Search engine submissions are performed under the strict submissions rules of each search engine and directory. The table below illustrates the submission limits currently followed:

Many years ago, when I was first learning about optimization and search engine and directory submission, I looked everywhere on the Web for an easy tutorial that explained step-by-step how to submit a website to search engines and directories.
I couldn't find one and so I had to piece together the most successful process to use via trial and error.
Now there is such a huge amount of misinformation on the Web about search engine submission, I thought it was high time I wrote a basic tutorial to help webmasters sort fact from fiction.

Before you can start to submit your site to search engines, you need to make sure it is ready for indexing.

Use the following checklist to be absolutely sure your site is submission-ready:

• Are all pages complete? (No “under construction” pages)
• Are all links valid? (No broken or dead links)
• Are all pages optimized?
• Are all pages search engine compatible?
• Have you used Robots.txt or Robots META Tag to prevent pages you want hidden (e.g. shopping cart) from being indexed?
• If your site is an e-commerce site, is your ordering process or shopping cart functional and tested for bugs?
• Are you prepared to handle a sudden influx of traffic and/or sales?
• Have you tested your site for usability? (Google “web site usability” for more information)

To make your job of submitting easier, you also need to prepare a text file or spreadsheet listing the following:

1. Your site's main URL
2. The URLs for other pages on your site that you will be submitting
3. Your site's Title (the name of your site you want listed in engines. This is usually your company name e.g. Atlanta City Tours or Acme Widgets)
4. A short description of your page/site content (10-20 words)
5. A long description of your page/site content (30-50 words)
6. A list of target keywords for your page/site
7. Name of submitter
8. Email address of submitter (we suggest using a real account you check regularly, but one where you have strict controls over incoming spam email -- you will receive some spam as a result of your submissions!)
9. Address and contact details of your company (some directories ask for this)

(You will not need all this information when you submit your site to the search engines. They need often no more than a URL. However, you might as well include all this information right away, as you will need it when you submit to the directories.)
It is particularly important to keep track of the email address you use when submitting your site, because some directories, like the Yahoo directory for example, require you to cite this address if you want to make changes to your listing later on.
I like to use a text file created in Notepad for the above, but some people prefer to use a Word doc or a spreadsheet. It's up to you.
Remember to utilize your target search keywords as much as possible when creating your site descriptions. Or you can use parts of your optimized Title and META tags, as long as you don't go overboard stuffing keywords and making your site description spam-like.

The site submission information I might prepare for a fictional Miami florist would look something like this:

1. www.funkyflorists.com (fictional URL for demonstration purposes only)
    
2. www.funkyflorists.com/page1.htm, www.funkyflorists.com/page2.htm etc
    
3. Funky Florists of Miami
    
4. Florists in Miami, Florida creating wedding bouquets, floral arrangements, tributes and displays for gifts and special occasions. Online ordering available.
    
5. Funky Florists Miami create beautiful wedding bouquets, floral arrangements, tributes and displays for all occasions, including weddings, Valentines Day, parties and corporate events. We arrange florist deliveries throughout Miami and right across Florida. We are one of very few florists in Florida to offer a personal floral service, delivered anywhere, anytime.
    
6. Florists Miami, florists Florida, wedding bouquets, wedding flowers, wedding roses, Valentine's Day roses, sympathy gifts, Mother's Day gifts, funeral wreaths, flower deliveries, floral arrangements, birthday gifts, wedding decorations.
    
7. Kalena Jordan
    
8. webmaster@funkyflorists.com
    
9. 12 Street Name
   Town, Miami FL USA
   Phone: (00) 555 55555

You should also create a spreadsheet or Word doc listing all the search engines you plan to submit your site to, their URLs, a comments field (for chosen categories etc) and a date column. Then as you submit to each site, you can check it off on your list, writing down the date submitted.
You could even create another date column for when your site appears in the search engine so you can gauge how long the submission took to become active.
It's important that you keep track of this information so that you don't accidentally resubmit to a search engine or directory that you've already covered. If you are submitting to a search engine using a paid submission option, always make note of your receipt number in case you need to follow it up.


