Hi all, I'm developing a new website and several of the domains I'm considering have Yahoo! Directory entries. Does this still matter as far as SEO goes? I'm kind of torn between a few names and I just might use this as a tiebreaker.
Hello, A few months back I was doing some SEO work for my old employer and found that the website who ranked 1st for a keyword had very little backlinks and a link from yahoo directory. I spent weeks building links and tweaking the websites SEO and never got past 2nd spot. So in my opinion yes yahoo directory does help with your SEO.
Google does not appreciate paid links. According to Google, all paid links should be nofollowed by default. However Yahoo directory has links as dofollow. In my opinion, a link from Yahoo Directory should hold ZERO Seo value as it comes in the category of a 'paid' link.
I saw a video with Matt Cutts saying that Google does value the Yahoo! Directory because it is curated for quality. But that was from a few years ago, was wondering if it was still relevant.
As sydzapp says, Google does not appreciate paid links. However, paid links are not (yet) penalized, so in principle inclusion in Yahoo should be OK. However, I am not a great fan of Yahoo. I think it's too expensive and you do not get sufficient return for value. As BlogsAboutCrap states, in the past the Yahoo! Directory was valued by Google, but IMHO such value has decreased and is no longer as important as it once was. I've managed to beat competitors that had a Yahoo entry in the past without creating one myself.
Right, isn't that contradictory? Hey, "Don't buy links." But we won't care if it's from directories or press releases. I always say the Yahoo-Business-BOTW submissions are helpful IF you have the cash to throw around, it will help you establish authority quicker. Not necessarily enough link equity will pass to make you jump up to #1 though, that just depends on your site and your playing field.