The first action routinely taken by the webmaster, or content publisher, upon completion of a work or website is to immediately reach for the search engine submission page or for good software that does the laborious task of submitting URLs across the board - for as little cost as possible and with the greatest effective range.

News flash: what these same people don't realize is that the method of evaluation for web content, or more precisely, how search engines such as Google determine a piece of content's value for the human reader, has changed significantly - the old routines of web publishing are no longer effective, and in fact, can harm a web page's chance of climbing the search result ranks, thus cranking the "cost" skyward through the ceiling.

What happens as a result of your "effective" website submission

When you offer your websites to search engines using the common method - the search engine submission page more often than not to keep cost down - Google puts your site on probation, often because spammers use the tool to get their sites quickly and easily indexed for next to no cost.

So what could this mean for your website? If it's not properly optimized, your site could be penalized as spam, and as a result, be banished from Google's index entirely. Worse still, the chances of your site being identified as spam increase when using automated website submitters, since those are the tools most often exploited by belligerent web publishers. By "saving on cost," you could actually incur a greater cost to your exposure than realized.

The simple explanation: by putting your website URL on the website submission page of a search engine, Google especially, you potentially put your website upon on the chopping block if it doesn't meet Google's stringent requirements.

In that case - how exactly does one get their website noticed by the search engines, and does effective submission actually exist?

The most effective way to get your website noticed by Google and the other search engines is to let it be discovered naturally.

Meaning - do nothing at all! Seriously. Don't use search engine submission pages, and definitely avoid automated submitters. What could be more cost effective than letting Google's spiders index your site for free? Effective submission is a hassle free task.

As for getting your website on top of Google's search rankings, that's another story.

What you will require is a certified SEO writer with the tools to a) know what the popular keyphrases are that people are typing into the search engines and match that information to what your website offers, and b) evaluate Google's language expectations so that the content you do end up publishing pleases both humans and machines alike. If you're looking for something budget-friendly, your dollars could be spent in no better way - this promotional method is but a fraction of the cost of regular advertising media.

So always remember this: effective website submission, or thorough and precise web optimization and letting your website be found naturally (it will happen, don't worry), will let you avoid getting stuck in the search engine dungeon - and could just get you thousands upon thousands more visitors each month to boot. Cost should always be a consideration, but always keep in mind the "hidden cost" of your actions - don't let frugality amount to punishment. Make your submission effective by not submitting at all.