Friday, February 25, 2005
Guardian Unlimited | Online | Online's top 25 search engines: "Online's top 25 search engines "
DMNews.com | News | Article:
"JupiterResearch: Concentrated Search Market Suggests Room for Vertical Engines
By: Melissa Campanelli - Senior Editor
Paid search spending in the United States is concentrated in the four categories of retail, financial services, media/entertainment and travel, according to a report released yesterday by JupiterResearch, a division of Jupitermedia Corp., New York.
The four categories accounted for 79 percent of the $2.6 billion spent on paid search in 2004.
The report, 'Vertical Search: Early Marketers Will Reap Rewards of Low Pricing,' said this finding means the search industry will develop much the same way historical media markets before it have, with the broad-based search engines spawning a raft of vertical engines dedicated to specific categories..."
"JupiterResearch: Concentrated Search Market Suggests Room for Vertical Engines
By: Melissa Campanelli - Senior Editor
Paid search spending in the United States is concentrated in the four categories of retail, financial services, media/entertainment and travel, according to a report released yesterday by JupiterResearch, a division of Jupitermedia Corp., New York.
The four categories accounted for 79 percent of the $2.6 billion spent on paid search in 2004.
The report, 'Vertical Search: Early Marketers Will Reap Rewards of Low Pricing,' said this finding means the search industry will develop much the same way historical media markets before it have, with the broad-based search engines spawning a raft of vertical engines dedicated to specific categories..."
business2blog:
"Flickr, Yahoo Deal Rumored
Om Malik reports:
Rumors are flying thick and fast in Silicon Valley: Yahoo is all set to buy Ludicorp, the company behind the hot photo blogging web service Flickr, for an undisclosed amount of money. Its not the first time rumors of these talks have made the rounds. Stewart Butterfield and Caterina Fake told my colleague Michael Copeland, that they had received buyout offers from both Google and Yahoo..."
"Flickr, Yahoo Deal Rumored
Om Malik reports:
Rumors are flying thick and fast in Silicon Valley: Yahoo is all set to buy Ludicorp, the company behind the hot photo blogging web service Flickr, for an undisclosed amount of money. Its not the first time rumors of these talks have made the rounds. Stewart Butterfield and Caterina Fake told my colleague Michael Copeland, that they had received buyout offers from both Google and Yahoo..."
Searching for search stocks on sale - Feb. 24, 2005:
"...Sure, growth has slowed. But it didn't exactly fall off a cliff. Online ad sales were up 28 percent in the third quarter from a year ago and 24 percent in the fourth quarter. The 'problem' for investors is that this pales in comparison to the 40 percent annual growth rate in the first half of the year.
But the slowdown shouldn't be a huge shock. The third quarter in particular, which includes the summer months, is typically weaker for the search industry and both Yahoo! and Google said last year that they expected this trend to continue.
'The world hasn't ended. There is seasonality in online advertising. That's not surprising,' said John Tinker, an analyst with ThinkEquity Partners.
That brings us to concerns about the first quarter and beyond. David Garrity, an analyst with Caris & Co., concedes that keyword pricing in the first quarter is probably going to soften a bit as some advertisers balk at what they deem high rates.
But he argues that this weakness won't last for long. In an age where more and more TV viewers are using TiVo and digital video recorders to zoom past commercials, the Internet has emerged as a more viable way to target consumers. So the online search companies have leverage.
'Traditional means of advertising aren't working and there's no other game in town. Where the consumer goes the advertiser must follow so this pushback is merely a temporary phenomenon,' Garrity said.
What Thursday's dumping of search stocks really demonstrates is not a major deterioration in fundamentals but that any momentum stock trading at a ridiculously high multiple is subject to a correction at any hint of a slowdown in growth. Before Thursday's sell-off, Google and Yahoo! were trading at about 50 and 60 times 2005 earnings estimate..."
"...Sure, growth has slowed. But it didn't exactly fall off a cliff. Online ad sales were up 28 percent in the third quarter from a year ago and 24 percent in the fourth quarter. The 'problem' for investors is that this pales in comparison to the 40 percent annual growth rate in the first half of the year.
