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At first glance, MSN seems relatively uncompetitive. And, since in many keyword instances the top ranking results in MSN come directly from the LookSmart directory, it would seem that it ought to be easy to attain high rankings in MSN, using Looksmart's LookListings program.
However, after looking into the matter in greater detail, I have found it quite difficult to understand exactly how MSN's results are derived from LookSmart's directory listings.
If one does a search - for example, on the word "cars" - in both MSN and LookSmart one will find that the results that are yielded are different, even though they are both derived from LookSmart's Directory (in MSN the LookSmart results are listed under the head, "Web Directory Sites").
With that in mind, does anyone have the expertise to spell out exactly how MSN "reads" LookSmart's directory in order to determine rankings for MSN search? What factors matter? Do on the page factors count (i.e. the actual HTML page contents of the page appearing LookSmart)? How about the meta keywords that LookSmart lets one enter along with their listings? Do these get picked up by MSN? What aspects of a particular LookSmart listing is MSN looking at to determine ranking?
I am unable to find a satisfactory answer anywhere.
Thanks in advance for any insight,
Lorraine
DaveN
Many thanks,
Lorraine
MSN "web directory sites" factors Looksmart/zeal.com listings by virtue of the words contained in the Title and Description field of the directory listing itself- it has NOTHING to do with HTML/page criteria.
the arrangement of keywords within the title & description do strongly impact the results returned for any given search - you're likely to score a better ranking when the search exactly matches a 2 or 3 word phrase contained within the title/description. But, combinations of words from the title and those at the end of the description will still help you rank, provided the competition doesn't have exact matches as well.
The "cars" example is far too broad, because there are so many competing sites contained in the directory - car dealers, used cars, classic cars, race cars, etc. But more specific searches trim the competition better.
Currently, MSN doesn't use the relevancy keywords from LS (that may change of course in the future) but some smaller partners might, but for now, they are probably most relevant to LS searches.
But, what you say explains the discrepancies between MSN and Looksmart results. "Cars" is indeed a very broad term. All I meant to prove with that example is that MSN and LookSmart use different algorithms to search the LookSmart database. I think you got that, and you seem to be suggesting that the more narrow the search terms get, the closer the results between LookSmart and MSN. And that, therefore, in general, if one can "figure out" either one of these two algorithms, one can understand the other, at least approximately. Is this right?
Thanks,
Lorraine
Regardless, when contemplating a campaign on MSN, you have to put into regard TWO types of searches.
1: The first search is the MSN.com portal search. That's when your browser is on their web site and you enter a set of keywords. The results are generally Looksmart first, then Inktomi.
However, if you press the search button again, the search will often refresh and you will find only the Inktomi results, with LookSmart results completely missing. This is a simple attempt at randomization.
2: The second search is the one made directly from the IE browser itself, when you hit the search button that's located on the IE toolbar. Those searches open up the sidebar to the left, and the results are Overture first, Looksmart second, then very often, Inktomi. These results depend on the keywords.
If we assume that many MSN searches are coming from the browser (I don't have the stats), and your competitors are advertising on Overture, you can find yourself in a pickle.
The lesson here is, if you plan on mounting an effective MSN campaign, you have three companies to pay off.
Whether the LookSmart keywords come into play, I'm not sure, but I suspect that they do if the keyword is a phrase, and not one word. This is my opinion, based on my observation, and I admit that I may be wrong but I feel that LS gives precedence to the title then to the description listed with Looksmart. If nothing matches, it will go down to the keywords.
One word is too general for an effective keyword because a one-word keyword is likely to be dominated by general results from the Zeal Database that have those keywords in the title and description: government, educational, and seemingly random results.
With that in mind, my advice would be to steer clear of Looksmart altogether and go with Inktomi paid inclusion.
I am now actively promoting LS again even though they did the dirty deed with their PPC changeover. Depending on your industry and the number of LS directory results returned in MSN, it may be of great benefit for you to take advantage of the $.15 per click charge. It's really the best way to get increased visibility in MSN.
When signing up for a LookSmart LookListings campaign, you specify one URL and then have the option to enter 8 search terms that are related to that URL. Of the 20+ listings that I've submitted so far, all 20 appear in the top ten results. Treat the submission as if you were doing a Yahoo! or ODP submission and you should find yourself in a pretty good position depending on the editorial review and edits.
If you are in an industry that is not very competitive and MSN is showing Ink results in the first 10, then your Ink listings will do the trick. But, if those first 10 are LS directory listings, take advantage of LookListings if you can.
P.S. My personal opinion is that the rankings are derived from your submitted/edited title, description and then the keyword phrases you've selected to target.
