Search Engine Submission: Is it a Necessity or a Liability?

Though More and More Businesses are Coming to Realize the Importance of Search Engine Marketing, Many Could Still Be Risking Their Reputation Online by Using Search Engine Submission Services That Could Potentially Blacklist Their URL with Search Engines.

New York, NY (PRWEB) February 17, 2005 -– The Internet is a lot like the Old West. Both are characterized by vast, unexplored terrains dotted with scenes of incredible beauty; both represent new and previously unimagined opportunities for prosperity; and both are places where enormous, new populations arrive suddenly, unaccustomed to the conditions of their new environment and relying, for the most part, on the help and guidance of strangers claiming to be experts. However, like the Old West, the Internet has it share of pitfalls and hazards, all of which can cost visitors a much higher price than they are willing to pay. Like a rattlesnake doing what comes naturally yet inadvertently striking out at innocent passersby, the Internet is riddled with outfits seeking to do what comes naturally – profit – even if it is at the expense of others. As in the case of the rattlesnake, the harm is often not deliberate but nevertheless threatening. One current example of this in the Internet world is that of search engine submission services being offered to ignorant online pioneers.

With the increasing importance of search engines to users' online experience and to the online community as a whole, it is understandable how some have found ways to profit by trading on the search engine" name. Now that more and more businesses are awakening to the realization that in order to survive on and offline solid investment in search engine marketing is needed, some online entrepreneurs are offering search engine submission services for a fee. And those unaware of or unschooled to the actualities of how search engine marketing works are eagerly signing on, not realizing that they could be wasting their money, and worse, distancing themselves from the search engines instead of getting closer to the top of the rankings pages. So, what exactly is involved in search engine submission and what is the harm in delivering a preemptive howdy-do to the search engines?

Many people think search engine submission is the act of submitting your websites URL, or Uniform Resource Locator, to the search engines so that they know your website exists, list you in their index and start sending traffic your way. At the most basic level, this assumption is true but there are a number of flaws which reveal search engine submission to be little more than a meaningless howdy-do" to the search engines. First, search engines mostly find websites by following hyperlinks from other sites (known as found pages). Thats why quality webpage content and quality links are extremely important in order to succeed online. So, what if you did submit your website to a search engine, either for free or by paying a service to do it? You wouldnt be committing a mortal sin but it would be pointless because of the simple fact that just because a search engine knows you exist, doesnt mean that it will simply send" traffic your way. Search engines dont work that way – they have millions and sometimes billions of sites indexed, so why would they think your site is so special that they would bypass all other sites to send traffic your way. Just as there potentially billions of pages in the indexes of the search engines that matter there are sometimes millions of other pages with content similar to yours with whom youll be competing against for search engine traffic. So, even if you do make the not-so-grand gesture of submitting your URL to the search engines it is still highly unlikely that they will start sending significant traffic your way.

And about that mortal sin youd be committing – well, it wouldnt exactly be a mortal sin but submitting your website to the search engines, especially through the use of paid listing services, could contribute to blacklisting your URL and help to ruin your relationship with the search engines. A major selling technique of search engine submission outfits is that they will submit your site to thousands" of search engines. According to recent figures, 90.7% of all Internet searches are conducted on one of four search engines: Google, Yahoo, MSN, and AOL. The thousands" in question are actually free-for-all links pages—they wont attract anybody to your site, because no one in his-or-her right mind would actually use one, and this is because they are just collections of random links with no structure—totally useless. One thing you can count on, though, is getting lots of spam email once youve submitted to them. This might be a good idea if youre trying to buy pharmaceuticals on the black market; but for everyone else, it is emphatically not recommended. According to Dan Thies, author of the ebook Search Engine Fast Start!" and Editor of Inside Out Marketing, many of these search engine submission services promising to submit your site to thousands of search engines when only but half a dozen are really worth submitting to shouldnt be bothered with. Additionally, similar to linking farms which search engines highly frown upon, with many search engine submission services you are merely one out of a thousand other sites being submitted to a particular search engine at any given time. Because some search engines give higher rankings to pages they find while crawling the Web, Thies notes, You may even be paying them (search engine submission services) to lower your search engine rankings".

If you are concerned with being seen and ranked highly by the search engines, concentrate your efforts and your dollars on researching the best key terms to place in the tags, headings, and titles of your web pages and finding other websites with content most relevant to that on your site to link up with. If the task seems somewhat daunting, or youre too busy running your online business to get involved with the technical end of search engine marketing, you can find a reputable company who will do it for you. Chris Winfield, President of New York-based search marketing and website design firm, 10e20, LLC, says, Its amazing the high rankings results weve been able to get for our clients within a very short period of time without ever submitting their website to the search engines; They now know that it isnt even necessary." If submitting your site to the search engines makes you sleep better at night, then by all means do so, but to ensure that you arent punished for keeping bad company, you should do-it-yourself. For the most part, it is neither difficult nor time-consuming to submit, so none but the most techno phobic should have to bring in outside help.

Unfortunately, there is no effective get-rich-quick scheme for search engine prominence. The only way to ensure results is to have a quality, relevant website with useful links and information. Of course, if youd prefer to treat the Internet like the Old West, youll have to be satisfied with taking your chances.

For more information on the right way to market your website log on to www.10e20.com">www.10e20.com or call 866-921-4330 and get a free keyword ranking report and Plan of Action Proposal.

About 10e20, LLC
10e20 Website Design is THE global search marketing and web development company. Clients include Virgin, Ford, SoftwareCEO, and 350+ others. As seen in the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, the LA Times, CNET, Boston Globe and many more. 10e20 is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY and has a second office located in West Palm Beach, FL. Effective and affordable — 10e20!

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10e20, LLC Contact:
Checkey-Ann Beckford
info@10e20.com
561-282-6738

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