Okay while we have been aware of this move for quite some time, Yahoo/Overture has to make sure and send out a late email. Granted this was from the Australian service so maybe it took some time for it to get there.
The letter was:
Dear Advertiser,
A new look is coming to the Yahoo! search results pages that will translate into more clicks for your listings. On March 9th, Yahoo! will debut a streamlined design that will make the search results displayed on Yahoo! even easier for consumers to read. Our research has shown that by improving the search experience in this way, advertisers can generally expect to see an increase in clicks, while maintaining their conversion rates.
How this change impacts your listings:
Yahoo! will display shorter descriptions for Sponsored Search listings
You don't have to make any changes to your listings; they'll be automatically shortened for you when displayed on Yahoo!
If you'd like to optimise your listings for Yahoo!, begin your description with one short sentence that includes your keyword and focuses on your most important information in the first 70 characters
Over time, we will fine tune the exact character count that we believe works best for advertisers and search users
Most of our partners, including ninemsn, Ansearch and AltaVista will still display longer descriptions for your Sponsored Search listings, though the exact length may vary from partner to partner
Yahoo! is taking this step to improve the search experience for its users. By continuously focusing on delivering highly relevant search results in a user-friendly format, Yahoo! also gives you the best possible platform for reaching customers interested in what your business provides.
Sincerely,
Your Partners at Yahoo! Search Marketing
Now I know there will be a lot of people leaving that to Yahoo but it should be amusing to watch them screw up people's ads in the beginning... should be some laughs coming soon!
Friday, February 10, 2006
I Am Not a Pickpocket
Seems people think if you cookie your site you are as bad as pickpockets!
A Media Post article covers comments by Wall Street Journal technology columnist Walt Mossberg
comparing cookie users with pickpockets. He was speaking at the Anti-Spyware Coalition so it received a popular response. It also shows the ignorance of the group to allow him to make that comparison and also get away with say he has been online every day since 1983.... while he may have been able to use email, FTP and ICQ the web where one is "online" started in 1992...
A Media Post article covers comments by Wall Street Journal technology columnist Walt Mossberg
comparing cookie users with pickpockets. He was speaking at the Anti-Spyware Coalition so it received a popular response. It also shows the ignorance of the group to allow him to make that comparison and also get away with say he has been online every day since 1983.... while he may have been able to use email, FTP and ICQ the web where one is "online" started in 1992...
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
SEO Pimps
So I came across this post on Craigslist.
Seems some parents have no problems pimping their underage children to the SEO world. Now isn't there an age limit on when children can work?
Hell if that's the case, I will put my 13 year-old up against this kid any day. She has been playing with computers since she was 2 and 1/2 - I used to take the cords out of the one at home and she would put them back and be sitting there with a smile on her face when I got home.
I wouldn't want to ruin her amateur status - she has a promising college soccer career ahead.
The post is a classic because it goes straight for the "I will submit you to 206 engines and directories for $250".... I guess the thinking here is that people would have no problems giving the money to a kid - whereas the dad's reputation that is referenced is a bit suspect if he allowed the ad to go out with that type of claim.
I can forgive the child.
Dad wake up and make some legitimate money as an SEO instead of pimping your kid!
Seems some parents have no problems pimping their underage children to the SEO world. Now isn't there an age limit on when children can work?
Hell if that's the case, I will put my 13 year-old up against this kid any day. She has been playing with computers since she was 2 and 1/2 - I used to take the cords out of the one at home and she would put them back and be sitting there with a smile on her face when I got home.
I wouldn't want to ruin her amateur status - she has a promising college soccer career ahead.
The post is a classic because it goes straight for the "I will submit you to 206 engines and directories for $250".... I guess the thinking here is that people would have no problems giving the money to a kid - whereas the dad's reputation that is referenced is a bit suspect if he allowed the ad to go out with that type of claim.
I can forgive the child.
Dad wake up and make some legitimate money as an SEO instead of pimping your kid!
