In the world of search marketing, Google is by far the leader. Yet the savvy internet marketer knows that skill in the industry requires marketing to all of the search engines, not just the “big one.” So what about Yahoo! Is Yahoo worth considering? Yes, it is, but one aspect of Yahoo’s online tactics, Yahoo Local, may no longer be worth the time.
About Yahoo Local
Yahoo is the search entity powered by Microsoft and Bing. Yahoo Local allows businesses to list their information so interested customers can find them. Yet, Yahoo Local no longer has a maps service, and Yelp has quickly overtaken Yahoo as a review and local listings site. So, some experts believe that Yahoo Local, if not the entire Yahoo entity, is going to slowly fade away into oblivion, kind of like Myspace once did.
Can Yahoo Local Help SEO?
Of course, many of the listing sites are used not because they draw actual traffic, but because they help SEO. Yahoo is still getting search traffic, and in fact was listed as the 3rd most-used search engine as recently as July of 2015. So, does that mean Yahoo Local listings are still an important part of an SEO world?
Of course Yahoo Local listings are not going to hurt SEO, but are they really going to help? Is it worth investing the time and energy into creating these listings? The reality is that Yahoo is all but ignoring Yahoo Local, providing minimal support and few updates to the listing service. After abandoning Maps and directory services, Yahoo appears to be putting its focus elsewhere.
So what’s the bottom line? Yahoo Local is not dead, yet, but here at Soaring Away we believe your time is better spent investing in other local listing services, like Yelp, and perfecting your SEO plan, rather than putting time and energy into a listing service that is probably heading the way of the dinosaur.
