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Information on the Newsletter
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The website promotion newsletter is a monthly informational source that covers all aspects of website promotion from design and e-commerce to marketing and promotion and finally auditing and tracking. It is intended to help webmasters and large or small business managers with ideas and tools for making your Internet business a success.

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Newsletter's Main Topic
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(All our topics are based on Eagle Web's personal experience with a particular service or product. Our experiences are not the same as yours, so our success can not be translated to your success)

Analyzing Yahoo's Business Express

In case you haven't heard a few months ago, Yahoo unveiled it's new,long-awaited business express service. http://www.yahoo.com

The benefits are that Yahoo promises to review your site within 7 days instead of the 2-6 months it normally takes with follow-up. The bad news is you have to meet their criteria and have on-line processing or you forfeit the $199 review fee.

We started submitting sites with the business express 3 months ago and actually found the process easy and well worth the investment. To date, no sites that we have submitted have been turned down. The secret to being successful with Yahoo is understanding all their rules and always abiding by them and being very, very polite. Many people are put off by Yahoo's aloofness and refusal to make contact. Well, we are here to tell you that there are real people in those cubicles and most are very nice folks and just very busy. How would you like to receive 1000's of e-mails a day all asking the same question. Why is my site not listed Yet!!!!!!

Here is a link to Yahoo's business express information page.

http://docs.yahoo.com/info/suggest/busexpress.html

The thing to remember in order to be successful with Yahoo is follow the rules and don't break any of them. The site has to be ready. All the links must work and there can be no under construction images or banners. Which to us is an oxy-moron because technically all websites are always under construction, so why mention it? When the page is ready-add it. Otherwise, why bring it up. Your on-line processing means that you process credit cards online in a secured environment. Not checks- Not forms that are faxed- Not unsecured.

While getting your site in Yahoo is very important. Many people endeavored so hard to get it done they forget the most important part. THE DESCRIPTION!!!!! Yahoo allows you up 25 words to tell people what the site is about. It can't be marketing slogans or promotion. Just tell them what the site is about. IN OTHER WORDS: Just the facts Ma'am. Here is the rub. If you've done your homework, you can increase your hits by 1000's. If not, you are just a face in the crowd.

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Now, a word from our sponsor
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At Eagle Web, our staff has been in the website promotion business for over 5 years. We have worked for the government, search engines, and other promotion services. We have people with Marketing, Internet, Promotional, and Technical backgrounds. We create a system, we like to call Total Website Management. The system is designed to assist you with any level of search engine placement and website promotion you need or desire. We are the only promotion company that actually proves what we can do online. You don't even have to call us to know we are successful. However, we accept your calls and inquires 6 days a week. 12 hours a day. Our niche is quality service with a personal touch and we look forward to helping your promotional needs. Either through this newsletter or by becoming your servant. (please, no whips)

http://www.eaglewwweb.com

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Back to the show
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The first thing you should have done when you created your website is come up with the top 10 keyword phrases that people are going to use to find your site. YOU HAVEN'T DONE THIS YET? AND HOW OLD IS YOUR SITE? Never-mind, but you really need to get organized. For Yahoo, what you do is create a description that is 25 words long and add as many keywords as possible without sounding stupid. Your first 10-15 words are critical.

Here are some examples, we did. Notice, how Yahoo trimmed our 25 words down.

Recruiting Solutions - Internet-based recruiting software with resume tracking, consultant proposal management, and other features.
http://www.rsllc.com

Eagle Web - offers to help increase your search engine placement.
http://www.eaglewwweb.com- you'd figure we would do better but we wanted to stay specific.

Metabolife [Peacock Enterprises] - Metabolife 356, natural weight loss products and nutritional supplements with energy booster. Lose weight with safe and effective herbal products.
http://www.peacockenterprises.com/

Why go to all this trouble? Because Yahoo is also a search engine and the description you select is going to give you placement. If your name is Eagle Web and you sell search engine placement, the only way people are going to find you in Yahoo is if your description says search engine placement or your name is search engine placement. That is why your name can be critical. But that is a topic for another newsletter.

