Hi Mikey ~
As I said, I can point you to the cheapest way for the two sites.
But, as you stated, there is no guarantee that you will be included in
either index.
If you have attended any of the Search Engine Stragegies sessions
sponsored in part by Clickz.com, you know that almost all the search
engines and directories agree that if you design for Google, you
should have no trouble being included in any search engine.
For Yahoo, there is, as you said, the "suggest a site" where you can
list your site for free (you do have to register),
- http://search.yahoo.com/info/submit.html
(click on Submit For Free) - and it does take time.
To submit your site to Google, you can use their "Add URL" page,
- ://www.google.com/addurl.html
Again, there is no guarantee if or when your site will be included in
the search index.
If you want to increase your chances of being included and then
ranking well in Google's search index, it helps first to understand
that Google's mission is to provide the most relevant results for a
search query. It may seem a bit hokey, but I suggest you read and take
very much to heart Google's "Google Today",
- ://www.google.com/corporate/today.html
That's what keeps Google the most trusted search engine on the
Internet, and they won't compromise that by taking shortcuts or
letting you buy your way in.
If you want to get listed, study Google's Guidelines here,
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html
Pay particular attention to how to design a site to make it user
friendly and search engine friendly (the two are pretty much the
same). Bad design can choke a search engine, so make sure you or your
web master really understands how to render your site as it should be
rendered. And make sure you understand the basics of good design.
Establish links TO your site, but not a bunch of "links pages", make
sure they are relevant links. Anything less has much less weight in
the greater scheme of things. It may have worked once, but it doesn't
work now; so don't pay attention to anyone who says to sign up for
every links page you can find. Spend your money adding relevant
content that is so good people will naturally link to you because
you've got the best site for whatever your search term is.
The combination of the three will make your site "important" enough
that to not list it would be foolish. If you can do that, you should
have no problems. It's not quick ... Google maintains a database of
over 6 billion pages, getting included across its many data centers
takes time.
This is something you say you know. You should also understand that it
takes time to crawl and include new sites to an index, but it
eventually gets done. The search engine's responsibility is to deliver
relevant content. Your responsibility if you want to be included is to
provide that content.
==========================================
Important Google Links For Your Reference
==========================================
I am including important links from Google's site. This information
will help you understand Google's goals and responsibility to the web
searcher (and not the webmaster or site owner).
Webmasters who follow the guidelines and avoid Google's "Thou shalt
nots" usually have no problem getting listed and showing up under the
search terms they desire.
* Google Today (absolutely the best information you
can read about the "how and why" of Google's results
- ://www.google.com/corporate/today.html
* How Do I Get My Site Listed on Google?
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/1.html
* My Web Pages Are Not Currently Listed (a good 'primer'
on how and why Google works so well)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/2.html
* PageRank Information (covers both Google's PageRank and
SERPS)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/4.html
* Webmaster Guidelines (contains both the dos and don'ts)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html
* Google Facts & Fiction (can you buy your way to a
high ranking in Google?)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/facts.html
* Search Engine Optimizers (some good advice on what to look
for if you're going to hire a Search Engine Optimizer)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/seo.html
* Frequently Asked Questions (pretty much what it says, but
definitely worth wading through)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/faq.html
* Remove Content from Google's Index (just in case you feel
a burning need to start all over again)
- ://www.google.com/remove.html
Search strategies ~
=====================
As an SEO and marketing consultant, and erstwhile web designer, I
relied on information and resources used daily in my regular course of
work.
I am sure you were hoping for a magic wand to get you included. There
isn't any. It takes time, and it takes time to keep things fresh and
keep up to date with what's happening. If you don't, your competition
will. You cannot beat a good combination of content, content, content,
good design (and do make sure you know the difference), and relevant
links to your page.
Sites who don't move much from one update to another have already
learned this and put it to use.
Good luck in your endeavors,
Serenata |
