Before you create and configure content source groups and search scopes for searches of sites in the site directory, you must add links to existing sites to the site directory or create new sites and add them to the site directory.

The site directory is available from the home page of the portal site by clicking Sites on the navigation bar. On the Sites page:

• You have a choice of views of the sites already in the site directory.
• You can browse sites by area.
• You add links to existing sites to the site directory or create new sites and add links to the site directory.
• You can search the list of sites in the site directory.

Any user in the Contributor site group or with the Add Items right can add a site to the site directory. Typically, many users add sites, and then a search manager approves or rejects the sites.

Create a Site in the Site Directory

Any user with the Create Sites right can create a new site from the Sites page. After creating a site, users have the option to include a link to the site in the site directory list and include the site in the content source for the site directory.

1. On the Sites page, in the Actions list, click Create Site.
2. On the New SharePoint Site page, in the Title and Description section, enter a title and description for the site.
3. In the Web Site Address section, enter a location for the new site.
4. In the Your E-mail Address section, type the e-mail address for the person who will manage the site.
5. Click Create.
6. On the Add Link to Site page, in the Site Link section, select the List this site in the site directory check box to include this site in the site directory.

    Note   If you do not include this site in the site directory, it will not appear when users browse or search the site index from the Sites page.

7. In the Search Results section, select the Include in search results check box to crawl the content of this site so that it will appear in portal site searches.

    Note   If you do not include the site in search results, it will not be included in the content source for the site directory. If you do not have the right to approve sites, the site must be approved before it is included in the content source.

8. Enter any other information for this link, and then click OK.
9. Select a template for the site, and then click OK.

Add a Site to the Site Directory

After creating a site, users with the Add Items right can add a link to that site to the site directory. They can also add links to existing sites to the site directory.

1. On the Sites page, in the Actions list, click Add Link to Site.
2. On the Add Link to Site page, in the Search Results section, select the Include in search results check box to crawl the content of this site so that it will appear in portal site searches.

    Note   If you do not include the site in search results, it will not be included in the content source for the site directory. If you do not have the right to approve sites, the site must be approved before it is included in the content source.

3. Enter any other information for this link, and then click OK.

Search the Site Directory

You can search the list of sites in the site directory by using the search box found on the Sites page. Searches from this location include only the links to sites in the site directory, and not the content of the sites referenced by the links. These links are crawled by using the portal site content index. The content of sites in the site directory is crawled by using the site directory content source or additional site directory content sources scoped to each source group that you add.

1. On the Sites page, in the Search for sites box, type search terms that are appropriate for the site that you want to find.
2. Click the Execute search button.
3. You can view the site by clicking the link for the site in the list of search results.

This topic is part of an eight-topic series.

• Introduction
• Adding Sites to the Site Directory
• Approving or Rejecting Sites for Crawling
• Configuring a Content Source Group
• Assigning Source Groups to Sites
• Creating Search Scopes for Sites in the Site Directory
• Crawling the Site Directory in a Shared Services Configuration
• Best Practices for Configuring the Site Directory in a Shared Services Configuration