Read the Yahoo fine-print. After you submit and they reply that your listing is in. You get 1 appeal. Don't waste it, there will not be second. Also, don't go pre-mature on the appeal. Wait until the site actually makes it to the category and review it carefully. This normally takes about 4 days after you receive the confirmation e-mail that you were added. Normally, what happens is that you see the listing without the description. That is what the appeal is for. Reply to the confirmation with a nice note saying that you supplied the following description along with the listing. Add the description to the e-mail. And, then add a slightly shorter version and ask them if they would please select one or the other and add it to your listing. 90% of the time. Walla!!! They add the one you want. But, a warning. The description must meet their guidelines about selling and marketing text. Remember. Just the facts....

Now, if you see the submission with description, did you get a second directory listing? If not, ask for one (make it relevant). If you have, consider yourself lucky and drop the appeal. Send a nice thank you note instead.

Now, let's say you are already listed in Yahoo with just your company name.

Is there anything you can do about it?

YES!!!!! stay tuned for more....

Next Yahoo Change form.

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Yahoo Change Form:

Yahoo provides a way for you to change your listing information here:

http://help.yahoo.com/help/search/url/url-08.html

I would suggest giving them 30-60 days to make the change before e-mailing an inquiry. Sending them all the information they request will speed up your process. And don't forget to send the e-mail address for the original submission. That is why you need to create a Yahoo folder and store your business express submission information and keep forever. Just like the IRS.

Yahoo Standard submission:

Okay, so you don't do on-line processing and you can't use business express. Well, looks like your on a slow road to getting listed. But this road is full danger- Will Robinson. Everything from the business express still applies but you will have to be more persistent. The first thing to do is submit and keep a record. 30 days later; check to see if your listed. If you are, Congrad-u-freaking-lations. Somebody must really like you and you are a God. Brag to your friends and e-mail all the newsgroups. :-) Just kidding. Keep it to yourself unless you want to be a victim. :-(

If not; resubmit. Yes- resubmit using the same information as before. Now is not the time to rethink the description, that has to be right from the beginning. However, if you know it's wrong: go ahead and fix it and hit yourself on the head but you are already behind the 8-ball. 30 days later, recheck to see if your listed? No? E-mail Yahoo at url-support@yahoo-inc.com

Be careful how you use this e-mail. It is not a place to complain. A nice note with all your submission information included. See example below.

Dear Yahoo Editors;

I have submitted the following URL twice at 30 day intervals. Please review and let me know if you require additional assistance or information from us. Thank you for your continued support to http://tryingtogetlisted.com

Date of submissions:

04/15/99
05/19/99

URL: (Everything, just like on the form)

Categories:

 Title:

Description:

Contact Information:

Company Information:

Any assistance you could give us with this matter would be greatly appreciate. Please feel free to contact us at Iamsosorry@pleaseforgive.com :-) with any questions or comments. Once again, Thank you for your continued support:

Luis A. Richarte
http://www.eaglewwweb.com

If you don't get a reply or listed in 30 days, it's time to go back to square one or seek professional help because you are doing something wrong.

Most common mistakes are:

1. Listing the wrong categories
2. description that is not right
3. Improperly filling out of form
4. Site not good enough- I know you don't want to hear this but Yahoo is getting more particular everyday. The more professional your site looks the better your chances. Also, if there are already 100 sites listed in your category your chances are going to get slimmer. Try to find a niche, or the smallest sub-category where you can fit. If you created the site with a free editor don't brag if it is a business site, it does more harm than good. In fact, few people really cares what editor you use so don't mention it unless you plan on selling it.

Here is a link to Yahoo instruction:
http://howto.yahoo.com/chapters/10/1.html

Final Word: With Yahoo, organized persistence is the way to proceed and give them time to get things done. After all, you are just one of 1000's of submission they receive everyday. And by the way, size doesn't matter. They treat corporations just like small business because we do both. The thing to remember is keep things professional. It is business not personal.

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Well, we hope you enjoyed our first installment of the Eagle Web Newsletter. I hope we gave you some insight not previously known. Only you can make us and the newsletter a success. Also, at Eagle Web, we never forget: Your success is our success!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to visit the site
http://www.eaglewwweb.com

and please tell your friends about us........

Later,
Luis A. Richarte
Internet Solutions for Business