Google Aged Me a Couple of Years Today
Our sites were briefly dropped from the organic listings today - about 2-3 hours at the most. But the panic that sets in definitely added some grey hairs and stole a year or two from my life expectancy.
It is interesting how the vagaries of your search listings can impact your world. One minute you are doing the regular day-to-day work, the next you are madly calling everyone who may be able to help.
Talk to the IT department to see if they had done anything.
Call your hosted security people to see if the firewall was changed or if they had adopted some type of redirect.
Talk to your media buyer and see if he has a new publisher that may be doing something wrong.
Check all your inbound links to see if they are changed in some way.
Go to the other major engines and see if you can see anything there.
You know that the loss of organic results if sustained will mean 100s of thousands of dollars in lost revenue...
Turns out Google was just doing some data center updates and some sites were dropped and then reset - according to Google.
Hey can't get rid of the new grey hairs but at least we are back in the warm embrace of Google organic!
It is interesting how the vagaries of your search listings can impact your world. One minute you are doing the regular day-to-day work, the next you are madly calling everyone who may be able to help.
Talk to the IT department to see if they had done anything.
Call your hosted security people to see if the firewall was changed or if they had adopted some type of redirect.
Talk to your media buyer and see if he has a new publisher that may be doing something wrong.
Check all your inbound links to see if they are changed in some way.
Go to the other major engines and see if you can see anything there.
You know that the loss of organic results if sustained will mean 100s of thousands of dollars in lost revenue...
Turns out Google was just doing some data center updates and some sites were dropped and then reset - according to Google.
Hey can't get rid of the new grey hairs but at least we are back in the warm embrace of Google organic!
Monday, February 6, 2006
Search, TV News Now! Is Adwords, Cable Getting Closer?
Gary Price writes about new search engines that are using voice recogition to search news broadcasts (TVEyes and BlinkX which even has personal video channels), Podcast search via Poscope with its Googlesque front page.
All are the precusor to what John Battelle describes as the merger of "intent based and content based" advertising in his recent book "The Search". The founder of "Wired" magazine explains how the growth of digital TV recorders using web-based search and recording histories will lead to the development of ad serving methods that envorporate an AdWords system of access to very targeted viewers.
Though this is projected as being over five years away, recent purchases by Google of dMarc radio ad servers and the suggestions that Google is looking to develop something similar for television while acquiring a share in AOL which also ties to TimeWarner.
TW's moves to break up its corporate peices may leave some valuable future properties in the marketplace. The players that make moves on some of them may be investing in the future of this developing technology - definitely worth keeping an eye on.
All are the precusor to what John Battelle describes as the merger of "intent based and content based" advertising in his recent book "The Search". The founder of "Wired" magazine explains how the growth of digital TV recorders using web-based search and recording histories will lead to the development of ad serving methods that envorporate an AdWords system of access to very targeted viewers.
Though this is projected as being over five years away, recent purchases by Google of dMarc radio ad servers and the suggestions that Google is looking to develop something similar for television while acquiring a share in AOL which also ties to TimeWarner.
TW's moves to break up its corporate peices may leave some valuable future properties in the marketplace. The players that make moves on some of them may be investing in the future of this developing technology - definitely worth keeping an eye on.
Internet Providers May Charge Web Sites
An article in today's NY Post - quoting Times Of London - discussed the possibility of internet access providers charging the web sites (starting with the deepest pockets - Google, Yahoo and MSN) for using their networks to get to the web users.
If this one has any legs it could start another dotcom bubble burst - and since the economy is not ready for that I think the government steps in this time.
If this one has any legs it could start another dotcom bubble burst - and since the economy is not ready for that I think the government steps in this time.
Vacation Is Over
I took some time... went to the Dominican Republic... hung out with the kids... and basically recharged the batteries... it was needed.
But I am back and am loaded with all sorts of goodies to discuss.
But I am back and am loaded with all sorts of goodies to discuss.
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