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Search Engine Submission: Is Anything FREE Anymore?
by Debra Jason, The Write Direction
I was in a meeting where one of the members of the team said, "The only way to get high rankings on the search engines is to pay for them." He was intimating that I (and the client) was wasting time by optimizing content for keyword phrases. He didn't believe that anyone could get good positioning without paying for it.
With paid sponsored listings taking the top spots on many search engines, it is more of a challenge to get your site "up there." However, it's not an impossible goal for it to place in the top 20 of a search without paying for that ranking. Several of my clients' sites have maintained high positioning over the years without paying a dime to do so (my own site included).
Now, keep in mind, there are many variables that contribute to achieving high ratings (without paying for them). Some of these were discussed in the April issue of "The Advertising & Marketing Review" and can be found online at http://www.writedirection.com/articles/article11.htm.
Since many of you have asked "Are there any search engines that will accept my submission without charging me?," I decided to compile a list of what's available (among the leading engines) at this time - FREE and paid inclusions.
Yes, They're Still FREE!
1. AltaVista Go to http://addurl. altavista.com, click on Basic Submit. Your URL will generally be evaluated within four to six weeks of submission.
2. AlltheWeb Go to www.alltheweb <http://www.alltheweb> .com/add_url.php. Submit only the Home page of your site. On their submission page they say, "We do not add all submitted URLs to our index, and we cannot make any predictions or guarantees about when or if they will appear."
3. Google Go to www.google.com/ <http://www.google.com/> addurl.html. Their site states, "We add and update new sites to our index each time we crawl the web. . . . We do not add all submitted URLs to our index, and we cannot make any predictions or guarantees about when or if they will appear."
4. The Open Directory Project Go to www.dmoz.org/add.html <http://www.dmoz.org/add.html> . This page explains what you need to do to submit your site. The Open Directory powers many of the most popular search engines so if your site is relevant, you're likely to get good positioning not only on dmoz.org, but on Netscape Search, AOL Search, Google, Lycos, HotBot and others.
5. Jayde Go to www.jayde.com <http://www.jayde.com> and click on "Submit your site". Submissions are reviewed by a human editor prior to their inclusion. Jayde has the fastest human review process - most listings will be reviewed and included in the directory within 1 - 24 hours.
Consider These Options When Your Budget Allows
1. Ask Jeeves: Pricing is on a per URL basis ($30.00 for the first and $18.00 each for #2 -1000). You get a 12-month listing in their database which powers the U.S. versions of ask.com (Ask Jeeves) and teoma.com (Teoma).
2. Ah-ha: http://ah-ha.com. You can choose "Paid Listings" where you identify keywords that apply to your site. Then, you place a bid on them to determine your ranking in the search listings. There is also their "Paid Inclusion" program, available through Excite, where you pay once and within 48 hours you're included on sites such as Excite, MetaCrawler, DogPile, WebCrawler, and Verizon.
3. Excite: Their "Paid Inclusion" guarantees your site shows up in their search index and those of other leading search sites. Their service is $49.95 for 1 URL to be included on Excite only; $24.98 to be included on their Search Partner Network that includes DogPile, Verizon, WebCrawler, NBCi, MetaCrawler.
4. Kanoodle: Bid on the keywords that apply to your site and your site will appear through Kanoodle's search network which includes search enabled sites such as Cnet, Galaxy and Hotbar.com.
5. LookSmart: Offers programs for "Small to Medium Budgets" and "Large Budgets." They claim to reach 77% of Internet users on such engines and portals as MSN, About.com, and Netscape.
6. Lycos: Lycos InSite(tm) Select's program provides indexing within 48-72 hours. You may choose to submit to the FAST Network (i.e. Lycos, AlltheWeb, Excite, HotBot, etc.) for $35/year or the Inktomi Network (i.e. HotBot, MSN, Overture, Looksmart, etc.). Or subscribe to both and save 10%.
7. Overture: You bid on the price per click through for specified keywords. Claims to reach more than 80% of active Internet users. Advertise in their Premium Listings(tm) and your site appears in MSN, Yahoo!, InfoSpace, Lycos, AltaVista, and Netscape.
8. Yahoo! They offer Yahoo! Express where for $299.00 you are only guaranteed that they will evaluate your site within 7 business days. They do NOT guarantee that your site will be included in their directory, nor do they guarantee the type of placement or description your site will receive, if accepted.
Debra Jason has more than 19 years of experience in the field of direct marketing. Past president of the Rocky Mtn. Direct Marketing Association, Debra was headquartered in Boulder for 14 years. Her business, The Write Direction, is now based on Kauai, HI where she continues to specialize in writing Web and direct marketing communications. Ms. Jason also helps clients optimize the content of their Web sites to improve their search engine positioning. She may be reached at (808) 826-1846, e-mail: debra@earthlink.net or on the Web at www.writedirection.com.
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