While you may have heard of a controversial new program called Site Match, which is being run by the Yahoo/Overture team, what you probably don't know is what this program is really all about. Site Match is a program created to get your site into the Yahoo database (formerly the Inktomi database) and it can be expensive. It is based on a yearly fee and an additional cost for every click you get from a Yahoo based search engine.
Demystifying the mysterious Site Match
Let me back up a bit and give you some history. On a hot July day in 2003, the directory giant Yahoo bought the colossus Pay Per Click (PPC) database Overture (previously known as Goto). Today, Yahoo has decided to monetize by offering us such programs as Site Match.
What Site Match is not
- Site Match has nothing to do with the $299 fee you pay to get into Yahoo's directory
- Site Match will not get you better rankings in Yahoo (or in Overture)
- Site Match does not get you into Overture's auction-style PPC database
What Site Match is
Site Match ensures that your site is listed in Yahoo's search database (not their directory), and that it is refreshed every 48 hours. If you are not listed in Yahoo's search database you can do one of two things:
1. Wait until Yahoo's spider picks you up
2. Pay Site Match to list you right away.
Unless your site is brand-spanking new, you are likely to already be listed in Yahoo's search database. Yahoo's spider (Slurp) does an extensive job of picking up web sites to add to the database. To verify that you are indeed listed, you can type your domain into the Yahoo search box and see if your site comes up (type "yourdomain.com" without the quotes). If a result comes up, then you are in the database.
How much does Site Match cost?
Site Match costs $49 per year to sign up and $0.15 to $0.30 per click afterwards. If you are listed in Yahoo's database, you get the exact same service for free (except that your site is refreshed every month instead of every 48 hours). What are the advantages of being refreshed? What does refreshed mean? It essentially entails that Slurp comes to visit your site and updates it to the Yahoo database every two days.
My Site Match test
I decided to test out a site to see if there are any benefits to using Site Match. I submitted www.PrintPot.com to the program on April 23rd. This site was created in early April, so it just got into the database a week before. The rankings before and after Site Match are as follows:
