The End of Lead Gen Sites? Comparison Shopping Engines End Near?

Google announced the formation of AdWords Comparison Ads. An extension of AdWords, Comparison Ads lets users compare multiple, relevant offers at a glance. Currently only being offered for mortgage rates, Google plans on expanding this search result in the near future.

From Google: “If they click the promotion, users are taken to a page with more detailed sponsored results. They can choose directly from the offers listed on that page, or they can further refine their search by providing additional information like income and home value. By giving users the ability to refine their search on a number of relevant attributes, we are able to show more targeted ads and provide you with more valuable leads.

Once users find an offer that matches their specific needs, they can either call you directly or request a quote. If a user requests a quote, Google automatically anonymizes the user’s phone number and sends you a unique code that you can use to contact the user. You only pay if a user calls the phone number on your offer or fills out a form to request a quote.”

 

I have always said that it was just a matter of time before Google rolled this service out. A logical step would be offer this on individual items, effectively ending comparison shopping engines. When the revenue that would be derived from that presentation is greater than the obscene ad spend the comparison shopping use (according to one comparison shopping engine VP I spoke with, as much as 80% of their traffic orginates from their AdWord spend) and the time is available for the technology side….I can see Google having it ready for q4 of 2010.

Internet Summit 09

I haven’t been to a tradeshow/expo since CES so I am looking forward to seeing a lot of familiar faces at Internet Summit 09. Still waiting on my press pass, so my schedule is still a bit wonky for meetings. I am looking forward to meeting my very good friends from the IBM Global Marketing group! Just a superior bunch of people and exceptionally knowledgeable about their industry. *disclosure: I was a paid consultant on a couple of small projects* If any of my readers would like to get together for a quick discussion, please send an email with the best times and we’ll get something scheduled!

From Internet Summit 09

“At Internet Summit 09 join hundreds of entrepreneurs, senior marketers, investors and executives for expert content on opportunities and trends created by web innovation, social media, online advertising, video, mobile, cloud, real-time, search, Ecommerce and more. Hear from industry leaders and innovators on the future of the industry, how to capitalize on the shifting dynamics of the internet and tap into its unlimited business potential.”

Innovation, intelligence, forward thinking and leadership converge on the Raleigh Convention Center on November 4-5th, 2009 for the second annual Internet Summit.

Google’s Secret Plan for World Domination

Google World Domination

Thanks to Cracked.com! http://www.cracked.com/funny-1790-google/ 

Cash4Gold : SEO and Reputation Management

Many of you know I did SEO for a number of years and still try to keep up to date on the latest techniques. Seems Cash4Gold is even more interested in SEO than I am.  Cash4Gold is also wisely monitoring SERPs for repuation management. 

Over at http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/goldkit/reputation.shtml they blogged about Cash4Gold’s interesting marketing and business practices.  He determinded that Cash4Gold was paying as little as 30% of the going rate for scrap gold and how to better negotiate with them for a better return.

Check this out. This is straight out of a movie. Remember the “Cash4Gold” article I wrote following Brent K’s experience sending them gold?Cash4Gold Will Offer One-Third of the Actual Value for your Gold You should read it…later. In a nutshell, Brent sent in scrap gold valued elsewhere at $180 and was offered one third of that amount by Cash4Gold. Brent balked at their $60 check and called their customer service line, where he immediately got a new offer: $178! On October 6th, that Cockeyed article was featured on Consumerist.com  (http://consumerist.com/5059452/how-to-avoid-getting-ripped-off-by-cash4gold). Consumerist is so popular that thousands of people read the article, and the high Consumerist pagerank meant that the Cockeyed article would take its place at the tippy-top of  Google results on searches for “Cash 4 Gold”. Anyone searching for “Cash4Gold” had a very good chance at this new insight: Their cash offers for gold are measly. I guess someone at Cash 4 Gold noticed, because a week later, I got an email from Joe Laratro:

I work on the Cash4Gold site. We are trying to clean up their first page of results in Google. Your article: http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/goldkit/cheat.shtml is ranking very well for term “Cash4Gold”. The site looks like you may do well from Adsense. Is there a financial arrangement we can come to that will offset your Adsense income and make it worth your while to take down or at least “de-optimize” it for that phrase? I would be happy to speak more about this on the phone… Thanks, Joe Laratro President Tandem Interactive – Trendy Online Marketing Solutions Hollywood, FL 33020

How about that? A polite letter, with a clear goal: Bury the “Cash 4 Gold” name in my article so that it doesn’t scare off every would-be gold seller with an internet connection. I was kind of thrilled. People approach me all the time looking for ways to promote keywords, but this was the first time someone else was trying to buy me out of their Google search results. This was just like in the movies, right? Guy writes an article exposing underhanded business practices, business leader arranges a meeting to kill the story. It was fun to fantasize about how much they might pay, and how much editing they would want to contribute for their investment. It was a genuine real-life business dillema! But I wouldn’t ever actually take them up on an offer like that. I’m just not like that. I didn’t do anything. Two weeks later, he sent a follow up.

