Friday, May 27, 2005
New South African search engine launches
A search engine focusing on web sites and properties originating from South Africa has been unveiled.
The engine, called Funnel, only indexes pages and sites from South Africa and introduces a new advertising service, again focusing on web properties originating from the country.
The Funnel search interface, which follows Google's format, aims to assist South African citizens in finding quality indigenous web properties. The search engine offers several unique benefits such as crawling and updating the South African IP ranges frequently and is reportedly not cluttered with advertising banners.
"The key reason behind starting another search engine is guidedby the fact that South Africa requires a more advanced and efficient channel through which business and non-business people can acquire information at the click of a button," Funnel MD Gideon Galloway said.
The new search engine, www.Funnel.co.za
, claims to provide faster, more accurate and more relevant results as it only indexes domestic sites and it has also introduced the country's first "pay-per-click" advertising program.
There are around four million internet users in South Africa. South Africa already has a number of exclusive search engine sites, including Ananzi and Aardvark.
The Optimiser Newsletter - 27 May 2005
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Netscape launches next-generation Web browser
Netscape on Thursday launched version 8.0 of its Web browser, promising better security and the ability to switch between rival browsers Internet Explorer and Firefox.
Netscape was once the dominant browser but is a shadow of its former self, in terms of market share. It is owned by America Online, a division of Time Warner Inc.
Netscape 8.0 aims to restore the browser's reputation, in part by combining rival technologies. It uses the new Firefox, a collaboratively developed browser program, to handle less secure sites, and Internet Explorer, by Microsoft Corp. , to open trusted ones.
"The browser is like a hybrid car that combines the usability of Internet Explorer with the security of Firefox," said Andrew Weinstein, a spokesman for America Online/Netscape.
The new Netscape checks sites for security, integrates Web search and offers advanced features like RSS feeds, which typically link to major news providers.
Netscape 8.0 automatically switches security settings, and the browser it uses, based on whether a site is a known and trusted site or an unknown site, the company said.
Internet News Article | Reuters.com
Free 20 pound Google voucher
For all our clients thinking about starting a Google AdWords account, here is a free 20 pound voucher.
Google Voucher
Please call Chris on 023 8042 3306 for more info.
We have posted an updated Google Voucher blog, detailing how these are available.
We have 10 google vouchers to assign to clients opening AdWord accounts.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
PPC Advertising Conversion Rate
A Web site's conversion rate is inextricably tied to the success and return on investment (ROI) of a company's pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaign. The more paid search bid prices increase, the more critical a site's conversion rate becomes to simply remain in the game.
There are three PPC advertising challenges related to low conversion rates:
If you're currently engaged in paid search advertising and the keyword price in the vertical market increases, your site's current conversion rate may not support the higher bids necessary to stay in the game.
Bid prices on a keyword set in your vertical market may continue to rise. If you're not currently engaged in PPC, when you finally decide to jump in, you'll already be priced out of the market.
If either of these scenarios apply to you, you'll need the knowledge and a strategy to increase conversion rates in an effective way.
With bid prices in some markets increasing quickly, companies that haven't yet launched PPC advertising campaigns are taking a serious risk. Bid prices could increase to a point where, by the time Retailer X starts experimenting with search advertising, it will be too costly to learn. It'll write off the medium altogether due to poor results and a seemingly insurmountable conversion rate deficit.
Worse, chances are Retailer X's competitors are already engaged in PPC advertising and working to improve their site's conversion rates. When Retailer X gets in the game, competitors' head start may provide them with a strong advantage.
PPC Advertising Connects to Conversion Rate
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Design Haus Sailing Day
A big thank you to all our clients that managed to join us for our first Design Haus sailing day. Fun was had by all and there was a few aching muscles over the following days.
Tom and the Lynx team ready to go
Tony Rice - www.icomia.com
our very own Rob Millward
The loosing boat (at least we played by the rules :-)
Tom and his team get that sinking feeling
Sophie at the helm - Quest TFI
Pete - The Drew Smith contingent
The Lynx team looking smug, little did they know.
Jake from Learning Through Landscapes
The winning yacht.
The winning team getting ahead.
"I will be back" - Chris, trying to navigate as well as he does his clients' Google accounts.
we really did have great weather.
Rob at the helm.
this is the moment the team (that slighlty bent the rules) took the lead, a smug looking Grant - Hythe Marina
Neil Lewis - Mountain Mavericks and Hvar Island, on the main sheet.
& Rachel - Quest TFI, looking rather pleased as she helms the yacht past team Lynx
Ha-Ha-Ha, is that Tom's team with their sails flapping in the background?
a big thank you to Anna and Dave (our 2 skippers) from Blue Spirit Yachting
and the winners are....
.
Friday, May 06, 2005
Internet ad profits up by a third
US internet advertising profits rose by 33 per cent in 2004 to a record $9.6 billion.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau and PriceWaterhouseCoopers found that online advertising spend surpassed levels seen during the early web boom, soaring to more than $9.6 billion over the year. The IAB predicts that advertising profits will grow at a similar rate in 2005.
Advertisers have indicated in recent months that they are starting to move more of their marketing budgets online. Quarter four 2004 revenues totalled a record $2.69 billion, making it the highest quarter ever reported.
The report states that search, classifieds, display and rich media continue to grow at a healthy rate. Consumer advertisers continue to represent the largest category of advertisers accounting for 49 per cent of the 2004 annual revenues, while the largest sub-categories under the consumer umbrella include retail, automotive, leisure, entertainment and packaged goods.
The Optimiser Newsletter - 6 May 2005
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
A Closer Look at Pay-per-Call Search Marketing
Last week, AOL became the largest online service to offer the comparatively new pay-per-call format to search advertisers. Pay-per-call is rapidly gaining traction among search marketers, especially those targeting a local audience, and if you're not familiar with the format, it's worth a look.
The pay-per-call format solves a problem for the millions of businesses that don't have a web presence, but still want to be found by online searchers. It's especially effective for local businesses, since pay-per-call ads can be targeted for users in a specific location.
A Closer Look at Pay-per-Call Search Marketing
Add your URL to Google
Add your URL to Google
Firewall Blocks Spiders
Wondering why your website isn't being spidered? Your firewall may now be part of the issue. We just ran into the issue of a few servers housing a few hundred websites get de-listed from the search engines shortly after these firewalls were installed. At first thinking it was a server wide ban then realizing it wasn't we had to figure out what had changed and the only server changes were the addition of the firewall.
SonicWALL Firewall Blocks Spiders
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