Looksmart free inclusion

why would they do it?

[starec]

Today I noticed an increase of referrals from msn and altavista.

When I replicated the searches I realized that there we have about 50-100 product pages included in the looksmart-powered part of results, all with manually entered description and all.

I am not complaining, but would like to know how can this happen because it would be nice to repeat it with a couple of hundred pages more...

Is it some secret birthday present of my friends who paid for inclusion? Is looksmart trying to boost the quality of their directory in areas with few paying customers? Am I dreaming?

I would like to find out the scope of this "problem". Is there easy way to find out all the pages of a site included in looksmart directory?

[NFFC]

Do you run an affiliate program?

[starec]

No, I don't run affiliate program and do not participate in affiliate programs.

Why should that matter, NFCC?

[NFFC]

>Why should that matter

It's L$ :)

There has got to be some gain for them in this, do you use their PPC listings? Are you sure it is Looksmart listings and not Inktomi?

[Brett_Tabke]

Where these ODP or Zeal listings by chance?

[rmjvol]

50-100 product pages included

Shouldn't be Zeal if that's accurate. ODP listings probably wouldn't make sense if they're "product (looking) pages."

Maybe you should send LS an email about this mistake. :)

rmjvol

[starec]

Where these ODP or Zeal listings by chance?

No zeal listing. The site has an ODP listing, but not 100 of them. In addition, the ODP title/description is different from the L$'s.

I guess I should just send them a cheque of US$299 x number of url. :) Trouble is, I don't know how many urls they have included so I don't know how much I owe them...

[skibum]

URLs don't appear in LookSmart unless they are in Zeal do they?

[rmjvol]

skibum: URLs don't appear in LookSmart unless they are in Zeal do they?

Zeal is the non-commercial directory that feeds LS. I think if you submit to LS, you're not going into Zeal.

starec: I guess I should just send them a cheque of US$299 x number of url.

Just forward your blank check to me, I can offer pretty much the same guarantee that LS historically offers. ;)

rmjvol

[skibum]

Right, but isn't Zeal the "core database" from which LookSmart pulls all data? Usually when a commercial site is submitted it is placed in Zeal first. If you want to see what LookSmart editor handled the submission, Zeal provides that transparency.

[bird]

Zeal and the Looksmart directory are essentially the same thing. The only difference is that the Zeal editors may only edit in categories that have been declared "uncommercial", and the commercial listings are added by paid staff.

[Grumpus]

Zeal directory feeds looksmart. When you pay for a site in the looksmart directory, a looksmart editor merely submits it to the Zeal directory.

G.

[lgn]

Several years ago we paid the $199 to be listed
with Looksmart for life.

This spring they changed their business model to PPC and failed to
honor their legal oligations to exising advertisers.

However, we did not recieve their ransom notes (email for PPC).

Our listing is still listed between position 2 and 4, so I guess
I can't really complain.

I will not cry if we are eventualy dropped as looksmart has
become almost irrelevent as a search engine. Expect their last
major clients to be droped by winter.