Search Engine Optimization 101 - Getting Indexed
Search Engine Optimization or SEO is the process of improving the use of keywords on your web site in order to increase the number of visitors from web searches using those keywords and phrases.
The term SEO is used when referring to “organic” web searches as opposed to paid web search advertising. Organic search results are based on a combination of the actual content of your web site along with links to your web site from other web sites. Search engines like Google and Yahoo use sophisticated algorithms to rank the popularity and relevance of web sites based on the content and links. Keywords are a very important part of this equation.
Search engines like Google, Microsoft and Yahoo use computer programs called robots or crawlers that go through the internet page by page, analyzing and storing the data found on each page and then following the links from that page to other pages. Once a page is store in the database it is said to be “indexed”. Your web site will be eventually be added to the search engine databases if a link to your site is found on another site that is already indexed.
Another way to get your web site indexed is to submit it to the Open Directory Project or by creating a Google Webmaster Tools account and adding your site. Yahoo also offers paid directory submissions.