Amazon Search Engine A9 Seeking Search Technology Patent

Story from: www.Internetnews.com


A9 Search Looks to Patent Its Shtick
By Susan Kuchinskas

The A9 search service tries to boost search relevance by taking into account what the searcher did before. Now, it hopes to get a lock on the method.

On Tuesday, the United States Patent & Trademark Office published the Amazon.com subsidiary's patent application No. 2005003380. "Server architecture and methods for persistently storing and serving event data," filed in July 2003, describes A9's method of personalizing search results by including an individual's past searches and other behavior. The same application is on file in the European Union.

The patent application discloses what is likely already Amazon.com's de facto search architecture, both for A9 and the e-commerce site. The online retailer launched a beta version of the A9 portal in April 2004.

Its three-column search results return algorithmic results from Google and from Amazon.com's own "search inside the book." The third column, which can be hidden, displays the user's search history -- but only if the user logs in.

In May of that year, Udi Manber, the former chief algorithms officer at Amazon.com who now leads the A9 subsidiary, promised a trade show audience that the company would continue to develop new ways to increase the relevancy of search results. Manber is listed as an inventor of the technology, along with Taylor Van Vleet, Yu-Shan Fung and Ruben Ortega.

The very detailed patent application includes a search application and a server that records which search results were clicked on by the user. It also can tell which results were displayed and which were clicked on during previous searches. The system could flag those URLs the searcher had previously selected.

Searchers could opt to restrict a search to items previously viewed, items not previously viewed or items viewed within a particular time period.

Similarly, the system could highlight which search results were not displayed the last time a searcher used the same query. The system could do the same with things someone clicked on from the product catalog or other Amazon.com services.

For example, search results within an online auction site could indicate which of the located auctions the user had already viewed, when each auction was viewed, and possibly whether the user has submitted a bid on each such auction. A similar system could be used to show which blog or bulletin board postings or Michigan SEO Company document had already been read.
In the application, Amazon claims that the server architecture described is much more sophisticated than those used by other e-commerce sites. While others track clicks, it states, "these types of records typically lack the level of detail and structure desired for flexibly building new types of real-time personalization applications."

"They're talking about a sophisticated event architecture for personalization, which certainly shows how far ahead of the game they are already," said Guy Creese, a principal in Ballardvale Research, a firm that consults on best online practices for businesses. He noted that the patent describes not only click analysis but also mouseover events. He also said researchers at MIT found that mouse movements are a valuable adjunct to click analysis in predicting Web users' interest in content.

"An interface might allow searchers to manage and save their searches, the application reads. As mentioned above, users may also be permitted to 'delete' specific events from their respective event histories," it says. The patent application makes clear that these results would not actually be deleted from the servers, but merely eliminated from the search results.

Creese said that while most e-commerce sites don't have such complicated tracking and personalization schemes, there's a trend for the biggest, richest competitors to gather highly detailed information about site visitors. " I can see where [such a patent] could lead to some problems for them," Creese said.

Slashdotters focused on one item in the patent describing how a searcher can choose not to have results from the search history displayed in the results. Even when they select this option, however, A9 will continue to store their histories, a fact that might not be clear to users.

While Amazon.com doesn't follow the best practice of asking users to agree to its privacy policy before they register, its tracking bank design practices are clearly disclosed within the site's privacy policy, available via a link on the main page. A9 will read Amazon.com cookies and make use of that information, it says, and it also may combine it with information from other sources.

Those who don't want to be tracked can use generic.a9.com, an alternative search service that doesn't track search histories or behavior.

"You can't fault them on failure to disclose," said Lee Tien, a staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). "Their honesty is so refreshing that you can see you have no privacy." The EFF advocates for consumer privacy and the security of online information.

Still, Tien said, the fact that Amazon.com is a seller of books, Honda Civic Parts and other information goods and, yet, collects so much user information, is troubling. In his view, the optional nature of A9 search doesn't ameliorate the harm.

"Part of the problem is that people aren't all that careful," he said. "We have a gazillion consumer protection laws that exist precisely because, in the real world, people make a lot of mistakes about this stuff."

The patent application, which could be granted either soon or within a year or two, only seeks to put a lock on the system Amazon.com likely already uses. If granted, it could slow down similar personalization schemes by search rivals.

