Looksmart Gone from MSN

just noticed

[ogletree]

Is this new or already talked to death.

[DigiSEO]

Two people here see looksmart and two don't see it all on the same IP and in the same building. I cleared my cookies/cache and am still showing Looksmart while another person still shows only Intomi. MSN has now passed up Yahoo with traffic. I am glad to see LookSmart gone!

[4crests]

In the Pure Inktomi results, i have seen several of my affiliate links showing up in the serps. A few of them have actually knocked my #1 listing down to #2. While it's nice to have both of the top two spots, i worry about duplication penalties. Google obviously filters most of these out. Why isn't Inktomi doing it?

I have no idea how some of these affiliate links are showing up above mine. In one case, the only mention of the keyword on the whole page is in the affiliate link on the affiliates website.

I would hate to see the inktomi serps filled up with affiliate links. In theory, you could see the entire first page with the same website listed but with different URL's.

While this is good news for those in the affiliate game, it is bad news for everyone else. I hope mine is an isolated case. I also hope Inktomi is smart enough to see that this is not intentional spam.

[Kirby]

Im seeing pure INK.

The funny thing is I put up a one page site with same content as another site I have to test PR and links on Google. It now shows #1 for two of my money kws in M$N.

I guess I'm now one of the spam sites that everyone screams about. What a joke.

[EquityMind]

I'm still seeing directory sites in So California, but my lead volume from MSN doubled yesterday. :)

EquityMind

[Istvan]

At search.msn.co.uk my site is at top (nr3/6) for a popular keyword, in search.positiontech.com I am nr 12. And in the new search.msn.com I am 39. Any thoughts why the .com data differs so much from the co.uk data?

[snort]

I have the same problem with MSN: my US sites rank well on .co.uk and poorly on .com

I think MSN is using a geo-filter to boost US sites on .com, and has erroneously classed my sites as UK. The only reason I can think of for this mis-classification is that several UK sites were linking to my US sites. Does anyone know of another explanation for this?

[sabai]

As of this morning, I am seeing no LS for msn.com in the UK. At least when I use IE - when I use opera or mozilla, I still see them. I'm completely over the moon about LS getting dropped! Hooray!

[Eljaybe]

MSN was supposed to drop LookSmart by today, January 15th.
I still see my LookSmart listings in MSN (in Ohio). I was planning to cancel my LookSmart accounts today, but I'm not sure I want to do that until MSN completely drops the LookSmart listings. Anyone else still seeing their listings today?

[shorebreak]

Anyone care to comment on how many of Looksmart's advertisers will drop them once MSN is 100% turned off? With the MSN traffic gone is there enough value in the remaining traffic to justify staying with them or not?

I'm basically trying to get an idea of what % of Looksmart's customers will drop them entirely because of MSN going away.

Thanks,

[Eljaybe]

LookSmart knows they are in trouble. I plan on canceling both my accounts because of MSN. I got all my LS traffic from MSN. I think most advertisers will pull out of LookSmart for the same reason.
When I emailed LookSmart, this was part of their reply back to me....

"We're sorry to hear that you wish to cancel your account. If you are canceling because of the recent announcement about MSN, please note that LookSmart's relationship with MSN will continue until January 15..."

Sounds like they have already been hit with many cancellations because of MSN.

[lgn1]

Now if only Yahoo, would finally drop Google, then we will get some needed diversification in the serps.

[Robert Charlton]

MSN was supposed to drop LookSmart by today, January 15th.

Just checked again... They do seem to be gone now.

I wonder, if LookSmart had been searchable separately, say with a directory tab the way Google's directory works, whether...

a) Anyone would have listed with them at all...
b) Whether we'd be less happy to see them go.

That arrangement, where you had to wade through all those listings to get to the search results, is what bugged me most about them... but I hope the PPC conversion will serve as an example to all other engines and directories about how not to do business.

