Looksmart on Yahoo serps

[4crests]

Since last night, I am getting a ton of visits to my site from Looksmart results on Yahoo. Anyone else getting this?

They aren't Inktomi results. When i do a search on Yahoo and Looksmart, i get identical results for certain keywords. But, when i search inktomi, the keyword doesn't show up at all.

I've never received so many sales from Looksmart. And, they are pages that were spidered, never been submitted to Ink or LS.

My Yahoo Store shows the REFERRER as such:
Referrer: LOOKSMART search for "Blue Widgets"

But the Search URL shows up as:
"http://search.yahoo.com/search=Blue+Widgets"

I've never had this combination in my logs before, and before last night didn't have even a fraction of the amount of visits from Looksmart as i'm getting now.

[4crests]

When i search for the certain phrase on Yahoo, it appears to me to be Google results, but my logs send back that the click came from Looksmart.

[makemetop]

L$ has very decently allowed Google to crawl their directory. So along with a load of PPC affiliate listings you may have to pay per click through for since Google raised these above your results - you now have the dubious benefit of paying L$ per click from their listings in Google SERPs which will also beat your natural listings.

But - as so many people have said - these are more relevant, aren't they?

[4crests]

yeah, that makes sense. But, i didn't realize Yahoo was using Looksmart results.

So, let me get this straight.

Looksmart got the results from Google. And Yahoo is serving these Looksmart results as backfill.

And, i am guessing i must have just started my new monthly budget on Looksmart(which isn't much), and that's why i've been getting hits all of a sudden.

Wow, i really missed the boat on that one. I never realized Yahoo used Looksmart results. I thought they just used Ink and Google.

[panic]

L$ has very decently allowed Google to crawl their directory.

LookSmart also allowed Inktomi to slurp their directory.

[4crests]

But, these results aren't in Ink. According to my logs, Yahoo is showing the results from Looksmart, and it appears that Looksmart got this particular listing from Google. Weird, huh!

[sem4u]

Well I am still seeing Google results on Yahoo...

[4crests]

yeah, me too (mostly). Just a few of my searches showing Looksmart, but 99% Google. Actually, i agree with MAKEMETOP that Looksmart got the serps from Google. What surprised me is that Yahoo is pulling the results from Looksmart instead of Google.

Either that, or my YAHOO-STORE is giving me false info in my logs. But, since my Store is hosted at Yahoo, I would think they know where their Yahoo serps are coming from.

[makemetop]

>But, i didn't realize Yahoo was using Looksmart results.

They aren't. They are using Google results. The L$ directory has been crawled by Google and that is why they are showing up for some searches. In exactly the same way as other directories and SEs are showing up in the Google results for certain searches.

[4crests]

MAKEMETOP, yes, i understand, and agree that the listing was pulled from Google by Looksmart. But, maybe i'm not explaining myself correctly.

What is strange to me is why my YAHOO-STORE is showing in my logs that Yahoo pulled the result from Looksmart. My Ystore shows me what search engine the customer used to search, and if it's Yahoo, it shows me where Yahoo got the data. As i said above in my original post, it is showing Yahoo as the search engine, but the results coming from Looksmart.

My Ystore shows me where all my traffic comes from in really nice detail. I guess it could be a glitch in the Ystore system. Until the last few days, i have never had refferals from the Yahoo search engine that showed as a Looksmart listing in my logs. Something isn't adding up.

Either my Ystore logs are screwed up, or Yahoo is using Looksmart results.

[seth_wilde]

I personally haven't seen this happening and don't use a Yahoo store. But what Barry is saying is that Google is crawling and indexing the looksmart index (not that looksmart is pulling from google).

This sounds reasonable considering how Google has been treating redirects lately.

1.Google crawls looksmart
2. Google indexes your content but lists it under the looksmart tracking redirect.
3. Looksmart gets paid for your normally free traffic from google

Given L$ past business practices it wouldn't suprise me to learn they changed something to facilitate this happening (I doubt Yahoo or Google have any clue).

[allanp73]

This is not completely relevant, but I think it is worthy of saying. About two months ago I got a email about a class action lawsuit against Looksmart. The reason was due to the changes where Looksmart went from paid inclusion to pay per click.
I wonder how this would play into what people are observing.

[4crests]

ok, i think i understand now. So, i have looksmart results on Google, and Yahoo is getting the serp from Google and Looksmart is charging me for a click.

If this is correct, it's horrible. They should be sued.

This is a page that I never submitted to Looksmart, Google or anyone. It was spidered. How can someone spider your site, and charge you for the results, when you may not have wanted those results to be on PPC?

I'm going to have to look into this futher.

[seth_wilde]

"It was spidered. How can someone spider your site, and charge you for the results, when you may not have wanted those results to be on PPC?"

They can't, that will only work for folks who paid L$ for a listing. You may have been added to their directory for free by a zealot or a L$ editor.. Can you verify that you are listed in the L$ directory?

[4crests]

Yes, I have a monthly budget of $15 at L$. I used to only get traffic from L$ that were from pages i submitted to them. Now if i search Looksmart, i get lots of pages i never submitted.

All i know is something changed about 3 days ago. Prior to that, i never had these refferals in my logs that show someone searched Yahoo and was served up L$ results. Even if they did come from L$ to Google then to Yahoo, it's new to me. If i'm getting charged for it, I'm going to be very angry. I think i'll start with shutting down my L$ account(been wanting to do that anyway).

I never realized a zealot or a L$ editor could add content pages from my site to benefit their ppc program.

[4crests]

ok, now Wisenut is mixed in here somewhere.

So, I know my customer searched YAHOO. It's in my logs plus, they personally told me they found me on YAHOO. So, that's certain at least.

My Ystore is showing that the customer searched Yahoo, but that the result came from L$

When i search Yahoo for the certain phrase they searched, i see an identical result as listed on Google.

When i search L$, i see an identical serp as listed on WISENUT. It's the same serp, but Yahoo and Google list it a little different.

So, i'm still perplexed. Why would my Ystore say it was from L$

Here is what my log shows for this order:

FOUND US HOW? YAHOO (customer types this)

Referrer: LookSmart search for "KEYWORD KEYWORD KEYWORD"

Rev-Share URL: 'http:/search.yahoo.com/search%3Fp%3D keyword %2B keyword %2B keyword %2
ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dfp-tab-web-t%26cop%3Dmss%26tab%3D'

Yahoo! Network Order: Yes