狗爺語錄

While Google Webmaster tool does its job well (even Microsoft one too), Yahoo Site Explorer (interesting that it’s not named Webmaster tool like the others) simply adds no value to webmasters except confusion, impatience and disappointment. The reason?

• While Google and Microsoft one allows authentication of site using META tag, similar function by Yahoo simply fail. No idea, and no comprehensive error message. Yahoo just fails and tells you it would retry again later.
• Once Yahoo fails to validate your site, what’s next? Revalidate immediately? NO! Even if you choose alternative method (uploading a file into web root folder), it would just indicate that validation will be pending some time soon. How long? No idea.
• Therefore, for people impatient enough to demand immediate validation, one have to remove and readd the site, and revalidate afterwards using file upload method. No other choice.
• Once validated, can I just revert to previous site content? OK for Google, not for Microsoft and Yahoo. In Yahoo it is indicated clearly:
  

  We will revalidate your site ownership by checking this file regularly.

  We will revalidate your site ownership by checking this META tag regularly.

• Taiwan version of Site Explorer is equally stupid, one have to stick an image on web page for validation! Speechless. Can’t it just use some less intrusive method for validation?
• Too bad that Yahoo doesn’t accept any sort of XML sitemap.

For the functionalities after validation — well, my opinion is, no one is perfect (a combination of all 3 as a single website management tool is most desirable). However, if I were to pick one, I absolutely would not pick Yahoo. So far the only thing worth mentioning is, Yahoo allows removal of selected URLs containing certain substrings or GET parameters.