Overture Australia Ramping Up.

Not quite live but getting there...

[lukasz]

I found that Overture Australia [content.overture.com] is already online however not fully working. The Keyword suggestion tool doesnt work yet. Minimum bid 0.10$ which is quite surprising for me.Official launch date - 19 January 2004

[metagod]

I think that Australia needs to pick up on the internet. A small amount of companies in Australia have a website but they aren't making much money from it. I hope it takes off...

[Woz]

The test searches I did are mostly "additional listings" at this stage and also mostly Non-Au sites. But, early days yet. As metagod says, hopefully this will be a bit of a boost for the Au Internet Economy.

The Search Suggestion Tool will certainly be welcome when it arrives.

Onya
Woz

[Krapulator]

Yeah, a nice gal from Overture Australia has been on the phone to me in the last couple of weeks trying to convince me to get on board.

[Chris_D]

I heard today that they have now delayed their 'soft launch' for a week, with the 'formal launch' in mid February. But hey - Google Aust was operating for months before their 'formal' launch!

[selasra]

Hi everyone,

I spoke to Scot at Overture AU last week who said the launch has been postponed until Mon 26 Feb 04. (labour day)

[graeme]

Hi Selasra
can you just check that date you've written? 26 Feb is a Thursday not Monday - and labour day in WA is 1 March I think. Just want to be right on the opening. I can see it's not today anyway, nothing's showing on Overture.
Cheers
G

[Chris_D]

I suspect that the issue with the launch date is the confusion over the 'soft' and 'formal' launches.

I understand that the 'soft' launch - ie where Overture Aust works, advertisers can set up their own accounts etc and adverts will be displayed etc is this coming Monday, 26th January - which is Australia Day - not Labour Day.

The 'formal launch event' (ie party) is 'mid February'. I don't know the exact date because I haven't been invited yet!

: )

Chris_D
Sydney Australia

[lukasz]

The keyword suggestion tool is working now.
The numbers are suprisingly low.

[keeper]

I see Overture listings on Yahoo and AV. The switch has been flicked!

[selasra]

Oops so sorry guys - it was Australia Day not Labour day.

[selasra]

Overture is live on both Yahoo & Alta Vista. Went live yesterday afternoon - 28.1.04

[Woz]

Interesting interview [australianit.news.com.au] with Mel Bohse, MD, of a few days ago. A few tidbits about the Australian SE marketplace, but the final quote is the Eyebrow-Raiser - "In every market we go into, we obtain on average 80 per cent market share," (Bohse) said. "I would expect us to get to that (in Australia)."

In reality, the SE market in Australia is dominated by MSN, Yahoo and Google, or children thereof. Yet currently Overture is only on Yahoo, Anzwers, and Alta Vista, which has slipped from favour. The Sensis/Looksmart offerings will probably be closed shops, so I am wondering where the 80% is going to come from. 50% perhaps, but 80%? Hmmm...

Onya
Woz

[Chris_D]

"tell 'em they're dreamin...."

Hey Woz - I saw the same article. I certainly hope Mel's bonuses aren't based on 80% market share!

I really think Overture will do well here in Australia - but making fantasy statements about achieving 80% market share won't strengthen their credibility. Didn't Looksmart used to make similar silly claims?

If you remove Google (which doesn't run Overture PPC Adverts) and nineMSN (which still runs Sensis-Looksmart PPC - not Overture) then I can't see any possibility of Overture PPC being 80% of the PPC market.

In fact - even if NineMSN goes to Overture PPC - then for overture to hit 80% - Google would have to slip to under 20% - and every other SE would have to be using Overture PPC........

I'm not negative about Overture - far from it - I'm just a little more realistic about market share projections...

: )

Chris

[whats up skip]

Has the traffic going through Overture Australia picked up yet?

I gather without getting on the NineMSN site that there would not be much going through.

[keeper]

I imagine she meant to say market reach rather than market share - nobody is reducing Google to 20% of all searches any time soon, especially not Overture.

Looksmart's figures were always based on reach, not market share.

[blaze]

I'd say overture australia has about 1/5 of the traffic that overture uk has .. agreed?