But the slowdown shouldn't be a huge shock. The third quarter in particular, which includes the summer months, is typically weaker for the search industry and both Yahoo! and Google said last year that they expected this trend to continue.
'The world hasn't ended. There is seasonality in online advertising. That's not surprising,' said John Tinker, an analyst with ThinkEquity Partners.
That brings us to concerns about the first quarter and beyond. David Garrity, an analyst with Caris & Co., concedes that keyword pricing in the first quarter is probably going to soften a bit as some advertisers balk at what they deem high rates.
But he argues that this weakness won't last for long. In an age where more and more TV viewers are using TiVo and digital video recorders to zoom past commercials, the Internet has emerged as a more viable way to target consumers. So the online search companies have leverage.
'Traditional means of advertising aren't working and there's no other game in town. Where the consumer goes the advertiser must follow so this pushback is merely a temporary phenomenon,' Garrity said.
What Thursday's dumping of search stocks really demonstrates is not a major deterioration in fundamentals but that any momentum stock trading at a ridiculously high multiple is subject to a correction at any hint of a slowdown in growth. Before Thursday's sell-off, Google and Yahoo! were trading at about 50 and 60 times 2005 earnings estimate..."
: "Forecasting Paid Search TrafficBy Heather Lloyd-Martin,
Despite the hype, being #1 in paid search results may not provide your company the desired bang for your marketing buck. Intelligently optimizing a paid search budget involves far more than setting random bid prices and guessing at returns..."
Despite the hype, being #1 in paid search results may not provide your company the desired bang for your marketing buck. Intelligently optimizing a paid search budget involves far more than setting random bid prices and guessing at returns..."
Google Toolbar's AutoLink & The Need For Opt-Out:
"AutoLink is new feature in the new third version of Google's popular Google Toolbar that's raised controversy since it was released last week. Why are publishers upset? Can they block the feature that adds links to their web pages? Who rules over content, users or publishers? Why do I think Google should give publishers an opt-out for the feature. That, and other issues, we'll explore in this article. It's a long one, so the links below will let you jump to particular sections, if you prefer..."
Also see Barnes & Noble Overrides Google Toolbar AutoLink
"AutoLink is new feature in the new third version of Google's popular Google Toolbar that's raised controversy since it was released last week. Why are publishers upset? Can they block the feature that adds links to their web pages? Who rules over content, users or publishers? Why do I think Google should give publishers an opt-out for the feature. That, and other issues, we'll explore in this article. It's a long one, so the links below will let you jump to particular sections, if you prefer..."
Also see Barnes & Noble Overrides Google Toolbar AutoLink
What s Up With Google Calendar:
"Andrew Goodman | Contributing Writer | 2005-02-24
Editors Note: There are rumors circulating that Google is contemplating the release of web-based calendar, which would perform much like a personal date book or organizer. The source for these rumors seems to be increased Googlebot activity to a site featuring a web calendar..."
"Andrew Goodman | Contributing Writer | 2005-02-24
Editors Note: There are rumors circulating that Google is contemplating the release of web-based calendar, which would perform much like a personal date book or organizer. The source for these rumors seems to be increased Googlebot activity to a site featuring a web calendar..."
FindWhat Searches for a Tailor [Fool.com: Motley Fool Take] February 24, 2005:
"By Rick Aristotle Munarriz (TMF Edible)
This isn't FindWhat.com (Nasdaq: FWHT) at its finest hour. After a lackluster December quarter sent the shares lower last night, one is starting to realize that in the paid search space you have Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) and Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) on top and just about everybody else fighting for scraps like prehistoric bottom-feeders.
FindWhat's fourth-quarter numbers don't appear to be so bad on the surface. That's because the company's revenues nearly tripled, which is impressive until you realize that it's not all organic growth. The company has made some significant acquisitions, and while I think they were all sound moves, diluted shares outstanding are up by 38% over the past year as a result of the buying spree. That's why one is right to be cynical when one reads about a 179% top-line spurt...
