Anyone Turned Down by Yahoo Directory?

[dglaeser]

I was looking over the terms and conditions of the Yahoo Directory submission, as well as throughout this forum...I would like to know if anyone has actually been denied entry into the Yahoo Directory after shelling out $300 for their review? I don't want to waste $300 by getting denied access for one of my sites? Any and all responses to this post are greatly appreciated.

[Kzajko]

Recently I have submitted my website www.meadowshplc.com to yahoo directory. It took them 7 days to place it there. There should be no problems with most websites imho. They have those restriction to have them in case of something exceptional happens.

After 2 weeks yahoo gave me 23 links (dir.yahoo.com, ca.dir.yahoo.com, in.dir.yahoo.com, sg.dir.yahoo.com, asia.dir.yahoo.com) so as far as links are concerned it looks ok. The question of course is if they really helping my serps? I am on second position in my 2 keywords (used hplc, refurbished hplc) but i have been in yahoos top ten before so its still not clear to what extend it helped me.

One thing i noticed is that Yahoo search shows now yahoo directory description for my website not original meta tag description like before.

Chris.
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Used hplc Waters and Agilent

[mjtaylor]

Yes, back in '97 or '98, I was hired by Hemingway House of Key West to create a separate web site to highlight the property as a wedding location (big business in Key West) ... we built a lovely site, entirely new content, and a lot of great original content for wedding planning; checklists and punchlists, online planner, etc.. We paid the $299 submission fee and were turned down. We appealed and were told that since the site for the property as a tourist attraction was already listed, they would not list the wedding site. And the main site didn't have any wedding info on it so there was no duplication of content. That was that.

I have never had any other site turned down.

FWIW, MJ

[dglaeser]

Thank you to those who have responded so far. I appreciate your help in deciding whether or not to pay for a Yahoo listing.

Kzajko - Did you notice if your rankings in Google were helped at all by your inclusion in the Yahoo directory? When did you get your site listed?

mjtaylor - Thank you for letting me know your experience. How many site have you successfully submitted to the directory? Are any of those sites listed in multiple categories? Was that your vote for being denied to the Directory in the poll?

Thanks to all that have voted on my poll as well. What are others' experiences and thoughts on this issue?

[Kzajko]

I haven't noticed Yahoo directory helped my main google serps yet. But it is one-month old website and those links still keep coming in so they need more time to prove themselfs. In my opinion it was a good choice but time will show if it is really the case.

I can add that i see now that Yahoo search uses directory description and title in serps not original meta tag title and description. So before adding the site make sure that your description is accurate.

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Cnc Machine shop equipment
Used Waters hplc
Zapiski

[dglaeser]

Originally Posted by Kzajko

I haven't noticed Yahoo directory helped my main google serps yet. But it is one-month old website and those links still keep coming in so they need more time to prove themselfs. In my opinion it was a good choice but time will show if it is really the case.

I can add that i see now that Yahoo search uses directory description and title in serps not original meta tag title and description. So before adding the site make sure that your description is accurate.

-----------------
Cnc Machine shop equipment
Used Waters hplc
Zapiski

Thanks for the tip about pulling the title and description from the directory. Since the site is one month old, it appears to be listed well on Yahoo and MSN so far. Like you said, time will tell. You may private message me once see any future results. I'm curious to see how things go with it. I'll probably give in and submit to the directory and pay the $300, seeing as it appears to bear some positive results. If it doesn't work well, I know not to do it with future sites. Thanks for your comments Kzajko.

[mjtaylor]

Originally Posted by dglaeser

mjtaylor - Thank you for letting me know your experience. How many site have you successfully submitted to the directory? Are any of those sites listed in multiple categories? Was that your vote for being denied to the Directory in the poll?

Sites successfully submitted with $299/fee - probably 5 or 6 - one free - don't ask me how. ;D

None of those are listed in multiple categories.

Yes, that was my "vote" for being denied.

For the most part, I can't tell whether being in the directory helps, as there are always so many things changing about a site that it is hard to measure the impact of one link. I believe the consensus of the SEO community that it is a useful thing.

However, a year or two ago I had a client site which had long enjoyed top 1-3 placement in both Google and Yahoo - rare in *my* experience to please both engines.

Anyway, this site slipped off of page 1 in Y, and after a while, I suggested the client buy into the Y directory. She did, and we did nothing else for a few months. The site has returned to page 1 in Yahoo and slipped down a few places on page 1 in Google. Go figure.

There are just too many variables to be sure; but I recommend clients buy into Y if they can afford it.

FWIW, MJ

[Kzajko]

Originally Posted by dglaeser

[You may private message me once see any future results. I'm curious to see how things go with it. I

Sure i will remember to pm you.

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Used Waters HPLC equipment
CNC machining

[dglaeser]

Originally Posted by mjtaylor

Sites successfully submitted with $299/fee - probably 5 or 6 - one free - don't ask me how. ;D

None of those are listed in multiple categories.

Yes, that was my "vote" for being denied.

For the most part, I can't tell whether being in the directory helps, as there are always so many things changing about a site that it is hard to measure the impact of one link. I believe the consensus of the SEO community that it is a useful thing.

However, a year or two ago I had a client site which had long enjoyed top 1-3 placement in both Google and Yahoo - rare in *my* experience to please both engines.

Anyway, this site slipped off of page 1 in Y, and after a while, I suggested the client buy into the Y directory. She did, and we did nothing else for a few months. The site has returned to page 1 in Yahoo and slipped down a few places on page 1 in Google. Go figure.

There are just too many variables to be sure; but I recommend clients buy into Y if they can afford it.

FWIW, MJ

Thanks for the additional info mj, I appreciate all you have shared. As with everything else on this site, I have learned from the experiences and knowledge of others.

[ctabuk]

Be warned of one thing.

Spammers - you may recieve official looking e-mails from 'Yahoo' asking for renewal fees. They are Spam