Q and A: How long do you have to wait until a site gets crawled?

Dear Kalena...

Hi there - good useful info here. Just a quick question. When you add your new url to Google or other search engines how long do you have to wait till it gets crawled? Your help would be great thanks

Eugene

Kalena's Answer:

Dear Eugene

It depends. Often a site will get crawled faster if it is linked to from another site that gets crawled daily, but it is totally up to the search engine robot's crawling schedule. Here's some info from Google's FAQ on the subject:

"Our crawl process is algorithmic; computer programs determine which sites to crawl, how often, and how many pages to fetch from each site."

If you are curious to know when and how often Google and Yahoo crawl your site, you can verify your site with Google's Webmaster Tools and Yahoo Site Explorer.

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Q and A: Why has Yahoo been so successful?

Dear Kalena...

Why do you think Yahoo! has been so successful, despite the dot-com bubbleburst?

Jackson

Kalena's Answer:

Dear Jackson

Have you been living in a cave? In The Southern Alps of New Zealand? Listening to CNN?

The first dot-com bubble may have burst 6 years ago, but the current bubble is getting bigger and stronger every day. Where were you when the search industry exploded into the mainstream? Did you even notice that Google shares have hit $500 EACH? Have you seen the skyrocketing search engine marketing salaries?

Even riding the coat-tails of Google and with MSN sniffing their shoes, Yahoo can't fail to make money because everybody wants a bit of the search action. Yahoo! has been successful due to one key factor: Search is HOT, HOT, HOT. Now if we could just get Paris Hilton to say as much.

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Q and A: Did Yahoo! Publisher Network work for you?

Dear Kalena...

I stumbled across your blog and was wondering how you did with the Yahoo! Publisher Network (how much you made, did it work for you) or any problems you faced to make you switch off it .

Thanks
Christian

Kalena's Answer:

Dear Christian

I'd love to give you my opinion of Yahoo! Publisher Network, but unfortunately, while it's in BETA, it's only open to US-based publishers *sob*.

Yahoo and Click Fraud = Deja Vu?

No time to answer a reader question today, so I'll just point you in the direction of an article on WebProNews that discusses how Yahoo is Again Linked to Click Fraud.

Yahoo's Answer to Google Sitemaps

Yahoo! has launched their own version of Google Sitemaps, called Yahoo! Site Explorer.

Site Explorer lets you access the information Yahoo! stores about a site's online presence. You can see which sites and subpages are indexed by Yahoo! Search, track sites that link into webpage, and view the most popular pages from any site. Major uses of Site Explorer are to:

* Find which subpages within a URL are indexed by Yahoo!
* Find pages that link to that site or any page (incoming links)
* Submit and track XML feeds for your own sites

Just like with Google Sitemaps, you have access to more detailed information about your site or its content when you authenticate or validate your site and feeds by uploading a verification file.

You can use Yahoo! Site Explorer's search function to explore a site just like you were conducting a normal web search. Instead of entering a "query term" you will enter a site's URL and Site Explorer will use the URL you submit to return particular information related to the structure of that URL in the Yahoo! Search database and on the Web.

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[If you found this post helpful, you might benefit from downloading our free Search Engine Optimization lesson]

Q and A: Do you think the Yahoo! Publisher Network will catch up to Google AdSense?

Dear Kalena...

I read your article on Top 10 Adsense Tricks, very informative. I am using the Yahoo equivalent, the Yahoo Publisher Network. Do you have any information on how they perform?

My results vary widely from day to day, sometimes as much as 50 %. Do you think Yahoo is adjusting the numbers as they go, or is it more likely the advertisers adjusting theirs?

It also seems that the inventory of ads is small on Yahoo's Network. Maybe that will change once they are out of beta test mode. In any event they have a lot of "catching up" to do.

Thanks
Brian

Kalena's Answer:

Dear Brian

I applied to become a BETA tester for Yahoo's Publisher Network as soon as I heard about it, but unfortunately they are limiting testing to U.S. users at the moment so my application was rejected, *sob*.

So I'm afraid I can't comment on YPN just now. But I would guess the you are seeing is pretty normal for a testing phase and it should settle down once the service comes out of BETA. Will be interesting to see what sort of CTR and income levels YPN provides compared to AdSense. Especially as AdSense is changing the lives of people all over the world by providing an income previously out of their reach.
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[If you found this post helpful, you might benefit from downloading our free Search Engine Optimization lesson]

Yahoo Linked to Spyware Click Fraud

Some years ago, I closed my Overture pay per click advertising account (now owned by Yahoo! and re-branded as Yahoo! Search Marketing) in protest over Overture openly undertaking ad-testing with notorious spyware manufacturer Gator (now re-branded as Claria). If you're unfamiliar with the terms "spyware", "scumware" or "thiefware", catch up here.

I have since resurrected my account with Overture/Yahoo! as it was my understanding that the deal with Gator/Claria was dead. But today I learned of an alarming report by Ben Edelman linking Yahoo! to click fraud via a current syndication arrangement with not only Gator/Claria, but with "many dozens" of spyware companies. Even more alarming was the revelation that Yahoo! provided 31% of Gator/Claria's income in 2003!

This is serious stuff folks. Anyone with a Yahoo/Overture pay per click account should study their traffic logs carefully (don't rely on the reports from Yahoo) and lodge a formal complaint with Yahoo! if spyware connections are involved as outlined in Ben's report. Don't take click fraud lying down! Especially when it's lining the very pockets of the company that denies it exists. I am investigating my own Yahoo! account and will post here if I find any click-fraud issues.