Submit Express Newsletter #52
March 4, 2002
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1- Intro
2- Google Launches Cost-Per-Click Program
3- Lycos Institutes New Paid Inclusion Program
4- Teoma / Ask Jeeves Offer Paid Inclusion
5- Writing a Website That Sings!
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1- Intro
February ... In like a lion and out like a lamb. As a search engine placement firm, we have seen a lot of very interesting changes taking place industry wide.
Some of the more pronounced changes are occurring in the realm of Overture and
the implementation of their new editorial listing guidelines. It appears that
that Overture editors are slowly but surely combing lists and forcing companies
to create a more "direct path" with bidded keywords and links.
The nature of this extensive changeover is upsetting many new and old clients.
Many new overture bidders are finding that they are being turned down for
listings due to new editorial regulations, while older clients continue to hold
onto listings that, under new guidelines, they should not be eligible for. We
intend on following the progress of Overture editors in hopes that their
consistency allows us to give you good information about listing your sites more
efficiently.
However, as Overture's tough editorial policies surfaced, a new serious
competitor to Overture was born. Google has launched its own version of Pay-
per-click model and threatens to take away market share from Overture, like the
last month's Earthlink deal where Earthlink dropped Overture in favor of Google.
You will find more about this below.
In addition, Lycos and Teoma have both launched a new Paid inclusion programs.
We are also including a great article by Meredith Pond about the importance of
great web site content. Submit Express is a huge proponent of marketing content
rich web sites and Pond's insights will be beneficial to any company desiring to
do better online.
We have recently added search capabilities to our site. You can now search the
back issues of this newsletter at:
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Feel free to forward this email to all your friends that have websites who may
benefit from this information.
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Thanks,
Submit Express
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2- Google Launches Cost-Per-Click Program
In an effort to jump into the profitable cost-per-click (CPC) search engine
market, Google has introduced a unique advertising program called Adwords
Select. Unlike the traditional Adwords program whereby the advertising fee is
calculated based on impressions (the number of times an ad is shown), Adwords
Select fees are calculated based on actual click-through rates for relevant
keywords. Users can bid as low as 5 cents per click for certain keywords.
The most interesting feature of this program is that click-through rates
combined with the CPC determine where ads are shown. This combination is
designed to ensure that no one will be locked out of the top position. The more
often an ad is clicked, the higher it will be positioned in the rankings.
Better ads should get better click-through rates and ultimately rank higher.
Another unique feature of this program is that Google will automatically disable
keywords with less than 0.5% click-through rates. This should motivate
advertisers to write more relevant descriptions, and allow searchers to more
easily find relevant products and services.
Finally, one of the most compelling reasons to experiment with this new CPC
program is instant ad placement. Unlike other CPC search engines (Overture),
there is no 3-day posting delay with Google. Advertisers can create an account,
and their ads can be visible within minutes.
Industry insiders are also forecasting an eventual phase-out of the traditional
Adwords program in favor of the pure CPC program. We expect this new program to
be a success for Google, and we will continue to monitor our clients' results
with this service very closely.
Related Articles:
Google adds ads to Earthlink link
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/020206/n06325165_4.html
New Google search product hits Overture shares
http://reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=search&StoryID=614121
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3- Lycos Institutes New Paid Inclusion Program
On February 25, Lycos officially launched its paid inclusion program. This
program combines guaranteed inclusion with a new feature called hosted site
search. Hosted site search allows website owners to provide visitors with a
powerful site search solution. Websites that use Lycos InSite Professional will
enable visitors to search the entire website to find relevant information using
the Lycos search engine as the backend.
Lycos is rolling out their paid inclusion program in two formats; Lycos InSite
Select & Professional. The InSite Select program offers guaranteed inclusion
within 48 hours of submission, plus full refreshes every 48 hours. Annual
membership to this program for one URL is $18 per year. Additional URLs may be
added for only $12 each. This pricing model is an introductory offer, and we do
not expect it to last very long. We estimate permanent pricing will be
comparable to the AltaVista & Inktomi paid inclusion programs.
