This week, we're telling you how to get your web site into Yahoo's search engine results.

In the news: An Australian search engine wants to challenge Google, Mamma purchases a desktop search provider, Lycos fights spam and more.

Table of contents:

• Facts of the week
• Search engine news of the week
• Articles of the week
• Recommended resources
• Previous articles

We hope that you enjoy this newsletter and that it helps you to get more out of your web site. Please pass this newsletter on to your friends.

Why should your web site have good rankings on Yahoo?

According to Nielsen/NetRatings, one of the leading Internet and digital media audience information and analysis services, Yahoo is the search engine with the second biggest audience reach:

Audience reach is the percentage of US home and work Internet users estimated to have searched on each site at least once during the month through a web browser or some other "online" means.

Many people use Yahoo to find web sites on the Internet. A good position on Yahoo can bring you a considerable number of visitors. If your web site doesn't have good rankings on Yahoo, you're missing a lot of potential customers.

How do I get my web site into Yahoo?

Although Yahoo offers a paid inclusion program, it's not necessary to use that program to get into Yahoo. Yahoo finds most web sites through links on other web sites.

If many other web sites link to your site, Yahoo's spider will find your site. In addition, Yahoo also offers a free site submission feature. When Yahoo's spider visits your web pages, you should make sure that your web pages are optimized for Yahoo's ranking algorithm.

How does Yahoo rank web pages?

The official Yahoo statement reads as follows: "Yahoo! Search ranks results according to their relevance to a particular query by analyzing the web page text, title and description accuracy as well as its source, associated links, and other unique document characteristics."

You can get a much more detailed picture of Yahoo's ranking algorithm by analyzing the top ranked web pages on Yahoo for your web site.

How can I optimize my web pages for Yahoo?

There are four points that are important for high rankings on Yahoo:

1. Don't use frames on your web site. Yahoo's spider cannot follow frameset links:
   
   "Yahoo! Slurp follows HREF links. It does not follow SRC links. This means that Yahoo! Slurp does not retrieve or index individual frames referred to by SRC links."
   
   
2. Make sure that all of your web pages are linked so that Yahoo's spider can find all pages of your web site.
   
   
3. Make sure that your web pages are optimized for Yahoo. Your web pages will only get good Yahoo rankings if Yahoo's spider can find something useful on them. If your web pages aren't search engine ready, you won't get good rankings.
   
   
4. Get links from other web sites. If many web pages are optimized for the same search terms, web sites with good incoming links will get better rankings. In addition, links from other web sites help Yahoo to find your site.

Tip: Further information on how to get your web pages into Yahoo's search results can be found in the Recommended Resources section below.

Australia's Ansearch to hatch competitor to Google

"Though Google may appear to have a vice-like grip on the local online search market, the Melbourne-based Ansearch will officially launch MySearch.com.au on November 30."

Mamma.com set to buy desktop search firm

"Meta search engine Mamma.com said last week it signed a letter of intent to buy desktop search technology provider Copernic Technologies. [...] The deal would make Mamma the latest search player to add desktop search capabilities."

Autonomy challenges Google with enterprise desktop search tool

"Autonomy's latest application is a desktop search tool which helps users find relevant information on PCs and corporate networks. [...] According to Autonomy, this means the tool is more useful than rival desktop search applications such as Google's."

Striking up digital video search

"Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are quietly developing new search tools for digital video, foreshadowing a high-stakes technology arms race in the battle for control of consumers' living rooms."

Search engine newslets

• Google News might be blocked in China.
• Google launched a download site for their own software tools.
• The November version of Yahoo Buzz is available.
• Take a look at Google's Thanksgiving logo.
• AskJeeves UK has added more search features.
• A big AskJeeves balloon flew through New York.
• On a lighter note: Life before the Internet (cartoon).

Year in review: search gets ready to rumble

"Opinion: The Web search market becomes a battle among Google, Microsoft and Yahoo and a rush to extend the reach and profit potential of search."

Search and enjoy: 7 search toolbars reviewed

"Yahoo landed at the top of the heap for sheer volume of search hits, besting AltaVista, Google, Ask Jeeves, A9, HotBot, and MSN."

Snap.com search engine arrives with innovations

"The Pasadena-based business incubator that spawned Overture has re-entered the Internet search engine industry with Snap.com, a new Web site loaded with firsts."

Screensaver tackles spam websites

"Internet portal Lycos has made a screensaver that endlessly requests data from sites that sell the goods and services mentioned in spam e-mail."

How to get high rankings on Yahoo!

An easy way to prepare your web pages for high Yahoo rankings is our web site promotion tool IBP.

IBP helps you to optimize your web pages for Yahoo, it helps you to submit your web site to Yahoo and it allows you to keep track of your rankings.

Another 5 out of 5 rating for Internet Business Promoter (IBP)!

IBP has just received another 5 out of 5 rating from a software download site. This time, SharewarePlaza.com awarded IBP with its highest rating:

"IBP is the multi award winning web site promotion tool that helps you to get more revenue with high search engine rankings in Google, Yahoo and all other major search engines.

The suite of 10 professional website promotion tools helps you with all aspects of web site promotion and search engine optimization. It offers everything you need to successfully promote your web site, including a submission tool to submit your web site to search engines and directories, a search engine ranking checker, a top 10 optimizer and a keyword generator.

IBP creates professional reports in PDF, HTML and Microsoft Word format. It can save the ranking results for databases and Microsoft Excel, and it can track your search engine rankings over time."

Webmasters and reviewers love IBP. If you haven't tested it yet, download the free demo version now. IBP helps you to get the best search engine rankings for your site.

IBP works with Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask Jeeves and all other major search engines.

Want to be mentioned in this newsletter?

Just send us some words about your successes with IBP or ARELIS and you might get featured in this newsletter along with your web site address.

• Use RSS feeds to improve your link popularity
• All you need to know about the new MSN Search
• Should you buy text links?
• How to fake Google PageRank numbers
• The cost of pay per click advertising
• Google Desktop Search
• Google's new ranking algorithm
• View all past issues...