Authenticating Your Website in Yahoo! Site Explorer

Hi

Originally launched in 2005, Yahoo! Site Explorer was designed to promote feedback between website owners/webmasters; and the Yahoo! search staff. Looking to improve it's poor reputation for customer service, when responding to search and ranking inquiries or directory complaints; Yahoo! hoped this direct approach would inspire a change in public opinion.

Yahoo! Site Explorer continues to offer website owners/operators, a dependable interface for accessing the following valuable information; and webmaster services:

* Comprehensive list all sub-pages of a website domain, or path.
* Back-links (Yahoo calls them "in-links") for both website domains, and paths.
* Free single or bulk submission of websites, not yet indexed by the Yahoo! search engine. The bulk method of submission, requires that website owners/webmasters identify the location (URL) of an online text file; with the list of URLs to be submitted.
* Download up to 1000 search results in TSV format.

To further recognize all of the benefits of Yahoo! Site Explorer, webmasters/website owners must authenticate their website(s); with Yahoo!. This allows for continued viewing of detailed reports, which contain important information about each individual webpage; within the associated website(s). This SEO treasure includes:

* The last time your webpage was indexed by Yahoo! Slurp.
* The language of the page.
* A list sub-domains that Yahoo! has identified.
* RSS or Atom feed submission, and management.
* Automatic page update notification service, allows you to notify Yahoo! when webpages have been updated; encouraging a re-crawl.

In order to authentic a website, and demonstrate to Yahoo! that you are the website owner or webmaster; you should follow these steps:

1. Sign in to Yahoo! Site Explorer.
2. Enter the website URL, into the My Sites box, and then click the Add My Site button. The My Sites webpage will open.
3. Locate your website's URL, and then click the Authenticate button; next to your URL. This will open a verification page, complete with instructions on using the file upload; or a meta-tag verification method.

Once the verification page opens, you will need to select one of the two available verification methods; for authenticating website ownership:

To upload the verification file to your website:

1. Download the authentication key.
2. Upload the verification file to your website, at the root level of your website directory.
3. When the file is successfully uploaded, click the Ready to Authenticate button.

Or, you can add a meta-tag; to your Home page:

1. Copy the meta-tag and paste it in your website's Home page, in the first HEAD section of the webpage; before the first BODY section.
2. Once the meta-tag is added, click the Ready to Authenticate button.

Authenticating a website in Yahoo! Site Explorer, gives website owners/webmasters access to detailed information; pertaining to the over-all functionality of a specific website. In most cases, Yahoo! will authenticate website ownership; within twenty-four hours. To check the status of a website authentication, go to My Sites in Site Explorer and check the Status field; next to the desired URL. Once website authentication has been successful, website owners/webmasters can begin to build a closer relationship, between the website(s) they are optimizing; and the formidable Yahoo! search engine.