Submitting Websites to Search Engines

With Search Engine Optimization being such a hot topic today it is good to actually understand some basic steps in getting your website submitted to key search engines. This by no means guarantees your website will immediately obtain any significant page ranking (position within the search engine) but it is definitely the first steps in the process.

Don’t Search Engines Automatically Find Your Website?

That an assumption a lot of people make. It is not always true and it also may take some valuable time for a search engine to find your website. Based on this we think the best thing to do is to submit your website(s) to the key search engines as soon as your website is launched. Do not assume a Search Engine will list your site. There are many reasons why a search engine may not find your site or list it – so the website owner (and their webmaster) should take responsibility in this area.

How Can You Tell if a Search Engine Lists Your Website?

If you go to Google.com or Yahoo.com or MSN.com (which have a combined 95% of the search engine markets) and type the name of your domain you will be able to establish immediately if the search engines lists your website. To be specific you would type – www.yourdomainname.com. If the search engine doesn’t list the site it will return a message such as:

Your search – www.domainname.com – did not match any documents.
Suggestions:
Make sure all words are spelled correctly.
Try different keywords.
Try more general keywords.

So This Message Means Our Site Is Not Listed – So No One Can Find It?

Correct – no one can find it through a search engine lookup. For example someone goes to Google and will type your company or organization name. If Google does not have your website domain name in its list – then it will not have any information about your website. The core denominator is the domain name – all information about your website is connected to your domain name. So bottom line is if you are not listed in a search engine – then you are really REALLY hurting your chances for clients and new prospects finding you.

Wouldn’t This Be Our Web Designer (or Webmaster’s) Job to Make Sure We Are Listed?

You would definitely assume this to be case but the reality is that quite often a web designer or webmaster simply don’t take the time to do this – or will assume that the search engines will find the site themselves. It is highly recommended when you are having a new website designed to verify with the development team that your domain will be submitted to key search engines – (again those engines being Google, Yahoo, MSN & Windows Live).

How to Submit to the Top 3 Search Engines

Regardless of your level of expertise you should be able to submit your domain name to search engines directly yourself. Here are the step-by-step instructions:

Google Submission

Start off by establishing an account. Go to www.google.com and select “Create An Account.” This will provide you with a permanent Google sign-in. Use Webmaster Tools to submit your domain. Always use www.yourdomainname.com format. Verify your site by placing a Google-generated text file in your root directory.

Yahoo Submission

You must use a Yahoo email address. Go to Site Explorer. Add your domain, then sign in or create an account. Validate your site with a file upload, similar to Google. Yahoo also offers tools to add feeds for increasing traffic.

MSN & Windows Live Submission

Visit Webmaster Center. Add your domain and verify it with an XML file placed in your root directory. This platform offers analysis tools like summary, crawl issues, back links, keywords, and more.

Focus Only on the Big Three

These three search engines cover 90–95% of the market. Submitting to them is time-consuming but necessary. If time is tight, prioritize Google, which commands 80–85% of the search market.

Final Thoughts

Having a great website is the first step to being successful online. But having it well positioned in search engines will really increase your ability to attract new traffic thru search engines.

Be sure to spend the time to make sure your website is listed in the top 3 search engines. It will be well worth your while.

Cheers Mate,

Peter Beare – Webmaster

Peter Beare is CEO of BeareWare, a Website Design & Development Company located just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Since building his first website for a local sports club in 1998 Peter has been a webmaster. Over the last 10 years Peter’s duties with BeareWare have included website planning, design and development, website marketing and sales, as well as database application programming & project management. But when all is said and done, Peter is still a webmaster and this is “Interview with a Webmaster“.