Getting indexed by Google

The first step to get indexed by Google and other search engines is to ensure these search engines are aware of your site. The two main ways to get indexed quickly are to ensure your site is linked to from other sites that search engines regularly crawl, and that you proactively submit your site to search engines.

Submit your site to Google

Google offers Google Webmaster Tools, for which you can create a .txt or .xml sitemap and sumbit it to Google. This is by far the most effective way to submit your site and get indexed by Google. By submitting a sitemap, Google will be able to find all your pages. The webmaster tool will also show you how many of the pages that have been submitted have been indexed by Google. Alternatively, you can simply type “Submit website” into Google and you will be presented with a page to add you url to Google.

Submit your site to Yahoo and DMOZ

Two major directories, Yahoo Directory and the Open Directory Project (DMOZ) require manual submissions which are reviewed by human editors. These submissions can be made for free, but will take a very long time, sometimes months. Yahoo also offers a paid-for service which is very worth while and guarantees you site will be crawled.