Link/title tag question in Yahoo SERPs

PaulMycroft · #1 (**permalink**) 08-03-2007, 01:17 PM

Hi all,

I am seeing a different link in the Yahoo! SERPs from the title tag in the actual page. I know about Google sometimes getting it from DMOZ (which can be fixed with the meta noodp tag) but where would this come from?

In Yahoo!, search for "wickman group" and you will see "wickman coventry limited". I don't know where this comes from.

Any ideas?

TIA.

**crankydave** · #2 (**permalink**) 08-03-2007, 01:29 PM

There's a .co.uk page being redirected. Search the title you see in "quotes" and you'll see where it's coming from.

Dave

PaulMycroft · #3 (**permalink**) 08-03-2007, 03:09 PM

Hey Dave,

Thanks for that. Yes, there is a redirect on their .co.uk name - hosted in the UK - because they transferred all their information and clients to the new site, hosted in the US.

Any way you know of to eliminate that tag to show the home page one?

TIA.

jtracking · #4 (**permalink**) 08-03-2007, 03:17 PM

im not quite sure what you're saying...can you be more clear? what exactly is the problem?

so if you do a search for wickman group this page comes up?
wickman group - Yahoo! Search Results

and the first listing, is that your site and what you're exptecting to see?

**wige** · #5 (**permalink**) 08-03-2007, 03:41 PM

I tested this with a proxy server, and I am not seeing the redirection.

PaulMycroft · #6 (**permalink**) 08-03-2007, 07:18 PM

Hi jtracking,

Thanks for the response.

In Yahoo!, when I search for my client - Wickman Group - the first result says:

wickman coventry limited
www.wickman-group.com - 53k

The link is the problem as it's not the title tag on the home page. According to Dave, that is being pulled from the redirect on Redirecting..., put in place by the UK hosting company when all the information on Redirecting... (UK hosting) was transferred to Screw Machines | Multi Spindle Machines | Automatic Lathes (US hosting) as a business decision.

However, you will note that the 2nd result IS pulling the correct title tag:

Wickman Group Free Newsletter
Wickman Group's free newsletter keeps you up-to-date with Wickman news, ... Skip Navigation. Member of the Wickman Group. Supplier of. multispindle machines ...
www.wickman-group.com/newsletter.shtml - 7k - Cached

So I have 2 questions:

1. How can I change the copy in the link? Should I contact the UK hosting company?
2. Why does a wickman.couk NOT redirect whereas Redirecting... does?

Thanks all!

Matteo · #7 (**permalink**) 08-03-2007, 08:06 PM

Like Google Uses DMOZ for descriptions and information perhaps Yahoo has found the use of the "|" Character in your title talk offensive and reverted to a previous title. At one point or presently you have placed a pay per click ad/listing on Overture and the Wickman Coventry title is the one used in that Ad on Overture. You also are no where to be found in the Yahoo Directory which still can be done for free at:

Yahoo! Submit Your Site

If you submit your site to the yahoo directory, (with a better title tag...please) you will find this problem will be solved and you'll get better ratings.

PaulMycroft · #8 (**permalink**) 08-03-2007, 09:00 PM

Hi Matteo,

Thanks for your email. The mystery deepens.

I don't believe the client has ever used Overture PPC so I don't *think* it could be coming from an old campaign.

Yahoo!'s Site Explorer say it has 19 pages in its index yet the home page is the only one using a weird title tag. The other results are pulling the correct title tags.

I have resubmitted to Yahoo!, as per your instrcutions so hopefully, that will correct things.

Thanks everyone!

**crankydave** · #9 (**permalink**) 08-04-2007, 09:26 AM

There's a meta refresh on the .co.uk...

Code:

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" />
<title>Redirecting...</title>
<style type="text/css">
<!--
.style1 {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif}
-->
</style>
<meta http-equiv="Refresh" content="0;URL=http://www.wickman-group.com" />
</head>

<body>
<span class="style1">Redirecting to Wickman Group...</span>
</body>
</html>

Need to get rid of it and change it to a 301.

Dave

PaulMycroft · #10 (**permalink**) 08-04-2007, 10:03 AM

Hi crankydave,

Yes, thank you for that. I also discovered this yesterday so will get on to the wickman.co.uk hosting company.

However, that still doesn't solve the mystery of where that title tag is coming from otherwise it would say, "Redirecting...".

Or maybe it does? Maybe Yahoo! doesn't like that meta refresh so adds a title tag from some other source?

Anyway, I appreciate everyone's input. You're not so cranky.

incrediblehelp · #11 (**permalink**) 08-04-2007, 06:27 PM

1. Just to be safe implement the no DMOZ and Yahoo directory tags:

Using NOODP & NOYDIR - SEO Workers

Have you have had other websites redirecting to this website?

PaulMycroft · #12 (**permalink**) 08-07-2007, 06:02 PM

After re-submitting to Yahoo! and changing the title tag on the receiving page at wickman-group.com, it cleared out after 2 days. I also updated all title and meta description tags as part of the ongoing SEO project.

Now I am going to replace the meta refresh on wickman.co.uk to a 301 redirect and I should be all set.

Thank you everyone!

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