Yahoo Considers Express Submission Service
One of the chief complaints that many webmasters have about Yahoo is the inability to get listed. Right behind this is the inability to know if they have even been considered for listing within the web's most important search service.
Yahoo receives far more submissions that its editors can review, so just being considered is a challenge. There is no guarantee that an editor will even look at your site.
Consequently, many webmasters feel their submissions are in vain. "Black hole" was a term used by some to describe the submission process, when I did a special Yahoo survey last year.
One solution to the problem is to charge for consideration, something that Yahoo has long thought about. Now it has taken an important step forward with a survey on the idea.
"This has been something that's always been on the table," said Yahoo's Srinija Srinivasan, who oversees the listings process. "People have often told us that I'd love to pay for this service, if I only got a guarantee that you would look at me."
Yahoo has previously rejected this idea, because it's easy for its users and site owners to confuse paying for review with paying to be listed. But as the web matures, the possible advantages of such a service are becoming stronger.
"We think it might be a mutual beneficial all around, that we allow some avenue for people who use the Internet for their business to make sure that their site is reviewed," Srinivasan said. "Revenue from that review can help subsidize the large free submission service."
Yahoo has no concrete plans, an essential part of any service would be that Yahoo would guarantee to review sites within a certain time frame, and site owners would get a definite yes or no about being listed, Srinivasan said.
A formal rejection notice is important, because hardly any sites receive them now. Sending them inevitably opens a dialog where Yahoo has to defend its decision, which in turn consumes time that could be spent building listings. To avoid this, few formal rejections go out. That leaves some site owners in limbo, and they waste time resubmitting.
Of course, the more common reason that a site is not listed is simply because it is never reviewed. With a dedicated staff funded by submission fees, these sites will be guaranteed a look, and it is likely more of them may actually get in.
However, Yahoo is very clear that guaranteed review will not mean guaranteed listing. A site will have to meet Yahoo's existing standards if it is to be listed, regardless of any fee paid.
"The best way to think of it is what we do now is not going anywhere, and this would just be one additional avenue," Srinivasan said.
It is likely that sites that don't pay for consideration may also benefit under such as system. I have absolutely no doubt that many site owners would pay a reasonable fee to be considered. This would take them out of the "free" system, opening up time for editors there to review more free sites. That should give them more opportunity to actually be listed.
Yahoo doesn't yet have the results of the survey, as it just came down on Friday. Expect details as they are released, along with news should plans develop further.
Yahoo Special Report
http://searchenginewatch.com/webmasters/yahoo/
Discusses problems people have had submitting to Yahoo. Though written last year, many of the issues remain applicable.
Stumble It!
Digg this!
Add to del.icio.us
