Yahoo USA and Yahoo Japan Ranking Mystery

The difference is amazing

[jeffposaka]

I have a Japanese language site hosted in Japan on a .co.jp domain that is ranked number 2 in Yahoo USA. But in Yahoo Japan it is 49 for the "local widget" key phrase.

Is there a difference in the scoring/ algo? Or is it a datacenter issue? I wonder why it is so different.

In google is is pretty close between the .com and the .co.jp searches but Yahoo is a lot different.

Any thoughts why this might be?

[Leggewie]

How long has this state persisted?

[jeffposaka]

About 4 weeks.

[Leggewie]

Hm, I wonder if that is a transient issue, sort of like a very long google dance. I'd be lost for other possible explanations.

Did you check with different IPs from different countries and browsers/prefs? Maybe there is some quirk in there? Just poking in the dark, though.

[edited by: Leggewie at 8:36 pm (utc) on Nov. 29, 2007]

[jeffposaka]

I am flying to the USA this weekend so I was planning to check it there. I am thinking about asking Yahoo guys about it at Pubcon but I am afraid would put both rankings at 50. ;)

[bill]

Perhaps you could use some different SERPs to show them? ;)
I'd be interested to hear what the Yahoo people have to say about that though. I always thought they were using the same Japanese algo globally.