BT Internet Search Results

I'm surprised it took so long!

[makemetop]

Search at btinternet.com has just changed to Looksmart UK results with Excite (ha) as an alternative from the UK filtered Inktomi results previously provided. The design is very off-putting (IMHO) and may drive people to use other search portals which is a shame. I was getting an ever growing flow of good B2B traffic from BTInternet. As BT owns Looksmart UK I suppose this was overdue and is a good opportunity for them to encourage users to submit their sites.

[engine]

Makemetop - Why didn't you warn us about flashing banners - UGH!

[makemetop]

Well, I did say it was going to drive people to use other portals - but you are right - it is ghastly! It was a very business like portal until this change and now - an instant headache maker!

[Videoman]

Having dropped the Ink option last week, BT Int have just updated their Homepage giving a drop down menu offering Excite, Looksmart and BT Search (Ink) BUT.....not only that, I'm pretty sure that the Ink results are updated.

What do you guys think?

[engine]

Hi Videoman,
I checked the listings and besides the ask jeeves logo, the results are difficult to follow. Some of the returns suggest ink-based results, but, I cannot recreate the results through any other major resource.
Certainly, there is filtering going on to make it uk data. It could be Ink uk data that is updated at BT but not at any other resource.
Hmmm - anyone with some evidence?

[FreeBee]

<I cannot recreate the results through any other major resource>
Same problem.

The BT Search (Ink) seems to combine some of Excite UK and Hotbot UK results (?). It appears that the latter HB results are fresher than the actual HBUK database where they do match. So, I'd agree with <I'm pretty sure that the Ink results are updated>

It's interesting to see that despite filtering for UK the BT Search results have some (non-UK?).com sites. Being familiar with these particular pages I can't see why they're beating more relevant .com pages in other SERPS on either UK or US databases.

As a user, I'd question the overall relevance of the BT Search. As for SEO, still frustrating!

[tigger]

The search showing from BT internet is showing filterd Ink results I submitted a client some time ago when the "pay to get" first kicked in and his site is #1 on looksmart.co.uk/msn.co.uk and BT search.

It just goes to prove that no matter how much money/time & resources you have, you can still produce a bad site, the search facility (IMHO) is burried at the top and will probably hardly get used, isn't it a shame that one of our great UK companies(there's not many) can't produce something that's at least on par with our US friends.

Any one want to put a quote into BT to rebuild

Edited by: tigger

[makemetop]

Tigger is right in that they use primarily a UK filter, however it is not that simple and you can find .com sites listed in certain areas - however normal Ink optimisation will still give top page rankings if you have them in other UK Ink powered engines.

>and will probably hardly get used - 3-4 referals a day on average as opposed to 4-500 on MSN UK across the spread of sites I monitor.

[tigger]

I thought that was the case, just another UK SE that won't hardly get used.

[engine]

Hmmm, interesting - there are some results from Europe in the returns too. Is the filter working correctly? It doesn't look like it to me, unless it's meant to be Europe. I can understand some .com's being in there as they may be uk businesses, but .fr - I think not.

If it's only ink updated, then it's bad for some of the positioning I used to see. I think it's a filter not quite working.

[makemetop]

It is a filter not quite working properly because you get US sites in there as in this [search.btinternet.com]. It is the only Inktomi powered engine where this result comes up and is a little bizarre!

[FreeBee]

More pure US based sites here [search.btinternet.com] too

[tigger]

I'm starting to get the impression that not all is well with the ink database and with all these rumbles about ink moving over to "PPC" things are starting to get worrying, anyone got a handle on this yet ?

[engine]

This is intruiging - one site does not appear in this DB, yet it is in Ink (hotbot uk, etc.) It's a .co.uk and should be there.
Possibilities are: DB has been updated and the specific site wasn't indexed when the BT DB was updated. It's been ditched from the DB. It's a new DB altogether and the site has not yet got in.

[tigger]

engine.

just checked rankings for a paid submission to ink

BT #1 (doorway)
Looksmart #2 (doorway)
Hot Bot - nothing except index page, but it's ranking at number 3

P.S it's a .co.uk

[engine]

The real BIG question is, are there ANY non paid listings in the results?

Added - yes - there are.

[tigger]

the page I have with hotbot is the index page and I submitted this at the same time as PT doorways. but through canada/anzwers I can't remember which one.

I've not checked for the rankings as I was under the impression that anything not paid for with ink would get burried, although this looks like this may not be the case as some people are showing good results with the index only.

[Videoman]

Looks as though BTI have dropped their Ink results. The drop down menu has gone- back where we were at the beginning of the month- I have e-mailed BTI to ask them what they are doing.