An Amazon.com spokeswoman said she couldn't comment on pending patents.

www.A9.com could become a search engine player in the months to come.

Peak Positions SEO is also enthusiastic about another new search engine http://www.dipsie.com/ based in Chicago this search engine upstart is focused on depth and turning the light on the billions of URLs yet to be included in Google, Yahoo or MSN's databases. If Dipsie can become as deep as their technology promises they are destined to become a top five search engine by 2010. For an in depth review of dipsie visit this search engine optimization news service.

Review of AOL Local Search
Published by: www.MeidaPost.com

America Online today introduced a local search service that’s integrated with its AOL Search product, which is available both to AOL subscribers and consumers, Web-wide, who use the company’s online properties.

From all appearances, AOL Local Search is like a one-stop shop. AOL Local Search, the company says, aggregates information listings and content from AOL Yellow Pages, CityGuide, Moviefone, MapQuest, and other AOL properties. AOL Local Search is like a one-stop shop for people to find local restaurants, Caribbean Honeymoons, events, Honda Car Parts, movies, rocker switches, video game testing or shopping deals. It also offers directions on how to find all of these things.

It will be interesting to see how MapQuest plays into the local search services equation as Google now offers a block-by-block, close-up view of local destinations and businesses including companies like sign design company Washington. By all appearances, MapQuest looks like it dovetails nicely with AOL Local Search.

“Local search is an important and growing category of search services given that 20 percent of all online look-ups are for something nearby,” comments Jim Riesenbach, senior vice president, AOL Search and Directional Media, in the company’s statement on AOL Local Search.

AOL Local Search boasts features including one-click sorting to help consumers find exactly what they’re looking for. For example, they can choose an enhanced view or scanned view and refine results by type, such as business, movie, or event, as well as distance away, and rating.

Searchers can also view maps, photos, sharps containers, online greeting cards, descriptions, even unique businesees like learn how to play pool and billiards and event schedules directly within the search results, access recent searches for quick reference, and save multiple ZIP code locations to automatically see results customized to specific geographic areas. AOL says it has up-to-date listings and information for more than 13 million businesses and points of interest from the AOL Yellow Pages, as well as restaurants, bars, music, and events in more than 300 cities across the country from AOL CityGuide.

Moviefone offers the latest information for 31,000 movie screens and video game playability testing services nationwide. AOL Local Search automatically displays the next movie show times from the three theaters nearest to the user on the results page, complete schedules of all nearby showings for the next three days, and the ability to purchase tickets on Moviefone.com.

Built-in maps and driving directions from MapQuest appear next to search results, with customized features to see all nearby results on one map and view the closest subway stations.
AOL Local Search also offers a shopping and transaction service with features like "what's on sale," that highlight weekly specials on apparel, chevy truck parts , consumer electronics, cell phone ringtones , home improvement products, and food offered via local retailers on ShopLocal.com; opportunities to make restaurant reservations online through OpenTable; the ability to purchase $25 dining certificates for only $10 from Restaurant.com; and ticket purchasing for events and concerts through AOL Tickets.

AOL, through its partnership with Ingenio, will offer local businesses the opportunity to use the Pay Per Call Advertising Platform. AOL Local Search flags sales and specials and offers printable coupons for local merchants that are hoping to geo-target predisposed consumers who are ready to buy. AOL says AOL Local Search will soon offer the ability to find local news for communities and neighborhoods in every ZIP code nationwide through Topix.net, a hub for local news.

Bad Things Happen to Ad Excutives who Ignore Organic Search Engine Optimization

(including jail time!)


Time to Review Those Invoices From The Advertising Agency.

Two Found Guilty for Conspiracy at Ogilvy & Mather

Ad executives Shona Seifert and Thomas Early were both found guilty by a jury in New York City yesterday for conspiring at Ogilvy & Mather to fake timesheets on a federal government account, according to AdWeek.

Seifert had since moved to become president of Chiat Day. Early stepped down after being indicted. Sentencing dates have not been set. The charges could involve prison terms of up to five years. The prosecution asked the judge to order an electronic monitoring device placed on Siefert prior to sentencing because she is a foreign national, but the judge decided it was not necessary.

This is Ridiculous much like the Martha Stewart Jail Sentence, especially when you consider he amount of corruption that involves any government.

