Yahoo! and Google Hysteria and Media Mania Coming...

Yahoo! and Google Hysteria and Media Mania Coming... No, You Don't Need Any Vitamin V(alium) Relax, Ignore the Noise, and Just Keep Building

by Ken Evoy

PREAMBLE: You probably know that Yahoo! launched its own search technology earlier this year (2004). Since then, there has been a fair amount of hysteria, rumor-mongering, and misinformation. SBIers avoid all that because SBI! Xpress (the SBI! e-zine) eliminates all the noise, distills the good information down to what's important AND "actionable" (from over 100 zines), AND provides analysis, strategies and even predictions that almost always turn out to be spot on.

A major media heat wave is coming. And hopefully, you'll not get caught up in it. But this one is bound to be so extensive, that I expect that you can't help but read about changes at Google and especially about Yahoo!'s brand new Search Engine (announced by Yahoo! on February 18).

SBIX will be right here, keeping it all straight, in perspective and telling you how to get the most out of this major shift in the SE landscape.

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Remember, there's a huge difference between a crawler-based Search Engine and a human-compiled directory. We're talking about Yahoo's new Search Engine, which is no longer powered by Google. If you have any haziness on the difference between an SE and a directory, review the SBI! Action Guide.

For the first time EVER, Yahoo! now has its own, proprietary SE and becomes what we call a PRIMARY Search Engine. As such, it will be reported not only in the Directory HQ (for its directory rankings), but we will also be providing spider-tracking, index-checking and rank-reporting data for Yahoo! Search in the SE HQ, since it is no longer Google-powered.

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All of this was predicted many months ago here, of course. And Microsoft will be rolling its engine out, but that's still a ways down the road.

One important note, right now, though. You may notice that most of your rankings change at Yahoo!. And that's because Yahoo! was formerly using Google to power its results.

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Since Yahoo! was powered by Google...

If you were doing well at Google, you were doing well at Yahoo!, too. Yes, you won the Daily Double! But, of course, you weren't doing so well at Google, you were doubly cursed.

Well now, with Yahoo! rolling out its own brand new Search Engine, powered by its own technology (which seems NOT to be Inktomi or at least not 100%), your risk and reward is going to be spread out among two technologies instead of one.

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Yahoo! claims that this new "Yahoo! Search" is not Inktomi-based, but rather is brand new technology. Frankly, I don't buy it. Yes, there are differences in the search results between Yahoo! Search and Inktomi.

But if Yahoo! built a "new" system that's 90% Inktomi and 10% tweaking, you'd easily get substantial changes. After all, why do you think the frenzied "Google Dance" happens?

No... this is most likely what the marketing folks call... "Branding." ;-)

Not to mention... if they call this Yahoo! Search and claim it's brand new technology, they'll have a whole new way to squeeze Pay-for-Inclusion money above and beyond Inktomi's Pay-for-Inclusion fee (more on this particular angle below).

Or am I getting cynical in my old age? ;-)

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Odds are, using SBI!, you're not too far from ranking well at any engine. Yet that "not too far" can still be too far away, let's say for Google. Now you've got a second shot to get some traffic... this time from Yahoo!.

Of course, if you were doing fantastic with Google, you may find that you've suddenly lost some traffic since Yahoo!'s ranking algorithm is just different enough to lower your rankings... or maybe not -- you may be doing the same or even better, overall.

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My daughter's anguilla-beaches.com site has been affected, dropping below some sites that are clearly inferior -- it almost feels like a "Google Dance" so no panic here -- we'll see how the algorithm adjusts and the cream should rise to the top over time, as usual.

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The next few weeks will be a state of flux, so don't get too happy if you're benefitting from these changes... and don't panic if the reverse is happening.

Just keep building content... and your business.

A question on everyone's mind...

Is it possible to free-submit to Yahoo! Search?

Searchenginewatch.com reports that Yahoo! has added a free "add URL" box that you can access by becoming a registered Yahoo! user and logging in to the service...

http://login.yahoo.com/config/login

Well, we joined but we couldn't find that little box. Instead, Yahoo! notes this in their FAQ...

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How do I add my site to your search engine database?

Yahoo! Search crawls the web every 2-4 weeks and automatically finds new content for indexing. If pages already in the Yahoo! Search index link to your site, it will be considered for inclusion in the next update of the index. Getting your site listed in major directory services such as the Yahoo! Directory and DMOZ is an excellent way to be sure that there are links to your site.
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... so my guess for now is... "No add URL box."

Since there is no free "add URL," check your status at Yahoo!'s new Search Engine (again, this is completely different from its directory) to decide what to do next.

