Webmaster Papers








How MSN and Yahoo Sells Your Traffic


Yes, it really happens. Now you might find it hard to believe but you will understand after I explain.

Prior to late 2004, Google undisputedly ruled the search engine world. During the second half of the year things took a dramatic turn when Yahoo and MSN decided to challenge the Big G for some of their lucrative market share.

Search engines are a big source of revenue especially when it comes to advertising and for many this is their bread and butter. With the emerging prominence of both Yahoo and MSN, advertisers have more channels through which to advertise their goods and services.

What marks Google apart from it's two big rivals in this area is the way they display their ads. They deliver their ads through a system called Adwords which is unobtrusive to viewers. The ads are placed to the right to clearly distinguish them from the search results. Occasionally they will place ads above the SERPS.

Overture is the company which handles the placement of ads for both Yahoo and MSN. Now if you should search for a popular keyword in either of them, you will notice that the ads are above the results, to your right and at the bottom of the page just above the Next button. This is where it gets interesting.

Having the privilege of working in a public computer lab, I decided to run some experiments. When customers came in and requested information on various topics I instructed them to use Yahoo or MSN for their search enquiries. The first one looked for "bridal gowns" and another looked for "tourism in Jamaica". In both cases they click on the first available information which of course is the relevant ads displayed.

I continued my experiment for a week and came to a decisive conclusion. Some search engines are selling our traffic right under our noses! The only time I observed the top ranking websites getting regular click through was when the keywords are not that competitive to involve ad placement.

This leads me to question the quality of traffic one receives from Yahoo and MSN. For every visitor you receive what is the ratio for that which you lose to a sponsored result? And what is the use of optimizing your website for them?

Now mind you, I enjoy a few good rankings on both Yahoo and MSN but they are for keywords that are not that too competitive. For these I enjoy consistent traffic flow but I think that the quality is something to take another look at.

I didn't write this to bash these guys on how they choose to do their business particularly how they choose to place their ads. My aim is to point out to you that while you may enjoy a top ten result on Yahoo and MSN, chances are you are not getting the amount of visitors you should and could receive.

© Oceanroc Web Publishing

Nicholas Dixon is a Jamaican webmaster, writer and affiliate marketer. Visit my blog for feature articles from select article writers at http://WWW.Oceanroc.Blogspot.com

RELATED ARTICLES


Linking for Traffic not Positioning!
With more and more experts and search engine enthusiastsclaiming the right way and the wrong way to handle linkswapping, link exchanging or reciprocal linking!
Developing A List Of Keywords For Marketing
Keywords aren't just some words that allow search engines, like Google, to find your web site. They are also key elements for creating attractive language to use in your marketing or advertising material. For instance places such as: brochures, business cards, flyers, and ads. Keywords can also fit well into speaking engagements scripts or audiotapes scripts as well as audience handouts.
The (Not So) Shocking Truth About Getting A High Search Engine Ranking
I have seen my site hit #3 at Google, and some of my fellow entrepreneurs are wondering how I did it. Well, it's no big secret, and it won't cost you anything but your time. Here's what I did:
The Search Engine Secret That Is No Secret At All
It's common knowledge - we all know that it is important to rank well in search engines. Doing so can bring qualified, interested visitors to the web site you create. And, those visitors come to you believing that you know what you are talking about, since you showed up in the search engine results.
The Write to Link Popularity
Incorporating writing as a means of boosting your link popularity can be a turnoff for many webmasters, when in fact it can lead to a wealth of links.
The Changing Face of Search Engine Optimization
With the ever evolving internet market for just about anything you can imagine and Google's index growing to almost 9 billion pages, and counting, there is little dispute amongst search engine optimizers that our job is getting much harder. From linking to articles, and density to ontology, our industry changes as fast as any other. The search engines, especially Google, seem to be on a daily diet of change and their algorithm seems to be growing at the rate of their index.
Designing a Better System for Search Engines
Designing a Better System for Search Engines and Information Distribution, information and knowledge are power. Having run out of things to study today, I thought about Researching and Research. Here are some observations on R and R. If you owned a body shop that would be remove and replace. For many Americans it is rest and relaxation, but for Wash Guys it is now researching Research (ing) and/or (ers). I believe that Search engines are getting better as that business model continues to perform before, during and after the Internet Bubble. However I believe they can do better.
How and Why to Avoid the SEO Mania
The Why
Search Engine Essentials
What are Search Engines?
Why SEO (as we know it) is Doomed to Failure and How You Can Avoid the Trap
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has become one of the biggest internet buzz-words recently. Everyone is talking about it. These days it seems there's an "expert" around every corner promising all kinds of wonderful things to online business owners. Beware! If you are interested in building a long term successful online business, there are few things you should know when it comes to search engine optimization.
Black Hat SEO and the Sneaky Redirect
Are shades of grey SEO really Black Hat SEO?
Google Ban - How Not To Get Banned By Google!
Given that Google now provides over 75% of all Internet search traffic, the last possible thing any site owner would want is to be banned from the Google index!
How Google Indexes Content From Your Web Directory
In a fluke, I was able to notice something about the way Google indexes content from web directories. Excluding your template, the most important line of code is the first title you add to your main body.
Ten Steps To A Well Optimized Website - Step 2: Content Creation
Welcome to part two in this search engine optimization series. In part one we covered the importance and tactics for choosing the keywords and keyword phrases that will provide the highest ROI for your optimization efforts. In part two we will discuss how to properly write content for high search engine positioning.
Rock Your Rank With a Dynamite Text Link - Yahoo Directory Explodes Rankings
Last week a client called me excitedly exclaiming that their Google PageRank had jumped a notch and their targeted keyword term now ranked #23 (up from #45) for their competitive search phrase. I asked the client if he'd been notified by Yahoo that his site was now included in the index after we had submitted it three weeks ago. "Yes," he said, "but why are you changing the subject?"
Google Love - Five Top Tips To Make Google Love Your Site
1. Google love ...
Yahoo Dopey, MSN Goofy, Google is Mickey Mouse Lost in a Sandbox
Seventy-two days ago Googlebot first showed up and crawled over 250 pages of a brand new domain in an experiment that has had an odd cartoonish character to it, where unexplained things happen with sometimes dark foreboding, a kind of Fantasia online.
Googles PR System Explained
The complexities of Google's PR (Page Ranking) System have grown more difficult to understand since the Hilltop Algorithm was introduced. This beginner's guide to the PR system explains the basics of what PR is, what it does, and how it affects your site's rankings. This revolutionary search algorithm has made it to where the most relevant and popular sites with the best content do the best on Google's search page. Keep in mind, this algorithm is kept secret by Google for fear of it being exploited, but the basics have been released for study.
Surviving Googles Aging Delay
Google has always been the search industry's innovator and that's just what Google's aging delay symbolizes, the evolution of search innovation? yet another significant step forward for Google.
Search Engine Marketing 101: What Search Engines See When They Visit Your Web Site
If you have a Web site, have you ever wondered what a search engine sees when it visits your site to add the site to its index? Do you know that it doesn't see the beautiful graphics or the fancy Web design? Do you know that it only sees the source code, or the "skeleton" of your Web site?