...That's why the stock is a great deal at this morning's prices. After last night's spill, the stock was marked down to just 13 to 16 times this year's earnings. Even if Google's coattails now lay separated and motionless under its feet, FindWhat's an attractively priced growth stock right now. All it needs now is a tailor to sew them back on..."
"By Rick Aristotle Munarriz (TMF Edible)
This isn't FindWhat.com (Nasdaq: FWHT) at its finest hour. After a lackluster December quarter sent the shares lower last night, one is starting to realize that in the paid search space you have Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) and Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) on top and just about everybody else fighting for scraps like prehistoric bottom-feeders.
FindWhat's fourth-quarter numbers don't appear to be so bad on the surface. That's because the company's revenues nearly tripled, which is impressive until you realize that it's not all organic growth. The company has made some significant acquisitions, and while I think they were all sound moves, diluted shares outstanding are up by 38% over the past year as a result of the buying spree. That's why one is right to be cynical when one reads about a 179% top-line spurt...
...That's why the stock is a great deal at this morning's prices. After last night's spill, the stock was marked down to just 13 to 16 times this year's earnings. Even if Google's coattails now lay separated and motionless under its feet, FindWhat's an attractively priced growth stock right now. All it needs now is a tailor to sew them back on..."
:
"A Higher Google Standard?
By Susan Kuchinskas
As blogs go mainstream, Internet ills will follow.
Some of Blogspot bloggers have become unwitting vectors for spyware, an Internet expert charged this week. And he thinks Google should take a stand.
Blogspot is the blog hosting service associated with Blogger, the Web log authoring and publishing business Google (Quote, Chart) acquired in 2003. Ben Edelman, a Harvard Ph.D. candidate and spyware expert, charged that Google has done nothing to fix a flaw in Blogger coding that has made its blogs a haven for spyware and adware..."
"A Higher Google Standard?
By Susan Kuchinskas
As blogs go mainstream, Internet ills will follow.
Some of Blogspot bloggers have become unwitting vectors for spyware, an Internet expert charged this week. And he thinks Google should take a stand.
Blogspot is the blog hosting service associated with Blogger, the Web log authoring and publishing business Google (Quote, Chart) acquired in 2003. Ben Edelman, a Harvard Ph.D. candidate and spyware expert, charged that Google has done nothing to fix a flaw in Blogger coding that has made its blogs a haven for spyware and adware..."
Search Marketing in 2005 - Adaptation ensures Evolution:
"Article by Jim Hedger, StepForth Search Engine Placement Inc.
The environment is changing rapidly. The core temperature of the search engine sector is continuously growing warmer as interest in search-advertising increases. Over a dozen consecutive quarters of this intensifying heat is melting the ice cap that formed a glass ceiling between search engine marketers and mainstream advertising consciousness...
"Article by Jim Hedger, StepForth Search Engine Placement Inc.
The environment is changing rapidly. The core temperature of the search engine sector is continuously growing warmer as interest in search-advertising increases. Over a dozen consecutive quarters of this intensifying heat is melting the ice cap that formed a glass ceiling between search engine marketers and mainstream advertising consciousness...
MENAFN - : "Google, Amazon sell movie tickets online
Date: Thursday, February 24, 2005 1:21:06 PM EST
MOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Feb. 24 (UPI) -- California's Google Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.'s Internet Movie Database both launched Internet bids this week to sell movie tickets.
Amazon's Internet Movie Database partnered with Fandango Inc. and Google teamed with MovieTickets.com Inc. in their ventures.
Google's new service not only lets users buy tickets but also lets them search for actors, movie titles or such general keywords as 'great action sequence,' the Los Angeles Times said Thursday.
Online tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co. says online sales are a small portion of overall box-office receipts, which it said hit a record $9.4 billion last year."
Date: Thursday, February 24, 2005 1:21:06 PM EST
MOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Feb. 24 (UPI) -- California's Google Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.'s Internet Movie Database both launched Internet bids this week to sell movie tickets.
Amazon's Internet Movie Database partnered with Fandango Inc. and Google teamed with MovieTickets.com Inc. in their ventures.