The InSite Professional program includes all of the features of InSite Select,
plus access to the remotely hosted site search index. In this program a Lycos
search box can be added to a website with a custom logo and background. A user
can then search for information within the entire website. We have not
experimented with this service yet, but we expect it to produce relevant results
at an affordable cost. Introductory pricing for this program is $189 per month
for websites with 1-250 pages, and $279 per month for websites with 251-500
pages.
Lycos has not officially pulled the plug on its free submission program, but
expect to see longer delays as Lycos attempts to boost revenues by charging
websites for inclusion.
Lycos said its search algorithms are not affected by paid-for inclusion. Tom
Wilde, general manager of search services for Terra Lycos stated: "The search
engine doesn't know (the difference) between paid and unpaid."
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4- Teoma / Ask Jeeves Offer Paid Inclusion
In a daring attempt to make money, Ask Jeeves, owner of the Teoma.com search
engine has launched a paid inclusion program. The formal name of the program is
called "Site Submit." The fees associated with the inclusion are $30 for the
first URL and $18.00 for each additional URL or sub page. The primary difference
with this particular paid listing service is that the subscription is for 15
months, not the traditional 12.
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5- Writing a Website That Sings!
If your online sales have taken a dip lately, your product or service isn't
necessarily to blame. Even the best products and services can be hidden in
obscurity when covered by a blanket of bad website copy. So what can you do to
make sure your copy sings the praises of not only your product, but your
business smarts and credibility as well?
First of all, you need to start with the basics. Begin by printing out all
pages of your web copy. Then, grab a red pen and go to work. Read carefully
through each sentence of your copy, correcting any mistakes in spelling,
grammar, or punctuation. If you don't feel you have the expertise to find all
those common little mistakes, have someone else do it for you. Unless you have
a degree in English, you're likely to miss something.
Now, some of you might be taking this advice with a grain of salt, thinking that
most people don't notice or concern themselves with grammatical errors in your
web copy. It's true that some people won't notice or won't care, but savvy,
intelligent people (which your customers likely are) will notice, and those
little mistakes can quickly add up to a gaping hole in your credibility. Don't
insult your customers' intelligence by assuming they won't notice these
mistakes.
After you've made it all the way through your copy, and are satisfied that your
grammar is absolute perfection, read it again. Better yet, have someone else
read it. The value in this is simple. If there's a sentence or paragraph that
doesn't make perfect sense or fully explain what you're trying to say, you're
less likely to notice it than someone who really NEEDS the information. You
already know everything you're trying to explain to others, so clarity is not as
big an issue for you as for someone who knows nothing about your business. So, ask a friend, relative, or neighbor to read your copy carefully and point out anything that isn't perfectly clear. If you're going to be successful, your potential customers need to have a clear picture of what you're offering.
Next, consider the length of your copy and how it's distributed.
Do you have ALL your information on one l-o-n-g page? Does your main "overview"
page include minute details that people don't really need, at least at first?
Copy that is too long, boring, or hard to navigate is perhaps the worst enemy of
online success.
Sure, you might have a lot of information to give potential customers, but do
you have to do it all at once? Of course not. Your main introductory page, for
instance, should give a BASIC overview of your product and its major benefits.
On this page, include links to pages where more detail can be found, such as
testimonials, ordering info, and features you want to mention but aren't
important enough to list on the main page.
If your pages must be long, be sure to use lots of headlines and bold text to
highlight your main points. When faced with a long page to read, many people
will skip down to those parts, which look more important, so make sure they
stand out. Also, include a link to your order page near the top, middle, and
bottom of each page. A customer who decides to buy after your first paragraph
doesn't want to scroll all the way to the bottom to find out how to order.
Placing order links throughout your copy will help you capitalize on buyer
impulses, which is just as important on the Web as it is in the supermarket.
Overall, be sure your copy is professional, credible, easy to read, and simple
to navigate. I can't tell you how frustrated customers become when they have to
search your site for 5 to 10 minutes to find what they're looking for. With this
in mind, keep your copy straightforward, and separate pages into logical
categories. When doing so, be sure to provide links to those pages to help
people find their way around.
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Meredith Pond is a professional and freelance writer with years of experience on
the Internet. Let Meredith make YOUR web copy sing with her impeccable writing
skills and LOW prices. Email Meredith at wordsmith25@hotmail.com
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