Getting listed in Yahoo

Yahoo is probably the most important place to get your site listed in. Too bad that it is also a hard place to get into, especially if you don't know what you're doing. Before submitting to it you should read the general instructions on how to submit to directories from the "Directories" section of this site.

Yahoo uses a directory structure and it is maintained by a small group of professional editors. In addition to their main site, they have international and regional sites that list sites directly related to different countries or regions.

Previously, in all of Yahoo's site categories you had two choices. The first was a free submit option, the second was a "Business Express" option that guaranteed a prompt review of your site. Lately, things have changed: in the "Business and Economy/Business to Business" and "Business and Economy/Shopping and Services" categories and their subcategories, the Business Express is the only option available. The free submit option in those categories is gone, so if you want to get listed in them, you'll have to pay. In all other categories of Yahoo you can still choose between the free submit and Business Express.

However, there is a way to get around this 'forced Business Express', if your site has local content. In the country and region specific versions of Yahoo, you can still submit for free to the above categories and if you get in, you also get added to the Yahoo main site. So, if you own a bookstore located in Boston, consider submitting it to the Boston Yahoo first, you just might save the Business Express fee that way.

We all probably understand what 'free submit' means, but what exactly is this Business Express thing? It is a way to make sure that the Yahoo editors review your site within a week of your submission. It does NOT guarantee that your site will be added. The "Business Express" option can be used to submit sites that are in the English language to any category within Yahoo and costs $299 ($600 for sites with adult content). This fee includes one free appeal within 30 days, meaning that if you get rejected, you can try to fix the problems pointed out by Yahoo and try again without paying any additional fees.

I cannot stress this enough: If you get rejected while using Business Express, don't appeal right away, instead find the problem(s) pointed out by Yahoo and fix them. After you've fixed them, fix them some more. Then fix them again. Only appeal after you've done everything in your power to correct the problem. There is only that one appeal, and your money is riding on it. If the Yahoo staff still find your site to be unsatisfactory and reject your appeal, you're going to need to pay for a new Business Express or just forget it. If you appeal to their decision on your appeal, they'll just ignore it.

As Yahoo is a major traffic provider, it might be a good idea for companies, E-commerce sites and other 'serious' sites to cough out the $299 if they can afford it. Going through the free submission route is usually much slower and there's a smaller chance of getting in. In addition, if you use Business Express, you get a rejection notice that (usually vaguely) points out why you weren't accepted, and as described above, you're allowed one appeal. When using the normal submission, you're going to have to figure everything out yourself.

Because the "main site" is the hardest of these to get into, it might be a good idea to try to get listed first in one of the regional or international sites if your site is somehow related to a region or a country. Getting listed in one these "mini-Yahoo's" will either get you automatically listed in the main site also, or will at least help you to get listed there. However, do not try submitting your site into one of the regional/international Yahoo's if your site has nothing to do with that region/country. You'll just waste your time and tarnish your and your site's name.

If you are accepted by one of the regional/international versions and after waiting for a while your site doesn't appear on the main site, submit to the main site and mention that you're listed in one of the international/regional sites (remember to tell them which site you're listed in, and in what category).

If your site is good enough and you have followed the rules Yahoo has for submitting your site and used the tips from this site, your should be able to get your site listed within 6-8 weeks (this however varies - some sites might get listed in a couple of days while others have to wait longer).

However, if you believe that you have followed all the rules, your site is all right and you have tried to submit it several times (of course allowing enough time to pass between submissions - about six weeks is enough), you can try to ask them why they won't accept your site.

Send the query (be polite!), along with the category you tried to submit to and the URL of your site, to url-support@yahoo-inc.com. If everything works out well, they might get back to you in a couple of weeks. If they do, they'll tell you why you didn't get your site listed and you can change it so that it will get accepted. When you send an E-mail to the above address, you automatically get this automatic response. I suggest you read it before contacting them, because it has some valuable instructions that can keep you from wasting their (and your) time.

Remember that this E-mail address is not a way to ask for priority service or to complain about their policies. If they don't respond to your query, try to resubmit, following the rules about how to submit to the letter. Don't E-mail them again unless you have tried resubmitting a couple of times and you're still not getting in. This E-mail address is a valuable tool to everyone who's having trouble to get listed, so don't abuse it and ruin it for everyone!

If E-mailing them didn't help, or you'd rather exhaust all other means before contacting Yahoo (a wise choice), you might want to visit the Search Engine Forums Yahoo section. There are no Yahoo staff members there, but the regulars will probably give you a few pointers on how to improve your site so that it will pass the review process if you ask nicely. I've also posted an article that describes what I did when I was getting this site listed at Yahoo. It contains a look into what I exactly did and some information on how many visitors I gained when I finally did get listed.

You can also contact Yahoo by snailmail or by phone and ask them about your submission if you've tried everything else:

Yahoo! Corporation
3420 Central Expressway
Santa Clara, CA 95051, USA

Listing Support Phone : 408-731-3333
Phone : (408) 731-3300 -- 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM PST
Fax : (408) 731-3301