It’s clear why all marketers and website owners focus on link-building strategies for Google. According to GlobalStats, Google dominates the search engine market share with 91.38%. Bing is in the second position with 2.69%, and Yahoo holds the third one with 1.46%.
Does this mean that you should ignore Yahoo when developing a backlink strategy? Absolutely not! With similar techniques, you can target the Yahoo audience as well. You’re already doing most of the work for Google, so investing a bit more effort is not a big deal.
Which Search Engines to Target in Your SEO Campaign?
All search engines offer different features, so it’s no wonder why some users prefer one over the other. The top search engines to target are Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
- Google has a special system that identifies a site’s authority for the sake of ranking it in the search engine results. Backlinking is important in the SEO process, since the system considers the authority of sites linking to yours. The engine’s crawlers can make a difference between artificial and valid links.
- Yahoo’s goal is to drive users towards well-established pages and links. It’s harder for new websites to get a good ranking here, but Yahoo has been making some algorithm changes to improve that aspect. What we know for sure is that the system generates relevant results with high authority.
- Bing’s algorithm lags behind those of Google and Yahoo. However, its impressive homepage keeps users engaged. The SEO link building strategy for this search engine is focused on using keywords. The techniques you used for Google rankings several years ago will still work for Bing.
Yahoo vs. Google
SEO Similarities
If you’re looking for the most sophisticated search engines other than Google, Yahoo is the answer. Let’s start by listing the similarities, so you’ll know what techniques work for both algorithms.
- Both search engines appreciate high-quality links. If you learned how to link for Google, you won’t have to change a lot when targeting Yahoo. It’s important to use a web crawler tool to test the health of your links and fix any issues before they cause damage to your rankings.
- Both algorithms deliver results for local search. When developing a Yahoo Google search engine optimization strategy, you can use the same keywords that incorporate a geographic location.
SEO Differences
No matter how similar the search engines seem from a user’s point of view, they still deliver different results. If you try searching for the same term, Google and Yahoo will give you different results. That’s because their algorithms are different, and it’s why you’ll need some adjustments in your strategy to target both. If you’re too busy or overwhelmed by the challenge, you can rely on a link building company for fast results.
Let’s see: what are the main differences between these search engines?
- Yahoo puts a bigger emphasis on the authority of websites linking to yours, whereas Google is more focused on content relevance and quality. Your link-building strategy may deliver better results on Yahoo.
- The majority of Yahoo users are older than 45, while the opposite stands for Google (most users are younger than 45). If you’re targeting an older audience, focusing on Yahoo might be a good idea.
Link Building Tips for Yahoo and Google
- Mind the Link Count
If you’re targeting Yahoo, you can (cautiously) increase the number of inbound links you include in your strategy. In recent years, the correlation between Google rankings and link count has been declining. A few links from high-quality sites are more valued when compared to a higher number of links. For Yahoo, the number of inbound links still matters. They still have to come from high-authority sites, though.
If you’re trying to target both search engines with a single campaign, it’s best to find a balance. You can (slightly!) boost the number of links you intended to use for Google.
- Don’t Rely on Keyword Stuffing
Most marketers know that Google labels keyword stuffing as spam. That strategy makes your content seem unnatural and irrelevant to the user’s quest. Yahoo’s algorithm isn’t that sensitive to heavy use of keywords, but it’s getting more sophisticated in that aspect. You can still use keywords, but make sure to put them in a contextual logical flow.
- Get Social
Google hasn’t clarified how it interprets social signals. For Yahoo’s algorithm, on the other hand, we know that your social media presence is important. When building links, share the content across profiles. That might help you make guest posts more popular, and we know that inbound links of higher authority affect your rankings.
Keep Updating Your Strategy
The recommendations and concepts of SEO are constantly changing. We’ll never know exactly how the ranking algorithms work, but we get some hints that enable us to develop strategies. If you’re targeting more than one search engine, you’ll need more diversity in your techniques. That’s why it’s important to keep learning, exploring, experimenting, and measuring!
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