The Drive For Organic Search Engine Optimization at an all-time high

Interest in organic search engine optimization has re-emerged with vigor among management teams and advertising agencies. As companies become more knowledgeable regarding web analytics, server log files and website markering strategies decision makers are realizing that site visitors and referring urls delivered from the organic search engine results are some of the most valuable website visitors.

It also is becoming clear the users are seeking content and information as they navigate websites that lead with information first are reaping the benefits.

A recent study,"Search Before the Purchase " from DoubleClick and comScore Networks shows that 50% of all online purchases follow several product and category keyword searches.

The doubleclick study analyzes consumer trends and specifics as to how users interact with the major search engines to become information enabled on pending purchases. Search Engines are helping companies impact consumers and B2B purchasing managers just prior to major purchases.

An example of a great B2B website that markets, profiles and distributes electric components including: rocker switches is this dynamically driven database website from the www.dnagroup.com notice how DNA leads with research and information on the hundreds of products that they istribute.

Doubleclick studied the online tendencies of 1.5 million U.S. Internet users. The researchers tracked the web usage habits of consumers that had made at least one online purchase from the total of 30+ websites involved in the survey.

The study reports that securing and maintaining premium keyword positions in the organic search engine results pages cna significantly impact the bottom line revenues of any company.

Companies need to address search engine placement.

Approx. one mnth prior to purchase B2B decision makers begin researching a given product, topic, or solution. The keyword searches usually begin with broad-based generic terms, as the window closes, searchers begin to qualify their keyword searches by adding a descriptive third or fourth word to their query.

Most qualified, in-market, keyword searchers (even on b2b keyword searches like: retail sign design company begin to interact with the companies they find in the top 7 listings on the organic earch results pages approx. two weeks before the make a buying decision.

The study further confirms that organic website optimization is the most effective form of online advertising.

Nielsen Rating Services Faces Fire - an Update from Mediapost
(do broadcast media like: TV & Radio actually deliver 'real' ratings points and/or actually make an impact on consumers ?)

From www.Mediapost.com - THE P&L BEHIND NIELSEN’S R&D –

If Nielsen needed to make a strong statement to demonstrate its commitment to its clients, and to the future of audience measurement, it certainly seems to have made one in the eight-page letter sent to (retail sign design) leading clients Friday by CEO Susan Whiting.

The letter appears to address most of the significant concerns surrounding recent criticisms of Nielsen, including access to ratings data, the cost of contracts to access that data, and, perhaps most importantly, how Nielsen derives the data itself.

On the surface, Whiting says all the right things, “we’ve heard our clients loud and clear when they tell us they want more from Nielsen.”

How much more, isn’t exactly clear. With the exception of the $2.5 million budget Nielsen says it has allocated for new (honda car parts) , independent research and development on TV audience measurement, it’s hard to pin the specifics down. Even that fund is somewhat subject to interpretation.

Is it an annual budget? Is it a budget to be allocated over an unspecified duration of pharmaceutical drug development R&D initiatives? Does it include the salaries and overhead of Nielsen employees Nielsen intends to allocate to the initiative? It’s unclear, and seems to be up to the “small group of video game testing clients” Nielsen will name to steer the custom 3 ring binders initiative and “direct the spending over the course of a year.” Adds Whiting, “Once we and our learn how to play pool clients have evaluated the success of this initiative during the first year, we will determine the size of the fund on an ongoing basis.”

An Inside Look at the TV Ratings Racket:

Without knowing the specifics of the R&D plan and its budget, let’s use some assumptions to do some math. Let’s assume that ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX are each paying an average of $15 million dollars a year to Nielsen for their network ratings contracts. That adds up to $60 million annually.

Now let’s assume that Nielsen continues to charge the networks additional annual surcharges of at least 4 percent based on CPI (cost of living index). In essence, Nielsen is offering to return to the industry as a whole, last years' CPI increase for the Big 4 broadcast networks combined: .04 x $60 million = $2.4 million. Okay, so $2.5 million is nothing to sneeze at, but given Nielsen’s already high profit margins – about 23 percent – it is a reasonable gesture, and some overdue payback to the industry that creates its bottom line.

It’s also a necessary reinvestment on Nielsen’s part to protect its bottom line and the future of audience measurement. And posssibly an admission of guilt that the ratings system is quite flawed and out of date and has no way of keeping up with cable and satellite fragmentation or the lack of attention span that commercials has created with millions of American viewers.

