When Marv Dealy from Throckmorten Enterprises raised the question about repeatedly resubmitting a new site to the major search engines, two seasoned experts gave contrasting answers. One of the most influential voices in the field, Dan Thies, was quick to dismiss the practice as a waste of time. He argues that search engines find and crawl your pages automatically when they see sufficient external links pointing at them. The other side of the debate - sometimes echoed by SEO veterans like Doug Heil - seems to agree, but the real reason behind it isn’t the act of submitting itself, it’s the strategy you use to get search engines to notice you.
Why Repeated Submissions Don’t Speed Up Crawling
For many webmasters, the instinct is to submit their site to every available directory, search‑engine portal, or web‑crawling service. The logic is simple: if the search engine knows about your address, it can find it faster. Dan Thies’s experience contradicts that logic. He has never submitted his own sites to the big four search engines - Google, Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo. Instead, he focuses on building a natural link profile. The difference is not just a matter of preference; it reflects how crawlers actually work.
Search engines rely on hyperlinks as a primary indicator of a site’s relevance and popularity. When a page on a trusted, well‑linked site points to your new domain, that link acts as a beacon. The crawler follows that beacon, pulls your content, and stores it for indexing. If you rely on manual submission, you’re essentially telling the search engine, “Here’s my site.” But that message arrives later than the organic route because the crawler only visits that URL when it follows a link, or when the search engine’s scheduler processes the submission queue. Submissions often get caught in a backlog. In practice, the queue for Google’s Search Console can hold thousands of URLs; each one gets processed at the speed the server can handle, not at a prioritized rate.
Dan notes that when he launches a site, he arranges link partnerships before the site goes live. Within a week of the first external link appearing, all major crawlers ping the site, often pulling multiple pages during the next indexing cycle. The same site, if it were only submitted after launch, can take several weeks to be crawled. A Google user might even see a “new site” appear in search results months later if the link profile is thin or nonexistent from day one. The difference is stark: active link building accelerates the crawl timeline by a factor of two or three compared to submission alone.
Another advantage of skipping submissions is that you avoid the “over‑optimization” trap. Some crawlers flag sites that submit themselves too frequently as spammy or low‑quality. This can lead to lower crawl priority or even temporary indexing restrictions. When a site gains credibility through genuine, earned links, it is viewed as a trustworthy source. Search engines treat such sites with higher respect, assigning them a more frequent crawl schedule and a higher chance of being indexed promptly.
Dan also highlights the impact on deeper site exploration. By securing links to the home page of each major section - say, five distinct categories - search engines are encouraged to crawl those sections extensively. If only the home page is linked, crawlers might skim the site and leave many internal pages unindexed. The result is lower visibility for the majority of content, no matter how valuable it is. A well‑distributed link structure not only speeds up the initial crawl but also ensures that a larger portion of the site gets indexed quickly, driving more organic traffic.
Finally, consider the cost–benefit ratio. Submitting a site is free and simple, but the time you spend preparing a submission form, filling out categories, and waiting for a response could be better invested in outreach. Building relationships with bloggers, industry forums, and niche directories yields long‑term benefits: you acquire backlinks that pass authority and keep the site relevant in a rapidly changing search‑engine landscape. In the long run, the time saved by not submitting becomes a competitive advantage.
Link Building: The Real Engine of Quick Indexing
Link building isn’t just about getting a handful of high‑authority sites to mention you. It’s a systematic approach that mirrors the way search engines naturally discover and evaluate content. Below is a practical framework that Dan Thies and other successful SEOs use to create a robust, crawl‑friendly presence.
1. Identify Core Content Pillars
Start by outlining the primary sections of your site - what you refer to as “content pillars.” For example, if you run a digital marketing consultancy, your pillars might be SEO, social media, paid media, content marketing, and analytics. Each pillar should host its own category page and serve as an entry point for related articles. By giving each pillar a distinct URL and linking structure, you create natural anchor points for external sites to reference.
2. Research Potential Link Partners
Not every website will be worth pursuing. Look for sites that align with your niche, have a good domain authority, and publish content relevant to your pillars. Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz can help you gauge authority scores and backlink profiles. The goal is to identify partners who would genuinely benefit from sharing your content or who see a clear advantage in linking to your resources.
3. Craft a Value‑First Outreach Strategy
When you approach a potential partner, focus on what’s in it for them. Offer to contribute a guest post, a data‑driven infographic, or a research report that adds value to their audience. Provide a clear, concise pitch that demonstrates how the content aligns with their existing themes and explains the mutual benefit. Remember, a personalized, respectful tone wins more often than a generic “Hey, can we link?” email.
4. Create Linkable Assets
Develop content specifically designed to attract backlinks: comprehensive guides, case studies, industry reports, interactive tools, or high‑quality infographics. The more useful and shareable the asset, the more likely other sites will link to it. Incorporate relevant keywords naturally, but prioritize readability and real value over keyword stuffing. Once the asset is live, embed it across your pillars to maximize internal link diversity.
5. Monitor, Measure, and Iterate
Use a backlink monitoring tool to track when new links appear and where they come from. Pay attention to changes in crawl frequency and indexing status in Google Search Console. If you notice a spike in indexed pages following a new backlink, you’ll see the tangible impact of link building. Adjust your outreach priorities based on what’s working - maybe certain niches or content types attract faster indexing.
Dan’s experience shows that when you commit to this strategy, the first sign of a Google hit can appear within three weeks of launch. Doug Heil, whose own site consistently lands in the top ten across major search engines, credits this approach to his long‑term success. He stopped relying on submissions years ago and focused on building genuine relationships with other site owners. The results speak for themselves: higher indexation rates, faster crawling, and more organic traffic.
In the world of search‑engine optimization, the old mantra of “submit, submit, submit” has become obsolete. By concentrating on a thoughtful link‑building program, you not only speed up crawling but also lay a foundation for sustained visibility. The next time you consider hitting that “Submit” button, remember that a well‑connected web of links is far more powerful - and far more efficient - than a single submission form.
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