Where to submit
Normally search engines will find your site, even if you do not submit it, as long as you have inbound links from sites the search engines already know about. They will enter your site and start indexing it through that link.
Because of this some search engine marketing experts argue that you do not need to submit pages to the search engines, as they will find them anyway.
However, some may not have the patience needed to wait for that, and in that case you can make use of the search engines' submittal forms to let them know about the site.
Normally it is enough to give them the link to your site's home page. As long as the rest of the site is interlinked with that page, the search engines will find then. (Although that does not mean that they automatically will include them all in their index, but you can hope for the best).
Pandia has a separate submission page that has links to the search engine submission pages and the relevant help files.
The Editor

Unlike submitting to search engines, submitting your site to directories and niche portals usually involves a lot more than simply typing in your URL.

You often have to start by researching the various topic categories to find the most appropriate area to submit to. Then you generally have to provide some detailed information about your site, its' content, your company and your contact details.
When selecting the most appropriate Directory category to submit your site to, conduct a search for your main keyword phrase and view the various related categories.
Study the sites listed within these categories and choose the category that is the most relevant to or closely related to your site content. Some directories like ODP have specific Category Descriptions you should read before submitting, to ensure you have chosen the most relevant topic for your site.
Another way to choose your category is to search for sites belonging to your direct competitors. It is likely that the category they are listed in will be the most relevant to your site.

If your site targets or discusses a specific regional market, you will need to submit to a regional category. For example, if my site was about rental cars for hire in Sydney, Australia, I would need to submit it to the regional Yahoo category:
Regional/Countries/Australia/States_and_Territories/
New_South_Wales/Cities_and_Regions/
Sydney/Business_and_Shopping/
Shopping_and_Services/Automotive/Rentals/
and not the general Yahoo rental car category:
Business_and_Economy/
Shopping_and_Services/Automotive/Rentals/

I find it useful to submit a slightly different description of my client's sites for each directory submission. That way, I can gauge which descriptions are more effective in terms of encouraging people to click and also which directories are providing my clients with the most traffic.
Many directories feed their database results to other engines and directories, so if I have a description unique to each directory and I see that description pop up on other search sites, I know it is the result of that original directory submission and immediately recognize the value of that original submission.
Remember that directory editors don't care about your site's ranking in their search results. If they are reviewing a site submission that contains an obviously keyword stuffed title and description, they are unlikely to find it appealing or beneficial for inclusion in their database!
Always make sure your submission details are relevant, interesting and accurate. Try to highlight your site's benefits for the visitor and unique content that makes it stand out from others in the same category. If your site sounds just like a cookie-cutter version of others of the same topic, there is no incentive for the editor to include it.

There are a couple of sites where you want to take extreme care and do advance research when submitting your site. One of these is the Yahoo! Directory.
The way you submit your site to Yahoo! can make or break your site's ultimate ranking in the Directory and if you're not careful, could also cost you USD 299 for nothing.
With Yahoo!'s huge market share and popularity worldwide, I believe it's vital that your site is listed in Yahoo!'s Directory. The best way to get listed quickly is by paying the fee for Express Submission.
Yahoo! Express is an expedited fee-based site suggestion service for web sites submitted to the Yahoo! directory. A member of Yahoo!'s editorial staff will look at your site, consider your suggestion and respond to you within 7 business days.
Important: Payment does not guarantee inclusion in the directory, site placement, or site commentary. It only guarantees that Yahoo! will respond to your suggestion within seven business days, by either adding or denying the site.
The secret to obtaining excellent results via your Yahoo! submission is to choose the most appropriate category and include a carefully-crafted description that contains your main keyword phrase/s without being too verbose.
For those of you offering a Yahoo! submission service to clients, be sure to charge a generous admin fee for your expertise in researching the category and writing the description for your client - a successful Yahoo submission can pay dividends for your client for years.
Example of a successful site description for Yahoo!:
ABC VIP Adventures - offers tailored adventure travel and vacation packages to
New Zealand including day tours, exotic corporate trips, luxury travel packages,
kite surfing, and extreme sports.
Example of an unsuccessful site description for Yahoo!:
ABC Travel -- we are the best! We are the only company to contact for your vacation. Call now!
The latter does not use the actual company name, plus it contains lots of hype but no keywords and few clues as to what the site is about.
In this case, the Yahoo! editor would have to visit the site submitted and come up with their own description and it's doubtful the edited description will be something the submitter would be happy with.