[shaadi]

Now I am seeing Pure Ink and Overture results on search.msn.com

Bye bye LookSmart :)

[Eljaybe]

I still see no change in the search results for our top keyword on MSN (a very competitive keyword). Our LookSmart listing is in the same place it was all week.
If I cancel my LS account, will my listing disappear? I don't want to cancel until MSN filters out the LS listings...

[Eljaybe]

ok, now the LookSmart listings are gone from MSN. It must have taken time to update around the world. Now, I see the new listings in Ohio.
I think I'll cancel my LS accounts now...

[Robert Charlton]

Well, they're back here in California.

I assume there might be an official announcement at some point. Maybe I'll just wait till then. This is getting too much like a Google update thread. ;)

[andy_boyd]

L$ listings still here in Northern Ireland.

[EquityMind]

In California it fluctuated back and forth but seems to be gone entirely as of this weekend.

EquityMind

[rmjvol]

In TN. Opera showing old LS results, IE showing new ink results. Same for a different isp here.

[lgn1]

If I use an anonymous proxy server, I get old results with looksmart, and Ink results without it.

It appears that MSN like Google has multiple data centers, and just like google, it takes a while to propagate.

I have never kept an eye on MSN in the past, but does anybody know how long it takes for MSN to update all their datacenters on average.

[Chris_D]

We are still getting tired spammy old Look$mart listings here in Australia on nineMSN.com.au - it seems we'll have to wait a few more months for the "Australian MSN Joint venture" to revert to Ink.

[glitterball]

The Looksmart results on MSN.com don't look too bad (actually better than G in some cases).
But I don't know where MSN.co.uk is getting it's results from - possible the worst results I have ever seen.

[afterburner]

LS is gone from MSN in PA and has been since around the 13th

[herb]

As of ten minutes ago from MSN. Searched for "domain.com".
htxp://rdrw1.inktomi.com/click?u=htxp://www.looksmart.com

[mfishy]

Today looksmart is back on msn. It's quite puzzling as their agreement ended January 15th. The Looksmart CEO even resined because of it. Any info on what the heck is going on?

[irock]

OMG, LookSmart seems to be back... The redirect URL points to FeedPoint.com.
Here's an example.
http://feedpoint.net/r/redir.jsp?engine=LS&pcid=2253&fid=11446&url=8rFr5LiwafE8XJa6ksSjJ6Dw5Uw8R2JUoopMmZLkjzUNzChgmS4ZI2Z6qBSpHhVXkF5eeFK8LUqwpVp9B4lqNMvu-DExClSpsUkmE660PIopEEUA

This is the search result where I see FeedPoint redirect.
http://search.msn.com/pass/results.aspx?q=sony+micro+vault&FORM=SMCRT

Anyone knows what's going on?

[sem4u]

Yes, the LookSmart listings are back!

Or maybe not....some results are from: linksynergy, business.com, feedpoint.net

[buzzmaster]

I'm seeing the exact same Looksmart directory listings (2 pages of Looksmart directory before inktomi) as before, but without any redirects.

[makemetop]

MSN appear to have decided to use the L$ database as it was on the last date of the contract as the basis of the MSN directory as they are entitled to do, free of charge, under the terms of the agreement.

So all URLs which were in the L$/MSN feed as of that date appear to now be receiving free listings in the MSN directory. Very lucky for agencies who put feeds into L$. They are now getting free traffic from MSN! As are the people who allowed themselves to be extorted by L$ who are also now getting a pile of free traffic. Should help out the people who were in Zeal too.

Anyway, this is nothing to do with L$ - just MSN using the last update as the basis for their directory (for the time being). For those of you in it, suck up the free traffic while it lasts. we deserve a reward for paying L$ for so long :)

Anyway, L$ must be really annoyed!

[Istvan]

If indeed the L$ listings, in which the redirect has been removed, will stay here for the coming time then it won't give the user much fresh and relevant information. I mean at least with Inktomi there is some sort of a shuffle going on. (: