THE CURRENT VERSION IS SEY 2003

Yahoo! (2003 Overview)

URLs

Main:.. http://www.yahoo.com/
Advanced search: http://search.yahoo.com/search/options/
Submission page: Click "Suggest a site" in the appropriate category.
Contact e-mail: url-support@yahoo-inc.com (specifically for getting indexed related queries)
Physical address: 701 First Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Phone number: (408) 349-3300 (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST)
Guidelines for webmasters: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/suggest/
Business Express help section: http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/bizex/
My Yahoo!: http://my.yahoo.com/?myHome

The Company

Yahoo! was founded in 1994 by Ph.D. students David Filo and Jerry Yang. Yahoo! started out as a hobby. It was also one of the first online directories to the web. Since then it has grown into arguably the most recognized brand on the web. Yahoo! is reportedly the most visited site on the Internet (November 2002).

Getting Listed at Yahoo!

Since about 1996, tips for getting listed in Yahoo! have (dis)graced the sites of many search engine “gurus”. There were endless numbers of tricks and “insider secrets” published – most of them a total waste of time.

Yahoo! and Google

These days, getting into Yahoo! is considerably easier; especially with the way Yahoo! now displays results.

As before, Google supplies web matches to supplement Yahoo!’s directory matches, but since November 2002, the Google results are shown first.

What that means to us:

• As a good Google listing is now also a good Yahoo! listing, Google HAS to be the focus of your SEO efforts.
• Paying the $299 annual fee for inclusion in the Yahoo! directory is probably no longer a must. At the moment, the only benefit I can see in a Yahoo! listing is a (big) boost to your Google PageRank. I’ll report changes in my EnginePaper newsletter. Subscribe (free) with a blank e-mail to send-ep-subscribe@topica.com .
• The folks at Yahoo! have been working hard to boost Yahoo!’s profitability. This change might seem like shooting themselves in the foot, but when you think about it, Yahoo! is now a great place to do a search. I think Yahoo!’s new focus on delivering real value first will win big in the long run. It was a brave move and probably the right one.

Paid Listings Via Overture

In 2001, Yahoo! started experimenting with paid listings in an effort to boost profitability. They decided to start displaying results delivered from Overture. The plan was to then develop and implement their own pay-per-click system by April 2002. That didn’t happen and they’re still with Overture.

Yahoo! (2002 Overview)

Yahoo! URLs

Main:.. http://www.yahoo.com/
Advanced Search: http://search.yahoo.com/search/options/
Submission page: Click "Suggest a site" in the appropriate category.
Contact e-mail: url-support@yahoo-inc.com (specifically for getting-indexed related queries)
Physical address: 3420 Central Expressway, Santa Clara, CA 95051
Phone number: (408) 731-3300 (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST)
Guidelines for webmasters: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/suggest/
Business Express help section: http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/bizex/

Notes on Yahoo!

For the first time in Yahoo's history, search results are being compromised in an effort to bring it back to profitability. Sad, because Yahoo has always been the Holy Grail in search engine optimization.

For now, they're including listings from the pay for position engine Overture (formerly Goto). The long-term plan is to offer their own pay for position program by April 2002. Let's hope that online advertising picks up and Yahoo can keep their search results clean.

This is probably a good spot to mention that search engine guru, Danny Sullivan, is not entirely against pay for position listings mixed in with regular listings, but he points out that the paid listings should be clearly marked.

Price Increase

Yahoo now charges more for business site submissions. The price is up from $199 to $299. As before, this does not guarantee that your site will be included in the index - only that it will be considered for inclusion.

All non-business site submissions are still free.

Getting Your Site Listed in Yahoo!

There are many tutorials on getting listed at Yahoo!, but the crucial bit can be summed up in one paragraph:

Produce good, unique content first. That is key. Present that content in a professional manner - have your own domain name, don't use free hosting, etc. Even if you do all this, your site may still slip through the cracks at Yahoo!, so resubmit your site every 2 weeks until it's accepted. Don't submit more often - Yahoo! considers that spam.

Here are some minimum requirements your site should meet before you submit it to Yahoo!:

· It should have a privacy policy
· It should display the physical address of your company
· It should not be under construction
· Links and images must all work
· It should be browser independent (compatible with at least Internet Explorer and Netscape)