Yahoo!7 Boosts Answers But No More Questions for Google
By Martin Kelly, Editor, Search Engine Room Australian search engine Yahoo!7 integrated its free ‘Answers’ facility into organic search results late last week, rapidly following the lead of US-based Yahoo!. The move comes less than two weeks after Google announced it was shutting down Google Answers – a paid service that never found traction with consumers either globally or in Australia – after four years. Latest figures from Nielsen//NetRatings show that Yahoo!7 Answers ranks third in the ‘Research Tools’ category with 365,000 unique visitors for October, while Google Answers is in 45th place with 45,000 unique visitors. A key difference is that Yahoo!7 Answers is free and that answers are provided by the ‘community’ rather than paid, screened experts as is the case with Google, which will stop taking new questions in the New Year. This category is dominated by Wikipedia, with all 2.5 million unique visits. Daylight, in the shape of Answers.com, is second (499,000 uniques). Other players include Dictionary.com (347,000) Findarticles.com (245,000) and TheFreeDictionary.com (224,000). All of these are free services. Head of Search at Yahoo!7, Brett Poole*, said the Australian launch of Answers was part of a global rollout, that included other regional markets such as Singapore, after it was recently unveiled in the US. The initiative is part of the Yahoo! quest for differentiation by emphasising its strength in the fast-growing category of Social Search, where it owns sites such as flickr and del.icio.us. At present the integration of Answers into Yahoo!7 Search is limited, with a selection of relevant results – complete with miniature images - appearing after the 10th organic response. However, it only seems to work on generic searches utilising phrases such as ‘parenting’ despite using the comprehensive international ‘Answers’ database. Poole said it is early days for the service and that Yahoo!7 is currently monitoring the click-through rate to determine effectiveness. * Brett Poole will be speaking at Search Engine Room in Sydney on March 20 & 21. 11 December, 2006 Latest News
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Events
Australia’s original search marketing and optimisation event, Search Engine Room, is returning to Sydney with a fresh theme and approach. Highlights include:
Search Engine Room an Australian-owned event that strives to reflect the market in which it operates while embracing international trends. It’s outward rather than inward looking, taking great care to incorporate consumer and marketing priorities into innovative and provocative programs. The program will be launched the week beginning July 21. Informative, educational, provocative and sometimes controversial, Search Engine Room is the leading event for Australasia's rapidly-growing search industry. It's held annually, attracting widespread industry support, and has a reputation for quality content, excellent event management and staging. The program focus is on respected, well-connected speakers delivering topical, relevant information. Search engine optimisation and marketing is well-covered, while broader industry issues are also addressed through interviews with leading search industry figures. There are case studies and debates, plus panels led by informed journos. Audience interaction is encouraged and Search Engine Room always makes an effort to be forward-looking, tracking the latest search and digital trends. Consumers are also given the once-over, enabling delegates to gain a better understanding of their customers. This format has great appeal and delegates come from around the country. Apart from search marketers, marketing managers, e-commerce managers, online business owners, senior management, digital media executives and agency types predominate. Companies large and small from diverse industries are represented. Some have been in the game for years, others are just starting out. A good way of keeping in touch is to subscribe to Search Engine Room News, which is packed with original content and comes out every five or so weeks. If you have any questions, please call Martin Kelly on 612-9882-1575. Meanwhile, here are some images from the 2007 event.
Bookings are now open for TRAVELtech 2008 - Australia's leading online travel marketing, distribution and tech event. This year's theme is the open-ended Year of Living Dangerously? It can be taken a couple of ways ... the obvious: oil, inflation, interest rates and marketing costs up - challenges ahead. But it's also a question, and the good news is there's increasing evidence the online channel may be the place consumers turn at times like these. Find out more at TRAVELtech 2008. Confirmed speakers are listed below, while the latest program has just been posted - it's packed with industry leaders and topical content.
TRAVELtech, founded in 1999, focusses on the latest online travel marketing and web-based innovations. It has a well-established reputation for delivering relevant, high-quality content and excellent networking - more than 300 delegates attended in 2007. If you have any questions, suggestions or would like to sponsor, please call Martin Kelly on (612) 9882-1575. Please visit the TRAVELtech photo gallery to see some photographs from the 2007 event. |
