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Issue #106: MSN Hack
----------------------------------------------------------------- SearchReturn Discussion List "Understanding Internet Search Technology" ----------------------------------------------------------------- Moderator: Published by: Disa Johnson SearchReturn http://www.searchreturn.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- November 14, 2006 SearchReturn Issue #106 ----------------------------------------------------------------- SEND POSTS: ----------------------------------------------------------------- Refer a friend: http://www.searchreturn.com/subscribe.shtml ----------------------------------------------------------------- .....IN THIS DIGEST..... // -- ESSENTIAL NEWS -- // "MSN Vulnerability" "AdWords Quality Score Update" "Free WiFi" ----------------------------------------------------------------- // -- ESSENTIAL NEWS -- // ----------------------------------------------------------------- ==> MSN Vulnerability http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/061110-093248 Essentials: It's not unusual for Microsoft to have a vulnerability, and here the search engine apparently allows malicious marketers to influence some of the duplicate filters in place by linking large amounts of addresses that resolve to the same page - but with fake parameters. Most search engines now easily crawl sites when there are some parameters in the page address, and Microsoft's duplicate filter apparently kicks in when it notices what looks like many addresses resolving to the same content. Check your backlinks if you suspect this is happening to you. You might also look at your referreres if you've been removed by MSN, but Yahoo!'s Site Explorer would be a good place to look first. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ==> AdWords Quality Score Update http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/061110-085425 Essentials: The latest revision of the Google AdWords Page Quality Score factor for your ads has a number of advertisers upset about price increases. The history of price and PPC goes way back to when GoTo originally instigated a $0.05 minimum bid, up from just a $0.01 as they started. Advertisers were angry then and thought GoTo was making a mistake. Fast forward several years. GoTo is now Yahoo! Search Marketing and Google has innovated on the idea of minimum bids forcing advertisers to increase their bids against a mystery Quality Score. It's no secret that what Google hides from advertisers is easily explained as protection of an industry secret, but it also gives Google the ability to adjust their service to hit quarterly earnings if they should desire to do so. The point of bringing up GoTo is that this is nothing new, and advertisers should expect that search advertising is to be adjusted upwards until it reaches a price saturation point. Once adding dollars makes no difference and just costs money, Google and the other search engines that sell advertising will not rest on their laurels content. They will look for more revenue. All public companies need to learn to satiate the ravenous WallStreet appetite for profits. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ==> Free WiFi http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=3623944 Essentials: In a good basic look at the opportunity for local search, particularly where free WiFi is available, Grant Crowell has a new SearchDay article up discussing the convergence. The Loki toolbar has been running for over a year on the SearchReturn laptop and we've located Starbucks addresses and other things conveniently. The Loki toolbar essentially uses IP intelligence such as that powered by Digital Envoy to identify your current physical location. Even though it may sound creepy the opportunity for marketers is huge. The convenience trade off is something users understand. What we found nice about Loki was configuring alternate search engines, (we configured TrueLocal for example), and having your location context automatically prepared as you search. For Starbucks listings the only query we need is [starbucks]. IP intelligence is not always perfectly accurate, but close enough. Major search companies are aware of the trend and after Google has supported free WiFi in the Bay Area, Microsoft just announced a partnership with MetroFi to power free WiFi in Portland Oregon. These partnerships entail customized default pages for the free WiFi connection screen where the search company powers the ads and functionality of the search field. With demographic info, Microsoft is in a good position to serve highly relevant advertising with MetroFi. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Stay Tuned. 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