A bunch of SEOs at DigitalPoint Forums are wondering why certain URLs listed in the Yahoo Search results are redirected through SEO company landing pages.

Some SEOs feel it is a weird for of paid ads within the free Yahoo search results. While others might feel it is a weird form of cloaking and redirection, and that the SEO company tracking these URLs are doing something wrong. This confusion is far from new. Let me show you what they see:

Notice the URL listed in the search results is for ServiceMagic.com, while the URL it is actually being linked to, is at FeedPoint.net.

Yea, that looks weird. But all it really is, is Yahoo's Paid Inclusion program at work. It is called Search Submit and it allows webmaster to submit URLs to Yahoo, for inclusion in the normal search results. It does not make one result rank higher or lower, it just helps ensure the page is indexed. Yahoo charges for this on the pay per click model.

So, don't be confused. This is "legit," but don't get me wrong, it is a hotly debated topic for the past five or more years.

Forum discussion at DigitalPoint Forums.

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