Another Directory where submission is critical is the Open Directory. DMOZ is run entirely by volunteers and your site submission must be hand-reviewed by one of these volunteers before it can be considered for inclusion. DMOZ is extremely under-staffed (I know this because I'm a DMOZ editor!) and it can take 6 or more months before your submission is reviewed -- you must be patient.
Note that DMOZ is used by a large number of portals and sites, which means that your entry can be found not only on the Open Directory site, but also in directories like Pandia Plus and the Google Directory.
When submitting to DMOZ, make sure you follow the directory submission guidelines above and prepare to wait, wait and wait some more.
Procedure to follow for a successful DMOZ Submission:
1) Submit site
2) wait for 3 months
3) follow up email to category editor
4) wait for 3 months
5) escalation email to category editor above your category
6) wait for 3 months
7) ask for assistance in the Open Directory Public Forum
8) wait for 1 month
9) escalation email to DMOZ senior staff & post to various forums seeking help

Do it once: Despite the hype, there is NEVER a need to resubmit to a search engine or directory unless your site is dropped entirely (which is a very rare occurrence).
2) Do it properly: Be very thorough when submitting, especially to directories. Take the time to research and locate the most appropriate category for your site.
3) Be brief: Don't waffle on about your site in the description field. Get to the point and describe your site in a short sentence or two.
4) Be accurate: Don't try to trick potential visitors by using vague or misleading descriptions about your products or services. 
5) Be relevant: There is a fine line to tread between relevance and keyword optimization when creating your site descriptions for submissions. Try not to cross it by using descriptions over-stuffed with keywords.
6) Be humble: “Best Web Site in the World!!!!” is not going to convince anyone and may earn you the wrath of search engine editors.
7) Be patient: Search engines and directories can take up to 6 months to index and list your site. Re-submitting won't help things and could result in your site being shoved to the bottom of the review pile.
So that wraps up the directory submission process. It can be time consuming, but taking a little bit of time and care with your submissions can pay dividends for your site for years to come.
Search Engine and Directory Submission for Your Website Success 
Submitting your website to Internet Directories can greatly improve the Link Popularity of your website, With FUELPIPE, you have total control over the submission process and you can always verify that everything is correct.
Many Search Engine Optimization experts tell you to manually submit your website to search engines if you want to get best results. And they are right.
Use FUELPIPE to manually submit your website to all important Search Engines and save a lot of time because we will fill out the forms for you. With us, your website is submitted in the best possible and most relevant category and you will receive the best possible results.
Search Engine Submission - Manual Vs. Automated
Ask webmasters to describe their single most frustrating task and you're likely to get an earful about the search engine and directory submission process. It can be confusing, tedious, time-consuming, and expensive.
We'll help you evaluate your options and select the best submission method for your site.