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We'll be spider-tracking and index-checking and rank-reporting Yahoo! as a primary engine in the SE HQ shortly, but here's what to do manually for now, if you want to get a quick fix -- this will help you appreciate all the work the good old SE HQ does, day in and day out, for ALL the engines that it covers :-)

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Two steps to see how you're doing at Yahoo! Search...

STEP #1) Find out if your site is currently listed in Yahoo!'s Search Engine index by entering the following into the search box at...

http://search.yahoo.com/

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For example, entering "site:anguilla-beaches.com" turns up six pages for anguilla-beaches.com.

If you have a ton of pages indexed, congratulations! Go to the next step to see how they are ranking.

Do you NOT have many pages indexed?

In order to be CERTAIN your content is included, Yahoo! will be pushing you to use the Inktomi paid inclusion program (and later, their own Yahoo! paid program, I'm sure)...

"SEARCH SUBMIT—SMALLER SITES"

http://www.inktomi.com/products/web_search/submit.html

Don't miss the IMPORTANT NOTICE on this SEARCH SUBMIT Web page...

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IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT INKTOMI SEARCH SUBMIT

Yahoo! Search has transitioned to its own search technology and is preparing to launch a new inclusion program. As a bonus for Search Submit customers, Yahoo! Search is providing a free trial of Yahoo! traffic that will end on April 15, 2004. When the new inclusion program launches, Search Submit customers will have the option of joining the new program for ongoing participation in Yahoo! Search results. ----------------------------------------------------------------

It's not clear what will happen to the Inktomi program, or if you'll have to pay extra after April 15, 2004 to be included in "the new inclusion program." I foresee two possibilities...

a) They ding us for additional dollars to be included in Yahoo! Search, while Inktomi powers its current partners so you STILL feel like you must PAY for that, too...

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The new Yahoo!/Inktomi Search powers more than just Yahoo!. It provides results to Yahoo! partners such as MSN, About.com, and others. So there's a fair amount at stake, and it may well be worthwhile to submit 2-3 of your most important pages if you don't start ranking well within a few weeks.

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b) They roll it ALL into one price and include both Inktomi and Yahoo! in the "pay-for-inclusion" price. Ha! Ha! Don't bet on that happening anytime soon, not in this millennium!

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In other words, if you have paid to be included in Inktomi or if you do so soon, expect to receive an e-mail from Yahoo! asking you for more money if you want to be listed in Yahoo!'s index. Of course, you ALWAYS have the option of being patient, building content, developing good quality incoming links, and waiting for Yahoo! Slurp (the Yahoo! spidering bot) to find you and list you -- when that happens, of course, we'll report it in the SE HQ (once we add Yahoo! as a PRIMARY ENGINE, which is a top priority).

My advice? Be patient, build content, and let nature take its course. Remember, an engine is only as good as the diversity of all of the sites in its index. Google's free listings will overwhelm Yahoo!'s engine if Yahoo! ONLY allows those pages in that pay for inclusion. So if you follow the SBI! process, building content and good inbound links, you are bound to get listed in Yahoo! for free.

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Therefore, the overall recommendation regarding pay-for-inclusion remains the same...

1) Pay to submit ONLY your most important page or three.

2) Get listed in Open Directory, AND any important theme-specific directories.

3) Build other good incoming links. (Value Exchange is invaluable for that.)

4) Build lots and lots of good quality content, especially for any important keywords that are NOT scoring at Yahoo!.

5) Do NOT tweak to improve pages that ARE ranking at Google.

6) It's always better to build new content rather than to tweak old content (assuming that your pages are all OK when you run them through "Analyze It!"). One exception...

If most of your pages are not ranking well at BOTH Google or Yahoo!, do some tweaking experiments. Increase the number of keywords, perhaps even going above the Analyze It! recommendation. Or experiment with a lower density. Every site faces a different competitive environment, so if you are not scoring at all, *DO* experiment until you find what works. Once you "find the range," keep doing what works.

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This is the other good reason to submit pages to Inktomi. Since they spider every 48 hours, you get fast feedback whether your experiments make a difference in your rankings.

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OK, now that you've checked which pages are indexed...

STEP #2) Next, check how those pages are RANKING at Yahoo! by searching for each of keyword for each page. If you're scoring well, sit tight.

If you're not scoring well, or even if you don't have many pages indexed, and if you're willing to be patient...

Keep building new pages, especially new pages that deliver content on any keywords that may have dropped out of Yahoo!, again experimenting from page to page to find out what works. You'll start getting the same free traffic from Yahoo! that you were getting with Google.

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And what works at Yahoo!?

OK, straight from the Yahoo!-horse's mouth...

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Yahoo! Search Site Guidelines

Yahoo! strives to provide the best search experience on the Web by directing searchers to high-quality and relevant Web content in response to a search query.