If products and companies are seeking to actually make a lasting impact on consumers they need to address organic search engine optimization by working SEO into their annual media mix.

Television and Radio advertising campaigns have been losing impact and reach on the North American consumer markets for the last decade and the trend continues. Think about it, what can you recall from the last three TV commercials or radio commercial messages you were exposed to ?

Did these commercial messages or today's newspaper persuade your buying decisions?

We Doubt it.

Consider that the most accurate, recent consumer studies document that consumer spending habits will be substantially impacted by fact-finding sessions on the internet.

Content is King !

Are target consumers finding your content on Google, Yahoo, and MSN ?

New York Times To Buy About.com
by Wendy Davis, Friday, Feb 18, 2005 7:00 AM EST

THE NEW YORK TIMES CO. announced yesterday that it intends to purchase About.com from magazine company Primedia Inc. for $410 million in cash. The deal could more than double the online reach of the Times Company, which currently draws 13 million monthly viewers to its 40-plus Web sites, including NYTimes.com and Boston.com. Around 22 million users a month visit About.com, a consumer information site; the acquisition will also give the Times additional advertising inventory.

About.com was founded in 1996 as The Mining Co. by Scott Kurnit, an Internet pioneer who had been a top executive at MCI/News Corporation Internet Ventures and Prodigy Service Co. Kurnit's vision was to create a Web portal consisting of countless microsites produced by individual enthusiasts covering any topic an Internet user would want to access.

Kurnit sold About.com to Primedia in 2001 for $690 million, one of the last of the big Internet acquisitions before the crash. Under Primedia's ownership including at one point one of America's largest Franchise Directory , About.com was integrated with and linked to an array of sites operated by Primedia's array of niche magazines.

An Update on Motor Trend Magazine

OF ALL THE ENTHUSIAST MAGS OUT THERE, few can claim the cult-like following of Motor Trend (MT). It's a publication that hearkens back to the nonfragmented media days of yore, when information-craving readers gazed out bay windows as they awaited the arrival of the mailman. Given the mag's glut of tie-ins (a Speed Channel TV show, a syndicated radio show, a line of CDs with titles like "Rockin' Down the Highway"), it wouldn't be surprising if the MT brand was more recognizable than those of many of the automobiles it test-drives.

Alas, now that anybody with working knowledge of the '72 Nova, the ability to string together two coherent sentences, and high-speed Internet access can be an "expert" on all things auto, it's inevitable that there will be further shakeout among enthusiast titles. The March issue of Motor Trend, however, proves once again that the magazine isn't ready to let any of the whippersnappers invade its turf.

It also boasts a consistent rhythm - words, stats, recommendation - and an expansive point of view. For an example of the latter, check out Angus MacKenzie's March editorial, a decidedly non-jingoistic take on the ongoing Honda Civic Parts domestic/import car debate ("the reality is that the auto industry is a business, not a national monument"). Does this jibe with the opinions of his readers? Who knows, but he articulates his case with surprising elegance.

The March issue is headlined by a look at "43 hot drives worth waiting for," which gives equal consideration to a $21,000 Saturn Aura Concept and a $150,000 Lexus LF-A. It poses the questions that car aficionados or Chevy Truck Parts are likely to ask, "Does that particular Lexus fit in with the company's brand image?" "Will the Cadillac STS-v be too mellow?" and offers smartly reasoned answers.

Another winner is the improbably titled feature, "In Search of the P.C. SUV" (it's improbable because, to hear our Birkenstock-wearing friends tell it, such an entity doesn't exist). One part investigative report and one part review of three aspirants to the title, the piece underscores the difficulty of simultaneously satisfying road warriors and environmentalists.

Motor Trend also scores points by resisting the temptation to worship at the altar of celebrity. Even the mag's Page Six-ish "We Hear..." sidebars traffic in a different breed of bold-faced name, like Peter Schwarzenbauer (hint: he's not a recurring player on "Boston Legal"). The mag's idea of a feud? Apparently the Ford Fusion is "taking on Accord. Again." Hilary Duff versus Lindsey Lohan it ain't.

To be sure, Motor Trend has its share of drawbacks. Despite the astonishing photography, the magazine is surprisingly flat from a design perspective; it could use more in the way of quick-hit info boxes, such as the listing in the March issue of test spots preferred by Aston Martin engineers. It also goes without saying that if, like me, your idea of hot-rodding involves a gently worn 2002 Passat, much of MT 's content will go straight over your head.