Manual Submission A MUST For Directories
A directory is organized into categories and subcategories. Human editors review each directory submission and evaluate the site's quality and relevance. Success only comes when you submit a high quality site to the proper category.
Because the directory submission process is geared so specifically to each particular directory, you MUST submit by hand. An automated submission program can't adequately submit to any directory because it isn't able to study the directory's structure and determine which category is best.
Directories are very popular with Internet users and Yahoo is the biggest, most popular directory. 100Hot.com, a Web site that tracks the most popular Web sites in many different categories, consistently ranks Yahoo as one of the most visited sites on the Web. Yahoo is also the most difficult directory to get into. Make sure you follow their submission guidelines exactly to increase your chances.

Manual Search Engine Submission Takes Time
Search engines are also important: 85% of Internet users report using them to locate Web sites. All search engines allow you to submit your site manually, generally through an "Add URL" or "Suggest A Site" link - if you can find it. Some webmasters swear that search engines intentionally make it hard to submit by hiding their "Add URL" links.
The manual submission process works, but it involves many steps and can take a long time. Look at what's involved:

You're entering a lot of repetitive information here, so be very careful about typographical errors. If you plan to submit manually to many search engines, consider entering the relevant information into a text file first, then using your computer's cut and paste functions to copy the entries into the search engines' forms.
It can take weeks or months before your site ever actually appears in the search engine's database. You may have to submit to search engines several times before they index your site.

Automated Submission
Avoid that endless repetition by using an automated tool that remembers your site's information. You just have to enter the information once into the form and the tool takes care of submitting to individual search engines. These tools are also useful if you need to resubmit often since the information is stored and ready to send out.
NetMechanic's Search Engine Starter gives you feedback about the submissions it processes and advises whether the search engines accepted your site for registration. If any submissions fail, it explains why and gives you a link to that particular search engine's manual submission page.

Avoid Spam
If you've spent much time on the Internet, you've probably seen the ads that promise: "We'll submit your site to the Top 1500 search engines for only $19.99!!!!" What 1500 search engines? There just aren't that many. Some of these services are just scams: their main goal is to mine your email address and send you spam email in the hopes of selling you another useless service.
Reputable automated submission providers try to screen out the scam/spam sites, but you may still get spam email after you submit. Some of the smaller search engines generate revenue by selling your email address. Even the large search engines sometimes contact you with special offers and sales pitches. Avoid this problem by using an alternate email address when you use automated submission tools.
As you take steps to avoid spam in your inbox, avoid spamming the search engines. Some webmasters think they can get ahead by submitting their site as often as several times per day. Actually, this practice just gets them kicked out entirely. Until you're listed, submit your site once a week - but no more often.

A Listing Is Only The First Step
Even if you've successfully gotten your site listed in all the major search engines and directories, you can't relax. Your next step is to move your site to the top of the rankings because the vast majority of users don't look past the first few pages of results.
Manual submission works, but a good automated search engine submission tool saves you time and lets you concentrate your efforts on directory submissions and search engine optimization.

Submitting your site to the major web directories requires advance planning. The sites submitted are reviewed by a human being, so you have to plan a strategy. First, you must carefully research the categories and find one that is appropriate for the site. Then you analyze the sites that were successful in getting listed. It's imporant to make sure that all of the following have been done, because if you aren't prepared, odds are you won't get accepted.

