Google Says That Site Submission Services Can Be "Counter-Productive"

[engine]

Google's John Mueller says that site submission services can be "counter-productive."

[productforums.google.com...]


I still don't get why anyone needs to use a site submissions service these days. What sites worth anything are part of the site submission program?
.

[edited by: Robert_Charlton at 5:07 pm (utc) on Oct 30, 2012]
[edit reason] fixed Google forum link [/edit]

[Robert Charlton]

To quote John Mueller's reply...

As <the poster> mentioned, these services are not needed and can even be counter-productive (if they create unnatural links for your site, which would be against our Webmaster Guidelines).

Site submission services are one of those unfortunate hangovers from the 90s, which IMO were never effective. They generally got you submitted to a bunch of free-for-all directories and got your email address added to a lot of junk mail lists. It's possible that the links such services create now could eventually require use of the Link Disavow tool.

There's never been any point submitting to Google, because if Google can't find your site via inbound links, it's not going to rank you anyway.

WebmasterWorld still lists its old forum that was dedicated to site submission, but it's been closed to posting since at least January, 2003...

Deprecated - Search Engine Submission

[Leosghost]

if Google can't find your site via inbound links

It can find your site if it has no inbounds ar all, and if you use none of their toolbars etc ..I have conducted experiments to see if they could find brand new sites..they can ..and they rank the sites..

The first visit is not from the normal Gbot(s)..it does not say that is from G at all ;).."it" "usually" comes out Germany..but I have also seen it from further East "SE Asia"..site in G SERPs the next day, sometimes less than 12 hours after "the visit"..even with sites hosted on completely fresh IPs..

[HuskyPup]

I have conducted experiments to see if they could find brand new sites..they can ..and they rank the sites..

Yep, I concur and also Bing can do this:-)

[Leosghost]

Agreed..seen Bing do it too ;)..( can't remember offhand where their "anonybots" came in from )..and other SE's..

[martinacastro]

Lesghost I saw the same for one of my brand new sites. This site with Zero Backlink and my browsers does not have Tools was indexed by Google.

Talking about submissions, what about submitting your site to some directories (only good ones), making you the submissions or hiring someone for this? Is bad? I don't mean 1000 directories submissions for one site....

and some guest posting with one link to my site, could be bad?

Regards

[bwnbwn]

I still get the emails "submit your domain to 1000's of search engines" When your just getting into the business, BTW this is who is targeted, the vast majority have no idea this is throwing money away and ends up being a ranking issue. All they can see is 1000's of possible eyes on my new domain little do they know this might bring 1 or 2 to the site.

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

Social media links are the rage now, a lot promise to deliver links from a bazillion social sites you've never heard of.