Pages Yahoo! Wants Included in Its Index

o Original and unique content of genuine value

o Pages designed primarily for humans, with search engine considerations secondary

o Hyperlinks intended to help people find interesting, related content, when applicable

o Metadata (including title and description) that accurately describes the contents of a Web page

o Good Web design in general

Unfortunately, not all Web pages contain information that is valuable to a user. Some pages are created deliberately to trick the search engine into offering inappropriate, redundant or poor-quality search results; this is often called "spam." Yahoo! does not want these pages in the index.

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KEN'S COMMENT -- Yawn. All SBIers should already be doing this.

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What Yahoo! Considers Unwanted

Some, but not all, examples of the more common types of pages that Yahoo! does not want include:

o Pages that harm accuracy, diversity or relevance of search results

o Pages dedicated to directing the user to another page

o Pages that have substantially the same content as other pages

o Sites with numerous, unnecessary virtual hostnames

o Pages in great quantity, automatically generated or of little value

o Pages using methods to artificially inflate search engine ranking

o The use of text that is hidden from the user

o Pages that give the search engine different content than what the end-user sees

o Excessively cross-linking sites to inflate a site's apparent popularity

o Pages built primarily for the search engines

o Misuse of competitor names

o Multiple sites offering the same content

o Pages that use excessive pop-ups, interfering with user navigation

o Pages that seem deceptive, fraudulent or provide a poor user experience

Yahoo!'s Site Guidelines are designed to ensure that poor-quality pages do not degrade the user experience in any way. As with Yahoo!'s other guidelines, Yahoo! reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to take any and all action it deems appropriate to insure the quality of its index.

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KEN'S COMMENT -- Yawn. No SBIers should be doing this. Do you see how far "keeping it real" takes you? :-)

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How do I improve the ranking of my web site in the search results?

Generally, you can ensure you have unique and targeted content for your audience. Here are a few tips that can help your page be found by a focused search on the Internet:

o Think carefully of the key terms that your users will search on to find content like yours. Use those terms to guide the text and construction of your page.

o Users are more likely to click a link if the title matches their search. Choose terms for the title that match the concept of your document.

o Use a "description" meta-tag and write your description accurately and carefully. After the title, the description is the most important draw for users. Make sure the document title and description attract the interest of the user but also fit the content on your site.

o Use a "keyword" meta-tag to list key words for the document. Use a distinct list of keywords that relate to the specific page on your site instead of using one broad set of keywords for every page.

o Keep relevant text and links in HTML. Placing them in graphics or image maps means search engines can't always search for the text, and the crawler can't follow links to your site's other pages. An HTML site map, with a link from your welcome page, can help make sure all your pages are crawled.

o Use ALT text for graphics. It's good page design to accommodate text browsers or visually impaired visitors, and it helps improve the text content of your page for search purposes.

o Correspond with webmasters and other content providers and build rich linkages between related pages. Note: "Link farms" create links between unrelated pages for no reason except to increase page link counts. Using link farms violates Yahoo!'s Site Guidelines and will not improve your page ranking.

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KEN'S COMMENT -- Yawn. SBIers are doing this. If you are not tech-savvy and don't understand much of the above, things like META keyword and META description tags are automatically created for you by the block-by-block builder. Even though many experts advised not using META keywords, we have never abandoned them because we never abused them -- but a lot of non-SBI! Webmasters will be scrambling to add them back.

We'll test correlations of ALT tags -- we have never found them to be of importance with Google, but since we did introduce the IMPORTANT CONCEPT OF GENERATING SOLID TRAFFIC BY OPTIMIZING FOR "IMAGE SEARCH" last week, and with Yahoo!'s note (above) this week, we may change our recommendation to slowly, conservatively, start labeling your images with ALT tags that use the Specific Keyword of each page. If we do, that ability will be built into the block-by-block SiteBuilder, too. It's certainly not a major factor, but every little bit counts.

So stand by.

Bottom line?

Don't get too happy if you're better off.

Don't get upset if you're worse off.

It's going to be a state of flux for a few weeks, then the dust will clear and things will settle back down.

We'll be monitoring it all, watching what works... and what does not... across the incredible database of all SBI! sites, following all the Search Engine gurus and boards for the small amount of critical information that emerges, and we'll keep you updated. AND of course, we will be updating the tools and HQs to maximize YOUR results.

Because that's what we do. :-)

Ken Evoy is the brains behind the best-selling SiteSell series of ebooks, as well as the “Best on the Web” 5 Pillar Affiliate Program and "The Ultimate eCommerce Operating System for Small Business" Site Build-It. In two words SBI! is all about "Profitable RESULTS." No traffic = No profits. SBI! OVERdelivers on both. Click here to see the proven RESULTS for yourself!