MSN - is PPC the only way in now?

or can Looksmart come to the rescue?

[fom2001uk]

Been on holiday and only just found out that Inktomi paid inclusion is no longer an option. Absolute disaster, as far as I can see :-(

What are the options now for getting into MSN?

Site Match is pay per click, so forget that. Looksmart I hear is working again, but is that still a flat fee, or has it went pay per click also?

On the subject of Site Match, I haven't even looked at it. I get a rash even thinking about pay-per-click. I might consider it for some clients providing I can control the monthly costs. Do they let you cap the total clicks / total cost per month, just like Adwords?

[fom2001uk]

From another thread I notice Tim of Yahoo has said "we offer a range of budgeting options that allow content providers to cap their spend at whatever levels they are comfortable with"

How exactly can you "cap" your spend? Can anyone elaborate on this?

This is key to everything.

[fom2001uk]

Of course, I meant Looksmart UK when I referred to flat fee. I've just been over to Looksmart UK and it looks like they've ditched that as well. So it's all PPC now :-(

[sem4u]

You can still be crawled for free :)

[fom2001uk]

sure, but you'll have an awful long wait if you want anything beyond your homepage being crawled regularly :-(

[sem4u]

You would be surprised.

New site went up end of January and now has at least 100 pages in Yahoo!

[fom2001uk]

I take it you never did any PFI for any pages?

I think if you've never paid, you stand a better chance of free crawling from Inktomi, assuming you have some links from old-fashioned BOW sites :-)

[sem4u]

No PFI for this new site all :)

[kidalex]

I have the same question as this poster, but no one seemed to answer it. So, is there no more paid inclusion in Inktomi?

Alex

[Warren]

Kidalex

There is no more flat fee paid inclusion for Inktomi.

It is all Site Match now.

Warren

[fom2001uk]

I still haven't heard how SiteMatch allows you to "cap" your spend. As far as I can see, the only variation in the cost per click is the 15c versus 30c categories.

THAT IS NOT CAPPING!

Where is the control on your spend there?

[Yahoo_Mike]

fom2001uk,

Site Match provides several options for how you budget your spending, including capping your monthly spending or prepaying a set amount. In the latter case, you choose when and how much more money to put in your account when you exhaust your funds.

[fom2001uk]

Thanks Mike. That is what I wanted to know.

So it works the same way as Adwords.

The only question now is will this rival Adwords or Overture in the PPC services.

Paid Inclusion - it ain't.

[PCInk]

It won't rival them: It is paid inclusion. You are still listed with the free results, not above or to the side (like Overture or AdWords).

It is new (or similar to Looksmart): PPC and PFI.

[fom2001uk]

Okay, but it's not paid inclusion in the traditional sense. It's paid extortion. More advertising than marketing, IMO.