Remember when getting a listing on Yahoo was simple
Should I Pay $299 to Get My Real Estate Site Listed On Yahoo?
Remember when getting a listing on Yahoo was simple and free? Not anymore, now Yahoo charges $299 for a listing and here's the zinger – you're still not guaranteed a listing! The only thing your $299 buys is a promise to review your listing request within 7 days. If your listing doesn't meet Yahoo's standards, then you are out $299.
So, should you pay the money to get your website listed on Yahoo? In a word – absolutely – here's why!
3 Reasons Why You Should Be On Yahoo:
1. Link Popularity The major search engines use a technique called link popularity to determine the rankings of web site listings. Link Popularity is rather simple and democratic. Basically, your site is considered valuable (and worthy of a high listing) if a lot of popular sites have links to your site. So if other sites rate you as valuable then so will Google and other search engines.
Here's when a Yahoo listing really pays. Yahoo is considered to by many to be the most popular site on the web. At last count Yahoo was surfed by over 5 million a day! So a link pointing to your site from Yahoo almost guarantees that you will move up a couple of notches in the search rankings.
2. Yahoo is a destination site for millions of web users Until recently, Yahoo was the #1 Search tool on the web. Now Google is the proud owner of that crown. However, wheat makes Yahoo special is that it is a search directory – not a search engine.
The difference between a search engine and a search directory is important. A search engine uses a computer program to index the web and build its search listings database. A search directory, like Yahoo, has a human visit and review a site before it is listed. This means that a search on Yahoo will always return great sites to visit.
Yahoo's popularity makes it very likely that a person will search for homes in your area using Yahoo. If your realtor site shows up – you win.
3. Little to No Competition The $299 price tag has scared off many realtors from listing their website. This has created a huge opportunity for web savvy realtors. Many realtors have taken advantage of this and own the only site listing for their area! This is what I call an “unfair” advantage – and Master Internet Realtors will use it to get leads and increase their commissions every time.
As a realtor, the benefits of being listed on Yahoo far outweigh the cost.
If you do make the decision to list on Yahoo, here's what you should do to get your site prepared for review.
1. Make sure all the links work. Yahoo reviewers hate sites that don't work 2. Take down your “Under Construction Signs”. The reviewers frown on sites with under Construction signs because they are afraid of the bait and switch – they approve your site – and then you put up hate literature – (extreme example – but it has happened). 3. Make sure you have real information on your site. Remember Yahoo uses real people to review your site and they hate going to a site with a bunch of links. 4. Make sure you submit your site to the right category. Visit Yahoo and search for the most logical place for your site to be. For example if you live in Costa Mesa, CA – try to drill down to the Real Estate – Costa Mesa category. Once you've found the right category – click the “suggest a site” link at the bottom to get the process started. 5. Consider taking down your pop-up windows until after your site has been reviewed and listed. Sometimes the Yahoo reviewers get a little testy about popup windows.
If you follow these tips – your site should get reviewed and listed within 7 business days. When it does, pay close attention to your site user logs. You will see within a couple of days (sometimes hours) a noticeable increase in your traffic. That should definitely make you smile.
If you have any questions – there are more articles on this topic at www.RealtorInternetTips.com Another Master Realtor Internet Secrets Revealed!
About the Author
How some realtors are using the web to make a fortune Stan Smith has cracked their code so that you can learn their secrets and boost your business practically overnight. Free Details --> www.RealtorInternetTips.com Free Email Course --> mailto: realtorsample@getresponse.com | Real Estate Web Marketing Club --> www.Realtor-Web-Club.com