How Do You Submit Pages to Ask.com's Search Index?

A Search Engine Watch Forums thread asks how does one get their site indexed by Ask.com.

Typically, a search engine likes to pick up new URLs and pages via a normal web crawl. You can see at Ask.com's Webmasters page (a page that has grown to add more information over time) that Ask.com's crawlers go around the web from link to link, looking for new and important content.

Ask utilizes Web crawlers to collect raw data and gather information that is used in building our ever-expanding search index. Crawling ensures that the information in our results is as up-to-date and relevant as it can possibly be. Our crawlers are well designed and professionally operated, providing an invaluable service that is in accordance with search industry standards.

But in the past, you were able to do paid inclusion, that is no longer available. But as Ask.com says, they do want to find new pages during the normal crawl process.

As a result of some recent enhancements to Ask, we're confident that we're indexing even more Web pages than ever, and that your site should appear in our Search index as a result of our ongoing "crawling" of the Web for new and updated sites and content.

Also in the past you were able to submit your pages to url@askjeeves.co.uk or url@askjeeves.com to get included. An old 2003 thread from WebmasterWorld claimed that it worked in the past. Does it still work? I hope to find out and update this thread, but I highly doubt it.

Currently, the best way to get included is via nice topical and popular links. Then just be very very patient.

Forum discussion at Search Engine Watch Forums.

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posted rustybrick in Ask.com at March 5, 2007 7:11 AM Comments (29)

Comments

Ask supposedly no longer responds to the email inclusion requests. They do actually crawl more than they index. They are very picky. Where Ask is concerned, it definitely helps to be included in some reputable directories (probably better quality than so-called "SEO friendly" directories) and to get some deep links from related content.

Once you get a few pages from a domain indexed, it seems to be much easier to get more content indexed with Ask.

Posted by Michael Martinez at March 5, 2007 11:37

We currently do not have a URL submission process. As Barry mentioned, we ended the URL submission program a few years ago. So don't send your URLs to the email Barry mentioned :-)

Our goal is to build a comprehensive index with all the content that matters. The best way to get in our index today is to get linked by sites that are pertinent to the subject. Although it's not the highest priority item for us today, we can and probably should have a free site submit product. We are also looking into alternatives such as sitemaps to allow URL submission to Ask. But there are only so many projects we can work on at one time, and we are not fast-tracking this one.

Of course, inclusion in the index does not mean pages will get ranked. Our ExpertRank ranking algorithm still requires that the community on the topic of the query considers the pages to be important.

rahul
Ask.com

Posted by Rahul Lahiri at March 7, 2007 13:42

Thank you Rahul! I really appreciate the answer.

Posted by Barry Schwartz at March 7, 2007 13:48

Thx I couldnt find a way of submitting my site and Im happy that I found this info :)

Posted by dent at April 1, 2007 23:34

I also thought Ask was free but they now charge 39.99 for inclusion.

Posted by Pierre at July 19, 2007 09:45

Pierre, where do you see that?

Posted by Barry Schwartz at July 19, 2007 09:55

my site also didn't indexed by ask, I hope my site can appear on ask's SERP, It seems to do a lot of work :)

Posted by Jessie at August 7, 2007 23:24

I looked for my site and found an OLD site from 8 years ago but not the one that has been operational for about 5 years now. Weird. Google has me at the top but nothing on Ask. Very disappointing.

Posted by Tommy at October 12, 2007 08:42

I think Ask does utilise the DMOZ database?

Posted by Jane at November 13, 2007 06:26

Ask.com should provode a way there you can submit your business website URL link on their web page. It does not even show if you have to pay them for your website inclusion.

In regards to search engine simplicity, google is much better but I would also want Ask.com to be on the same standards.

Best Regards.

Posted by Daniel Chege at December 26, 2007 15:49

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Posted by Joe at February 8, 2008 11:21

Hi,
I think that Ask should provide a Website URL Link for summiting website because that is what most of the engine are using and it is very easy way for some to add his site o any engine

Posted by akemi timi at March 26, 2008 14:00

Ask.com should let other business site to link with them either free or PPC but they must let the submitter know in which way and if submitter have to pay how much it costs.

Posted by Madan at July 5, 2008 01:04

still trying to get my site listed...... taking forever

Posted by Eric at July 12, 2008 16:38

Hi Admin ask.com
Thanx for your ever useful search engine. Plz. index my site too.

Posted by Yahya at November 14, 2008 07:15

it's a shame that ask.com can't see a #1 web page ranked website at all
you should check the spiders or update them. hai pa fratilor

Posted by Radu at November 17, 2008 02:18

It is a timely process to get submitted on this search engine, but worth it nonethless.

Posted by Phil at January 8, 2009 14:42

I built this site for informational purposes. I hope it qualifies to be indexed.

Posted by john cooper at February 7, 2009 22:55

Where is this paid inclusion that you guys speak of? Please let us know? Thanks

Posted by Drew Fox at February 22, 2009 14:32

Any idea when they will include site submission

Posted by Terry fitzgerald at April 6, 2009 02:00

I am glad I found this post. I was searching everywhere for how to do this but this one post actually tells me I cannot. I will go back and post on some of the other sites that state you can (probably old ones).

Posted by No Name at April 23, 2009 11:38

That explains a lot. Thanks for the clarification.

Posted by Jerry at May 11, 2009 12:25

I have been watching for quite some time to see if my site is showing up in this search engine, with no results. Glad I found this post.

Posted by Stephen Tyler at May 24, 2009 08:41

hopefully you will put mine on as well, soon.

Posted by Darren at August 3, 2009 11:46

Well that sort of sucks. What if your site isn't like all the rest?

Posted by Chas at August 29, 2009 05:24

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Posted by Deepa at September 22, 2009 08:27

Hi Guys

Useful to see what Rahul wrote. To be honest Google and yahoo cover 95% of searches so why waste the time trying to please Ask.com. Optimize your page for Google first then think about the others. If you optimize well for google and yahoo you will no longer think about ask.

It's simple, look at your friends and families browser 95% google.

If ask don't work in the same way as Google all visitors will remove ask from the browser. I have used an ask browser typed in Google and searched from there engine, why ? because ask don't answer to the valuable answers Google does.

Put your attention on mother Google chaps....

Posted by Jason at January 14, 2010 20:29

I just wonder when ask would index site. I have updated information than many other that it is showing on top pages.

Posted by Suman at January 15, 2010 12:52

How Do You Submit Pages to Ask.com's Search Index?

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