By Special Guest Writer Paul J. Bruemmer
We've had so many pricing models in search engine
marketing over the last two years that it takes a
rocket scientist to estimate campaign costs.
(May 2002) It seems that the argument for unpaid
listings to maintain editorial integrity and relevancy
have gone by the wayside. However, some engines still
allow free listings.
The Last of the Free
You can still get free listings on AllTheWeb, AltaVista,
AOL Search, AskJeeves, Google, Inktomi (through HotBot/Lycos),
iWon (through Inktomi), Lycos, Netscape, ODP and Zeal..
You can increase your probability of getting listed
by having your site optimized for search engines (except
or ODP and Zeal, which are human-maintained directories).
Each page should contain relevant, keyword-rich text,
proper HTML tags, and plenty of valuable incoming
and outgoing links. It goes without saying that your
site architecture and content must be consumer-friendly
with fast loading pages, easy navigation, and savvy
copywriting to ensure good conversion rates.
[For links to the relevant submit URL pages, see
the Pandia Add URL search engine submissions page.
The Editor.]
AllTheWeb
Owned by Fast Search and Transfer, AllTheWeb still
accepts free listings. Click on the "Submit Your
Site" link at the bottom of the homepage, which
takes you to the submission form.
AllTheWeb search results come from FAST and ODP.
"Sponsored Search Listings" are from Overture.
AltaVista
Recently revamped, AltaVista is still popular, reaching
over 45 million global visitors. Click on "Submit
a Site" at the bottom of the homepage to get
the submission page. Basic Submit allows you to submit
up to five pages and takes four to six weeks for indexing.
"Products and Services" listings are from
Overture.
AOL Search
Having switched from Overture to Google for its sponsored
links, AOL Search gets its editorial listings from
ODP and Inktomi.
Click on the "How to Add Your Site" link
at the bottom of the page for instructions telling
you that submissions are handled by ODP after selection
of the appropriate AOL category or subcategory.
Sponsored links are from Google Ad Words Select.
AskJeeves
This directory is different in that it provides links
to answer user questions. The secret to a free listing
is to send an email to url@askjeeves.com, including
your URL and a brief site description.
AskJeeves editors will accept submissions from sites
that provide good answers to questions users might
ask, so keep that in mind when copywriting and optimizing
your pages. "Sponsored Links" are from Overture.
Google
Yahoo! used to be your major essential listing; now,
it's Google. The Add URL page states that Google will
index your site when crawling the Web, or you can
submit. No guarantees, and it can take four to six
weeks depending on the crawl cycle.
Google powers Yahoo! and Netscape. The Google Directory
gets data from ODP. "Sponsored Links" appear
first and to the right in shaded boxes.
Inktomi
This is a powerful database that provides results
to many other engines (AOL, Overture, HotBot, iWon,
LookSmart, MSN). It used to be you could get a free
listing in Inktomi through HotBot, but its Site Submit
is presently non-functional while being updated, referring
you to Lycos for a free listing.
You can also submit free to Inktomi through Microsoft
bCentral Submit It.
[In addition the UK HotBot site has an add
URL form that seems to be working. The Editor.]
iWon
This search engine doesn't have its own database but
is powered by Inktomi, LookSmart and Overture ("Featured
Listings"). You can get a free listing through
Inktomi (see above).
Lycos
Lycos offers free single-page submissions that take
from three to six weeks to appear in the index. However,
you must first register for Lycos Free Site Submission.
As the main Lycos' sites are using search results
from Fast, you may also add your URL at the Fast AllTheWeb
site.
Lycos "Sponsored Search Listings" are from
Overture.
Netscape
Netscape is owned by AOL/Time-Warner and is powered
by Google with sponsored results from Google Ad Words
Select. You can get listed free in Netscape by submitting
to Google.
ODP
The Open Directory is maintained by volunteer editors
and supplies data to many major search engines (Netscape,
Google, Lycos, AOL, HotBot). It's an important listing
and can be difficult depending on the editor or category
selected.
What's important is unique content. Listing problems
can be discussed on the Open Directory Project Public
Forum, a vehicle for communication between the public
and editing community. It takes about three weeks
if your listing is accepted.
Zeal
Owned by LookSmart, Zeal is a free directory for non-commercial
sites, managed by volunteer editors. If accepted,
your listing will appear in several major search engines
including LookSmart, MSN and AltaVista.
Search Engine Traffic on the Rise
The latest Jupiter-MediaMetrix statistics show that
search engine traffic increased rapidly over the past
six months -- up 11 percent with 92.3 million visitors.
Major search portals increased even more (Yahoo!
up 20 percent with 38.4M visitors; MSN up 16 percent
with 42.3M visitors; Google up 54 percent with 34.2M
visitors). So get all the free listings you can while
you can.
If you don't have the time or the resources, consider
hiring professional help. MarketingSherpa's "Buyers'
Guide to Search Engine Optimization & Positioning
Firms" reviews reputable SEM providers.
About The Author
Paul J. Bruemmer is founder of trademarkSEO. His articles
have appeared in numerous publications, including
ClickZ, MarketingProfs, Marketing Today, WebProNews,
SitePoint, SEO Today, SEO Consultants, MarcommWise,
Pandia, B2B Interactive and Search Engine Guide.
TrademarkSEO is a search engine optimization firm
based in Santa Ynez Valley, California and serves
clients nationwide. His company provided search submission
services to over 10,000 websites, including many of
the most prominent names in American business.