• Did you search the directory to make sure your site isn’t already listed? If so, find the form to modify your listing as needed.
• Have you read the terms and conditions of the directory before submitting, to ensure you are following its guidelines?
• Does your site contain unique content? Have you researched your targeted category to make sure that the site you are submitting has unique relevance?
• Is all of your text legible to a viewer?
• Have you checked the site for broken links? Does every graphic load on every page?
• Is your site legible on all web browsers?
• Is all of your contact information, including a physical address, visible and easily accessible on your site?
• Is the correct spelling of your company name found easily?
• If your site accepts credit cards, does the site have secure credit card processing?
• If your site sells products, does the site have a returns policy and a money back guarantee?
• If you collect confidential information, do you have a privacy policy?
• Does your site have a copyright notice? Is it current?
• Do visitors have to download a plug-in in order to view the site? This may be a reason to reject your site.
• Does the site have at least six pages of substantial unique conent?
• Do your web pages load quickly?
• Is the site working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Does every form and shopping cart area work properly?
• Do your forms have an appropriate thank you page that loads once you hit the submit button?
• Have you spell checked every web page?
• Does your site contain any redirects from one page to another? This is a reason to reject your site.
• Is your site for members only? If so, do you have login information to give to the directory editor so they can view your site’s content.
• Did you do extensive category research to ensure you’re submitting the site to the correct category?
• Is the title you’re submitting the official company name?
• Have you removed unnecessary sales copy from the title and description?
• Did you make sure you didn’t repeat the title in your description?
• Are all the words in your title easily understandable? Don’t use abbreviations.
• Did you capitalize the first letter of the description?
• Did you examine the number of characters in the sites already listed in the category to make sure yours isn’t too long or too short?
• Did you examine the format of the descriptions to see how they are worded? Are the descriptions there lists of keywords or more like complete sentences?
• Did you focus your description on your most important or unique products or services?
• Can the directory editors easily find your most important products or services easily from your homepage?
• Have you kept a list of the details of your submission, including title and description used, date submitted, and contact information used?
• Have you looked for specialized directories related to the theme of the web site?

A search engine ranking can be influenced by a listing in a respected web directory. Google in particular adds weight through its PageRank (tm) technology for a listing within DMOZ (Open Directory Project) due to the amount of mirroed ODP sites. It is not just Google that places extra weight for websites with links from major directories either. Studies suggest that Altavista and FAST (AllTheWeb) powered search engines also give added weight to those sites with a link from a major directory.
Before I even begin to discuss the major directories individually there are several very important checks to be carried out before you even consider submitting to ANY human reviewed web directory.
Below you will find a check list which you would be wise to follow if you want to get in your directory of choice first time and without editing!
In no particular order, as they are all important...

• Your directory submission title should include either your proper business name or website title.
• Your website should have unique content or content of high value. A single page with sales copy is not classed as content of value and will not be indexed. A good idea is to have a "do's and don'ts", FAQ, or have a community element such as a forum. Basically anything that makes your site unique or of high value. Aim for your site to be a resource or "expert" site.
• Your website should not just be a partner / affiliate program or just links to one. This includes all MLM type of schemes and affiliate programs. These sites will not be included due to many directories no duplication of content rules. Your site would not be unique or of value. Affiliate type websites generally have problems getting listed in the important directory DMOZ (ODP) for example.
• Your site should not contain too much that will make it potentially inaccessible to even a minority of users. This can include excessive use of JavaScript, Java Applets, Flash objects, Shockwave and other web elements that may necessitate some form of plug in download.
• Keep your loading time to the minimum. A Yahoo! or DMOZ editor may have a backlog of sites to index and after 12 seconds may well decide enough is enough and move on, or quite rightly, decide this is not what its directory users will want to have to go through.
• Many Yahoo! editors use Netscape, and not necessarily the latest version. Check that your website displays reasonably well in Netscape 4.x.
• Make sure your site is 100% finished! If it isn't an editor will commonly simply move on to the next web site in his / her list. Especially if you have "under construction" notices around your site.
• If your site is mainly a membership area of some kind be sure to supply login details at submission in order to speed up review. If you do not wish to do this be sure to have full contact details on your page.
• Your navigation should be clear and user friendly.
• Serious business websites havetheir own domain name and are not with a free hosting such as geocities or tripod. It is a web business killer in any case not to have your own domain name. There is simply no excuse nowadays for not having your own domain name as hosting costs are next to nothing.
• Make sure your Website has full contact details including street address not postbox), telephone and fax number if you have one. You should also have your email address on your pages even if you use a form contact of some kind.
  If your site claims to be current and is time sensitive, such as a "latest news" web site, be sure that it is indeed up to date and current.
• Dmoz and Yahoo! editors frown upon submitted URLs that use redirection methods of any kind. The URL you submit must not take a visitor somewhere else, even to a sub page.Redirection such as the meta tag refresh, JavaScript or URL masking using the good old load a different URL in a frameset trick are easily detected and will rarely be indexed.
• READ THE WEB DIRECTORIES OWN SUBMISSION GUIDELINES CAREFULLY!

