Pay to list on Yahoo Directory Worth it or not?

[yowow]

I am thinking of listing of my website on yahoo directory for express fee of $300.
My question is it worth it or not? Advantage or disadvantages? Give me your suggestion.

[Savipe]

Well,I will just add my comment,I consider it's too expensive "paying for being included at Yahoo's directory",true it can be more comfortable allowing a site like Yahoo make all the promotion or it can also be like being into the web ranks for pros,but if a business is too small and/or non profit I consider it non affordable.

My website: Wheels for Independence is a small and non profit site focused on disability issues and lifestyle,I really can't pay for being at Yahoo's directory.

What I have started doing is working harder on promoting the site and forums and groups,believe me it helps lots!

Good luck!

[bhartzer]

Yes, it's definitely worth it. If your competitors are there then you must be there, too.

There's another thread about this here (http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=30878).

[obuwebco]

i was added about 2 months ago... but i dont think the recent PR update caught it.. so I actually dropped 10 spots in yahoo,and no change in google for my main search term.

[GlowHost.com]

I have never paid for inclusion at Yahoo! since they have a free submit option. I have never been declined, and as a matter of fact, Yahoo gives me page one if not number one results for the sites I have submitted for the keywords we wanted.

(except our own site but we have a lot of competition out there, and amfar from an SEO pro)

google on the other hand is free and lately I cannot seem to get any sort of listing with them on the same sites that rank very highly on Yahoo!

[cbp]

I have never paid for inclusion at Yahoo! since they have a free submit option. I have never been declined, and as a matter of fact, Yahoo gives me page one if not number one results for the sites I have submitted for the keywords we wanted.

You are confused between the free submit for the Yahoo Search Index and the free submit for the Yahoo Directory - they are very differnt things. This thread is about the Yahoo Directory.
See this new thread:
http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=31235

CBP

[Savipe]

I have never paid for inclusion at Yahoo! since they have a free submit option. I have never been declined, and as a matter of fact, Yahoo gives me page one if not number one results for the sites I have submitted for the keywords we wanted.

(except our own site but we have a lot of competition out there, and amfar from an SEO pro)

google on the other hand is free and lately I cannot seem to get any sort of listing with them on the same sites that rank very highly on Yahoo!

Yahoo is only having the "Suggest a site" thing,it's free but as they said: "it can take weeks,or a month to have the site crawled",all the other services are paid :-(

[rcmedia2004]

I just had the weirdest experience with Yahoo!

I launched a new site less than 3 weeks ago for a local company... I used the Free Yahoo submission (*i.e. didn't pay the $300 fee) and did a little optimizing,,,but not overly so just for the sheer fact I've only been at it less tha 3 weeks.
Well, 2 nights ago I checked Yahoo for our top 10 keywords there... we are #1 - 3 for all of them... that fast!
I can't explain this at all.. I have a few theories though.
Our search results are similar at MSN and MSN beta as well.
Very strange but I'm not complaining of course.

I guess this means a few things:
1) There is no Yahoo sanbox for new sites.
2) Commercial sites can get listed and rank very high real quick in Yahoo.
3) Yahoo doesn't require tons of backlinks with anchor text (*we only have a dozen backlinks at the most).
We are beating out very well established sites in our business genre... sites that have heavy duty backlinks, age and extensive mention across the net in authoritive articles etc.

Again, I have my theories on how we pulled this off.. but still it's pretty amazing and should bring hope for others.

[DriWashSolutions]

Well, nearly 1 month ago (10/22) I paid the $300 to get listed in the directory. So far, it doesn't seem to have helped me at all. As a matter of fact, I dropped from #3 to #12 for one keyword on Y, with similar drops on others.

The listing doesn't help my SERPS on G either. Dropped from ~30's to the 80's for the same keyword phrase.

So, the $300 is not looking like a godd investment at this point.

[Jayms]

It wasn't for me either. My advice, if you are showing up well in Yahoo!, a paid inclusion will not help (in fact, may make it worse), so don't bother. However, if you don't show up at all, then it may be something to consider.

[Manpasand]

Yes, it's definitely worth it. If your competitors are there then you must be there, too.

I am agree with bhartzer. Directory listing is also help for boost your ranking in Yahoo and Google.

[cbp]

rcmedia2004:

I launched a new site less than 3 weeks ago for a local company... I used the Free Yahoo submission (*i.e. didn't pay the $300 fee) and did a little optimizing,,,but not overly so just for the sheer fact I've only been at it less tha 3 weeks.
Well, 2 nights ago I checked Yahoo for our top 10 keywords there... we are #1 - 3 for all of them... that fast!
I can't explain this at all.. I have a few theories though.
Our search results are similar at MSN and MSN beta as well.
Very strange but I'm not complaining of course.
and Jayms

It wasn't for me either. My advice, if you are showing up well in Yahoo!, a paid inclusion will not help (in fact, may make it worse), so don't bother.

see my quote earlier in this thread:

You are confused between the free submit for the Yahoo Search Index and the free submit for the Yahoo Directory - they are very differnt things. This thread is about the Yahoo Directory.

and numerous times in this thread:
http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=31235

We are discussing here the $299 for pain inclusion in the Yahoo Directory - not paid incusion in teh Yahoo Search Index.

CBP

[Jayms]

again, if you show up well without it, paying will probably will have little or no effect.