Home > Strategic Services > SEM > Paid Inclusion

Paid Inclusion

Paid Inclusion is one of the oldest SEM channels. Its roots are from a company that no longer exists, Inktomi, yet the program still thrives today. Yahoo acquired Inktomi in December 2002.

Paid Inclusion is essentially a hybrid of SEO and SEM. It closely resembles SEM in that the marketer is paying for site visitors on a per-click basis. It differs from traditional SEM in that pricing is category based, not an auction oriented environment.

Like SEO, Paid Inclusion listings appear in the natural results of Yahoo, not the sponsored listings. To a searcher, they are indistinguishable from the rest of the organic results. In addition, Websites have the best opportunities in Paid Inclusion if they are well optimized from a keyword and content standpoint. Paid Inclusion should be viewed as a means for gaining a slight leg-up in Yahoo's Natural results at a reasonable cost, but it is not a fix for sites with keyword / content issues.

The chief benefit of Paid Inclusion is that for most industries it remains a cost-effective channel to drive visitors. The volume is usually not significant (relative to what's available through traditional SEM), but since there isn't a bidding structure to the rankings and the click costs are fixed, it can be managed with lower maintenance.

MoreVisibility was one of the earliest firms to be certified for Inktomi's (now Yahoo) Paid Inclusion program. We have maintained our ability to participate by educating our clients on the nuances of the channel and managing in a Best Practices manner.