Those are the main checks you should carry out before you even consider submitting. Now lets move on to the submitting procedure itself...

For the most important directories such as Yahoo!, DMOZ (ODP), Looksmart etc. you should make sure you really do read carefully their submission guidelines. Some of the above directories are pay for review only for commercial sites (Yahoo!). Some are completely free for inclusion such as DMOZ (ODP). In order for this site to be manageable and above all maintainable, as conditions change on a very regular basis, I will not be going into great detail on each directory.
Having said the above, here are some general tips and rules to help you get into your directory of choice first time and without your description being edited unfavorably.

• Research your appropriate category thoroughly! The best way to do this is to search for your own keywords in a directory and see which categories come up. Be precise with your search. If your insurance company specializes in liability insurance, then search for "liability insurance". Try to be in the most appropriate category as possible.
• If your appropriate category includes your targeted keyword then you may get a ranking boost especially if the keyword appears in your title, description and URL (web search results from Yahoo!).
• Try to keep your keyword prominence high. This means wherever possible make it the first word in your description and title.
• Refrain from hype and exageration in your descriptions. Editors will edit your site description if theycontain hype including but not limited to ... "The best...", "The cheapest...", "The number one..." etc. Keep it balanced such as "Offers xyz products ", "Provides xyz services for xyz", "Large selection of xyz" .
  Do not give an editor a reason to change your description as there is no knowing what the outcome will be if an editor rewrites it.
• Use third person sentences such as "offers liability insurance and includes a general claims checklist." I have not said "We offer" you will note. Also notice in this description I have not started with a capital. Do any search on Yahoo! and you will find on most occasions the descriptions start without a capital letter. The opposite however applies to DMOZ and most other directories in that you should use full sentences that start with a capital. Keep the reviewers time of review to a minimum and you are halfway home!
• Keep your descriptions short. The longer they are the more likely they will need to be edited.
• Do not just list your keywords. Yahoo! for example checks how many click throughs an indexed site has and how long they stay before coming back. It is even part of their "Web-Sites" results ranking algorithm. You are not going to get many clicks with "insurance liability life insurance private health insurance car insurance" as you title. That is a sure fire way to get edited, or if the editor is having a rough day, you may not get indexed at all. In short, keep it short and mention unique features / added value such as the example I gave two points above
• Some directories list results alphabetically (ODP). In most cases it's too late to change the name of your company or website name. If however you are reading this and it isn't too late, think about changing your website name. For example if you are considering calling yourself "Zebra Insurance Brokers" You may want to reconsider :-)
• Before submitting your submission form be sure to check and double check that your category, title, description and URL are correct in spelling, grammar and syntax. Getting things changed may not be so easy.
• ODP editors are essential keen volunteers. Pay attention to your editors prose (sentence structure) in the category of your choice. If your category editor starts often with "offers ..." then use it in your own description. If he/she likes long descriptions then make it perhaps a bit longer than you would for a Yahoo! description.
• Your directory submission site description does NOT have to be identical to your description meta tag. In fact it is very rare to see a meta description matching exactly a directory description.

The value of an entry in a major web directory should not be underestimated. We recommend for most of our business clients that they pay for a Yahoo! entry. Before they do however, part of our service is to provide them with the appropriate category, title and description of course. We can even submit it manually ourselves on their behalf if they wish.
Don't forget the link popularity factor of many search engines. Not only will you get good targeted web traffic from the directory, you will also indirectly benefit from increased traffic through a higher ranking on search engines due to your increased link popularity (PageRank).
And now for the major players themselves...