How to Analyze a Competing Web Site Using Their Yahoo! Search Results
When you are analyzing a competing Web site, there is a difference between SERP research with Google and SERP research with Yahoo!. For one thing, you might find the rankings quite different; the competitor you’ve been analyzing on one search engine may not even show up in the top-ranking Web pages for the other search engine.
Because Google has the lion’s share of traffic, many sites focus their optimization efforts there exclusively. Whether you want to examine your competitor's pages as seen through Yahoo!’s eyes depends on how much your target audience tends to use that search engine. Do you get enough potential traffic to warrant SEO efforts on multiple fronts? That’s up to you, but here’s how you can do it:
Backlinks. To check backlinks, go to siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com to check how many backlinks a Web page has. Enter the URL for the competing Web page in the Explore URL text box. At the top of the Results page, the number of Inlinks represents Yahoo!’s backlink count.
Different URL. To check for URL differences, run a search for your keyword on Yahoo! to see the results page. Notice the URL that displays for the competitor’s listing. Keeping that in mind, click the link to go to the active page. In the address bar, compare the URL showing to the one you remembered. Are they the same? Are they different? If they’re different, how different? Although an automatic redirect from http://domain.com to http://www.domain.com (or vice versa) is normal, other types of swaps may indicate that something fishy is going on. Do the cache check in the next bullet to find out whether the page the search engine sees is entirely different than the one live visitors are shown.
Cached version. To check the cached pages, in the Yahoo! search results, click Cached beneath the competitor’s listing to view the cached version of the page. You can see your search terms highlighted on the cached page, but Yahoo! doesn’t reveal the date and time it last crawled the site.
SEO GlossaryThe server record of every time a page could not be displayed on a Web site.
SEO GlossaryA comparison between the old version of a Web site (A) and the new version (B) to see which one performs better.
SEO GlossaryA link that contains the whole file path to a document, including the protocol used to get the document (e.g., http://), the server the document is found on (www.mysite.com), the directory it is located in (images), and the document name (vacation.jpg).
SEO GlossaryThe measure of users that a Web site attracts. Acquisition metrics come from Web analytics data and include percent of new visitors, average number of visits per visitor, and average pages viewed per visitor.
SEO GlossaryOne or more ads that target a set of grouped keywords.
SEO GlossarySpecial terms that you can insert in your search engine query to find specific types of information that a general search can't provide.
SEO GlossaryA mathematical formula a search engine uses to establish which Web pages are the most relevant to a user’s search query. Algorithms can be fairly simple or multi-layered and complex.
SEO GlossaryThe words that make up a hyperlink that a user clicks.
SEO GlossaryA storage area on a server where older Web content is out of the way, but still accessible.
SEO GlossaryA term used for a fake grassroots market campaign; this derives its name from AstroTurf, which is artificial grass.
SEO GlossaryAn incoming link to a Web page from another site.
SEO GlossaryA Web site that has been banished from a search engine index because they were caught spamming or using other sneaky methods to fool the search engines into giving them a better ranking.
SEO GlossaryThe rate at which data moves from one point to another over an Internet connection.
SEO GlossaryA search engine that tries to guess what exactly a user is looking for based upon their previous search inquiries.
SEO GlossaryA list of sites suspected of illegal acts such as child pornography, e-mail spam, or hacking.
SEO GlossaryThe integration of different content types onto a search results page, such as images, videos, news, blogs, books, maps, and so on.
SEO GlossaryShort for ‘Web log.’ An online conversation medium used to cover a wide range of subjects, including entertainment, politics, fashion, lifestyles, and technology. A blog can be anything from a personal journal to a media and corporate platform for describing new products and services.
SEO GlossaryA measure of the percentage of people who leave a Web site right after entering a page on that site, usually within seconds and without visiting any other page on the site.
SEO GlossaryEstablishing a company name and associating it with that business; well-known examples include Nike and Xerox.
SEO GlossaryA software application that enhances a Web browser’s existing features.
SEO GlossaryThe stored version of a Web page.
SEO GlossaryIn the case of Web sites with duplicate content, the site the Webmaster prefers visitors and search engines to access. The primary, main Web site.
SEO GlossaryAn acronym for Common Gateway Interface.
SEO GlossaryA Web icon or link that can be clicked to submit or “vote for” an article on a particular social news or bookmarking site.
