Submitting to google?

[kevintherant]

Hi, I was wondering, what are the benefits of submitting my blog to google? I read somewhere, a couple of years ago, that your blog would be indexed easier if it has lots of backlinks and it would take longer to get indexed if you submit it to google. im not really sure what to do. can someone help me out?

[Nathan]

There is certainly no harm done in submitting a blog to Google. There may be no benefit, especially if you have a blogger blog that is already set up to have new content indexed (its an option in the settings) but there will definitely be no harm done by submitting your blog to Google to be indexed.

[ishan]

As Nathan said, you can submit blog safely to Google. However, it won't help much with traffic. You need to have strong backlinks and decent SEO for good traffic.

[kevintherant]

Wow, thanks a lot. I guess ill submit it then. no harm in doing so right? Thanks guys!

[ishan]

Originally Posted by kevintherant

Wow, thanks a lot. I guess ill submit it then. no harm in doing so right? Thanks guys!

Submit away! And do not submit again and again. Some (foolish)"Gurus" say that submitting every three months is useful but its just a myth. Once Google crawls your blog, they will take care of everything!

[kevintherant]

Ill keep that in mind! are there other directories where i can submit my site?

[kevintherant]

oh, and can i ask, what is a site map? google's asking for one if it's available.

You have not submitted any Sitemaps. Submit a Sitemap to help Google discover pages our crawlers might not otherwise find. Once you create and submit a Sitemap listing the URLs on your site, we'll provide you with data on how Google is indexing those pages.

[ishan]

Here's a big list of Blog Directories: TopRank Best List of RSS Blog Directories to Submit Your Blog and Feed | Online Marketing Blog

Make sure you submit to only directories that do not require reciprocal link. reciprocal directories are a waste of time. They will add 1 link to you from an inside page and you have to link from main page, they benefit more!

[ishan]

Here is another list of directories: Blog Directory List - Where to submit blogs to blog directories Sales and Marketing Blog: Ultimate Sales and Marketing Tips for Irish Business Owners

[ishan]

Originally Posted by kevintherant

oh, and can i ask, what is a site map? google's asking for one if it's available.

Sitempa is a XML Document that lists the website structure. Here is example sitemap for my blog: http://bloggingwithsuccess.net/sitemap.xml

If you have blogger blog, there is no sitemap and only alternative you have is adding your feed as sitemap. Read More Here: How to add Google Sitemap for Blogger blog (I don't know much about this method)

If you are on WordPress, many plugins are available for this.

However, sitemap is not something very important. Daniel Scocco, A-Lister talked about it here: What Is a Sitemap? Do I Need It? Blogs are usually well organized and you might not need it!