One of the first search engines to emerge in the early days of the Internet was Yahoo. For a few years, Yahoo was the main search engine people around the world used. However, when Google started making its presence known, Yahoo quickly slipped out of the coveted top spot. Ever since then, the former search engine giant has struggled to find a new identity in the rapidly changing Internet world. But the past few years, Yahoo is making its way back into the limelight. What does this have to do with your business, you ask? Local listings and mobile search optimization!
Who is Marissa Mayer?
Yahoo came out of hibernation under the guidance of CEO Marissa Mayer. Brought into Yahoo in July 2012, Mayer has the task of taking Yahoo in a new direction. The company has made strategic moves designed to revitalize their online presence and bring it into the second decade of the 21st century.
Here are three signs of the new direction that Mayer is taking the company in:
1) Attracting mobile device users is imperative for current and future success.
Since Mayer joined Yahoo, the number of mobile engineers swelled from about 60 to over 400. This has made Yahoo's mobile search one of the most popular with over 400 million users per month.
Purchasing smaller companies to add talent and functionality to its portfolio. The most visible acquisition was Tumbler in June 2013. Recently, the company acquired SkyPhrase, a natural language software company.
2) Creating content to attract website visitors is an apparent priority.
In November 2013, Yahoo announced the hiring of anchor Katie Couric to be a global anchor. Add this to the hiring of David Pogue, the former New York Times technology columnist. This supports Yahoo's stated intention to add correspondents to Yahoo News to cover international news and newsmakers.
3) The exact direction Mayer is taking Yahoo is still a bit of a mystery.
The company has stated that the move to the new vision will take three to five years to complete. However, with the changes already seen at Yahoo, the future looks brighter than it did the day before Mayer came on board.
What Does This Mean for Your Business?
With these changes, the strength of Yahoo appears to be growing. To take advantage of this growth potential, you should consider getting your company listed on Yahoo's directory. The directory is highly trusted by search engines and helps with SERP placement. It also gives your company a boost in trust level with consumers doing research.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket though. Other local listings, such as Foursquare, Google and Yelp, are other mobile avenues to take advantage of, as they can help spread your name, draw people to your brand and make your business easy to find.
To list your business or organization on Yahoo, go here.
Questions and Final Thoughts
Have you been keeping up with Yahoo? Do you think they are gaining ground?
