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O was just wondering how much traffic a 'normal' yahoo entry (paid submission) generates. If I look at my site, I get most of the referrals from aolsearch (search.aol.com), msn (www.msn.com) and inktomei
A smaller though steadily increasing number comes from google. I seem to have found good keywords for them.
Nothing, or almost nothing for altavista, a few hits, not many, stemming from my ODP listing. Seemingly many search engines search ODP nowadays.
As I specified before, I am not in the B2C market, my market is almost exclusively for B2B, my business operates via resellers, for which reason it is not localized.
While we're talking about paid directories, I also feel that LookSmart generates a good amount of b2b traffic, but the effect is more subtle because their reach is through lots of partner sites, like AltaVista. This makes the results harder to quantify accurately.
Both are well worth the $199, in my opinion.
[added]
Once a site is in the Yahoo directory, the traffic generated is like the Energizer Bunny; it just keeps on going and going. In contrast, the pure search engine traffic is subject to ups and downs over time that can be quite frustrating.
With that out of the way:
In my experience, it varies from industry to industry, but falls between 40% and 85% or so.
To understand how important various SE/Ds are to various industries, you can think for a moment about who uses what.
[list] Do you Yahoo? :) I don't. I suspect most "techies" don't. My mother does. My mother, for those of you who do not know, is quite the Internet consumer. I study her searching habits, and it has been quite an eye-opening study. According to all I can find out, her habits are common among non-technical types. So, if you have a site selling shoes, professional services (such as accounting, travel, or legal), or televisions, Yahoo would probably generate a large portion of your SE/D traffic.
[list] Do you use AOL? I don't. I suspect, again, most "techies" don't. This is my mother's secondary SE/D. If she can't find what she needs on Yahoo, she switches to AOL Search (or AOL keywords). The typical AOL member -- if you discount password-stealing teenagers -- seems to be the busy executive in a non-technical position. Many elected officials use AOL. (When I was an AOL tech support person, I spoke to many governors, senators, and even a member of the Cabinet.) Retired New York men in early retirement also use AOL (These are the dreaded tech calls: The New York accent on a call which originates from either Florida or Arizona. But that's a whole 'nother story). If you have a site selling office furniture and products, real estate signs, or temporary employment services, then AOL Search would probably generate a large portion of your SE/D traffic.
I will now yield the floor. :)
Once a site is in the Yahoo directory, the traffic generated is like the Energizer Bunny; it just keeps on going and going. In contrast, the pure search engine traffic is subject to ups and downs over time that can be quite frustrating.
We have to agree with this but with caution. A lot depends on your category/industry and on your description in each directory.
Overall, a Great, one-time investment for the money that does keep going and going. :)
