Yahoo Invents "robot" Meta-tag, .. and "noydir" Options

[JohnMu]

Yahoo! Search Support for 'NOYDIR' Meta Tags and Weather Update

I bet (hope) it's a typo, but you never know

So, as promised, we’re providing support for ‘NOYDIR’ which will recognize the following Meta tags on your pages:

<META NAME="ROBOT" CONTENT="NOYDIR">

or

<META NAME="Slurp" CONTENT="NOYDIR">

After paying for the inclusion review for the Yahoo directory, is the webmaster really in a situation where they can't change the listing at all? I would have thought that the Yahoo directory was a bit easier to get your listings adjusted / corrected (thereby adjusting your listing in Yahoo's search results).

John

Edit: Well that was quick, they changed it to "ROBOTS" already. Shoulda kept my big fat fingers quiet on their blog.

Edit 2: Hey, now they even deleted my 2nd comment about it

This post has been edited by softplus: Feb 28 2007, 03:02 PM

[bragadocchio]

Good to see that it was a typo.

There is a page on Yahoo! where you can request a change to a listing:

http://add.yahoo.com/fast/change?chLMC

They do say this about changes:

• Sites must be listed in the Directory for at least two weeks before a change request will be considered.
  
• We reserve the right to edit or refuse change requests.
  
• If your site is accurately listed we will not make changes to enhance your listing nor to optimize your position in the Directory or in search results.
  
• We do not reply to all change requests.
  
• If your suggested change is not made within three to four weeks, most likely it did not meet our guidelines.

[DianeV]

I'm completely thrilled by this. For some time now (years), I've hesitated in recommending a listing in the Yahoo directory simply because it meant getting stuck with their limited title and description, right or wrong.

A link to update your title/description has been existent since the 90's; however, how fast that happens, or whether it happens at all, is another matter altogether.

This gives the best of both worlds: both a Yahoo listing and a method of better controlling your organic listing in Yahoo search.

I'm also pleased to say that the noydir thing works, and fast.