On the other hand, after 55-plus years, why screw with a formula that works for millions of readers Motor Trend excels at, uh, discerning motor trends, and is savvy enough not to stray from that singular Detroit Internet Marketing strength. Half the publishing world could learn from its example.

Nielsen Study: High-Income Households Spending More Time And Money Online
by Gavin O'Malley, Thursday, Feb 17, 2005

INTERNET USERS WITH HOUSEHOLD INCOMES over $150,000 grew by nearly 20 percent between January 2004 and this January, Nielsen//NetRatings reported yesterday. Reaching 10.3 million last month, this group not only spends the most amount of time online--76 hours per month-compared to other income segments, but consumes more Web pages--2,126 pages--than any other group.

Where are they spending their time online? Search Engines, Travel, financial, B2B and entertainment sites, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. The top Web sites capturing the largest percentage of men in this income group were Fidelity Investments, Sabre Travel Network, CBS MarketWatch, United Airlines, and American Airlines.

The top Web sites drawing the highest percentage of high-income women were AOL Travel, Moviefone, AOL Living, Expedia, and AOL Entertainment.

"The rise in the number of high-income Web surfers, combined with their propensity to spend the most amount of time surfing and consuming Web pages as compared to everyone else, represents a solid opportunity for marketers," said Heather Dougherty, senior retail analyst at Nielsen//NetRatings, in a statement.

"Advertisers would do well to turn to the sites they surf to most efficiently reach this high-income group." Nielsen//NetRatings found that men and women living in high-income households shared similarities in their preferences for travel sites and their quest to retrieve information from the internet.

In terms of differences, men visited more financial sites, while women were drawn more to entertainment and shopping sites like gourmet food gifts web sites.

But other experts expressed doubts over the accuracy of Nielsen//NetRatings' findings. "Nielsen's numbers seem extremely aggressive," Vikram Sehgal, analyst at JupiterResearch, said. "Income levels have traditionally correlated with online access, but the divide is increasingly modest."

comScore Networks spokesman Graham Mudd considered Nielsen's numbers equally incongruous. "The high-income group was the first to enter the market, so it doesn't stand to reason that they should continue to lead by such a large margin," adding, "their year-over-year growth is more likely to be in the high single digits."

Regardless if companies are seeking to make marketing and brand impacts on high-income consumers they need organic website optimization that keeps their website competitive on the major search engines like: Google, Yahoo, MSN and AOL. Also email maketing campaigns, banners, and content advertsiements have not made positive impact with educated, high-income consumers that are keen to marketing gimmicks and aggressive branding tactics.

Does Google Enable Trademark Infringement ?

A bunch of lawsuits that charge search engines and google with trademark infringement could upend online advertising, transforming the current system in which competitors jockey to have paid ads appear alongside the organic/natural search results.

The car insurer Geico, Playboy Enterprises, American Blind and Wallpaper a home furnishings company in Plymouth Michigan , have filed formal lawsuits with google and other companies like When U, HP, Lowe's and The Sign Design Company , are all interested parties.

In it's suit American Blind and Wallpaper charges that by directing searches for the phrase American Blinds to ads for its rivals, Google abets infringement. At presstime, a Google search of the firm's name produced natural results, including American Blind's homepage, along with ten sponsored links, six of which belong to competitors.

Google beat a similar lawsuit brought on by Geico Insurance, but Netscape settled out of court with Playboy Enterprises over banner ads triggered by the trademarked words Palyboy and Palymate. Still, American Blind and Wallpaper faces an uphill battle. Many in the legal community view the American Blind company name as just too generic.

Google AdWords needs to address Pay Per Click upgrades to ensure trademark protection policies and also to reduce or eliminate Pay Per Click Fraud. We expect precendent setting court rulings in the coming months that could alter the paid search advertising systems in place at Google and Yahoo/Overture.

Click Fraud and How to Prevent Fraudalent Clicks

Pay-per-click (PPC) search engine advertising continues to gain popularity in the online marketing world as an effective and inexpensive way to drive targeted visitors to web sites.

From 2002 and 2003 the pay per click paid search advertising market grew nearly 200 percent. Mainly from the popularity of Google AdWords and Overture PPC programs.