SEO GlossaryA report that overlays Web pages on a site and indicates, on a per-page basis, which links visitors are clicking on to go to other pages on the site. Often, the most clicked-on links are bigger, have a richer color, or a note indicating how many clicks the link received.
SEO GlossaryThe frequency (number of times) that an Internet ad is clicked on.
SEO GlossaryA technique in which the content of a Web page presented to a search engine spider is different than that presented to a user’s browser; as a result, the spiders see one page, while the user sees something entirely different.
SEO GlossaryAn acronym for Content Management System.
SEO GlossaryManaging an organization’s reputation and building their brand via social networks.
SEO GlossaryRun words together without spaces.
SEO GlossarySoftware that helps you create, edit, and manage a Web site.
SEO GlossaryA technique of organizing a Web site into subject themes by linking related pages together.
SEO GlossaryWriting the HTML for a Web site in such a way that the page content is delivered to the search engine spiders before any scripts or navigation elements.
SEO GlossaryDistribution of a Web site’s content to other sites.
SEO GlossaryAn action taken by a Web site visitor that meets the sales or business goal of that site. This is also a term for site visitors who become customers.
SEO GlossaryThe path that a visitor to a Web site takes to perform a desired action, most commonly a purchase.
SEO GlossaryBasic processes on a Web site that can be measured to determine whether visitors are performing desired actions, or abandoning the site.
SEO GlossaryThe number of visitors who actually purchase something, sign up, or take whatever action is appropriate on a Web site.
SEO GlossaryA small text file that a Web server automatically assigns to a user's browser; cookies are used to track, authenticate, and maintain specific information about users.
SEO GlossaryThe amount an advertiser pays each time their Web ad is clicked on a search engine results page.
SEO GlossaryThe last part of an Internet domain name; specifically, the letters that follow the final dot of any domain name. A country-code TLD is specific to a particular country, such as .ca, .cn, .uk, or .mx.
SEO GlossaryA separate file that is used to control formatting of text and images on a Web site.
SEO GlossaryA feature that allows a Web advertiser to specify when during the day their advertising is shown on search engine results pages.
SEO GlossaryA type of coded command that redirects a browser to a different location than what was expected via the Web link that the user clicked.
SEO GlossaryA Web server that is used exclusively by one Web site, and not shared with any other sites.
SEO GlossaryUser data such as gender, age, and so on.
SEO GlossaryUsers who type a URL directly into their Web browser’s address bar.
SEO GlossaryA list of Web sites a search engine can search through that’s typically compiled by people, rather than by computer programs.
SEO GlossaryThe placement of a keyword throughout a Web page.
SEO GlossaryThe base address of a Web site, such as “mydomain.com.”
SEO GlossaryA company accredited and authorized to register Internet domain names.
SEO GlossaryA Web page submitted to search engine spiders that has been designed to satisfy the specific algorithms for various search engines, but is not intended to be viewed by visitors. A doorway page is usually filled with text content that makes it rank high for a certain keyword.
SEO GlossaryIdentical or similar content that appears elsewhere on a Web site or on the Web.
SEO GlossaryAny Web site that sells a particular product or service.
SEO GlossaryA big word that is so laborious to type and so obscure in usage that only a very serious searcher would think of entering it in a search engine query.
SEO GlossaryUnsolicited e-mail that is sent indiscriminately to many people.
SEO GlossaryConverted into a form that cannot be understood except by knowing one or more secret decryption keys.
SEO GlossaryAny type of interactive media object on a Web site that engages the Web site visitors’ interest. Examples include images, videos, audio, games, and applications.
SEO GlossaryA message that a Web server sends to a visiting browser when something goes wrong.
SEO GlossaryThe last page a visitor is on before they leave a Web site.
SEO GlossaryThe navigational links found at the bottom of a Web page; these usually include the organization’s top navigation links, legal information, and a site map.
SEO GlossaryAn HTML technique for combining multiple documents in different sub-windows, all within a single browser window.
SEO GlossaryThe identification of a Web page as belonging to or being relevant for a particular country.
SEO GlossaryA technique used by a search engine to personalize search results to include local listings for search terms, based on a computer’s IP address. This technique is often used when a person searches for items that involve brick-and-mortar businesses or services that need to be provided locally.
SEO GlossaryA visual heat map showing how people’s eyes scan a search results page and how long they look at a particular result before moving on.