Rob, I work with Cash4Gold on the reputation management. Your article is ranking #3 on their brand term. They would really like to make it worth your while to take it down or make it more positive. They did something similar by joining (OTHER CONSUMER AFFAIRS WEBSITE)’s advocacy program. Is it worth a few thousand to take it down? If not, maybe a donation to your favorite charity is more to your liking? Feel free to call me anytime to discuss further. Thanks, Joe Laratro President Tandem Interactive – Trendy Online Marketing Solutions Hollywood, FL 33020

Hey! $3,000! That’s more than I made on the Dwight Shrute Bobblehead Costume article! Finally I’ll have an appropriately fashionable tracksuit to wear while puttering around on my Segway. Sweet! Just kidding. I didn’t bite.

Can you believe he outed another consumer “Rip-off” website? They totally took the bribe and let Cash4Gold write the rules on their website!So, loyal readers, there you have it. This is my declaration of not selling out. I think it will work out better this way, don’t you? Still, I’m left wondering, was this their best offer or was it just one third of what I could actually get?

Google Takes Net Neutrality Stand Against ISP Throttling

From Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE50R6W020090128

Google Inc on Wednesday unveiled a plan aimed at eventually letting computer users determine whether providers like Comcast Corp are inappropriately blocking or slowing their work online. The scheme is the latest bid in the debate over network neutrality, which pits content companies like Google against some Internet service providers. The ISPs say they need to take reasonable steps to manage ever-growing traffic on their networks for the good of all users. Content and applications companies fear the providers have the power to discriminate, favoring some traffic over others. Google will provide academic researchers with 36 servers in 12 locations in the United States and Europe to analyze data, said its chief Internet guru, Vint Cerf, known as the “father of the Internet.” “When an Internet application doesn’t work as expected or your connection seems flaky, how can you tell whether there is a problem caused by your broadband ISP (Internet service provider), the application, your PC (personal computer), or something else?” Cerf wrote in a blog post. The effort aims to uncover the problem for users, Cerf said. Cerf is widely known for his work for the U.S. government in designing the Internet protocol in the 1970s and 1980s. In a precedent-setting decision last year, the five-member Federal Communications Commission voted to uphold a complaint accusing Comcast of violating the FCC’s open-Internet principles by blocking file-sharing services, such as those that distribute video and television shows. The case became a flash point in the Net neutrality debate. Comcast is fighting the decision in the courts. COX MAKES MOVE In a move likely to fuel further debate, another large cable company, Cox Communications, said on Wednesday it would begin testing a plan to give priority to time-sensitive traffic like Web page views and streaming videos. Less time-sensitive traffic, such as file uploads and peer-to-peer file sharing, could be delayed under the plan. Cox said it will not discriminate based on owner or source of traffic. Still, Net neutrality advocates are wary of such policies. “The lesson we learned from the Comcast case is that we must be skeptical of any practice that comes between users and the Internet,” said Ben Scott, policy director of Free Press, an advocacy group. Researchers are already using tools to test connection speed and determine if an ISP is blocking or throttling particular applications. Google’s effort will allow an expansion of that effort.

Google Sites Ranks as Top Internet Site Worldwide

The most popular property in the world in December was Google Sites, with 777.9 million visitors, followed by Microsoft Sites (647.9 million visitors), and Yahoo Sites (562.6 million visitors).
Global internet users (defined as those age 15+ who access the internet from home and/or work) in the Asia-Pacific region accounted for the highest share of internet users at 41%, followed by Europe (28% share), North America (18% share), Latin-America (7% share), and the Middle East & Africa (5% share), reports MarketingCharts.

Shop.org

I’ll be at shop.org in Vegas tomorrow and throughout the week networking, talking to a few companies about some shared ideas and offering my thoughts and opinions about the industry in general. If you’d like to grab a drink, my schedule is fairly fluid, so the best way to reach me is jbuechler@gmail I’ll be checking the iPhone regularly so if you have that # you can reach me there as well.

 

-Jeff Buechler

Q2 Advertisers Down on Search Engines, MSN down 20%

Advertiser number  for three major search engines lower in Q2, with MSN’s  down nearly 20 percent. Google was down6.4 percent while Yahoo’s increased slightly  .o3% . 12 month advertiser growth for Google, Yahoo, and MSN were -8.5 percent, +9.8 percent, and -6.7 percent, respectively.

Laid off at ChannelAdvisor

ChannelAdvisor in a cost savings move, laid off/terminated 35 or so people…about 15% of its work force. This number included 4 Vice Presidents which had been terminated a few weeks ago.

I am not sure what I will be doing in the future, but I will be exploring a number of options.

Blogging is Not a Crime

Data taken from From TechCrunch and Swivel. List from TechCrunch.

Bloggers getting arrested is on the rise. While not large numbers, there is a disturbing trend of citizen journalists increasingly being targeted by law enforcement ( five arrests in 2003 to 35 last year). From Saudi Arabia to Iran to the USA, bloggers are being subjected to pressures to edit and censor information that intrenched orginizations are striving to limit. 

Whether it  is legitimate law enforcement, quaisi-military extremists or in the case of corporations take down notices or civil lawsuits, bloggers are drawing attention to themselves from institutions that have strong incentive to limit their exposure to  the public light.

The full list can be found at http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pw-ZWbusBKYaNxZ7Gl40MDg by Erick Schonfeld

 http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/12/blogging-is-not-a-crime/