What to do when 1 URL controls the top 3 in Espotting?

And don't say write to them!

[backus]

This morning I spent a lot of money at Espotting assuring a client's site gets the top listing. Now it's afternoon, my site hasn't yet been approved but a competitor's site has jumped above the price I bid. That doesn't bother me, because obviously they have the auto first place option switch on. What bothers me is the fact that the same URL controls the Top 3 in espotting, all for the same keyword. Surely that is against the rules!?!? Surely one listing is enough? I've written to Espotting but have yet to hear back. I just wanted your opinion on the matter.

[Mike_Mackin]

>Surely that is against the rules!?!?

It is at Overture

see your SM for contact

[backus]

We'll see if it is at Espotting. I'll be very angry if it isn't.

[jamsy]

I have come across the same at espotting countless times and was in the process of mailing them when i came across this thread!.

I can only presume that it is their policy to allow this at present.

I am off now to kick up a stink at espotting and hopefully the chap who watches this forum from espotting can give us some welcome input.

[woody]

Hi

This will be interesting.....

Basically in US as far as I know they stopped this multiple listing and affilate stuff but in the UK they seem to turn a blind eye. With Espotting you can blatantly have numerous listings. Overture allows affiliate listings which amounts to the same thing. The worst I have seen on Overture UK was a search (on ASK or similar)that produced wait for it..... 10 results with 5 that pointed to the same url.

Espotting and Overture power some big names in the search engine field. There is a lot of money being thrown around and every ones happy......hold on...no they aren't

Backus I am not surprised you are angry

Responses, Espotting/Overture?

[Mike_Mackin]

Duplicate Search Terms [overture.com]

"Advertisers may bid on search terms only once, even if the site is using different URLs or the advertiser has multiple Overture advertising accounts. This policy helps ensure that users are presented with a variety of results and it prevents a single advertiser from monopolizing a particular search term. This policy also helps us maintain our fair and open marketplace."

Report abuse to Overture when you see it.

[backus]

Okay, I didn't get any reply from Espotting, but they did delete the two cheapest listings and left the most expensive. My listing has yet to show up.

[webdiversity]

I'd be angry if I was you too backus.

All of the PPC services should be a little careful with the "rules". If they allow that sort of stuff to happen without taking any action to rectify it then advertisers will vote with their wallets and as result the relevance of results shown from them will diminish over a very quick period of time.

More and more search engines, directories and PPC are making the newspapers (certainly in the UK anyway), often for the wrong reasons, bad publicity from this sort of thing can't be better than having the top 3 tied up can it?

[backus]

Okay, just had a very pleasant and surprising call from a gentleman at Espotting who called to clear up the matter. That's my idea of customer service. Good stuff.

[engine]

So many organisations claim customer service and fail to deliver so it is good to hear customer service exists in this instance.

[woody]

Hi All

It is good that Backus has got some positive action but nothing has changed. The search that I referred to that was showing 5-6 out of the first 10 listings from 1 company has indeed changed it is now 10!!!

Yes, that's right search for this term on Overture UK or indeed Altavista UK and all the other engines Overture feeds and you are returned 10 Sponsered listings all leading to the same company

Surely these partner sites would care about the quality of the results fed from PPCs?

Woody

[backus]

Okay, but that is overture. I'm talking about Espotting. You should write to Overture, but I have a feeling that Overture is getting too big for its boots.

[carlwright]

Seems a little strange to me to "willingly" allow advertisers to appear multiple times in a listing. The idea from a partners perspective is to encourage users to visit advertisers sites, if a search term delivers identical results then the user is surely going to click only on one of those and therefore generate 1/10th of the potential revenue.