SEO GlossaryA Web search where the search engine makes suggestions on queries; examples include Google or Yahoo! Suggests.
SEO GlossaryAttempt to break into computer networks and bypass their security.
SEO GlossaryA third-party company that leases out Web space by the month or year, similar to office space.
SEO GlossaryA control file that allows server configuration changes on a per-directory basis. The file controls that directory and all of the subdirectories contained within it. Usually, this file is placed in the root folder of a Web site.
SEO GlossaryA link to another part of a Web site.
SEO GlossaryThe number of times an ad appears in search results to search engine users.
SEO GlossaryLinks to the properties of an individual or organization, or among a group of friends' sites, where the links are then passed off as legitimate links from outside sources.
SEO GlossaryThe database of Web sites that a search engine pulls results from in response to search queries.
SEO GlossaryThe process of taking raw data and categorizing it, removing duplicate information, and generally organizing it all into an accessible structure (think filing cabinet versus paper pile).
SEO GlossaryLinks on a Web site going to other pages within that site.
SEO GlossaryA search engine that searches only a particular Web site.
SEO GlossaryThe main hub connections of the Internet, which are primarily located in major cities around the world (Los Angeles, Denver, New York, and so on).
SEO GlossaryA message board where users can log on and post about topics on a related subject.
SEO GlossaryThe numeric code that identifies the logical address where a computer, server, or site resides on the Web.
SEO GlossaryAn acronym for Internet Service Provider.
SEO GlossaryA scripting language used to add functionality to Web sites.
SEO GlossaryThe yardstick by which an organization measures the success of its Web site. KPIs are based on a company’s overall business goals, and the role their Web site plays in achieving those goals. KPIs are specific to a company, and are not influenced by industry averages or competitors' KPIs.
SEO GlossaryA word relating to Web site content that search engines use to determine whether the site is relevant.
SEO GlossaryThe measurement of the number of times a keyword or keyword phrase appears on a Web page, compared to the total number of words on the page.
SEO GlossaryA search query containing two or more words that Web page content relates to.
SEO GlossaryPutting every word, not just relevant ones, into the content of a keyword tag; repeating keywords over and over again.
SEO GlossaryThe Web page that a visitor first goes to when clicking on an ad in a search engine.
SEO GlossaryContent that is created for the purpose of attracting attention and links to a Web site. Link bait is an accelerated version of a link magnet.
SEO GlossaryThe perceived-expertise value of all the inbound links pointing to a Web page.
SEO GlossaryA network of Web sites that hyperlink to all the other sites in the group. Link farms are built for the express purpose of driving up link popularity.
SEO GlossaryElements on a Web site that are built in such a way that people naturally want to link to them. People happen upon the site, find the link magnet, and decide that it’s relevant and worthy of a link, so they create a link to the content on that site.
SEO GlossaryAn e-mail or other contact with someone that asks for them to link to a Web site.
SEO GlossaryA search engine specializing in Web sites that are tied to a limited physical area (also known as a geotargeted area).
SEO GlossarySimilar to a cookie, an LSO is a text file that can be read only by the Web site creating it. Browsers and anti-spyware programs can't delete them, and most users don't know how.
SEO GlossaryA statistical concept that says that items that are in comparatively low demand can nonetheless add up to quite large volumes.
SEO GlossaryKeywords, or search queries, made up of several words or a phrase.
SEO GlossaryFormatting and other types of HTML code, such as Font tags to define the font style.
SEO GlossaryAn HTML command in the head section (top part) of a Web page’s HTML code that gives instructions to search engine spiders whether to index the page and whether to follow its links.
SEO GlossaryText that is added to the HTML of a page to describe it for a search engine.
SEO GlossaryThe automatic reloading of a Web page.
SEO GlossaryA search engine that does not maintain a database of its own, but instead combines results from multiple search engines.
SEO GlossaryA quantitative measure of something, such as a process, rate, or amount.
SEO GlossaryA full copy of a Web page or site.
SEO GlossaryA program that measures the keyword density of multiple Web pages.
SEO GlossaryTesting small changes to a Web site, such as the change of a certain font, or a button instead of an arrow. Typically, this involves testing many small changes to the same page at once instead of two totally separate pages, as in A/B testing.
SEO GlossaryA list that is made up of the keywords that an advertiser does not want their ads to show up for.
SEO GlossaryA software program that allows users to subscribe to and read RSS feeds.
