Re: AltaVista Testing Paid Search

From: David Yancey <dyancey_at_intergen.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 09:32:45 -0500 (CDT)

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Think of this post as a sort of burial detail for, so far,
the leading candidate for "longest web marketing thread of
1999":

First, while Rob Frankel doubtless is right that the
*currently prevalent* web culture of "free", that is,
entirely ad-supported, makes it difficult to even discuss
paid alternative models, it would be shortsighted to think
this will always be so. The growth of web usage for
work-related searching by time-pressed business and other
professional persons, and by parents and home makers too
busy to surf for acceptable stuff for their family or useful
sites for their home, will inevitably create demand for more
effective services. Since time is money to these busy
people, surely we can forecast the development of many new
kinds of search tools, of the type where the listing site
pays, and the type where the searcher pays, and mixtures of
the two.

The innovative and utterly refreshing proposal by Rob Arnold
for a "Notary Public paradigm applied to search engine
registration" is the best possible demonstration of how
creative minds will continue to come up with new answers to
the frustrating and time-costly process of searching for
useful stuff on the web.

And, just as Rob says, as this trend evolves, there will
always be new attempts to do the job for "free". And not
merely by two grad students in their library carrel, either:
for a stunning example of big-company interest in the search
tool trade, go check out

http://www.alltheweb.com

If Lycos and A-V et al are not looking over their shoulder
at this last one, they are running the risk of becoming
cyber roadkill on the good ol' "information superhighway"

So, after all the pros and cons, what can we say about Alta
Vista's gingerly test of its variant of the Goto.com idea? I
suggest three conclusions:

1 As the web includes more commercial and entertainment
offerings, it is only natural for businesses to seek
effective ways to make prospects aware of them, so paid
search results listings are here to stay, in several forms

2 "Bot-driven" listings are still with us, for the
foreseeable future, especially as clever companies like
Norway's FAST find new ways to make them more selective and
efficient - - but there is no hard and FAST "rule" that such
services *always* have to be exclusively ad-supported

3 The users fall into not one demand category dominated by
people on the web all the time like Rob and myself and many
of you readers, but all kinds of folks, with all kinds of
search needs, and with precious little discretionary time to
puzzle through the mysteries of the web. This means, for
example, that many "family" and business oriented tools and
directories will continue to emerge, services that basically
do an end run around the traditional surf/search process.
Similarly, as the mass of URLs and pages continues to
explode, more tools and services will be developed for
"professional" researchers. And, let us face it: as more and
more people come online, more and more tools will emerge to
try and attract them to sites based on "popularity" - - the
web may be a fabulous place for "real" surfers and
searchers, but the truth is that most users simply are
looking for entertainment, and are quite ready to follow a
crowd.

Adios, Alto-V, it was nice knowin' ya. Now, where the hell
can I fit this dandy new FAST thingie on my startup page...?

David Yancey - Managing Director, Intergen Associates
Internet Business Planning, Development & Management
"If you want an Internet presence, create a website;
if you want anInternet *business*, create an Internet
Business Plan."
mailto:dyancey_at_intergen.co.uk
or call our office in Japan at 81-42-943-2637


MODERATOR'S NOTE: I would love to think of your post as a
sort of
burial detail for "the thread that would not die"; but as
long as the
subscribers to this list feel strongly enough about the
subject to post,
the thread lives on.
-george

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Received on Tue May 11 1999 - 10:49:57 CDT