Google's new service not only lets users buy tickets but also lets them search for actors, movie titles or such general keywords as 'great action sequence,' the Los Angeles Times said Thursday.
Online tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co. says online sales are a small portion of overall box-office receipts, which it said hit a record $9.4 billion last year."
Netimperative - Bigger not always better for search:
"By Robin Langford - Last modified 25-02-2005 01:36 PM
UK advertisers need to rely on more information than purely the size of a search engines audience when choosing where to spend their budgets for keyword placements, according to Web monitoring firm Nielsen//NetRatings.
The firm's Mega View Search report, published today, measured how many search results from major engines such as Google and Yahoo, are actually clicked on..."
"By Robin Langford - Last modified 25-02-2005 01:36 PM
UK advertisers need to rely on more information than purely the size of a search engines audience when choosing where to spend their budgets for keyword placements, according to Web monitoring firm Nielsen//NetRatings.
The firm's Mega View Search report, published today, measured how many search results from major engines such as Google and Yahoo, are actually clicked on..."
IBM expands corporate search ambitions - News - CNETAsia:
"By Martin LaMonica, CNET News.com - Friday, February 25 2005 8:56 AM
IBM's mission to spice up corporate search and become a 'Google for the enterprise' continues in earnest.
By the end of the year, Big Blue intends to release an update to its corporate information-management tools, which are designed to bring order to potentially thousands of data sources in a company's network.
Code-named Serrano, the product will use technologies including artificial intelligence and data mining to derive more meaning from corporate documents. It will also have a revamped search engine and front-end tool designed to make hunting for company information as straightforward as searching the Web, according to IBM... "
"By Martin LaMonica, CNET News.com - Friday, February 25 2005 8:56 AM
IBM's mission to spice up corporate search and become a 'Google for the enterprise' continues in earnest.
By the end of the year, Big Blue intends to release an update to its corporate information-management tools, which are designed to bring order to potentially thousands of data sources in a company's network.
Code-named Serrano, the product will use technologies including artificial intelligence and data mining to derive more meaning from corporate documents. It will also have a revamped search engine and front-end tool designed to make hunting for company information as straightforward as searching the Web, according to IBM... "
Search Engine Lowdown :: News: Impression Spam Impacting Google AdWords Advertisers:
"ClickZ tracks a developing trend that is starting to worry advertisers on Google, impression spam.
The search engine giant defines impression spam as 'ad impressions generated outside of normal search activity, in some cases deliberate in other cases not deliberate,' whose overall effect is minimal, said Salar Kamangar, Google's director of product management.
It makes sense why it would exist, after all, if you can increase the number of impressions to an advertisers ad (without also increasing the click-thrus), you can work that to your advantage.
Industry-watchers speculate fraudsters take advantage of Google's system by disabling their own ads, making a flurry of queries on their chosen keywords, and then re-enabling their ads. By doing this, they drive down the CTR on competitors' listings, then swoop back in to claim higher rankings.
Lisa Wehr of OneUpWeb believes 'without the CTR (click thru rate) algorithm, impression spam would go away.'
Yeah, but then Google wouldn't be able to make as much money. Remember, they push the best performing ads to the top of the list, in order to benefit themselves advertisers.
- Search Engine News by Andy Beal "
"ClickZ tracks a developing trend that is starting to worry advertisers on Google, impression spam.
The search engine giant defines impression spam as 'ad impressions generated outside of normal search activity, in some cases deliberate in other cases not deliberate,' whose overall effect is minimal, said Salar Kamangar, Google's director of product management.
It makes sense why it would exist, after all, if you can increase the number of impressions to an advertisers ad (without also increasing the click-thrus), you can work that to your advantage.
Industry-watchers speculate fraudsters take advantage of Google's system by disabling their own ads, making a flurry of queries on their chosen keywords, and then re-enabling their ads. By doing this, they drive down the CTR on competitors' listings, then swoop back in to claim higher rankings.
Lisa Wehr of OneUpWeb believes 'without the CTR (click thru rate) algorithm, impression spam would go away.'
