Mediocre in Google, great in Yahoo - how do their algos differ?

[mattrix]

My sites all rank in the top 5 on Yahoo but only feature around the top 30 in Google. The sites have been around for approximately 15 months.

To me this indicates that I am doing some parts of SEO very well - I'm ranking highly in Yahoo after all and they must base certain aspects of their algorithm working on similar principles to Google (In my mind I'm thinking of the algorithm being made up of "modules" which analyse certain aspects of a website).

Could anyone shed some light regarding the way in which these 2 search giants differ in terms of ranking decently with their algorithms?

[bpcombs]

Yahoo appears to be more dependant upon on-page factors than Google. It also seems to have less sophiticated evaluation of links. For instance, they aren't as sensitive to link aging.

Brian

[mattrix]

On the topic of link aging - how long do you think it takes for a backlink to give you its full power in Google?

[Quadrille]

A few spidering 'cycles' - ie, the spiders been round the block a few times. With many sites, that'll be a few days, for others it can be weeks.

I agree with bpcombs; if you are performing poorly in Google (relatively), then links are the first place to look. get in some quality directories, look specially for those in your niche, and check you do not have links to bad neighborhoods. Indeed, check all your outgoing links for relevance and value to your visitors.

For Google these days, it's all about quality links - not, for example, forum links (And I wish someone would tell all the forum link droppers!).

[mattrix]

Thanks for that Quadrille ;)

Aside from Yahoo and DMOZ (which to me seems completely rigged with competitors editing the listing) which directories out there would you say constitute quality directories?

[tedster]

mattrix, rather than getting into promoting any directories by name, it's more appropriate to look at what criteria you can use to make a decision. That whole discussion is a big part of our Directories Forum.

Here's a good thread from the Directories Forum Library:
Criteria for Assessing Free or Paid Directories [webmasterworld.com]