Search Engine and Directory Submission: Automated, Manual, or Not at All?
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If you want your site to be found on the Internet, very few people would debate the wisdom of submitting it to Google or DMOZ. It obviously makes sense to be listed on the premier search engine and in the top directory. But what about all those other directories and engines out there? Is it worthwhile being listed, and if so, is it better to make your submission manually or use an automated software tool? This article will examine these questions and in the process try to determine what to look for if you decide to use an automated tool for submission.

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Introduction

Some search engines and directories make it virtually impossible to be included except by manual submission. The two best examples are perhaps Google and DMOZ. While no sites actually seem to encourage automated submission, it is certainly actively discouraged at a number of sites. This does not mean that there is something inherently wrong with automated submission. After all it's just an easy way to fill out a form. While Google does not allow automated submissions, they implicitly admit the legitimacy of doing so by providing an “autofill” button on their plug-in toolbar.

The aversion to automated submissions has varied causes but some obvious reasons can be identified. Automated submissions can lead to server overload and vulnerability to denial of service attacks. Inappropriate submissions, for example submitting a general interest URL to a specialty engine, can happen much more easily when submission is automated. Finally, manually maintained directories are particularly sensitive to inappropriate categorisation and trivial requests for inclusion. For them manual submissions separate the wheat from the chaff.

If we accept that automated submissions are legitimate, the question still remains as to whether it is worthwhile. Even with the recent changes at Yahoo, the dominance of Google tends to overshadow all other search engine. While estimates of Google's importance vary, a significant number of searches do originate with other engines. Certainly there can be no denying the usefulness of specialized search engines.

Next: Guidelines for Automated Submission >>
 

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