Which Search Engine or Directory?

google maybe?

How long does it take?

Google isn't particularly quick or easy to get into. It helps to have a good link popularity, especially if the sites linking to you on a reciprocal basis are already in the Google database. Google takes between 4/8 weeks to crawl the site at first, around the 28th of the month, then returns around 3-8th for a deep crawl. Resubmit every 8 weeks but look for googlebot within the logs once is good enough although getting someone to place a link to your site is normally all it takes.

Quickest route in SEO is using the Inktomi paid route although obviously this can be costly. Also wisenut & fast are on the move.

I recommend you get listed in DMOZ.org, a human-powered directory. Also, go to Zeal.com, another human-powered directory, and take their quiz so you can suggest your site to be listed (must take quiz). Getting in Zeal will allow you to be listed in Looksmart, MSN, and a few other sites. And Google is a must.

ah-ha.com, its like goto (overture), and they will get you up usually with in a week maybe even sooner. Plus by listing with ah-ha you will also find yourself on altavista, looksmart, copernic, at&t getsearches.com, myfamily.com teen.com, teenmania.com, sportsnetwork.com,dogpile, mamma.com and i cant remember what else. Its pretty cheap,, way cheaper then goto.com
contact agarcia@ah-ha.com for more info.

tguk

Zeal's not a bad choice for nonprofit & noncommercial sites...this is a good article about it: http://www.rankwrite.com/zeal.htm

Welcome to TWF arclight,

Interesting article, thanks.

PS - a couple useful Zeal links for Aussies and Canadians:
http://au.zeal.com/
http://ca.zeal.com/

Good routes into the Looksmart AU and CA directories...

WHere do you submit to Google?

Don't they use Dmoz for thier entry submissions?

Winner,

Quote: Plus by listing with ah-ha you will also find yourself on altavista, looksmart,

This is only as long as you have paid listings on ah-ha, they will pull your (sponsored) listings in search results. Don't misunderstand that your site will be spidered by altavista and listed in the looksmart directory by virtue of your listing in ah-ha.

With regards to dmoz, good luck! They have tons of categories without editors and they don't seem to approve new applications.

hey - I'm a dmoz editor - in a crtical category, too! - I've done nothing to promote mmy site and I doubt if anyone much links to it (well, the City on the Hill ) - somehow I've done alright on these terms in google - great content, I guess :coolblock

there's a lot of useful threads about SE's over at SitePoint

Google takes about a month.

mmi, In my experience of how people use search engines and certainly how they enter keywords/phrases they don't use " around the words and definitely not double lots. It is much easier to get exact search terms ranked like this but you should aim to get the phrase(s) to rank without having to search for "editing service" "web pages" on the first or second page.

hey Julia - that is indeed mmy aim - why I'm not listed first under plain old "editing" is quite incomprehensible to mme

I can't say I've "tried" to get listed any way - I'm focused on trying to stop giving away hundreds of dollars worth of work for nothing as I did in MMI