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8 Tips To Get More Traffic From Yahoo!
© 2002 By Vishal Rao
With the new Yahoo! "Pay-For-Review" model it
might be relatively easier for sites to get into the
directory but getting traffic from your listing is
altogether a different story. And now with it's new annual
recurring payment policy you have to be extra careful
while submitting your site for a review.
Here are 8 things to keep in mind while submitting your
site to Yahoo!
1) Selecting your domain name is the most vital
step in getting a top ranking in Yahoo! and also other
directories like Dmoz and Looksmart.
Make sure your domain name is "Keyword Rich".
You can make your domain keyword rich by simply inserting
hyphens to separate words in your domain name. Yahoo!
gives more relevance to sites with keywords in their
domain name.
Take our domain name for example:
http://www.home-based-business-opportunities.com/
It is made up of 4 different high-in-demand keywords:
"Home Based Business", "Home
Business", "Home Business Opportunities",
"Home Based Business Opportunities".
While crafting your domain name, even you should try to
keep your domain name such that it is made up of one, 2-4
words main or "parent" keyword; which in turn is
made up of 2-4 high-in-demand "child" keywords.
You may or may not get a top ranking for all your targeted
keywords but you can be sure of getting one for your main
or "parent" keyword (If you do everything else
right).
Even if you have to get a separate domain name for this
purpose, GET IT! It is absolutely crucial for your
ranking.
2) Sites which are placed higher in directory structure
are given more relevance than sites which are placed lower
or deeper.
For example a site listed in category -
B2B/Business_Opportunities will be given more relevance
than a site listed in category - B2B/Business_Opportunities/Directories
Here's a great tip to select the most trafficked category
for your website...
Once you have short-listed 2 or 3 category to place your
site in to, check out the cost of Sponsor Listings of
those categories.
It's really simple. Visit the following URL:
https://ecom.yahoo.com/fast/sponsor
Enter the URL of any website that is listed in your
desired category (The URL should be same as it appears in
Yahoo! and the category should be a commercial category).
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Please note that Yahoo! accepts Sponsor Listings for only
certain commercial categories and so this tip may or may
not work for your category.
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You'll be asked for your Yahoo! ID. Once you submit the
information, you'll be provided with the Sponsorship
charges for that certain category. Repeat the process for
your remaining short-listed categories.
Now compare the prices of all your short-listed
categories.
Naturally the one with a higher price is the most
trafficked one!
3) Yahoo! considers keywords in the directory
structure while ranking.
For example, if someone is searching for "Business
Opportunities Directories", a web site listed in
category -
B2B/Business_Opportunities/Directories will be given more
relevance than a web site listed in category -
B2B/Business_Opportunities
4) Yahoo! DOES NOT spider websites to determine
ranking. It ranks web sites based on keywords in domain
name, title and description. So having META tags does not
make any difference to your listing.
5) DO NOT try to stuff as much keywords as possible
in to the description. Yahoo! editors are notorious for
cutting down the description if they sense even slightest
hype. Try to avoid words such as - no.1, proven, turnkey,
exciting etc.
Also, make sure that the heading of your home page is same
as the description you provided for your site. There
should be no confusion in the mind of the editor reviewing
your site.
6) Make sure your domain name and business name is the
same since Yahoo! is known to use the business name as
the title for your listing.
7) Make sure your website is "Content Rich".
This is very critical for two reasons. One - to get your
site accepted by Yahoo! and Second - to maintain and get a
higher
listing.
Yahoo! determines the popularity of a website by the
amount of time a visitor spends on your website. If a
large no. of them hit the "back button" of their
browser as soon as they hit your web site, you can kiss
goodbye to your dreams of a possible higher listing.
Once you get a lower listing, it can get very difficult to
make up as visitors will not be able to find your site
easily.
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Once a site gets accepted into the directory, Yahoo! ranks
it based on the keyword popularity in domain name, title
and description. But as time progresses, it determines the
ranking based on the popularity of the website itself.
We ignored this and our listing came down drastically
within few days of getting accepted!
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8) Before submitting your website, thoroughly research
websites that rank higher for keywords you are targeting
(Especially the "Most Popular" sites in the
directory section). This will give you a rough idea of
what to and what not to include in your website.
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Vishal Rao publishes an informative e-zine: iNet Profits.
Subscribe to his e-zine and get his free e-mail course:
"11 Killer Strategies To Explode Your Online
Profits", by
sending a blank e-mail to => sub@inetprofits.par32.com
For a complete, STEP-BY-STEP, road-map for Internet
success, rush to => http://www.inetprofits.biz/
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