Is it worth to pay $299 to join Yahoo directory?

lol.
wow.
i am floored with all these conflicting opinions.

i feel sorry for those starting out when they have to come to some thread like this.

I remember when one could submit to yahoo for free, no matter what category. it would just take awhile to get in. I also remember when none of the links were redirects.

Since that time, the value of a yahoo listing has declined substantially, without a doubt. Anybody who would dare argue otherwise, probably has not been doing this very long.

One does not have to submit to yahoo to become successful. That is a fact.

I have given my POV, hopefully very clearly by now.

If you are running a profitable website, and you are working on quality linkbacks yourself, it is beneficial to tell them, while you have them on the phone (and if you cant get them on the phone, you may want to forego that exchange), that you are in dmoz, yahoo, botw.org, joeant, gimpsy, and goguides. This may help you land the link deal. When you are trying to get a backlink from a PR4 page, throwing these around has proven to be very beneficial to me.

It aint about the traffic these directories send you directly. Even back in the old days, ie 2000, I would get only about 100 visitors a day directly from the yahoo directory for semi competitive phrase, in the top 3 position for primary term.

It aint about that.

It is about helping you with your personal link building campaigns. This is the single greatest value I have seen. Look, if you outsource your link building campaigns to some non-native speaker, fine, this probably does not apply to you. But if you take your link building very seriously, and you are trying to get PR4 and PR5 backlinks (permanent), and building long lasting relationships with this partners (they frequently have a second, or third website, perfect for 3way linking), telling them about these directory listings is a tremendous boost in building the repetoir.

Now, none of us REALLY know for sure if google, yahoo, or msn gives a preference to any of the beforementioned directories i just through out there.

But it has been my experience that it does help in those engines. Who knows why. Maybe they did not MEAN to favor those sites, but somehow somewhere it seems to make a difference.

I have seen this with hundreds of websites I have worked with. Not 2, 3, or 10.

I am sure there are webmasters out there that have done more than me. I am positive. There experience may differ. Who knows.

But I am not here to misinform or mislead, like alot of my colleagues have done, and boast about in the bars at the search conferences, or in emails they send to me.

Misinformation is part of this game. I imagine that many of the posters here have been both misinformed, and have not worked with enough websites with enough discrimation (analysis) to make a properly informed recommendation.

I wholeheartedly believe that they are being honest.....it has been there experience that it is not helpful.

But look at the whole picture, please.

How experienced at seo are they? How many sites have they tested this with? How long have they been in the business?

One should not base their analysis on results with just 5 yahoo listings. How much money have they made online, and entirely online, in the last 5 consecutive years, from their websites? $100,000 a year? Those are the people you want to listen to.

See my other posts for recommendations regarding education.

Some of my collegues dont recommend yahoo. Some do.

You want professional advice? Go find Ammon Johns from London (he may reply to you in cre8asite). Get him on the phone. Exchange some emails. He is the best seo-centric internet marketing guy I know. You will NOT find a more intelligent, informed individual on the face of the planet. If, per chance, you do, give me their contacts. I have been trying to find someone better for a very long time.

Balance him with Marlon Sanders and Jim Edwards, and find a place between all 3, and you will be well served. Well served indeed.

 

save money for other things

 

doubt its worth it. i know for a fact that a few of my competitors are listed in there as well as DMOZ. I am still kicking their buts in SEPRS for strong keywords

 

A total waste of money! Period!

 

True, submitting to Yahoo and paying the $299 isn't going to automatically help you, but it's definitely not going to hurt! Nor is it going to be major traffic boon, but I do think that if you have that kind of money to burn than I think it's worth it. I do think that Google, MSN and even Yahoo course look upon those sites within the Yahoo directory a little more favorably than those that are not.

And if you are not sure just check your competition. If most of them are in it you should be to. If there are not then maybe that's a possible way to jump 'em.

Saving the money for high PR directories/comments/link farms and other garbage is well, garbage. Or at least it can turn out to be. Quality over quantity. How many of those high PR directories really add any meaningful traffic? And just how many of them will be around 4-5 years from now? A publicly traded company like Yahoo will be in around some form even if it is absorbed by MSN or Google or someone else.

 

agree - a waste of money.

 

Look here
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=845377

 

The backlink you get from Yahoo directory listing will surely help you in your Google rankings too. So the price tag of $299 is definitely worth it if you are selling products.

One more tip. When you write the text for your listing, please choose your subdirectories and the text to include your desired keywords.

 

I can't believe anyone who says that this is not a wise investment!!! Its not for the traffic...you will get ZERO traffic from a Yahoo Directory link...it is for the PR and authority!!
Wake up...for only $299 you are getting a link on the biggest website in the world!!! WAKE UP..its a PR 9!!!

 

Absolutely waste your money.. I have yahoo dir domain.. I never receive any traffic..

 

I would use that moey to hire someone to write articles for my site for content / article marketing

 

I have submitted to Yahoo directory. I have not find any good out of that. I would rather suggest using that money on something else.

 

i would love to see if some yahoo representative answering all this negative feedback, they are big giant companies and they are charging big money on directory submission they should hire at least a PRO to handle this situations.

 

Not sure what you mean by the loyalty of google or yahoo.

The worth of a listing in yahoo directory depends on your vertical. Both Google and yahoo consider the directory listing a authority link and the yahoo directory drives some traffic.

 

For SEO purposes I think it matters to Yahoo more than it does to any other search engine.

 

Better pay someone and get it into DMoz .

 

if you want to waste your money, do it

 

for 300$ it is not worth
better get some pr6-7 backlinks

 

No, It is not required to spend such a huge amount for one link.

 

Till you are not making that much money in one day.Don't do it.When you have enough money then only think about it.If you earn $299 and spend all then what's the profit.First work yourself for traffic and when you know that your niche rocks then only submit it.

Only my opinion.