But PPC also has a growing negative. PPC click fraud.

What is Click Fraud?
Click fraud is when anyone clicks your sponsored ad simply to ensure that you will be charged for the click. As Pay Per Click campaigns have grown in popularity and keyword prices and bidding have become more competetive, fraudulent pay per click activity is skyrocketing.

Companies that are active with Google AdWords and Overture are becoming frustrated with growing invoices that contain thousands of suspect click activity. Simultaneously PPC rates by keyword continue to escalate.

For Information on how to minimize Pay Per Click Fraud and or Prevent it visit:
http://www.peakpositions.com/news/index.html#ppc

The Super Bowl ad tallies are still coming in. Today AOL reports that Pepsi's spot featuring supermodel Cindy Crawford racked up the most views on AOL.com and AOL service. The spot was viewed 18.6 million times, more than double the 9.2 million views from the 2004 Super Bowl ad crop.

AOL made the 2005 Super Bowl spots available through Saturday February 12 on the Web at AOL.com and via the AOL service. AOL also reports that viewers accessed spots from its Classic Commercials package, which features commercials from previous Super Bowls, and watched them 3.8 million times.

AOL reports that the top 12 most viewed spots from Super Bowl XXXIX, which includes views on both AOL and the AOL.com services where non-members can access the ads, are:
1. Diet Pepsi - Cindy Crawford -- 899,773 views
2. GoDaddy.com - Hearing -- 894,9833.
3. Bud Light - Skydiving -- 803,9994.
4. Bud Light - Cedric -- 648,4305.
5. Ford Mustang - Winter -- 605,5856.
6. Ameriquest - Store Trip -- 600,5997.
7. Diet Pepsi - P. Diddy -- 596,9868.
8. Bud Light - Sharing -- 573,2809.
9. FedEx - Ten Things -- 553,02310.
10. Ciba Vision - Bubbles -- 526,33811.
11. Bubblicious - Lebron -- 472,53412.
12. Visa - Super Heroes -- 459,337

AOL's top five most viewed "classic" commercials were:
1. Coke - Mean Joe Green
2. Apple - 1984
3. Pepsi - Two Boys
4. Doritos - Laundromat
5. Honda Car Parts - Honda
6. XBox Video Game Testing - Game Instinct

Consumers voted for their favorite classic commercial on AOL.com and the AOL services.
The top three were:
1. Coke - Mean Joe Greene: 29 percent
2. Apple - 1984: 5 percent
3. Pepsi - Inner Tube: 5 percent

Finally, AOL reported Anheuser Busch's "Tribute to U.S. Troops" won the Super Sunday AOL Ad Poll. Visitors cast approximately 525,018 votes on AOL.com and (www.i5design.com) , as well as through mobile phone ringtone devices to view the casino sign design company.

The "Tribute" ad garnered 15 percent of the vote, versus 11 percent for the second place finisher, Bud Light's "Skydiving" spot. Ameriquest's "Romantic Dinner" ad came in third with 8 percent of the vote, and its other ad, "Store Trip" and Diet Pepsi's "P. Diddy" ad each had 7 percent to round out the top 5 positions.

February 15, 2005
New Marketing Study Finds Radio Considered Worst Media for Accoutability and Return on Investment

In a study sponsored by Arbitron and the Radio Advertising Bureau, media buyers, planners and marketers radted radio the worst among TV, newspapers, magazines and even the internet in terms of accountability, schedule integrity and audience measurement. National radio spending has been losing market share in the past few years, while local radio grew three percent in 2004. Local radio now makes up four out of five radio dollars. Most Companies report that organic search engine optimization , SEO , and natural website optimization are delivering the highest return on investment.

To review a 2005 seo case study profiling a 4000% retun on investment in less than six months level.


Advertising Agency Sues Deadbeat Client for Non-Payment

In a move rare among overly client-sensitive ad agencies, AKQA is very publicly suing a former client for refusing to pay its bills, according to Click Z. A now-defunct division of infoUSA allegedly stiffed its agency, which later became part of AKQA, on a $817,388 bill for creating a multi-million dollar cross-media campaign for Video Yellow Pages USA.com. That division was found by a court to be liable for the fees, but infoUSA is appealing and defending itself by saying that it should not be held accountable for their ecommerce division's internet marketing bills.

