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This post is for Yahoo Store Owners and Yahoo Merchants with Yahoo Web Host, who are looking for automatic link exchange solutions. (Also whoever wants to learn more about LinkMachine.) One popular website Tokyoflash Japan uses this script.

LinkMachine is by far the best automatic link exchange solution for the Yahoo Web Hosting and Yahoo Stores. While every web hosting service allows the webmaster to edit their .htaccess files for mod rewrites on their host, Yahoo does not (which prevents major web builders from utilizing the Yahoo webhosting solution). Therefore excluding almost every SEO friendly link exchange script on the market - phpLD, eSyndiCat, WNS links, and others - that utilizes a mod rewrite feature on their URLs. Maybe by far the best solution is a stretch, but it is one of the only solutions available that works on the Yahoo Web Hosting for auto link exchanges.

Last night, I spent 4-5 hours going through the installation process setting up the LinkMarket generated pages with the same layout as the Yahoo Store. It is an application with many features that takes time to understand through trial and error. One thing I had a hard time controlling is the content link displays page because the page set up configurations are not well integrated like other php application themes. It provides way too many field entries to mess up your layout one way or another. You can be spending 20 minutes on changing the font sizes and still won’t be correct because there are 50 different options on the same page to confuse you.

Then I initiated the instant link exchange with the link partners found in their network. I would have to say the quality of the sites registered to the network is good to fair. Managed to get 20 link partners in a short period of time with many invitations sent out. Probably have to wait another day ot two for other webmasters to read their emails to approve the exchange process. From a user’s standpoint, the LinkMachine script works as it is suppose to and meets the needs of a Yahoo Store owner and can be intergrated seamlessly between the Yahoo merchant solutions and web hosting. Also the script will be left on auto pilot to check and validate reciprocal link exchanges that come onto the Yahoo store site. I will provide an update on that progress in the next month or two.

Update: After a lot of tweaking to the CSS and template generator, I was able to produce this block of generated links. Then basically you can include this into any html template of your choice. Since spending more time with the application, I have looked beyond its limitations and actually like the features. If you are a Yahoo Store owner, this program is highly recommended for managing your link exchanges.

Update after the trial version expired: What I found out is that LinkMachine controls your entire database at their end, and your site is pretty much at their mercy if anything goes wrong. It was a rude awakening when I saw the entire directory wiped out due to the fact that the trial version had expired and reverted back to the basic edition. It is almost like a Cinderella story when the clock strikes midnight, everything you worked on will be gone unless you upgrade to the premium. I personally have no issues on spending the money on the script and which I did because it is a good product, but I think they oversold with the premium trial version and then provide you with a lemon when the trial expires which was a shocker because I didn’t know what to expect with the basic version. I think a much better business practice is to not shock people who spend the time evaluating the product and letting them keep what they built.

Download LinkMachine to evaluate.