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How Yahoo's Recent Facelift Can Mean More Traffic To Your Site
Written by Tinu AbayomiPaul
It even surprised me.
Yes, even though I have been pointing out the possibility since July, and was forced by demand to release my study findings before my book was even half finished, I was shocked when I heard the news as well.
You see, I was sure we were at least a year off from this glorious day.
The News
Yahoo has had a little facelift, which youve probably read about by now. The real news is more important for your site - the My Yahoo! page looks different too.
On September 28, 2004, surfers who logged in to their personalized Yahoo area saw an announcement explaining the RSS and Atom files that show updated information to a website as content feeds, effectively pushing news feeds into the mainstream.
The new look to this section of Yahoo was presented as a full page ad to every single account holder upon first log in that day, and even now, there remains a notice posted.
When I logged into my page in the My Yahoo! section, I saw a big difference in the number of feeds left to choose from, as well as in the way they were presented.
Currently, the RSS module boasts 150,000 sources. If your site isnt one of them, its crucial that you act now. If you have one and youre not getting the results youd like from your set-up, there are small changes you can implement that will make a huge difference in your listing.
Best results arent as easy as submitting your feed now, but youre still within the window of opportunity - if you do it properly.
What the News Could Mean For Your Site If You Act Now
One of my clients recently called this the back door into Yahoo. Whether that statement is accurate as far as getting included, or receiving an increase in rankings within Yahoos search engine via your feed, depends on your site, and whether you create your feed correctly.
If you could use a daily stream of traffic from even a small portion of Yahoos estimated 20 million users, this could be your final wake-up call. Youll want to learn how to create a feed that gets well listed immediately.
Currently, the RSS module boasts 150,000 sources. Yahoo will still need hundreds, perhaps thousands more, even if it only intends to list the creme de la creme of the submissions it gets. Being in that group is as easy as submitting your feed.
Being at the top of the list isnt. However, youre still within the window of opportunity if you take the time to learn how to do this properly. You can get free details on how to do that at helpmerss.com.
My Yahoo! RSS Headline module Coming Out of Beta?
If I had to guess, Id say all signs point to yes. When that happens, Yahoos RSS/Atom directory will likely contain only those who added their feeds early. New feeds seeking to be included will probably face stricter standards.
If you dont have one yet dont worry, because its never been easier to make one. If you can cut and paste, there are tools all over the Net that will show you how- some will even generate the file for you.
However, there are still certain guidelines you need to follow with your feed to get a good result out of Yahoo - its not as simple as adding your feed now that there are more competing listings.
Yahoo is still accepting new sources for RSS feeds. Readers of my last book state that they are getting excellent results following my instructions, though initial inclusion no longer occurs at the same rate. Plenty of markets have few feeds available, or none at all. Your site could fill that void.
That means you still have a chance at a first page ranking. The traffic I get on a daily basis from My Yahoo readers alone sounds like I just like to brag.
And I do, but thats hardly the point.
The point is, theres no place you can even go to buy the caliber of exposure to the quality of audience that reads feeds. The typical audience that accesses information by feed are also blog readers. A study this summer estimated that the 69.3% of blog readers are aged 29-50, and that 40% of this audience are people who have household incomes greater than $90,000.
The type of surfer that would subscribe to your feed has pre-qualified themselves as a lead, with a certain level of understanding and interest in your topic, often on a professional level. And if you dont spend every post hitting them over the head with your sales pitch, they can be both loyal and interactive.
(If you do, theyll unsubscribe from your feed faster than you can spell s-p-a-m.)
And if youre in the business of providing information you can use, in a way that shows how you can solve their problem, its like preaching to the converted. If your product solves their problem, and you show that you deserve the trust of this subscriber, youll also find the route to a sale an increasingly downward slope.
The bottom line - this is the power surfers favorite toy. And if your content appeals to them, you need to learn how to play.
Copyright 2004 Tinu AbayomiPaul
Learn how Tinu saw a 75% increase in both traffic and sales from feeds at http://freetraffictip.com/rssbook. For free reprint rights to her articles (and a potential $500 bribe) send a blank email to moneyarticles@freetraffictip.com.
Additional Articles by Tinu AbayomiPaul
5 Ways to Entice Your Parallel Market to Trade Links
Fun Free Feed Tools for Both the Publisher and the Reader
How to Increase Web Site Visitors For Relevant Terms Using Your Less Relevant Listings
How to Use Your Google API Key as Your Secret Weapon Part One
5 Ways Google Will Help You With Your Traffic
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