Now, a search for any keyword or phrase will search Yahoo's list of CATEGORY descriptions first for a match, followed by a search of the Web site descriptions. What this means is that for popular keywords, the first pages of results may not list any Web sites at all, only Yahoo categories. In the case of a search for the keyword combination, "online shopping", the first three pages of results are ALL categories, before any Web sites are even listed (a search for "computers" results in dozens of PAGES of categories before Yahoo displays any Web sites!). For other less popular terms which aren't included within a category description, the new search default may not make a big difference.

What does this change from Web site searches to Category searches mean? It means the categories you choose when submitting to Yahoo, and your alphabetical company name listing in those categories has become even more important since people will likely be selecting a category instead of seeing a list of sites.

Once the category matches have been listed, Yahoo then displays the same categories, in the same order with Web sites containing the most relevant keyword/phrase matches beneath each category. The ranking of Web sites returned during a standard search appear to be different than when someone chooses to search "within a Yahoo category."

The best thing to do is to follow the many tips provided in our special report on search engine positioning (included FREE when you buy WebPosition) on properly submitting to Yahoo. If you've already submitted and have been added in a way you don't like, you're options are limited. Getting Yahoo to change your listing, once added, is next to impossible based on our experience and feedback from subscribers. As crazy as it sounds, it may be easier to just leave that listing there, then create a new alphabetically pleasing company name and a new Web site, and submit it properly. In an ideal world, Yahoo would be concerned that the listing and summary descriptions were current and matched the content of the site well, but we don't live in an ideal world. Asking them to change a listing, even if the entire content of your site has changed, is generally futile.

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