SEO GlossaryGeneric text that isn’t customized for a Web site’s various subject themes and keywords.
SEO GlossaryIn A/B testing, a test that is run on two A pages (pages on which no changes have been made) in order to establish a baseline and make sure the traffic isn’t adversely affected.
SEO GlossaryWeb sites where people can meet and interact with one another; examples include MySpace and Facebook.
SEO GlossaryThe HTML tags and the visible content on a Web page.
SEO GlossaryThe changing of the underlying code of a Web page for the purpose of search engine optimization.
SEO GlossaryA term for a Web site that allows anyone to access and edit its content.
SEO GlossaryA computer program whose source code is available for free to the public.
SEO GlossaryWeb pages that the search engines find on their own using their spiders. These results are not paid for by advertisers.
SEO GlossaryGoogle’s patented algorithm that assigns weight to a page based on the number, quality, and authority of links to and from the page (along with other factors).
SEO GlossaryAds or sponsored links that site owners have paid a search engine to display on its results pages, based on keywords.
SEO GlossaryAutomatically generated URL characters that carry information to the receiving Web page about a user.
SEO GlossaryReviewing the flow, page by page, that a user takes while visiting a Web site.
SEO GlossaryPaid advertising that appears in search results, for which advertisers pay a fee every time their ad is clicked.
SEO GlossaryA profile that represents a target audience based on calculated averages of their buying processes and demographics.
SEO GlossaryAn acronym for Pay Per Click.
SEO GlossaryA separate version of a Web page that is designed specifically for printing. A printer-friendly page contains the same content as a regular Web page, but without the heavy images and advertisements that require a lot of printer ink.
SEO GlossaryThe parts of a URL that pass data to a Web page. Query strings aren’t readable because they contain symbols (such as ?, &, and +) as well as codes, session IDs, and so on.
SEO GlossaryThe degree to which a Web site reaches customers. Measures of reach include overall traffic volumes, number of visits, number of new visitors, ratio of new to returning visitors, and visitor geographic data. Reach metrics depend on information from various sources.
SEO GlossaryA method of distributing links to new content in a Web site; the recipients are people who’ve subscribed to the RSS feed for that site.
SEO GlossaryAn exchanging of links where two sites link to each other: site A to site B and site B to site A. This is essentially a barter and generally does not contribute much, if anything, to link equity, but it is not harmful.
SEO GlossaryAn HTML command that automatically forwards incoming links to a different Web page.
SEO GlossaryA link that references a file located in a physical directory relative to the current page or the root of all directories, so it can simply start with the page name and leave off the http:// and domain information.
SEO GlossaryAn element that visitors are responding to on a Web site, such as an image, a newsletter, or an e-mail.
SEO GlossaryHow fast a Web server is and how long it takes for users to load a page from that server.
SEO GlossaryA measure of how many customers remain once they come to a Web site.
SEO GlossaryLooking at what Web server a user is coming from.
SEO GlossaryContent that enhances a Web page, such as images, video, and audio.
SEO GlossaryAn acronym for Return On Investment.
SEO GlossaryAn acronym for Really Simple Syndication.
SEO GlossaryNews feeds that automatically show updates to a Web site that offers RSS content.
SEO GlossaryThe ability to expand Web server resources as needed.
SEO GlossaryA powerful technology that enables a Web designer to use a wide variety of fonts on their Web pages without sacrificing search-engine friendliness or accessibility.
SEO GlossaryA person who sends a robot to a Web site to copy (or “scrape”) the entire site and then republish it as their own.
SEO GlossaryThe text box in a search engine page where users type their search queries, or whatever it is that they’re looking for.
SEO GlossaryA Web application designed to hunt for specific keywords and group them according to relevance.
SEO GlossaryThe word or phrase that a user types into the search box of a search engine.
SEO GlossaryLinks to specialized vertical search engines that narrow a search into a specific type of result, such as images or news. Clicking one of these links takes a user to a results page with only images or only news.
SEO GlossaryTesting the variables in incoming Web traffic, such as finding out the demographics of the incoming traffic by asking them to answer certain questions.
SEO GlossaryAn acronym for Search Engine Optimization.
SEO GlossaryAn acronym for Search Engine Results Page.
SEO GlossaryThe software and hardware that runs a Web site.
SEO GlossaryRecords that measure the amount of traffic that a Web site receives. A server automatically creates a server log of all the activity it performs during a given time period, be it hours, days, or minutes.
