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What if Google drops ODP [webmasterworld.com]
This is my 1 year birthday webmasterworld post, Thx Tor for remembering me :)
ODP content is free and not dependant on any contract. Why should Google potentially have to pay for the use of a directory. Also the Yahoo directory is just not big enough.
I suppose they might switch to Yahoo if they thought ODP was about to go under in the near future.
I do remember that other thread and it actually generated the question again. Some more whispers in the wind.
OK, supposing that they did start at Yahoo, how much of an impact would this have? I would guess it depends on whether they also gave a pR boost to Yahoo listed sites, otherwise PR shouldnt be affected even for non-yahoo sites - in the extreme case nothing would change, you'd just expect to get listed quicker by getting a Yahoo rather than a DMOZ. Plenty of sites in Yahoo link to DMOZ anyway so there will still be a route to it.
That said, Id prefer to stay dmoz I think!
Firstly, Yahoo can't charge for a directory when Google already has one for free. Secondly, and more importantly, this would be great for Yahoo. A lot of people use the Google directory and it features heavily in the SERPs. Thus the value of a listing in Yahoo would increase dramatically, thereby increasing the number of Yahoo submissions as webmasters seek to get into Google as well.
At the moment many webmasters opt not to submit to Yahoo because of the recurring fee. I would expect that number to reduce dramatically if it also affects their Google listings.
[added:]I can't reach www.yahoo.com from Italy! (censorship?!? :) --just joking: it's probably a DNS problem) [/added]
[added:]It's ok now (held my breath for a minute). ;) [/added]
[edited by: Giacomo at 3:24 pm (utc) on Sep. 16, 2002]
Yahoo already has problems to cope with new submissions now. If Google switched to yahoo data, yahoo would need a lot of additional (paid) manpower.
I would be very very surprised to see it happen.
The only way Google should consider the Yahoo directory is if Yahoo gave out FREE second-tier entries like DMOZ (or just enough to cover editorial expenses, like $50), and do the recurring $299 as the first teir. And then have all 1st tier categories ranked by pagerank, and have all 2nd tier sites ranked by pagerank underneath it.
That would give businesses who can not afford $299/yr a decent listing (especially non-profit), get rid of most of the spam and increase relevence since it would be sorted by PR, and allow advertisers with bigger budgets to get higher placement for $299/yr. Perfect! :)
I can't see google using the yahoo directory. It would just be the dropping of the directory feature on Google.
Brett, "the directory feature on Google" is ODP + PageRank. If you take out one of the two ingredients, it's no longer the Google Directory. That's why Google will never drop the ODP IMO.
And if that is the case, I don't see how Yahoo could pressure Google into artificially reducing the value of their own services.
Just because they would be profitable without Yahoo doesn't mean that they don't want the extra few million dollars; and I bet that they are willing to compromise to keep it.
Nor for that matter does it mean that they would necessarily be averse to using the Yahoo directory and taking some money from that as well. I don't think that they will, but if they wanted it, I bet that Google could get a very good deal for using the Yahoo directory.
I don't think Yahoo! view the ODP as used by Google as competition.
They are too in love with their own (outrageously expensive) paid listings. ;)
It would kinda smell like the Looksmart/MSN days of old.
However - and this is the moot point - this will be a financial decision, not a quality decision. It will also be a difficult decision for Google if they are indeed being pressured by Yahoo: the usual short term cash gain versus longer term quality (and therefore longer term profitability).
On balance, Google has usually called these decisions right. The best call for Google is surely 'as is', the best of both worlds, but if the Yahoo deal hangs on it, who knows.
If I was running Google I would stick with the ODP... and frankly use this to ruthlessly attack Yahoo if they dropped me... both barrels in a sustained assault on the Yahoo market ('Google the Portal', under a tag with other goodies, as I have mentioned previously. It could seriously damage Yahoo).
Here's why. Google and Yahoo are in a *business* negotiation. Anything could be and probably is on the table here. Yahoo's and Google's previous contract basically made Google what it is today. Yahoo still has tremendous word of mouth advantage over Google. You find out about Yahoo when you are a newbie. You find out about Google when you get more experienced using the web.
If Google displayed a directory of sites with a Yahoo logo on it, it would drive traffic in reverse back into Yahoo. That's real attractive to Yahoo. Or the category link below the site listing could take you directly into the Yahoo directory. Extremely attractive to Yahoo, and hence less likely of Google agreeing to.
I've read people here commenting on how Google would never leave ODP because Yahoo is smaller or spammy or whatever. I've also read comments about how out of date and incomplete some categories of ODP are (I've been waiting to get into a category for over a year that hasn't been touched since I applied). Both directories have their strengths and drawbacks. Whether one is better than another depends on what content you are looking for.
Given the big money picture and how important it is for Google to retain Yahoo, I believe that this is a serious possibility.
But as a website owner, I don't see it mattering very much. The bottom line to site owners is accumulating the PageRank from the Yahoo and ODP listings. Whatever that is, we get it now. Switch directories and the impact on your PageRank wouldn't change.
Not only is the ODP much better and free (and edited by real people like Yahoo) .. but by it's very nature must therefore include 'good' sites that aren't in the Yahoo directory.
I have submitted several sites that conform to Yahoo's policies in every respect, and are authoritative sources of information, but didn't make it the free route because there may have been just a tiny aspect of commercialism about them (i.e. maybe selling one product as a side interest)
There are many sites like this, that don't have commerce as their prime focus for existence, that won't make it into Yahoo without paying the very heavy fees.
I think Yahoo still has a lot going for it, don't get me wrong, but to drop the ODP would be plain silly. Google's results would suffer as well. Sorry to be blunt, but I really hope that doesn't happen - can't see it either.
They just leased enough office space to triple their current number of employees. That gives them more than enough room for a couple hundred directory editors....
