Page 282 - Duct Tape Marketing

266 Part IV: Getting the Word Out without Advertising

Also consider registering at the following:

Yahoo! This is the largest human-compiled directory. To register your site, go
to https://ecom.yahoo.com/dir/express/intro. Registration involves a
submission fee. Response is rapid, and although your listing isn’t guaranteed,
most sites are accepted. Check first to see if your site is already included.

Google: You can submit your site to www.google.com/addurl.html. Google
will also find you if there are links to your site, which is what you’re building
when you gain listings in Open Directory and Yahoo!

All the Web (previously FAST): Lycos uses results from this huge search
engine. Submit your main page and two inside pages for free to www.allthe
web.com/add_url.php.

Ask Jeeves: An annual fee provides inclusion in Ask Jeeves and throughout
the Teoma search partner network, which includes ask.com, Excite, Hotbot.
com, and Metacrawler, to name a few. Go to http://sitesubmit.ask.com.

To see if your site has been listed, go to each search engine and enter your
URL into the search box. If the search engine responds by displaying your
link, you’re listed.

Optimizing your site for search engines

With Google powering the vast majority of all online searches, the ultimate
goal of every site owner is to achieve good Google presence. The outstanding
resource for achieving this victory is the book Building Your Business With
Google For Dummies by Brad Hill. With his permission, the following are some
top tips for optimizing your site for Google, which should also serve you well
on other search sites as well:

ߜ Build pages around core keywords that define each page’s topical focus.
ߜ Incorporate core keywords into the page’s content.
ߜ Place core keywords in each page’s <META> tags, which are the hidden

HTML code commands that search engines scan.
ߜ Fill in the <TITLE> tag using core keywords.
ߜ Use <alt> tags, with keywords, on page graphics.
ߜ Use text, not graphical buttons, for navigation links.
ߜ Register and use domains that describe the site’s business.