Frequently Asked Questions

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Can I submit each page of my website?

No. Most engines specifically request that only the index pages is submitted. There are two reasons for this:

1. To prevent multiple submissions creating a large backlog of sites for search engines to index. Some search engines have people manually checking each website before it is listed, so submitting each page is not necessary and will increase the size of the submission queue.
   
   
2. Most search engines will spider each page of your website anyway.

Many search engines will not index your website, or even ban your site if you submit it too many times.

How do I select an appropriate category for my website?

The category you select is important, as it dictates which search engines will be submitted to. If you select an inappropriate category, your site will be submitted to engines that are totally unrelated to your site. eg. submitting an Accountancy service website to the Automotive / Cars category will most likely result in your website not being listed, as its not about the automotive or car industry.

It is pointless submitting a website to an unrelated category. Not only will the engine not list your website, but you will be targeting the wrong visitor base. If someone is looking for a company to do Web design, they won't be looking in Automotive or Music search engines, they will be looking on Computer and Internet related search engines.


The SubmitWolf categories are grouped logically. Please read the entire list before selecting a category, as there may be a more suitable category further down the list.

To select a category, you need to think what your website is mainly about. eg. A site about cars would be in the Automotive category. A website selling shopping cart software would be in the Internet / Software category. Even though the Automotive industry may be able to use the shopping cart software, the shopping cart website is not about cars.

If you need help selecting a category, email support with your website URL and we will advise you of the most suitable category for your site.

What type of sites can be submitted to the Personal Home Pages category ?

The Personal Home Pages category is for personal sites, eg sites about John Smith, John Smith's holiday photos, John Smith's family, John Smith's dog etc.. This category is not for commercial / business websites.

Can I submit my website to different categories?

No. Most engines specifically request that websites are submitted to ONE category only.

Performing multiple submissions to different categories via SubmitWolf will be seen as a multiple submission to a search engine, which is likely to result in a ban.

How often should I resubmit my website?

Many search engines request that you only submit your website once. These engines are marked as "No resubmission" in SubmitWolf, and any attempts to resubmit to them, will not be successful. This is to stop multiple submissions creating a large backlog of sites for search engines to index. Many search engines will not index your website, or even ban your site, if you submit it too many times. If you search for your website on a search engine or directory and it is indexed, then it does not require a resubmission.

Link lists can be submitted to on a daily basis. The oldest links are replaced with the newly submitted links, meaning that your link can be cycled off the list in a matter of hours. SubmitWolf automatically allows multiple submissions to be made to the link lists.

Why are some engines manual?

Manual engines cannot be submitted to automatically for various reasons such as:

• Some search engines and directories, such as Lycos and Yahoo, require the webmaster to register and respond to a confirmation email, then log into the engine and finally submit the website.
  
  
• Most directories require the webmaster to browse through the directory's category structure to find a suitable category, then submit the website.
  
  
• Some engines require very specific information in order to submit the website. eg. Do you accept Visa cards, which countries does your business ship to? etc.
  
  
• Engines with very specific categories, e.g. Aromatic oils, French poetry, Small town business directories, are also set to manual as they are too detailed to add as a SubmitWolf category.
  
  
• The submission page requires a unique security code to be entered in order to validate the submission. A different security code is generated for each page visit, and is designed to prevent automated submissions. Engines that receive a large number of spam or junk submissions will often implement security codes.
  
  In Submitwolf, Manual engines are marked with a grey gear image.

Why doesn't Submitwolf submit to Hotbot, MSN, Lycos, Yahoo etc.?

Many major engines only accept paid listings. e.g. MSN, Fast/Lycos, Overture, Looksmart and Hotbot. For paid inclusion into these engines, visit http://www.prioritysubmit.com

Other engines, such as Yahoo, require manual submissions(see above FAQ item)

Why does SubmitWolf skip engines?

• All regionally specific engines are skipped if the URL being submitted does not correspond to the region. For example if your website domain ends in au, the website can only be submitted to Australian engines and standard english language engines.
  
  
• Many engines have specific rules as to the type of sites they accept for listing. If the data you have entered violates a rule for a given engine, it will be skipped. For example, some engines do not accept adult sites or gambling sites.
  
  
• Some engines only accept websites about a specific category. For example, a Travel search engine will only accept Travel related websites. If your website does not fall into the Travel category, the engine will be skipped.
  
  
• Some engines only accept commercial websites, some only accept non commercial websites. If your website is commercial, ensure your company/business name is entered in the company/business name in the contacts screen.
  
  
• A number of engines are marked for manual submission for various reasons such as:
  • The engine only accepts websites about a very specific category that SubmitWolf does not list. eg. Aromatic oils, Dobermans, ASP code etc,
    
  • The engine's submission process requires a constantly changing password or code to be entered.
    
  • The engine only accepts websites from a specific region, state or province.

My website isn't in French and/or doesn't have a French domain. Can I submit my website to the French search engines?

Generally to be accepted in a foreign search engine, your site must contain information about the country, provide a service to residents of the country or provide information that is useful to people residing in that country.
Many search engines and directories will not list foreign sites in order to restrict their search engine to businesses within their own country.

For example, a website selling/advertising a house cleaning service in America, is not relevant or useful to residents of France.

In addition, many search engines will only list sites in particular languages. eg. German search engines will only accept German language sites. SubmitWolf automatically restricts submissions to search engines in countries that are not appropriate for your site.

Websites that are not relevant are not accepted, and submitting non relevant sites is considered as spamming the engine. Spamming search engines in this way leads to engines restricting submissions by requiring a unqiue security code to be entered prior to accepting the submission, or even implementing a pay per submission scheme.

I have submitted my site, so why hasn't it been added to an engine?

The time taken for your site to appear varies greatly. It may be instant, or it may take several months depending on the engine. The submit pages on most sites will give you an approximation as to how long it will take for your site to appear. Submitting your site to an engine does not guarantee that it will be listed, some engines may ban your website if they receive multiple submissions. Some engines review all submissions manually and the administrators can add or reject your submission at their discretion without notice.

If you have any other questions, please contact the support team.