How do you get indexed in search engines?

[dpunkz]

My site has been around for almost 5 months now and still the only way my site is findable in search engines is searching

"Hoopsgaming"

cuz my site is www.hoopsgaming.com

So i get 0 help from search engines trying to get people to my site. I almost have to bring people in one by one and with a little help from my you tube channel

Can some one please help me out, is there any way for search engines to pick up maybe some back links on my site or something? or is there any thing im missing like adjustments to make in the ACP? or is there some secret to it? lol thanks looking forward for some responces

[Vtec44]

Have you submitted your URL to major search engines? I submitted my new forums to Google, and they're being indexed as we speak. Being indexed doesn't mean that it will automatically show up when people search for particular keywords. Google, in particular, looks for the actual content of your site to see if it matches with what people are looking for. Even with that, older & high PR sites tend to get indexed more often and have priority.

[Wayne Luke]

What links do you have coming into your site? That is the easiest way to get indexed. The better your content, the more people want to link to you. The more links coming in, the better your site is indexed.

Both Yahoo and Google also allow to sign up for programs where you submit sitemaps for their search engines. Also Google will index you faster if you sign up for AdSense or their Search Engine Coop.

[dpunkz]

thanks for the replays, yea i have submitted my site and have adsence as well. but even that my site is indexed when you search hoopsgaming in google it does not really say what my site it it just says that its a site made by VB and visit this site for more information lol.

Also well hoopsgaming, is a basketball gaming community we cover strategy on nba 2k8, nba live 08 and other bball games

i figured that after 5 months i would be showing up on one of the 100 pages that currently show when you type in nba 2k8 or nba 2k8 forums or you know something along the lines of that

[dpunkz]

also the content that i have is actully really really good and exclusive. Video guides and things like that and much of it, i do alot on you tube and only a few times have i seen others posting about me on other sites like some general sports gaming forums and what not

[wii]

Something is not right in your forum, the links are something like:

The makes it hard for Google to index the site, not sure why the links look like this, but I think this is the main reason for your problems.

I can´t even show it here - damn.

[Wayne Luke]

thanks for the replays, yea i have submitted my site and have adsence as well. but even that my site is indexed when you search hoopsgaming in google it does not really say what my site it it just says that its a site made by VB and visit this site for more information lol.

Also well hoopsgaming, is a basketball gaming community we cover strategy on nba 2k8, nba live 08 and other bball games

i figured that after 5 months i would be showing up on one of the 100 pages that currently show when you type in nba 2k8 or nba 2k8 forums or you know something along the lines of that

You should give it a description via the Description metatag.

[dpunkz]

I think that might have something to do with the fact that i converted from smf then to phpbb3 then to VB with in like 2 months lol

So you think that may be a problem, something to take seriously?

If so is there away to get my links very Google friendly ? lol

thanks,

[wii]

Mouseover your links, and see how they look like - mouseover links here at vBulletin and see the difference - this is your problem.

[dpunkz]

thanks for all the info!

one last thing, i currently have my VB set so it forces guests to register after they view 2 threads... I herd from a few people that this is bad for search engine indexing because the spiders or w/e have trouble grabbing content?

[noppid]

thanks for all the info!

one last thing, i currently have my VB set so it forces guests to register after they view 2 threads... I herd from a few people that this is bad for search engine indexing because the spiders or w/e have trouble grabbing content?

That is correct for the most part. If guests see a register page, so will the SE.

[wii]

Yeah, ok that MOD is definately another reason.

[Wayne Luke]

thanks for all the info!

one last thing, i currently have my VB set so it forces guests to register after they view 2 threads... I herd from a few people that this is bad for search engine indexing because the spiders or w/e have trouble grabbing content?

You can't take a strategy like this until you have an audience and content "worth paying for". On a new site, the guest will just go somewhere else and get their information. Then it won't matter if you're in the search engines or not.

[tgillespie]

thanks for all the info!

one last thing, i currently have my VB set so it forces guests to register after they view 2 threads... I herd from a few people that this is bad for search engine indexing because the spiders or w/e have trouble grabbing content?

That is probably the biggest reason for not having and pages indexed. I would get rid of that mod asap. Also, look into a making a sitemap and then submit that too Google. It seems as if Google indexes and then drops forums very regularly. After adding a sitemap to Google's Webmaster Tools, it has not happened. I have a constant 360,000 indexed pages.

[SiteSmarty]

Which SiteMap?

tgillespie: Can you tell me what site map you are using. I am having problems with the one I added when trying to link from PhotoPost and PhotoClassifieds to the site map. Brings back a 404 page.

Where can I obtain the site map you use?

Thanks