Re: Pay-per-click placings

From: Miki Dzugan <mdzugan_at_markneting.com>
Date: Tue 14 Aug 2001 16:27:51 -0500

STEVE HARRISON <merlin_at_paypermaster.com> WROTE:

>Another "problem" (cruel hoax?) with being #1 in GoTo
>is that phenomenon known as "partnering." When GoTo
>first announced that their top 3 listings would now be
>appearing at the top of AOL Search, Netscape Search
>(top 2), Alta Vista, Hot Bot, Lycos, and scads of meta
>search engines, we noticed two almost immediate effects
>on our top 3 listings.

>The first thing we noticed was a grand surge of
>click-thrus. GREAT! Now we're getting all sorts of
>traffic via GoTo... but wait... they aren't buying.

>In short, and especially regarding GoTo, those top 3
>listings were now getting extraordinarily compounded
>exposure in all these giant portal and search sites.
>And therein lies the rub. The relatively "targeted"
>traffic we had come to know and love from GoTo had
>suddenly been considerably diluted by a much more
>"general audience" traffic. The traffic count spiked
>upward -- the CR dropped like a streamlined safe.

What time frame is your experience covering? We have
had similar experience during July, but I wonder if it
is truly the wider exposure of the GoTo results or if
it is the down turn in online sales. July was dismal
by all accounts.

We had found GoTo to be much more productive on the
partnering sites than on the GoTo site itself, but this
summer CR has lagged, especially July.

I would be curious as to why someone clicking on the
link in AltaVista after having searched on the related
keyword would be any less qualified of a lead than
someone who clicked on the link in GoTo.

--
Miki Dzugan
MARKnETING
Weaving the Web into marketing results.
http://www.markneting.com
651-454-5323



Received on Tue Aug 14 2001 - 16:27:51 CDT