Optimizing for Look$mart

A fool and his money are soon parted

[Mel]

After reviewing the new Look$mart PPI model and the effects it is going to have on MSN directory referals, I have developed a first cut at my own optimization technique for this new service(?) It goes like this:

1. Provide your credit card details to L$ (you're going to be using it a lot).
2. Buy new L$ relevancy words ($39 for three)
4. Buy new L$ Categories ( $49 each)
5. Change title and description ($???)
6. Check your results in MSN
7. Depending on your ranking proceed as follows:
if you have a good ranking on a competitive keyword proceed on to step 8. If not go back to step 1.
8. Top up your credit card.

[chiyo]

Fair enough, they can charge what they want and let the market decide. One thing is for sure. No non-commercial information provider can afford to list with Looksmart. Its all about return on investment. If its costing you 15c a click, you need to make more than 15c a Looksmart visitor on average.

If a websites visits are bringing in less than this, or you provide free information only, it wont be registered.

Looksmart is a commercial yellow pages directory now, and their partners are also affected. Great resource from those looking to shop or buy something. Useless for anybody else.

MSN is going down fast as a way to find objective info. Serious researchers now use respected sites and Google/Teoma/All the Web to do their work.

Absolutely agree that yellow page directories have a role in the Web, but the market is now very crowded for these.

[Napoleon]

Agreed, but the main beef for me is honesty. No - I'm not talking about the legalized robbery that L$ has just performed with its bait and switch operation, but in presentation.

L$ is a yellow pages for sure, but the problem is that this is not made clear by their partners. If the returns were headed 'Advertisements' or similar, no-one could complain. The surfers could go elsewhere, to a proper search engine based on relevency.

Of course they won't do this... it's the honest route and they no doubt feel uncomfortable with it. L$, MSN and the rest of them in the theives kitchen will continue to find ways of presenting these 'results' as something they are not.

[Laisha]

No non-commercial information provider can afford to list with Looksmart.

Not to defend LookSmart in any manner, as there is no defense, but non-commmercial sites are not required to pay LookSmart. Submit it to Zeal.

[Mel]

Hi Laisha:

Yes but how do they pay L$ for the clicks?

[bigjohnt]

Stepping in for the very busy Laisha...
Zeal lists non-commercial sites, and exports them to MSN, ALtavista, Looksmart and elsewhere. Check out zeal.com Its sort of dmoz-esque with "zealots" as editors. No click costs are incurred.

[keywordbuys]

zeal is the inside track to a free listing, only catch is you have to have a non profit site.

[skibum]

Zeal will probably see a large increase in "non commercial" content submissions. While ya can't put a storefront in there, some good content sections of most any site can probably get in.

[europeforvisitors]

Zeal will probably see a large increase in "non commercial" content submissions. While ya can't put a storefront in there, some good content sections of most any site can probably get in.

The definition of what is or isn't "commercial" seems a bit random. My site as a whole was considered commercial, but my sections for disabled travelers and expats made it into Zeal even though they have the same affiliate links that are on all my other pages. Mind you, I'm not complaining, although I should add that LookSmart has never sent me much traffic with or without my newer Zeal listings.