Warmest Greetings,

Why I Did Not Submit My Site To Yahoo  

:: Thursday, June 24, 2004 ::

Since leaving my work in SEO and not having to submit and optimize sites for people anymore, returning to promote the new UsabilityEffect.com site has been a sad experience.

Everybody wants money.

In the case of Yahoo!, I rejected their submission process. This is because it would cost me an annual fee per URL, plus a fee for everytime someone clicks into the site. In my case, since I'm a consultant, it would cost me 30 cents for every click, according to their rules.

Why would I pay that? They can't say they'll rank my site high, unless I pay extra for that. They can't promise anyone will stay on my site once they click on it, so what's to stop someone from harrassing me with unproductive clicks? They can't convert those clicks to sales. That's my job, as the builder of my site.

I don't disagree with paying for inclusion. I don't dislike Yahoo!. They've been a strong, reliable search engine over the years. Yet, this is where those good SEO's come in. They help you make your site perform in search engine results, make sure it's indexed and guide you towards productive keyword selections. Copywriters add more value, both those experienced in SEO and those experienced in persuasive writing.

I would even be willing to pay per click, but only those that resulted in a sale. I pay out referral fees. How would this be different? Credit, where credit is due. I can do my part to guide that click, but I may not offer what they want or need. And, most of my sites are resource oriented. I don't charge for people to read or find research and articles. Why should I pay for each look? At 30 cents a pop, no thank you.

Google, on the other hand, I'm willing to do things for, to repay them for crawling my site and following links to it. For Google, I will place ads and even experiment with their new search engine. They still generate revenue, but they're not killing my budget.

I also happily paid for Gimpsy. That site reminds me of the story, "The Little Engine That Could". The folks behind this search company have not given up, and are thriving. And, they do it with grace. I gladly supported Gimpsy. (They have a new nifty offer for links help called Strongest Link, free for a time with new submissions.)

As a web site usability tester for my SEO partners, I care a lot about what happens to the sites that desperately want to rank well and achieve good PageRank. But, I don't envy anyone who pays per click without a usability evaluation first. It's more than SEO. It's more than site design. It's even more than waving money at search engines.

Usability is a process.

Related item: Search engines rethink paid inclusion

    "Yahoo's paid inclusion "has not been well received, primarily because it doesn't feel very Yahoo-like," said Dana Todd, an owner of SiteLab, a search engine marketing company. "They have a review fee and combined it with a traffic charge, and they've made themselves the biggest, fattest paid-inclusion provider out there. It seems punitive."

Related item: Executive’s Guide to Improving Online Marketing ROI

    "In reality, you need much more than merely getting clicks to make a profit, especially as competitive pressure builds up. As a minimum, you will need (a) good website design and information architecture, (b) reliable, safe, and easy-to-use ecommerce, (c) responsive support and (d) not just clicks, but highly qualified leads to load into your sales pipeline."



The Good News Train

First up, is the addition of Bryan Eisenberg as a moderator for Cre8asiteForums. He'll be co-moderating the new Measuring Your Success topic there. If you want to learn how to make those engine click-thrus earn their keep, he's the man to talk to.

Robert Clough of SearchEngineGuide isn't getting any sleep anymore. How do I know? He's the joined the family of forum owners, with the launch of his own forum, Small Business Ideas Forum. Robert, Jennifer and gang - Congratulations and Best Wishes!

New directory for wedding planners and those brave enough to jump the broom: The Wedding Spot. See also their press release

Google has some new Kool-aid: Site Flavored Search. Tara Calishain investigates it further in Google Cooking Up Customized Search In th' Labs

My thanks to Jill Whalen for her support with the launch of the UE site. Yesterday's High Rankings Advisor had this to say:

"Now there's no excuse for not learning what makes a usable (or
unusable) Website.

My usability buddy Kim Krause has just put the finishing touches on
her new site, "The Usability Effect." You'll find all kinds of great,
informative usability articles, links and resources. Be sure to check
it out.

So that's what she's been doing in between writing usability reports
for my clients!

Well done, Kim!"

and to Barry (RustyBrick), I will have to show this to my kids, when I need proof of anything.

    "You seriously rock this industry"

Well, I'll tell them I rock, anyway.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 6/24/2004 01:07:54 PM

:: Today's Post Permalink | Back to the BLOG Home
:: Website Evaluations
:: Email this Post  
:.................................

Feed Bin

Learn how to make RSS Feed Buttons

Highly Recommended!
(Read review)
Search Engine Marketing Kit, by Dan Thies

• User Centered Design
• Usability Industry Research
• Increase Website Conversions
• Starter Ecommerce Checklist

• Web Design & The Usability Effect
• Usability and SEO Humor

Crooked sunglasses

My artistic friends love this picture.

• About Kim Krause Berg
• My Articles
• Me Again (My Fave Blog Posts)
• August 2005 : Expanding on Usability - An Interview with Kim Krause Berg
• Kim's Wish List

Recent Posts

Usability and Search Engine Optimization Tie The Knot

New Usability Research Resource

Measuring The Soul of a Web Site

Can Engagability Be Measured?

Not Your Basic Web Designer Guidelines

Getting Web Site Users to Speak Their Minds

Speaking in Usability Code

Looking Under My Blogging Bed

Web Site Usability Course Now Available

Web Design Truth or Dare

Monthly Archives

It's That Book Again

Conversions Topic is New York Times Best Seller (Seriously)

Kim is a Member of the Usability Professionals Association

"This report exceeded my expectations. After reading it a few times, I went through and highlighted those parts of your actionable advice that I want to implement right away... I ended up highlighting most of the report. Stellar job. I won't hesitate to recommend you to one of my own clients." -- Andy Hagans of AndyHagans.com

"I have implemented the most obvious changes and I suppose the fact that we've seen an immediate increase in sales/conversions is no coincidence. I'd highly recommend your service to anyone running a serious web based business." -- Steve Clay, Plumeriabay.com

"As soon as we get our hands on one of her usability studies, my clients and I have a better understanding of what needs to be done with their sites to make them the best they can be from their site visitors' perspective."
-- Jill Whalen, HighRankings.com

"This is an exemplary piece of work." -- Rand Fishkin, SEOMoz.org

View more Testimonials | Clients
Learn about Website improvement services.