The search engine wars are on again.

In an effort to beat each other for the number one position, each of the big three search engines is changing its search engine model or changing its site.

THE SCOOP

In the number three position is Google. In their bid to compete, they have changed their model from just a search engine to becoming a world class portal. Adding services like free email and groups, as well as offering a free blog at Blogger, http://www.blogger.com, Google is seeking to attract more users to their site by making it sticky. There's also Froogle, Google's version of an online catalog where you can buy just about any kind of product.

Number two is MSN. Not content to be in the number two position, Bill Gates, the richest man in America, is adding a spider search engine to his site to offer a much larger segment of the Internet.

For some time now, the only way to get into MSN was to pay for it. MSN was part of a network of sites including Looksmart, which lost a lot of its popularity when it switched to a paid model.

In the number one spot is Yahoo. Over the last several years, if you wanted to be in the Yahoo directory, it cost $299. Until recently, Yahoo's backend results came from Google until they split. Now Yahoo has acquired Altavista, AllTheWeb, Inktomi, and Overture. Yahoo now has its own spider search engine, and you can get listed free.

SUBMISSION

Submission to the the major search engines is easier than ever now because all of them have, or are, building spider search engines.

Note: A spider search engine is different from a directory. Sites offering spider search engines actually "crawl" the site and add all of the pages on your site to the engine provided the pages aren't too deep. With directories, human beings usually review the sites before adding them to make sure sites are added to the correct category.

Times can vary on when your site will be accepted.

For Google, it can take as little as three days to 30 days. Google reserves the right not to accept your site.

You can submit to Google here: http://www.google.com/addurl.html

Make sure that you read all of the instructions on this site to make the most of submitting your site to the this search engine, as well as get additional tips about search engine submission.

MSN's search results are currently powered by the Inktomi Search Index. MSN is currently working on its own version of a spider search engine.

There are no guarantees your site will be accepted or that your site will be accepted in a certain length of time.

You can submit your site here: http://www.submit-it.com/msnsubmit.htm

Yahoo recently created its own version of the spider search engine. It's free to submit, but you have to have to sign up for an account with Yahoo to access the site. The account is also free. It takes about 30 days for Yahoo to spider your site, and there are no guarantees you will be accepted.

You can submit to Yahoo here: http://submit.search.yahoo.com/free/request

There are also several other search engines I recommend that you submit to that will bring you some excellent results.

DMOZ - http://www.dmoz.org - DMOZ is actually a directory, not a search engine, but it provides backend results for Google.

Exactseek - http://www.exactseek.com - This site is part of the Jayde Online Network and includes GoArticles, Site Pro News, and FreeWareFind.

Alexa - http://www.alexa.com - If you're looking for sites that are comparable to yours, or you would like to see how you rank, submit here. You can also gather some excellent statistical information about your site, including who is linking to you.

Spider Hub - http://www.spiderhub.com - Although this is a fairly new search engine, it boasts that you can get spidered by Google in three to five days by being included in this directory. It also only takes about two days to get added provided you have placed the small spider on your site.

SOME TIPS

1. You are more likely to be included in Google and rank higher if you are linked to other sites and "enter the back door" of Google. Link to sites that are already included.

2. You can also get included in MSN by being linked to other sites included in MSN.

3. Submit only the top level page, i.e. domain, for your site. The spider will take care of the rest and grab the other pages. For example: http://www.yourdomainname.com

4. Turn your sites into a network of sites. I currently own four domains, and I have noticed that since I linked all of my sites together, I am getting more traffic.

5. Link to other sites. You want to choose sites that complement, and not compete, with yours. Search using key words similar to yours to help you find other sites to link to.

6. Don't submit affiliate pages. Search engines usually only accept top level domains now and will not accept mirror pages.

7. Optimize your key words, description, and title. This is often the most overlooked step, especially by newbies. Key words are less relevant than the description and title as Inktomi is the only one that usually uses key words for indexing sites.

A well designed site with relevant key words and rich content will go a long way to helping you get successfully submitted to the search engines. A good linking strategy, as well as submitting to the search engines regularly, and you have a much better chance of being found by the potential customers looking for you.

"I used to say, 'I sure hope things will change.'  Then I learned that the only way things are going to change for me is when I change."
-- Jim Rohn