If you use the Internet on a regular basis you are already aware that the majority of Internet traffic is generated by search engines and directories.  You've probably surfed the web and spent hours looking for instructions on optimizing your web site and submitting to search engines and directories.  Much of this information is confusing and overwhelming and I can hear you screaming for help. 

Getting ready to submit your site to search engines and directories can be time consuming if you do it yourself but it does not have to be complicated.  I have reviewed hundreds of web sites as part of my business services and I discovered ten simple steps you need to take to get prepared for search engine and directory submission. 

1.  Build a professional web site.  Buy your own domain name and get reliable hosting.  Create or purchase a simple template design that fits the theme of your site.

2.  Create a clear navigation structure and site map.  Decide on your navigation in advance and make sure it is easy to use and it leads to all the pages on your site.

3.  Add original content written for visitors and not search engine spiders.  If you feel you cannot write well then visit Guru.com or Elance.com and hire an affordable copywriter.

4.  Do your keyword research.  Use free or paid keyword tools to find the most popular and targeted keywords for your text, headlines and meta tags.

5.  Finish your website.  Although you will add new content frequently it is important to show that your existing content is finished.  Never use "under construction" signs and remove blank pages.

6.  Regularly check all internal and external links to make sure they are working.  Search engines and directories will not list sites full of broken links.

7.  Don't hide your contact information or privacy policy.  Let visitors, search engines and directories know you are accessible and professional.

8.  Check your grammar and spelling.  Search engines hate sloppy, unprofessional text and I bet your visitors will too.  See tip #3 above if you need to hire a proofreader.

9.  Choose a tracking system and learn to use it to analyze your web site traffic.  Without this you will have no idea if anyone is visiting your site.

10.  Check your search engine ranking and link popularity reports regularly to monitor your results.  There are many web sites that offer these tools.  Find and use them.

When you have gone through and finished all ten steps then you are ready to begin your submission to search engines and directories.  This is a complicated and time consuming task because you have to evaluate the reputation and ranking of each site, the available web site topics, how often you need to submit, the information they require from each site and you will need to determine if submission is free or paid. 

There is software available that will help you with the preparation and submission process and reduce the time you have to spend significantly. If you decide to purchase software use due diligence before spending your money and make sure it is search engine friendly and that it performs the necessary tasks.  Check for references from satisfied customers and make sure the software provides various reports so you can monitor your progress.

(c) 2008, Davis Virtual Assistance.  Permission to reprint granted so long as the article and byline are reprinted intact and all links made live.

Bonnie Jo Davis is an Internet marketing expert who reviews, optimizes, manages and submits client web sites to search engines and directories.  Bonnie has researched and recommends Dynamic Submission(tm) because it prepares, submits and monitors search engine and directory traffic so you don't have to do it all alone.  Take a product tour of Dynamic Submission at http://www.dynamicsubmission.com/tour/ and download a free 30 day trial at http://www.dynamicsoftware.com/download.html.