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I just did a search for "Lakers Tickets" on MSN. In the top 40, there are only 2 Directory Listings that actually sell Lakers tickets, and the second listing is # 40! Most of the "Directory Results" come from fan sites and news sites that are not getting charged the $.15 per click.
A client of mine owns a Lakers tickets site and was told in order to stay listed, they would have to up their monthly spend to $500. Needless to say, they opted out and so have most of their competitors.
The question is, how many other industries are facing the same situation, where the most relevant sites have been replaced sites that don't have to pay or don't get clicked.
How long will MSN let this go on? Who will take LS place? ... Google?
I just can't decide which company I dislike the most, LookSmart or MSN? After all MSN decided to use LookSmart.
Who's your favorite?
This leaves sites that are totally off topic with vague associations with the industry (just common key words by fluke).
The returns are therefore hopeless to anyone conducting a serious search... which I interpret in the circumstances as positive news, because surely MSN can't let this ride indefinitely. Then again...
Do a search on MSN US and MSN UK for something and compare the Ink results - then compare them with pure PT/Ink results.
Time to go back to working the algo everyone :)
What they have done is pretty clever!
>The returns are therefore hopeless ...
Sticky me a 'hopeless' result.
Looked good enough on this little change to make people think they were seeing Google results :)
This is a huge change - and no-one seems to have picked up on it!
Try looking for 'search engine optimization services' on the two (I'd make it a shorter, two word and popular term - but it would either be pooh-poohed as a 'silly' listing or get buried by L$ listings). Try that one - and look at the difference. Only showing up like this in the last 24 hours.
(edited by: makemetop at 9:20 pm (utc) on May 17, 2002)
What have they done. No one can answer my question.
[webmasterworld.com...]
I am sure we could compile a pretty good list in here.
We are fighting to get a 0.5% conversion rate. The field is so bloated with everyone running the same ticket inventory back-end. The industry has become saturated on the internet. My guess is that 90% of all ticket traffic is being run through web sites driven by one inventory system. What a mess.
Interestingly enough, I have a hunch that I'm come across the client site you have mentioned. Stickymail me the site, if you don't mind. Perhaps we can actually benefit from a discussion between "competitors".
We're driving qualified traffic like wild to our ticket broker client, but they are moaning about the costs versus their profits...Maybe I need fresh ideas!?
We have a client that is a healthcare information provider. Completely information site, and they intentially fully disassociate themselves from the parent company so they don't appear biased in any way.
When L$ changed to the paid model...they suddenly wanted to charge us $16,000 a month. HAHAHA. yeah right.
They wouldn't keep us in for "relevancy" reasons either - that excuse was just to make them look good, IMO.
Bye L$. Zeal, here we come.
What happened with the web page results, besides being the only thing left in many cases?
It's not just the little guys that are out either. Some of the big corps seem to be passing on the opportunity to go for this .15/click stuff too.
On the other hand those that are paying over $2.00 per click on overture are probably seeing .15 as a bargain.
I never sent a reply to them!
they did everything.
The strange fact is that after that last email:
- My L$ listing haven't yet disappeared!
- My L$ position (Web directory) in MSN is still there, in the top
- My Inktomi listing on MSN is now in 30th position: I was in the top position (Web pages). Doing a search in the pure Inktomi engine I am still in the top position!
I don't know but it seems to me that there is a strange "connection" Inktomi-L$-MSN.
