Add Url To Google

If you own a website—even it’s one built of just a single page—you want it to be ranked on Google, the ubiquitous search engine (ubiquitous, that is, with the exception now of China…but we digress). And for that to happen, Google has to familiarize itself with the content and purpose of your website, or what they called “index” it. But for Google to index your website, it has to know that your site even exists in the first place, and for that to happen you need to notify Google that it exists. The following are complete instructions on how to successfully add your URL to Google.

But Doesn’t Google Search The Web For New URLs On Its Own?

Well, yes—the Google search engine is indeed scanning, or what’s known as “crawling”, the web at all times. But even a computer algorithm (or a formula) can only crawl web pages one-by-one, and let’s face it—it’s a big worldwide web out there. If you just leave it up to Google’s natural crawling to get you indexed, you’ll be lucky if the world’s largest search engine ever finds your site in time for it to do you any good.

How To Add Your URL To Google

Adding a site to Google couldn’t be simpler and more straightforward. All you do is browse to www.google.com/addurl and type your URL into the empty field labeled “URL”. Below that field is a second one labeled “Comments” where you can enter keywords or other information about the site. Google says this information is not used in any way to help better index your site, but if web traffic from Google is what you’re after (and if you have a website, it no doubt is) then it still seems worthwhile to take the extra few moments to type a few words into this box.

The Optional Field

Next, just above the “Add URL” button for processing your submission is what Google labels an “Optional” field. This field, which Google uses to help distinguish between submissions from real flesh and blood human beings and those from software submission-bots, may be optional but it’s also wise to fill out, just in case. Remember, one can only ever make educated guesses at what qualities Google values and put those suppositions to the test via trial and error. If there’s a chance that matching the word displayed in the window above the empty text field gives your submission more credence in Google’s eyes than a submission from a piece of software (more akin to Google’s own nature), you might as well fill it out.

Then press the “Add URL” button.

Which URL To Add To Google

Of course, most websites are built of more than just a single web page, which lends to the obvious question: which URLs to add to Google? Of course you want Google to index all of the web pages in your site, but depending on how many pages that might be, adding each URL to Google individually could be prohibitive. Fortunately you don’t have to do that. In fact, you shouldn’t do that.

There’s no good reason to add every URL from your site to Google, and possibly even a good reason not to. For starters, it’s a waste of time, and it can give the wrong impression. Google is notoriously hush-hush on their search algorithm, which means you never know exactly what it values and you never know exactly what can get under its synthetic skin.

So to be on the safe side, rather than submit every URL in your site to Google, instead just submit the top-level web page from your site. Then don’t just sit back and wait for the Google traffic to roll in. Get busy generating that traffic through SEO, search marketing campaigns, and social networking.