitting is the
easiest and quickest aspect of a search engine optimization campaign.
Search engines have made it clear that they don't particularly care
for automated programs putting their added load on their servers.
Don't blow all your hard-earned up-front work by risking the possible
consequences of an automated submission.
Regarding the question of whether or not one should even bother
submitting to the search engines and directories at all, my opinion is
to definitely submit! Yes, they do say they'll add sites on their
own, but as the Web (and the search engine databases) grow bigger and
bigger, this happens less and less. Especially where directories are
concerned. I can almost guarantee you that Yahoo! and LookSmart will
*never* add a business site on their own volition. They want to
snatch your two hundred hard-earned bucks. With the search engines,
if you have links to your site from other sites, you do stand some
chance of getting picked up. Google is very good about finding sites
this way. The "Fast Company" search engine is another one that's good
at spidering. Inktomi used to be good at this, but with their paid
program now in place, I'm not sure if they're still spidering like
they used to. The rest of the engines are also pretty "iffy" when it
comes to their spidering and indexing unsubmitted sites. Why leave it
up to chance? Yeah, they may spider and add you, but it takes long
enough to be listed even when you submit. Why make it take even
longer, and/or risk not getting listed at all? If you haven't
actually optimized your site content and tags, then I would definitely
say not to bother submitting. But if you've done what it takes, then
by all means, submit!
As for whether or not a Google listing makes it unnecessary to have a
Yahoo! directory listing, my feeling is that the more representation
you can get, the better. If you can afford to pay the *bribe* fee,
I'd say to go for it. If you're on a very limited budget, then your
Google listing may certainly be good enough. With Yahoo! it's kind of
a gamble and nobody can make that decision for you. Unfortunately,
you'll never really know the potential traffic that your Yahoo!
directory listing will bring, until you have it. Some sites can get
tons, and others get only a couple of visitors a day. It very much
depends on the keyphrases you're able to place into your Yahoo!
description.
Hope this adds a bit more to everyone's search engine submission
knowledge base!
Jill
~~~Send Us Your Questions~~~
If you have questions about online copywriting or search engine optimization (or both!), just zip us an email to questions@rankwrite.com. We've had some folks ask if their question
was "too basic" to be printed - and you don't have to worry about
that! There are no "stupid" search engine optimization or copywriting
questions, so ask away!
