Webmasters may well choose only to use The Open Directory Project(ODP) due to it be a free listing directory, but if you do want to ensure a wide audience and listing then there are few better options than Yahoo! It has grown rapidly in recent years and its recent association with a possible Microsoft buy out has only increased its renown.
It is the undisputed market leader in the directory market and prices have risen reflecting its superiority; it is also becoming harder to submit to it.
However, obviously, more expensive than the ODP and more difficult to achieve submission to, Yahoo has undoubted benefits.
A listing on the directory will lead targeted traffic to the website, increase link popularity and the website's Google PageRank.
It is thus vital that you understand what Yahoo is and how it can aid your website promotion.
Yahoo is a directory.
It uses a directory format to categorize the sites listed within and is run by a group of employed editors who will review any submission requests, listing problems and maintenance issues.
Though predominantly American it has subsidiary country specific and region specific sister sites - it thus not only has global reach but also local specialization.
It is no wonder why so many website managers wish to be listed on Yahoo!, and here is how you can do it: There are effectively two ways.
The first one is free, but it is not available to all sites and has other disadvantages.
The second way can be used by nearly all submitters but is not cheap.
Free submission: The free submission option offered by Yahoo has some disadvantages.
It is not available for the commercial directory which consists mostly of the "Business and Economy" category and its subcategories, which are where most commercial sites should be found.
This is not a blanket approach though as some international Yahoos (UK & Ireland and New Zealand & Australia) - they still allow free submissions to the categories under "Business and Economy".
Thus, if you have a commercial site that is aimed at a broadly non-US audience, submitting to the appropriate international Yahoo might be a cost-effective solution.
The second drawback is that the free submission option is reserved for non-commercial sites.
So, if you do have a commercial site that belongs outside the "Business and Economy" classification, the only way to get the website listed is through Yahoo Express.
It is worth noting at this point how Yahoo differentiates between commercial and non-commercial sites.
Basically, if you're selling a product or service, it is commercial.
If your site provides a lot of high quality free content and with no banner ads and affiliate programs, it will be classified as non-commercial.
These two positions are widely divergent and there is an awful lot of room for disputation It is here that the editors come into their own - a site with an awful lot of free content with affiliate links may or may not get through depending on how the Editor is feeling as much as any definitive policy.
The trick here is to design your website to make it clear that its main aim is to distribute free information - but if it is done tacky or in such a way as to intimate that the webmaster is only doing it for the money - you will most likely lose out on a free listing.
In fact you can be selling nothing but be so drenched in affiliate links and banner ads that the site will not be accepted.
Yahoo's free submission is a very slow and unreliable way to get into the directory.
Unless you are lucky it will take several attempts to get listed and can take weeks, if not months, to get listed.
But the rewards are worth the hassle.
The only other route is the Yahoo Express for which there is (in the US) a $300 fee and a yearly retainer of the same amount.
The price is double that for adult content sites.
Each Yahoo has slightly differing submission procedures so it is advisable to investigate these sites direct.
The simple fact is though: if you can afford to get listed on the Yahoo directory it is well worth the expense.