Without a doubt, Yahoo is the single most important directory on the
Internet. Not only is Yahoo the most popular portal on the Web, it is also
one of the few large Internet companies to actually turn a profit. Since a
real Yahoo employee carefully reviews every submission, and each site must
pass their stringent requirements, it is also the hardest one to get listed
in.
With their new Business Express program and a one-time-fee of $199, you are
guaranteed a review of your site within 7 business days. In fact, all sites
of a commercial nature are now required to submit their site through this
service. However, your non-refundable payment of almost $200 up-front still
does not guarantee that your site will be included in the directory. If your
submission is rejected, you get to make one appeal for Yahoo to accept your
site. Once it is rejected the second time, Yahoo will never again accept
further submissions of your site. So how does one succeed in getting listed
with Yahoo?
1. First, make sure your site is not already included in the Yahoo
directory. Do a search from their main site (or regional portal, if
applicable) to determine if your company’s web site is already listed. If
you are, you can request changes to your listing if you feel it is listed
inappropriately. Submitting a site that is already in the directory is a
good way to get ignored. Also note that Yahoo uses the Google search engine
to search the ‘net for sites if it doesn’t find any matches in it’s own
directory. If your site isn’t listed under Yahoo Site Matches but shows up
under Web Page Matches, then you’re probably not listed in the directory.
This often tricks people into thinking that they are listed in Yahoo when
they really aren’t.
2. Yahoo has strict requirements on the actual design of your site. Make
sure your site is 100% completed, hosted on a reliable server, with no
missing hyperlinks, broken images or ‘under construction’ pages. They also
look for unique content and a descriptive page title. Don’t use a
promotional blurb for your site’s title and description. Yahoo does not like
hype, period. Rather, your title should have nothing more than your company’
s name and a brief description of your services or products.
3. After you have determined that your site is indeed not listed in the
Yahoo directory and you have designed your site to comply with their
requirements, you will need to find an appropriate category to list your
site. Take your time and explore all of the different categories and
sub-categories of the index. This is very important, because if you submit
to the wrong category your site will be rejected. At the very bottom of the
page (and sometimes also at the top), there will be a ‘Suggest a Site’ link.
If there is no such link, then you are probably viewing a category that does
not allow submissions. After clicking this link, you will be brought to the
Suggest a Site page, or directly to the Business Express page if you are
submitting to a Business category.
4. Be sure to carefully review all of their suggestions on site submissions
before proceeding. You will be prompted for, among other things, your site's
Title, URL, and Description. Carefully fill these out, double-checking your
information for accuracy. Take some time with your description and remember
to include crucial keywords related to your services or products. Give some
thought as to how a Yahoo editor might edit it down. Try to word your
description so that it is as concise as possible, and therefore hard to make
smaller.
After you have filled out all of your information and submitted your payment
(if using Business Express), keep your fingers crossed and patiently wait
for their answer. It’s true that you risk loosing $199, but Yahoo is simply
too important to pass up. Following these suggestions will greatly improve
your chances of getting accepted into the Yahoo! directory.
About the Author
Ed Burnett is owner of Diginetic Technologies, a computer retailer and web
design solutions company. Diginetic builds custom, made-to-order PC’s and
sells a wide selection of computer laptops, accessories, and components.
Visit our online store at: http://www.diginetic.com