Re: Search Engine Optimization Agencies

From: Michael Martinez <Michael_at_xenite.org>
Date: Mon 13 Nov 2000 16:51:35 -0500

MICHAEL MARTINEZ <Michael_at_xenite.org> WROTE:
> If you've got money to throw away, submit to Looksmart.
> Looksmart claims to "reach" more people than Yahoo!
> What's important for any search service is HOW MANY
> PEOPLE USE THEM and WHICH PEOPLE USE THEM. According
> to industry statistics, few people actually use
> Looksmart, even when you toss in their partners.
> Yahoo! is still number 1, and AOL/ODP is a major
> player, too.

TO WHICH DANNY SULLIVAN <danny_at_calafia.com> REPLIED:
> What LookSmart is talking about is the fact that MSN
> Search uses LookSmart's listings for their main
> results; AltaVista, Excite and iWon also use LookSmart
> data in some way. These are major search services, and
> because of them, there's absolutely every reason to get
> listed with LookSmart -- along with also getting listed
> with Yahoo and the OPD/Open Directory Project, which
> you mention.

Unfortunately, the data on Mr. Sullivan's Web site
(http://www.searchenginewatch.com/reports/statmarket.html)
don't support the contention that Looksmart is a
major player. Their most active partner (in terms of
searches performed and referrals that people seem to
receive from them) is MSN, and MSN gets its data from
a variety of sources, Looksmart being one of them.
Inktomi and DirectHit also supply data to MSN.

When Mr. Sullivan's most recent newsletter mentioned
that MSN had revisd its Web site I examined the
changes and found that their directory listings do not
match Looksmart's listings. It's not clear to me at
all where MSN is getting all of its directory data,
but Looksmart is only one of two or more sources.

So far, only MSN is offering any Looksmart data on the
first page of results, and if there's one thing people
have learned, it's that you want to be listed on the
first page of results in a search service. DirectHit
listings are therefore more important than Looksmart
listings because several major engines place their
DirectHit listings first IN THE RESULTS. Some search
services also provide separate links (usually in the
form of "See the top ten most popular sites....") and
that lessens the impact of the DirectHit listings on
THOSE SERVICES.

Looksmart IS used by a growing number of other
services. Being listed with Looksmart is one way of
getting into those services, but it's hardly proven
itself to be optimal (any more than an ODP listing is
optimal for getting into non-AOL services, and there
is evidence indicating that several non-AOL search
services actually crawl the ODP database). And many
people complain that Looksmart's editors mangle their
descriptions. "Mangle" is a subjective term, of
course. Your mileage may vary.

Looksmart is the last directory I would consider
getting listed in. Yahoo! is still free (if you don't
want or cannot afford to pay the $199 review fee)
though hard as nails to get listed with in popular
categories. ODP is still free, too. But both Yahoo!
and ODP (through AOL) get significant traffic, much
more than Looksmart. Any placement strategy should
concentrate on the free listing services first and then
go after the paid listing services based on how much
traffic those services can send (which in turn is
based on how much traffic they get) and how much money
one has to spend.

BTW -- I've been told, but cannot confirm, that people
can still get into Looksmart for free by submitting to
regional directories. Otherwise, you have to be a
registered non-profit organization or government
agency, or hope that the Looksmart editors find you on
their own. Looksmart also recently aquired Zeal.Com,
a free listing directory service edited by volunteers
(like ODP). It remains to be seen how the
Looksmart/Zeal relationship works out, but people can
hope (for now) that Zeal represents a possible path
into the Looksmart directory without the need to pay.

And lest anyone think I have some sort of vendetta
against Looksmart (I've been falsely accused of that
elsewhere), I have a couple of dozen listings with
them.

Science Fiction and Fantasy info_at_xenite.org
Vicky Shaffer: Monster or mother? Is Brianna in peril?
http://www.xenite.org/special_events/vicky_shaffer.html
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Received on Mon Nov 13 2000 - 15:51:35 CST