Page Crafters, Marshfield, MA - Website Design, Hosting and Maintenance Services

Which search engines and directories would my site be submitted to?

AltaVista
Askjeeves
Google
Insite - inclusion in Fast and Inktomi Indices (used by About.com, AlltheWeb, Bluewin, Dogpile, Espotting.com, Goo, HotBot, Infospace, Looksmart, Lycos, MSN, Overture, Soneraplaza, Terra.com)
Lycos
Open Directory Project (dmoz.org, used by AOL Search, DirectHit, Netscape Search, etc.)
Yahoo

I've seen services that will list my site in several hundred search engines for a fee. Seven doesn't sound like much compared to that.

How many of those search engines do you know about? How many do you think the average user knows about? There are only a handful of major search engines (those listed above). However, there are services that will allow anyone to create their own personal search engine. People do this because it seems fun at the time, but they soon lose interest in them and ultimately let them expire.

What you will receive from such a large submission is that your email address will be added to more spammers' money-making-scheme mailing lists than you thought could exist.

We would submit your site to well-known, widely-used, professional search engines and directories. We would also find appropriate categories for your site in the top directories such as Yahoo and the Open Directory Project. This involves a considerable amount of research, but it would pay off for your site in the long run.

What's the difference between a "search engine" and a "directory"?

A search engine is handled primarily by computers. When a site is submitted, the computer indexes the site into one large database.

A directory is compiled by live human beings. Websites must be submitted to specific categories. One of the directory editors will look at your site, verify that it is appropriate for that category, and possibly edit the name and/or description that was provided by the submitter.

The benefit of a search engine over a directory is that typically a search engine will have a far greater number of websites indexed. The benefit of a directory is that since the websites are categorized by editors, you are far more likely to find relevant sites based on your search criteria.

Will my site show up in the top ten results for each (or any) search?

Almost certainly not. As the web becomes increasingly more crowded, more and more websites are competing for the coveted top ten positions. No website designer can honestly guarantee any specific placement.