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You really would have thought Yahoo would have given us some notice of increase, what a great way to start the week!
As I include paid reviews within my subscription fees I have to swallow this. They could at least have done what L$ did and give a little notice - this allowed me to adjust my rates accordingly. They could treat their best customers (we act as their unpaid sales reps) with a little more consideration, but I suppose that is wishful thinking.
Having said all this, I'm not that surprised. How soon to other L$ like charges for additional categories and/or description changes?
Come on please we are talking about Yahoo here aren’t we! fortunately I went to my clients with "cup in hand" and they both paid the additional fee.
If they followed LookSmart, I hope thet could offer some alternative like 8 weeks revisions. They could also charche for reviews an then for inclusion if accepted.
I have seen some vortal charge 4500$ a year for inclusion, hope Y! is not following the same path.
Arrogant people are they. There is life without Y!
But a Y! listing gives a swift kick to Google's listings feeding Y! Web pages sections. Getting the same boost of link pop than a Y! listing on Google with a link prospection campaign usually costs my clients +$10k...
Thats $100 I just lost then. Having just got an agreement from my client I don't dare go back and say 'oh, and another $100 please' they will think I have Yahoo's attitude to business and lose confidence in me.
non-commercial cats still have 'most popular'
Sure there was no notice but with only two real players it was an inevitable increase. Remember this for the next round...
Now we'll have to pay $299 to be told our sites have been rejected because of a Java menu or because someone's v.2 browser couldn't read a site.
Pity they don't adopt LS more realistic Terms of Acceptance!
It was like pulling hens teeth to get them through. Now I have to go back and ask for more funds to cover the disbursements. New clients are hesitant as it is as they wrap their minds around timeframes, the process and the cost of being listed prominently.
Bemused by the search engine landscape at the mo.
1) $299.00 per directory listing and $199.00 for a review on Looksmart if they list you incorrectly (probable)
2) Spidering charges for Inktomi driven engines and Alta Vista.
3) If Gooogle and Fast go the pay for spidering route as is rumoured, could be a hefty fee upfront before your optimization fees kick in.
South Africa's rand is being killed in the world economy. There go my margins and my local client base ;)
Pete, try Zimbabwe. Sorry to see that our man is partly responsible for your devaluation :(
In five years time, they will not be accused of having been wallflowers in the position pimping business. Yahoo!’s willingness to filch $199 from the wallets of those incurring its displeasure showed a disdain for customers that bordered on distaste. In the old days, though, it was the prerogative of the Pinup of Search to belittle suitors without so much as a peremptory email or, feigning disinterest, a word of disparagement.
Things have changed. Today, the nostrils of those with the inclination and good old-fashioned guts to approach this sorely sagging Mother of Directories are assailed by the acrid smell of sloth and base self-interest. Having written the Kamasutra of Search, the jaded Madame of the Web now shows signs of having spent far too much time in the trenches with her charges. The indecent haste with which she has upped her prices in concert with Looksmart is a telltale sign, a signal that the old girl’s days at the top of the heap are numbered.
Her rank is slipping and her slip is showing. Her suitors are dwindling and, if that is the case, can the money be far behind? For practical rather than metaphorical purposes, I second Chiyo and NFFC on this one.
FreeBee, we down south need look no further than the all-pervasive greed prevalent in our economy and in global markets. And you've no need to apologize for anybody, least of all megalomaniacal dunderheads hell bent on undermining our ability to do business.
Yahoo f***" the lot of us and we pay more for the priviledge!
Obviously, I am aware that a big part of SEO IS to advise a client on these issues, but when a Yahoo is compared with a LS review (which seems to be more flexible) I wonder how many will take up the offer in the future.
I have had a couple of sites rejected recently by Yahoo, and accepted by LS, for what IMHO consider to be extremely trivial reasons and from the clients perspective is beyond understanding. While they have paid the review fee through gritted teeth, because I have throughly explained their Terms of Service, I can see a problem when they have to pay another $100 for a 'reject'.
I think that the price is warranted. If you go over things a few hundred times before submitting and make sure that everything is okay, you will get a good listing in the directory and most likely placement in the searches.
When this happens, Yahoo will be your best friend......becoming the best, or second best, referrer to your site. All targeted traffic to boot!
Just thought I would throw in the usual $.02
I understand your frustration......but think of it in terms of ROI. If the site is prepared correctly before submission, you will definitely see a ROI
I can also depend on a site being included if it meets the more realistic site submission guidelines. So its more cost effective for the client.
So for ROI (taking into consideration the potential for a couple of Biz Express submissions), its LS for me every time!
Which is hardly the point.
In any case, ROI is always specific to the individual market... in some markets the difference between $200 and $300 makes all the difference to the equation.
