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Issue #035: Google Disappoints WallStreet
----------------------------------------------------------------- SearchReturn Discussion List "Understanding Internet Search Technology" ----------------------------------------------------------------- Moderator: Published by: Disa Johnson SearchReturn http://www.searchreturn.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- February 02, 2005 Issue #035 ----------------------------------------------------------------- SEND POSTS: ----------------------------------------------------------------- Refer a friend: http://www.searchreturn.com/subscribe.shtml ----------------------------------------------------------------- .....IN THIS DIGEST..... // -- FEATURED POST -- // "FTD Management Changes" ~ Jennifer Laycock // -- NEW DISCUSSION -- // "Search Referrals" ~ SearchReturn // -- ESSENTIAL NEWS -- // "Google Disappoints WallStreet" "Search Ad Performance Survey" "Newspaper Quagmire" ----------------------------------------------------------------- // -- FEATURED POST -- // ----------------------------------------------------------------- ==> TOPIC: FTD MANAGEMENT CHANGES "The head of marketing for FTD that was replaced because of 2005 decisions to forego search marketing, missing sales expectations as a result." From: Jennifer Laycock Refreshing! Not that I'm glad to hear about anyone losing their job, of course... but seeing that a large company is beginning to recognize the power of search marketing and the dangers of ignoring it... very refreshing. While I'm mostly out of the consulting business these days, I still occasionally do some consulting work with some of the larger advertising and PR firms in the Ohio area. It continues to amaze me to no end to see their abject dismissal of search marketing in nearly all circumstances. These firms, dealing with Fortune 500 clients, continue to believe that search marketing doesn't work, isn't needed, etc.. They honestly think that their clients are large enough that people just type in their URL. They think they have the brand power to be able to afford to forgo search marketing. One firm is currently working on a half a million dollar web site project for a very large international company that specifically requested search marketing. They've proceeded to build an all-Flash site full of mystery meat navigation that looks like something out of the year 2000. I've asked them if they understand that they're going to lose the client when the client realizes that their half a million dollar web site doesn't show up in the search engines. Their response? "Oh, they won't notice." Wow. Will you notice the loss of a half million dollars from your billings? I predict that within the next two to three years, we're going to see the death of many of the old-name marketing and PR firms that litter the country. We're quickly reaching the point where these types of firms are going to have to face the music and either find a way to offer search marketing services, or close their doors. A few years ago, I thought that many of these firms could simply turn to public relations and lose their focus on advertising and they'd survive, but the reality is that even public relations is now becoming so closely tied to search marketing and online reputation management that there will be no more "traditional PR firms." There will be the firms that do good work (i.e. include search in their offerings) and those that do not. -Jennifer Laycock Editor - Search Engine Guide http://www.searchengineguide.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- // -- NEW DISCUSSION -- // ----------------------------------------------------------------- ==> TOPIC: SEARCH REFERRALS Hello everyone, Queries you will find analyzing log entries can be quite perplexing. If you wonder how someone came to your site using a peculiar query, and you know you aren't in the result set for that query, then don't worry about it. When you have no matching content, it is not always a search referral just because it looks like one. Your visitor could have typed in the address field while having a result page loaded, visiting your site directly. This referrer looks like it came from search, but it didn't. Avoid being obsessive about search referrals that are way off topic. If you've got tracking stories, advice or insight to share with the group, we're starting a thread dedicated to tracking. Maybe you have a tracking question to ask. Ask it now. The convenient comment link makes it easy to post. Thanks! Stay tuned. -SearchReturn ----------------------------------------------------------------- // -- ESSENTIAL NEWS -- // ----------------------------------------------------------------- ==> Google Disappoints WallStreet http://www.searchreturn.com/digest/refs035.shtml Essentials: There really isn't that much to the story, except a milestone has been reached. Google has not met with the lofty expectations of WallStreet for the first time, despite the fact that their earnings were still staggeringly high with tremendous growth over the previous year. This is the same thing that hammered Yahoo! a short time ago when they reported their earnings to the same fickle audience. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ==> Search Ad Performance Survey http://www.searchreturn.com/digest/refs035.shtml Essentials: While Google disappointed WallStreet, they continue to please advertisers. In fact, all search advertising came out looking really good in this survey of 1,200 advertisers. It is predicted that search advertising will grow 26% this year, far outpacing the expected growth rate of print, radio and TV. It looks to be the fastest growing segment of online marketing. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ==> Newspaper Quagmire http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-6033574.html Essentials: The advent of online search engines has been tough on newspapers. Their advertising revenues continue to dwindle in the face of their clients turning more to the Web. Consumers now use the Web much more for news information, and rely less on physical papers for their daily dose. The match between search engines and news information is just too perfect. The newspapers rightly argue though, that the search industry owes a great deal of its success to the news industry. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Got feedback?: http://www.searchreturn.com/feedback.shtml Archives: http://www.searchreturn.com/digest-archive.shtml Alternate formats: http://www.searchreturn.com/info-formats.shtml Manage Subscriptions: http://www.searchreturn.com/help/manage-subs.shtml Problems unsubscribing? Contact the postmaster: mailto:postmaster@searchreturn.com Information on how to sponsor this publication: http://www.searchreturn.com/help/advertise.shtml Published by SearchReturn http://www.searchreturn.com Website Membership: http://www.searchreturn.com/register.shtml The contents of the digest do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SearchReturn or Disa Johnson. SearchReturn and Disa Johnson make no warranties, either expressed or implied, about the truth or accuracy of the contents of the SearchReturn Digest. 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