SEO GlossaryThe current time period a user is active on a Web site after logging on.
SEO GlossaryThe process of organizing a Web site’s content into distinct subject categories, in order to group related content. Each silo has its own landing page and supporting pages.
SEO GlossaryA Web page containing links to the pages in that Web site, similar to a table of contents.
SEO GlossaryLink structure for moving around a Web site.
SEO GlossaryA measure of how quickly visitors leave a Web page.
SEO GlossaryAny sort of online environment that allows social interaction, including blogs, social news sites like Digg and Reddit, social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, and others.
SEO GlossaryA Web site where people can meet and interact with one another.
SEO GlossaryA site where news stories and articles from anywhere on the Web can be voted on by users, and the importance of a story or article is determined by the audience rather than by the editors of the site or source. Examples include Digg, StumbleUpon, and Reddit.
SEO GlossaryThe plain HTML code used to create a Web page.
SEO GlossaryAny tactic or Web page that is used to deceive a search engine into a false understanding of what the whole Web site is about or its importance.
SEO GlossaryA small program that search engines use to read and rank Web sites. Spiders are also referred to as robots, bots, or crawlers.
SEO GlossaryA situation where a spider gets caught in an endless loop and is forced to abandon the Web page because it has no other alternative.
SEO GlossarySearch engine results that are paid for by advertisers. These paid results often appear above the organic results in a search engine page.
SEO GlossaryUsing multiple forms of a word (such as “customize” instead of “customization”).
SEO GlossaryA measure of how long a user stays on a Web page.
SEO GlossaryVery common words such as the, a, to, if, who, and so forth, which serve to connect ideas in search phrases but don't add much in the way of meaning to the phrases’ content. Stop words are ignored by search engines.
SEO GlossaryA dependent domain set up within a primary domain. For example, in http://events.classiccarcustomization.com/, events is the subdomain, .classiccarcustomization is the domain, and .com is the top-level domain.
SEO GlossaryWeb traffic that is interested in a site’s product or service, and is thus more likely to provide conversions to the site.
SEO GlossaryThe (usually attractive and styled) links found at the top of a Web page, such as the Home Page, About Us, Contact Us, and specific category links; these top links are also referred to as global navigation.
SEO GlossaryThe root of a Web site’s URL.
SEO GlossaryThe number of visitors a Web site receives.
SEO GlossaryThe act of deliberately being rude and offensive just to make people angry on blogs and other Web forums; trolling generally gets a user banned from the blog or site.
SEO GlossaryAn acronym for User Generated Content.
SEO GlossaryThe percentage of time a Web site is up and running, not including scheduled maintenance periods.
SEO GlossaryAn acronym for Uniform Resource Locator.
SEO GlossaryInformation describing whether a visitor to a Web site is a person or a search engine robot.
SEO GlossaryA process that identifies spiders coming to a Web site, enabling the Webmaster to keep out bad spiders.
SEO GlossaryAn easy-to-remember Web address used to market a specific product, person, or service.
SEO GlossarySearch engines that restrict their search by industry, geographic area, or file type.
SEO GlossaryAn organizational scheme in a Web site that connects related pages using links instead of moving related Web pages into new directories.
SEO GlossaryFollowing HTML standards set by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
SEO GlossaryThe study of visitor activity on an individual Web site.
SEO GlossaryThe complete records of a user’s previous Google searches and the Web sites they’ve visited or bookmarked.
SEO GlossaryThe measurement of what's happening on the Internet, such as the number and types of people online; the number of broadband versus dial-up connections, advertisers, and advertisements (shapes, sizes, level of annoyance); and all things related to the Internet as a whole.
SEO GlossaryA collection of Web sites from around the Internet that join together through interlinking in a circular structure.
SEO GlossaryThe combination of software and hardware that runs a Web site. A Web server receives each user request and “serves” back the requested pages to the user’s browser.
SEO GlossaryA list of Web sites or agents (such as spiders) that are approved to enter a Web site.
SEO GlossaryA piece of HTML code that can be embedded in a Web page and that a user can interact with.
SEO GlossaryA type of information site that contains all user-generated content, such as Wikipedia.
SEO GlossaryAn international consortium where member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards.
SEO GlossaryAn acronym for eXtensible Markup Language.
SEO GlossaryA document designed specifically to be readable by a search engine.
