Updated June 17, 2022
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Saying Goodbye
On December 31 the Yahoo Directory will be officially shut down after 20 years of service. This is actually important news as it was the product that made Yahoo relevant in search. The world is saying goodbye to historic old-style SEO.
In The Olden Days
Before there was such a thing called a “Google search engine,” the Yahoo Directory was the vehicle to find stuff on the web. Imagine a world where websites couldn’t be easily found. Compiling lists of information was done by hand. The Directory was Yahoo’s centerpiece, a product that was front and center on their web portal.
For those old enough to remember the web without Google and Bing, Yahoo was the most common way people found websites back in the mid nineties. Did you know that Yahoo is actually an acronym? It stands for “Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle.” It became the most popular search engine… and led to Yahoo’s meteoric rise.
Sad Announcement About Yahoo Directory
According to Mashable the official announcement of the Yahoo Directory demise only warranted a brief mention on a blog. No press releases that provided historical context. No articles to give tribute to a such a ground-breaking product. To put things into perspective, the directory played an integral part in growing Yahoo’s online importance. It also provided the backdrop for the Page-Brin collaboration (aka Google).
What do you think about shutting down Yahoo Directory? Is it overdue? Should it have been communicated better?
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