Promotion Tip:
Big Changes At Yahoo and GoTo

by Larisa Thomason,
Senior Web Analyst,
NetMechanic, Inc.

Things often change rapidly in the search engine world, but the past few weeks have been really busy. Yahoo modified its interface and submission pricing. Meanwhile, GoTo changed its name to Overture Services. Find out what these changes mean for your promotional strategy and budget.

New Look For Yahoo

If you haven't looked at Yahoo's main search results page recently, take a quick look at these example results. When you click on the link, Yahoo will open in a new browser window. You may want to minimize the page for reference as you read this article.

Yahoo's previous search results page would have returned a long, confusing list of categories that may or may not be relevant to a searcher looking for "Boston bed and breakfast" listings. The new interface gives visitors more relevant results that are easier to read.

Category matches limited to 5 or less. Instead of wading through a list of categories before finally getting Web page matches, visitors now see the categories that Yahoo thinks are the most relevant to the search. Directly underneath the category links is a list of Web page matches from Yahoo's directory. Shorter category names. The categories displayed are easier to understand. Yahoo's editors reviewed the category names and gave each full category a shorter title that will appear on the search results page. It's a good idea. Which title is easier to understand? Massachusetts > Boston > Bed and Breakfasts U.S. States > Massachusetts > Cities > Boston > Travel and Transportation > Lodging > Top Web site listings. The Web site listings represent a mix of individual sites from relevant categories. For the first time, the sites are numbered - not to represent importance, Yahoo says, but to help the searcher stay oriented on the page. As always, if searchers want to look at secondary results from Google, they can click on the "Web Page" link in the top right nav bar. Submission changed to subscription: Yahoo recently raised its submission fees to $299 for commercial sites and $600 for adult sites. That policy generated some complaints. Now you can expect even more controversy because commercial sites that apply for review after December 28, 2001 have to agree to pay Yahoo $299 each year to remain in the directory. Adult sites that apply after that date face a subscription fee of $600 per year. At present, these changes don't affect sites already included in Yahoo's directory.

The Impact On Individual Sites

So, how might these changes affect your marketing plan?

Alphabetic listings don't count as much. Sites in categories are still listed alphabetically - but Web page matches aren't. If you got a lot of traffic because your site URL is AAALumpkins.com, you'll still be on top in the category listing. However, you may have to do more to stand out from the other Lumpkin sites on the main search results page. Keywords are even more important. Select your keywords carefully and use them often. Each use raises your site's ranking in Yahoo's algorithm. Try to have your important keywords in your Web site's title, description, and domain name. Use the keyword popularity tool that comes with Search Engine Power Pack to select good, targeted keywords for your site. Remember Secondary Results. Google provides a secondary results section for Yahoo that mixes Google's database with results from the Open Directory Project. Some sites use secondary results as a way to get wider exposure on search engines and directories while they wait for listings and publicity. If submission prices keep rising, some sites may have to use this as their only entry into paid directories.

GoTo = Overture Services

Yes, those are major changes for Yahoo, but GoTo's news was even bigger. Yahoo changed its interface, but GoTo changed its name. As of October 8, GoTo.com became Overture Services.

Many industry experts were astounded that GoTo would be willing to drop such a famous brand name in favor of a somewhat less compelling one. However, Overture's press release explained that the change will help the company:

"…better communicate its position as the premier provider of search and advertising services to companies doing business online. In addition, the company wanted to find a name that did not exist in as crowded a space as the GoTo name."

Some companies who rely heavily on traffic from GoTo/Overture are nervously wondering how the change will affect their numbers. They probably don't need to because searchers who type in goto.com will be automatically redirected to the overture.com Web site at least until March 2002. That gives everyone time to get used to the new name.

Optimization Is Still Important

As prices rise, it's even more important to optimize your site to achieve the highest ranking possible in search results. Remember that it's difficult to make changes to directory listings after the editors add them, so be careful with directory submissions. Here are some tips to help you get listed with Yahoo. Some search engine databases get updated pretty slowly as well, so think before you submit.

Your keywords, page content, META tags, title tags, link popularity scores, etc. all influence your rank on both paid and free sites, but the actual algorithms used to determine page rank change frequently.

NetMechanic's Search Engine Power Pack can help you decide what to do. Power Pack is a full suite of search engine submission and optimization tools. Use it to create META tags, select keywords, optimize your site for particular search engines, submit your site, and then track your rank.

As we've seen recently, Web search companies make frequent - sometimes major - changes. Since the requirements and algorithms change, you often have to change your search engine optimization strategies to keep up. Power Pack helps boost your site to the top of the rankings and keep it there.