Dictionary.com goes ALL advertisement.

And it works.

Dictionary.com is one of those websites that I go to out of habit, even though better options exist. Options that haven't sold their soul for advertising dollars (ahem...ESPN) to the point that they embrace pop-up ads. Thank god they haven't figured out a way to make video relevant on their site. (see previous post on how much I hate pre-roll ads here)

Imagine my surprise when I went to Dictionary.com today and saw that their entire homepage has been turned into a Toyota Prius Ad, and to great effect. I can't even remember what it looked like before, because all I've ever paid attention to was the search bar. Now I want a Prius.

How long before Bing follows suit, and turns your vacation photo backgrounds into full page ads?

Dictionary.com goes ALL advertisement.

Yahoo and Microsoft have gotten together.

Announced this morning, Microsoft and Yahoo have signed an agreement to join search forces in an attempt to end their irrelevance in that space. An oddly out-dated looking website has also been created to pimp the agreement here.

Some bullets:

• The deal extends for 10 years (which seems like far too long a commitment)

• Bing will drive search, algorithmically, but Microsoft has a 10 year license to integrate any existing Yahoo search technologies. So there's some potential there for a better combined product.

• Yahoo gets to sell search for both companies (although "premium" partners are specifically addressed).
  

• Self-serve customers for both companies will funnel through Microsoft's AdCenter interface, which needs (and should get) dramatic usability improvement.

Ultimately (and assuming the DOJ approves the deal) this is probably good for the public in general. My personal experience with AdCenter results has been pretty poor, but adding all of Yahoo traffic should certainly help (should be approximately 30% of total search traffic). If Microsoft is serious about competing with Google however, particularly in the self-serve realm, they will absolutely need to improve AdCenter. Otherwise this merger just creates larger "also-ran".

Yahoo and Microsoft have gotten together.

SEO = voodoo

And Google = the Devil/an autocracy/inherently evil

Some anonymous donkey with an obvious anti-Google agenda wrote an open letter to TechCrunch about how Google hates him, and needs to be regulated. It's a fundamentally flawed opinion however, because Mr. Anonymous seems to believe that Search is a Marketing tool. Not a discovery tool.

One of his many complaints seems to be that paid search results are based not solely on PPC bid, but also on click through rate. But, um...shouldn't relevance to the customer be part of the equation? Just because your company is willing to spend $35 to elevate your ad for the "Sham-WOW!" to me doesn't mean I want to see it. He even seems to argue that Google should be required to document for him exactly how he can get his ad to appear (organically and paid search) in the top 3. Which would render Google completely irrelevant to the consumer. Unless the consumer wants to see a "Sham-WOW!" ad everytime he searches.

Mr. Anonymous has a bit of an inflated sense of his own importance. And frankly, that of search in general.

His claim that "search is the dominant methodology for consumers to find what they are looking for" rings absolutely inacurate. Even if you shrink the playing field to just the Web...search is just one of many tools. Consumers use Yelp, for example, to find restaurants. Or Tripadvisor to find hotels. Or Travelocity/Orbitz/Kayak for airfare.

He also goes as far as to imply that Google cares SO much about him, that his search results might suffer if they were to find out that he's also engaged with Yahoo and Bing.

I get his frustration. SEM is WILDLY inconsistent. There seems to be little pattern to results for similar terms on Google, Bing and Yahoo. Or even the same term, on the same Search Provider, over different days.

I also like his attempt to make a case that small businesses aren't capable of promoting themselves without the services of an agency. Maybe that's his whole point. Maybe's he the Biz Dev Manager for a SEM company. Otherwise, he's just nuts.

SEO = voodoo

Bing - all about the bids.

I decided to test a search campaign on Bing about two weeks ago, to see if this was more than a re-packaged Live Search. I have to admit, Bing is pretty. I like the interface. Search results actually seem more relevant.

Unfortunately, that's where the compliments end.

The most tragic flaw to my campaign, so far, is that I haven't seen an impression yet. Not one. Granted, this is a small campaign, and my bids are low (is it, I may have mentioned...a test).

MSN support has suggested (twice already) that I increase my bids. In fact, they didn't even LOOK at my account before suggesting I give them more money...in the $10+ range. After I responded a second time that no sponsored results are showing up for my keywords when I search on them, they've gone radio silent. Perhaps it's because they were all at Microsoft's Search Summit last week in Washington. Maybe their customer service staff was cut back to help fund the $100 million dollar advertising campaign MSN is running.

I think the most likely answer is that Microsoft has a minimum bid requirement that they don't advertize, which blocks impressions even when no one else is bidding against you.

Anyone know if there's any truth to that?

Bing - all about the bids.