Search Engine and Directory Submission: Automated, Manual, or Not at All? - Guidelines for Automated Submission
(Page 2 of 5 )
With these issues aside, let's get to the heart of the matter. Automated submissions can be done in a couple of ways. You can purchase a software package or find a website that performs this function. We are primarily concerned with the former since this has more appeal for the web developer because it provides an inexpensive way of making multiple submissions for different sites. These packages may be dedicated engine-submission tools or part of an integrated suite of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) tools. What I propose to do here is develop some general guidelines to help you determine what to look for if you are in the market for this kind of software.
User Friendly Interface
While it is a truism to say that a user-friendly interface is important, it is especially critical for automated submission software because this is a task that the user can choose to do manually. Most people won't use an automated tool if significant savings in time are not immediately evident and if using software is more confusing than doing it manually.
On the other hand, if the software allows you to set up your site and begin submissions very quickly, then it probably will not do a good job for you. Different engines/directories have different requirements from the most basic that want only an URL, to those that want a very specialised category selection. In particular, submissions for directories require careful choices regarding categories and subcategories. When setting up a site for automated submission be prepared for a fair bit of data entry. Automation can relieve some of the tedium involved, but proper set-up will still require patience.
Organization
In order to be really useful, engines and directories need to be sorted in a variety of ways. First off, engines should be categorized according to their status. Certainly major and minor engines should be distinguished.
While there are various ways of categorizing information, it is important that the user have enough information to make a sensible judgment about whether or not to submit to a specific engine. For instance, in some cases you will find the “Femina” Engine listed as a general search engine. By their own definition Femina consider themselves a specialized site. Submitting a general site to this engine is probably a waste of time for all concerned.
Submissions should probably also be sorted by both country and language. Some packages seem fairly sloppy in this regard. It is not very helpful when a site such as “Canadopedia” is designated as a U.S. site especially when it is self-described as “made in Canada by Canadians for all Canadians”.
Good organization will also help you keep track of your submissions and thus avoid multiple submissions to the same site. Some sites will assume you are spamming them if you submit more than once, and you could end up achieving the exact opposite of what you intend.
In any case, I think we can conclude that the better organized and the more information that a software tool supplies the more useful it is to the web developer.
Next: What is CozyCabin.com? >>
More Website Submission Articles
More By Peter Lavin
/ 41 