Yeah, but then Google wouldn't be able to make as much money. Remember, they push the best performing ads to the top of the list, in order to benefit themselves advertisers.
- Search Engine News by Andy Beal "
Search Engine Blogs - The Great List of Search News Bloggers - Search Engine News Journal:
"...Here is Aaron’s list of most of the SEO Blogs and Search Engine Blogs on the Internet..."
"...Here is Aaron’s list of most of the SEO Blogs and Search Engine Blogs on the Internet..."
Ask Jeeves to Cannibalize Teoma - Search Engine News Journal:
"I have had the privilege to be in communication with Jim Lanzone at Ask Jeeves on a fairly regular basis. In some of our email exchanges, he discussed how Teoma is Ask Jeeves. I couldn't find the right word for it, so I used "cannibalize". Cannibalize is a harsh word, but the point is, Ask Jeeves is what people know. You and I might know Teoma, and respect it highly but its time for Ask and Teoma to "establish themselves as a single entity." Apostolos one of the founders of Teoma is the "#1 guy driving the engine", Jim told me. Jim continues by saying, without Ask Jeeves, Teoma would not be where it is today, so in a sense "Teoma is really just a theory" - Ask Jeeves is the engine..."
"I have had the privilege to be in communication with Jim Lanzone at Ask Jeeves on a fairly regular basis. In some of our email exchanges, he discussed how Teoma is Ask Jeeves. I couldn't find the right word for it, so I used "cannibalize". Cannibalize is a harsh word, but the point is, Ask Jeeves is what people know. You and I might know Teoma, and respect it highly but its time for Ask and Teoma to "establish themselves as a single entity." Apostolos one of the founders of Teoma is the "#1 guy driving the engine", Jim told me. Jim continues by saying, without Ask Jeeves, Teoma would not be where it is today, so in a sense "Teoma is really just a theory" - Ask Jeeves is the engine..."
PCWorld.com - AOL Enters Local Search Market: "Juan Carlos Perez, IDG News Service - Thursday, February 24, 2005
America Online has launched a local search service designed to let users of its search engine find information tied to a specific place, such as business listings, movie times, and events..."
America Online has launched a local search service designed to let users of its search engine find information tied to a specific place, such as business listings, movie times, and events..."
Google, Yahoo Shares Slip on Analyst's Ad Warning: "From Bloomberg News
Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. shares fell Thursday after an analyst said prices for advertisements linked to Web search results had fallen 10% or more so far this quarter.
Falling demand for Internet ads in 2005 compared with the last three months of last year is driving down prices, New York-based RBC Capital Markets analyst Jordan Rohan wrote in notes to clients.
Retailers may have bid up the price of search-linked ads during the fourth quarter's holidays, Rohan wrote. The decline in prices may reflect a seasonal drop or longer-term slowing growth in the market, he said..."
Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. shares fell Thursday after an analyst said prices for advertisements linked to Web search results had fallen 10% or more so far this quarter.
Falling demand for Internet ads in 2005 compared with the last three months of last year is driving down prices, New York-based RBC Capital Markets analyst Jordan Rohan wrote in notes to clients.
Retailers may have bid up the price of search-linked ads during the fourth quarter's holidays, Rohan wrote. The decline in prices may reflect a seasonal drop or longer-term slowing growth in the market, he said..."
Google may host encyclopedia project: : "By Matt Hines, Special to ZDNet - 15 February 2005
Wikipedia.org could soon be hosted on Google's servers, as the search giant looks for ways of supporting the Wikimedia Foundation. "
Wikipedia.org could soon be hosted on Google's servers, as the search giant looks for ways of supporting the Wikimedia Foundation. "
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Google may host encyclopedia project: "By Matt Hines, Special to ZDNet - 15 February 2005
Wikipedia.org could soon be hosted on Google's servers, as the search giant looks for ways of supporting the Wikimedia Foundation..."
Wikipedia.org could soon be hosted on Google's servers, as the search giant looks for ways of supporting the Wikimedia Foundation..."
