Should I Pay For Site Submission?
Thursday October 14, 2004
If you type in the words "search engine optimization" into any search engine, you will come up with a virtual smorgasbord of self-proclaimed SEO consultants who will promise you the moon. Phrases such as "free submission to 1500 search engines!", "guaranteed #1 rankings!", and "Big money!" abound; but are they legit? If you pay one of these outfits to do what you can honestly accomplish yourself (for less money!), are you getting a better deal? In a nutshell, I would say NO. Site submission is not rocket science. You can do it yourself, and we'll show you how in our Site Submission resources.
Submission and placement are separate issues, entirely. Submission means your site is “there” somewhere; but WHERE is the quintessential issue. Is it submitted and then listed at number 10,325 when people search for your product or service? Or is it in the top ten or top twenty? Placement address the geographical location of your website within the search result listings of a search engine. Getting to the top of the search engines is not something more than ten out of millions can accomplish, so how could one assume they would be able to accomplish it themselves? It requires expertise and awareness of nuances; a person who has achieved insight and is “nuanced”. Would most people assume they have those characteristics? Probably not. While what you claim, that anyone can submit themselves is entirely accurate, the results are what determine if doing it alone or with the help of an expert are the ideal way to go. It just seems like a misleading argument, akin to the “build it and they will come” philosophy.