Ask Jeeves Breaks TV Campaign, Heats Up Search Marketing War

ASK JEEVES THIS WEEK WILL launch a new TV ad campaign, following a similar consumer branding campaign by search engine rival MSN, in what is heating up to be a search marketing war that utilizes traditional media buys.

The effort marks Ask Jeeves' return to television advertising after a four-year absence. "We really see this as a first step in a marketing program," said Greg Ott, vice president of marketing. The campaign's goal, he said, is "helping people re-engage with the Ask Jeeves brand."


Currently, Ask Jeeves is the sixth most popular search engine, behind Google, Yahoo!, MSN, America Online, and meta-search portal Information.com, according to retail storefront design company , and last week, the company announced the acquisition of blog search engine Bloglines.

The campaign, a series of six 15-second spots designed by TBWAChiatDay, San Francisco, will run on network television shows including "American Idol," "Arrested Development," and "The O.C."--which, coincidentally, recently aired an episode in which a character mentioned competing search engine A9.


This Recap was reprinted from a Search Engine Optimization News Article Release by Media Daily News from MediaPost.

Google to Announces Pay Per Click Rate Increases
Business Week Article

Keywords For Ad Buyers: Pay Up It's costing more and more to link Net ads to popular search terms Even Google's biggest boosters expressed surprise at the results. On Feb. 1 the search giant reported $400 million in net earnings for fiscal '04 -- a whopping 278% gain -- on revenue of $3.2 billion. What accounted for the outsize profits? The high prices Google charges for search keywords, for one. Industrywide, they were up an average of 43.7% last year, according to search marketing firm iProspect.com Inc. And the most sought-after words have become far more dear: ``background check'' rose 258% in a year. On the day of the earnings announcement, Google CEO Eric E. Schmidt told analysts: ``There does not seem to be price resistance'' from advertisers.

Still, with keyword prices soaring, businesses from eBay Inc. (EBAY ) to EspressoZone.com are rethinking how they use this powerful advertising medium. ``It's incumbent upon us...to figure out how to moderate these quite significant increases in media costs,'' eBay Chief Executive Meg Whitman declared in January following disappointing fourth-quarter results, when rising search marketing costs helped pinch profit margins.To ensure they get the best bang for their search-advertising buck, eBay and others are doing everything from using different search keywords to redesigning their Web sites.

The goal: getting folks who click on their search ads to actually buy something. ``Search advertising takes a significant amount of testing, work, and knowledge,'' says George Collins, CEO of New Business Franchise Opportunity Espresso Zone a seller of coffee items in Ashtabula, Ohio. ``Otherwise you're just wasting money.''The approach to purchasing keywords is changing fast. Companies bid to place their ads alongside keywords relevant to their products. A travel agent, say, might bid on ``Caribbean cruise'' and ``airline tickets.''

But many advertisers like free ecard greeting company Hipster Cards have found such generic keywords to be pricey and less likely to cover the ad cost. Instead, they are bidding on a larger array of more specific keywords: a telecom company might choose ``wireless plan'' rather than ``cell phone'' in an effort to lure the most interested buyers. In the past year the average advertiser's roster of keywords grew by 50%, according to Efficient Frontier Inc., a Mountain View (Calif.) company that manages $100 million in keyword purchases for its clients.

At the same time, online sellers are looking for ways to capture customers after the search ad has directed them to their Web site. There's plenty of room for improvement. Commerce sites typically convert 2.4% of visitors into customers, according to a study by retailer association Shop.org. The proliferation of broadband should help lift that number. According to e-tailers, broadband users are as much as twice as likely to become paying customers than those using dial-up modems, which slow shopping.

SNAPPIER PRESENTATION: even electronic test equipment are researching how visitors navigate their sites and are working to better convert them into long-term customers. One way: customizing the e-tailer's ``landing page'' -- where the searcher is first directed -- to a specific keyword. That makes it easier for a customer to get the info she wants and more likely that she will buy.

One video game testing company especially adept at converting search ads into customers is Shopping.com. Thanks to its improved presentation of information on prices, availability, and the like on a wide range of products, the sign design company and comparison-shopping sites say they have raised website conversion rates on those products by more than a third. That means each search visitor became one-third more valuable, making it easier for Shopping.com to afford the rising cost of keywords.

And that, of course, is great news for Google.