[RandyG]

Hi Mike,


I was looking around for some stuff, and noticed that you were listed in UK Yahoo, http://uk.dir.yahoo.com/Computers_an...s_and_Support/

It is the same for the US version of Yahoo http://dir.yahoo.com/Computers_and_I...s_and_Support/

"Tech Support Guy - tech support guy is a free service that will answer questions concerning IBM compatible software, especially Microsoft Windows 95."

Are you actually getting anything from this? Maybe you should get it changed? It doesn't by half state what this site encompasses!

Altavista has a better blurb:

"HelpOnThe.Net: Tech Support Guy - free help for Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT,
Tech Support Guy offers free support for users of Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT, and just about anyone else!"

but it still doesn't state it all.


Maybe something like

"A free, volunteer based, moderated forum that provides Technical support on all subjects."


Just trying to add my 2 pence worth, as I still think this site deserves as much recognition as possible.


RandyG

[TechGuy]

Thanks, but I've tried on several occassions to have this changed. Yahoo isn't reallly intersted in updating it.

[RandyG]

I received the following bit of advice from Dr Ralph Wilson from a free Dr Ebiz newsletter.

I suggest you submit it again, and again, and again, every week or so until it begins showing up. Use All4One Submission Machine or JimTools. Search engines don't always index immediately. This can sometimes take several weeks or a couple of months.

and another that deals specifically with Yahoo submissions and changes.

Getting listed in Yahoo!'s directory http://yahoo.com is very difficult these days, even for professionally designed sites. Yahoo! has two sections: (1) the directory with its topic headings, and search results under "Yahoo! Site Matches," and (2) the "web page matches" that come up if nothing is found in the Yahoo! directory. Currently "web page matches" is powered by the Google search engine. It's worthwhile and not too difficult to get listed in Google. http://www.google.com/addurl.html Even better, submit your site to the Open Directory Project http://dmoz.org/ that feeds data to Google and many search engines. But a listing in the Yahoo! Directory may well bring more traffic than all these combined.

Unlike a true search engine, Yahoo! Directory is compiled by human beings. Yahoo!'s editors are trying to make it a quality directory, so make sure your site looks great and all the links work, since your site reflects on them. Tacky-looking sites need not apply. Here are some tips: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/suggest/

Tip: Even though Yahoo! allows you a maximum of 200 characters including spaces to describe your site, use half that amount, describing your site as sparely as you know how, while using the search words you desire that are not repeated in the category you seek to be listed in. If you're not brief, the Yahoo! editor will probably shorten your description drastically, destroying your keyword strategy.

But with millions of webpages being added daily, the editors are simply overwhelmed. I submitted Doctor Ebiz in February, May, and June with no results -- and I used every trick I know. They finally looked at it when I paid $199 for Yahoo! Business Express service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/suggest/busexpress.html with a guarantee that my site would be considered (not necessarily accepted) within seven business days. Many directory categories don't allow the Business Express option. The category must be within the Business and Economy > Business to Business > and Business and Economy > Shopping and Services > hierarchies. Tip: If your site best suits a Yahoo! category that doesn't allow Business Express service, choose the closest category that allows it, and then also suggest the category that you think is ideal for your site.

Is $199 too much for a small business to pay for a Yahoo! directory listing? No. If it gets you a Yahoo! listing you can't get otherwise, it's probably the most cost-effective marketing investment you can make to bring traffic to your site.

Last one.

Though it may seem like it, most search engines do NOT charge for listings. But with a downturn in advertising revenue, search engines and directories are seeking additional sources of revenue. StatMarket (www.statmarket.com) constantly surveys thousands of sites to determine how much traffic is actually sent by each search engine. As of Feb. 21, 2001, they reported that Yahoo! generated 40% of all search referrals worldwide (and dominated nearly every country's searches). Google was second, followed closely by MSN, AOLNetFind, and AltaVista.

Just for the fun of it, I used HitBox (www.hitbox.com) to analyze search engine-generated traffic to selected pages of three of my sites. For the past 5 months, I have resubmitted key pages each week using WebPosition Gold. Click to see the graph indicating the top performers (www.doctorebiz.com/v3/images/se-traffic.gif). I learned two things:

Search engines feed some sites better than others.
Yahoo, Google, AltaVista, MSN, and perhaps Excite are generating significant traffic. The other search engines aren't doing much for me.
All directories and search engines are overwhelmed by the glut of webpages, hence businesses are interested in paying to be considered in a timely fashion. Since Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com) drives so much traffic, I recommend paying them US $199 to look at your business listing within a week -- or you may wait forever. Google (www.google.com) offers free indexing of your pages. AltaVista (www.altavista.com) takes free page submissions, but they may take a while to be indexed. Though LookSmart doesn't drive much traffic from its own site, its Express Submit service (submit.looksmart.com) will cause your site to be reviewed within two days (US $199) or eight weeks (US $99). If accepted, your site soon shows up on their partner search sites: MSN, Excite, AltaVista, and many others. Considering my own traffic from AltaVista and MSN, I think this is well worth your while. In addition, seek a free listing in the Open Directory Project (www.dmoz.org), since AOL Search, Netscape, Lycos, HotBot, and others draw on their directory.

Sorry if I've provided info that is redundant, or that you have previously considered, but I really do want the best for this site, as I think of it as very valuable resource.

Cheers,

Randy

[Edited by RandyG on 06-06-2001 at 08:47 AM]