Intro
To Search Engine Submission
By
Danny Sullivan, Editor
Essentials
Of Search Engine Submission
How
can I get my site listed with search engines? It sounds
like a pretty simple question, but sadly, search engine
submission can be a complicated subject.
Have
no fear. This guide will take you through the essential
and relatively easy steps you can take to get listed with
search engines.
Before
we begin, it's important to make a distinction between search
engine submission and search engine optimization. These
terms, along with others, are sometimes used synonymously
to discuss different efforts to promote sites on search
engines. However, within this section of Search Engine Watch,
they will be used to refer to some very specific activities.
Search
Engine Submission: Getting Listed
"Search engine submission" refers to the act of
getting your web site listed with search engines. Another
term for this is search engine registration.
Getting
listed does not mean that you will necessarily rank well
for particular terms, however. It simply means that the
search engine knows your pages exist.
Think
of it like a lottery. Search engine submission is akin to
you purchasing a lottery ticket. Having a ticket doesn't
mean that you will win, but you must have a ticket to have
any chance at all.
Search
Engine Optimization: Improving The Odds
"Search engine optimization" refers to the act
of altering your site so that it may rank well for particular
terms, especially with crawler-based search engines (what
these are will be explained later in this guide).
Returning
to the lottery model, let's assume there was a way to increase
the odds of winning by picking your lottery numbers carefully.
Search engine optimization is akin to this. It's making
sure that the numbers you select are more likely to win
than purchasing a set of numbers at random.
Search
Engine Placement & Positioning: Ranking Well
Terms such as "search engine placement," "search
engine positioning" and "search engine ranking"
refer to a site actually doing well for particular terms
or for a range of terms at search engines. This is the ultimate
goal for many people -- to get that "top ten"
ranking for a particular keyword or search terms.
Search
Engine Marketing & Promotion: The Overall Process
Terms such as "search engine marketing" or "search
engine promotion" refer to the overall process of marketing
a site on search engines. This includes submission, optimization,
managing paid listings and more.
These
terms also highlight the fact that doing well with search
engines is not just about submitting right, optimizing well
or getting a good rank for a particular term. It's about
the overall job of improving how your site interacts with
search engines, so that the audience you seek can find you.
Next
week Part 2
Danny Sullivan is the editor of the popular site: Search Engine
Watch
http://www.searchenginewatch.com
