|
Getting your Website indexed, or included, in search engine results depends on several factors. And those factors vary from search engine to search engine.
While you want to get your Website indexed by as many search engines as possible, the Web's three largest search engines—Google, Yahoo, and MSN—are where you want to focus your efforts. Combined, these search engines account for more than 90% of the entire Web's search traffic.
Getting indexed by Google, Yahoo, and MSN is harder than it used to be but it's absolutely necessary to promoting yourself online. You may have the best Website with the best copywriting but you'll be limiting your online promotion if you don't get indexed properly.
Below are 3 tips to help you get your Website indexed by the "big 3" search engines.
Tag Along
The quickest way to get search engines to visit, and index, your site it to place a link on another site that's already been indexed. If you know someone that has an established Website—and has for years—ask if you can place a link on their site. When the search engine bots visit your friend's site, they'll follow the link to your site.
The time it takes for the search engines to visit and index your site varies. If the site you've placed your link on is popular, you might get indexed in a few days. Otherwise it can take up to a few weeks.
How do you know if you've been indexed? Type the search term "site:www.yoursite.com"—without the quotes—into each search engine. If your pages show up in the results, you're getting indexed.
Directory Submissions
Website directories are simply portals that organize Websites by topic. Instead of using a search engine, a Web user would visit a directory to find a site based on a specific topic.
Web directories vary in size and submission price. Many directories are free while others charge a fee ranging from $1 to well over $100. But price shouldn't be your first—or only—consideration.
Many Web directories are link farms. Link farms are considered spam sites by search engines and will harm your site. How do you know if a site is a link farm? Ask yourself the following three questions:
- Is the site filled with affiliate links or links to similar looking sites?
- Are there more than a few links in several of the sub-categories? Move on if the directory has a lot of empty or missing pages.
- Do a search for "directory site" in Google? If a directory site has already been indexed in Google, it's probably legitimate.
Social Networking
Social networking sites are everywhere. If you already have a profile, such as a MySpace, FaceBook or Squidoo page, you can leverage your existing profile. Social media sites are heavily trafficked by users and search engine bots. They're not only a great way to get your site indexed but a great way to get traffic to your new site.
|
