Information Technology - Google Drives 70 percent of Traffic to Most Web Sites

A recent post in a discussion list suggested that Google is becoming the Microsoft of search (dominating web search as Microsoft dominates PC operating systems). So I decided to research a theory - one I'd developed about search engine traffic. I dug into the traffic stats on three of my own sites and those of several clients that I monitor traffic for.

While this case study is tiny and certainly NOT conclusive, I'll wager it has strong parallels across small business web sites. The conclusions drawn are admittedly opinion, based on very limited statistics, but those are all that matter to those of us seeing tiny search engine traffic from supposedly monstrous portals.

The participating clients from this case study ALL submit their sites to paid inclusion programs from AltaVista, Inktomi and AskJeeves/Teoma. Two use LookSmart LookListings and all but one are listed in YAHOO! Directory. All are listed in the Open Directory Project and all submit to smaller industry specific directories and smaller search engines. One uses Overture PPC on a limited basis, while none use Google Adwords. All were optimized by yours truly and each represent varied industries in retail, professional services and one is an information site only, is non-commercial and sells nothing. Each of them ranks well at most search engines, but see little traffic from those good rankings.

The research I did confirmed what I'd only assumed before by backing it up with solid numbers. On my own sites and those of clients that I reviewed, Google sends over 70% of all search traffic to every one of those domains in every case. This includes Google foreign variants, Google Directory and Google image search (image search numbers are tiny). The foreign Googles send tiny numbers of visitors from non-English speaking countries, but English speaking Google traffic from the UK, Canada and Australia drives more traffic than either Yahoo or MSN according to traffic statistics of those sites reviewed for this case study.

With the highest difference between compared search engine traffic of 8 percent variation between studied domains, I've compiled a list of average traffic delivered by search engines for those sites to which I have access to traffic logs. The Google percentages are inclusive of those portals that use Google results such as iWon.com and Yahoo web results. Direct Yahoo results are for sites listed in their directory.

The following are stats from comScore Media Metrix and show Google's reach when it's partners are included in the mix.

The numbers seem to make more sense. These numbers show average referred search engine traffic to those client sites reviewed for this article.

• Google..........74%
• Yahoo...........14%
• MSN............. 9%
• Ask............. 2%
• All other SE's.. 1%

I'm concerned, not that Google is too big, but that the other search engines just don't get it, don't deliver it and don't want to give it up. What is IT? Traffic!

I attribute this to one thing. Those search engines don't want to give up visitors to FREE search results. They are happy to send visitors off if they gain income from that traffic in either PPC ads or advertisements of ANY sort. Knowing that those free results will lose the "eyeballs" of searchers, they struggle to deliver both PPC ads and sponsor ads that most closely approximate the search phrase entered by the searcher. Thankfully, all have dropped banner ads from the SERP's (Search Engine Result Pages).

They cannot stand the idea they will lose the visitor and seek to entice them to click on something, anything that'll earn them income. Even if it means delivering NON-relevant results to entice the searcher to use a different search phrase seeking to gain more relevant results, thereby viewing more ads and additional PPC ads the visitor may click on to deliver income to the portal.

I believe these search engine traffic percentages are a direct reflection of relevance delivered by those search engines. The more relevant the results, the more likely they'll send a higher percentage of traffic to your site.

74% of search traffic referred:

Google offers their own PPC results, offers no outside banners, Amazon links or effluvia related to the search. They deliver relevant results and visitors love that, then leave freely to return next time they want relevant results.

14% of search traffic referred:

Yahoo offers Overture PPC results (which they'll soon own), Amazon links and sponsorship links, along with that "Also search in: Yahoo! Shopping" link at the bottom of every result page, hoping you'd rather shop than to actually find what you were searching for!

9% of search traffic referred:

MSN offers Overture PPC results, "Broaden your Search" (LookSmart) links, "Shopping Results on MSN" links and a sponsor text link at the bottom of every page as though you didn't really want to find anything but their ads.

2% of search traffic referred:

Ask offers more paid results than any other search property with 5 sponsor links at the top of every search result page and TEN links to further paid sponsor results in a "Related Searches" footer to every result page. LookSmart, Overture and Ask sponsors provide search ads. Doesn't Ask understand that most searchers see right through this?

Relevance at each of these search engines declines further with progress down the list of traffic referred. Is it any wonder Google is the leader? They lead in relevance, therefore in search engine referred traffic. All any engine need do is provide relevant results with limited sponsors and no excessive "shopping" or multiple source PPC links and book links. If they do that, they'll compete effectively with Google. More relavant search engines deliver the traffic to web sites, NOT to their advertisers.

I have a bold suggestion to make to MSN as they develop their newin-house search engine. Drop the ads, sponsors, book links, shopping links and resist the temptation to bring back banner ads. Searchers want to find what they are looking for and easily see through transparent attempts to sell stuff to them and keep them from leaving. Let go of searchers by delivering highly relevant search results while clearly labeling limited numbers of sponsor or PPC ads! The result will be devastating to Google by giving searchers a real alternative that they may prefer using!

YAHOO! has a huge task ahead of them - to integrate the recently acquired Inktomi, Overture (and Overture's recent acquisitions Altavista and Fast/AlltheWeb) search technology into their search mix. Clearly they've plenty of technology now and won't need Google when they add all these ingredients to the search soup they are cooking up. Yahoo will possess all the best technology and must only decide to provide relevant search results WITHOUT shopping links, excessive sponsor links, book links and other clutter to the SERP's.

I suggest that if they show only limited Overture PPC ads and clearly labeled sponsor ads along with the relevant results - that they can also threaten Google's lead. If the re-born, re-cooked and massively complex YAHOO! or the "new" MSN resist the temptation to send searchers to advertisers rather than sending them to relevant results, then we will have three very strong competitors in the search market. The numbers of search referrals will level off at about 30% per competitor and Google will have to fight to gain back their current dominance. If YAHOO! or MSN seek to favor advertisers over searchers, Google will maintain domanance - clear and simple.

I encourage all webmasters to do their own comparisons of traffic referrals now and then again when YAHOO! and MSN weigh in over the next year with their "new" offerings. It could get very interesting if there were some true competition in search, so referred traffic from YAHOO! and MSN starts to deliver to webmasters rather than advertisers.

Fashion & Clothing - Designer Teens

Blame it on shows like the O.C. and films like Clueless, but it appears that teens today are becoming increasingly outrageous when it comes to buying clothes. These days, if you're not sporting designer duds, you simply don't count. Only a generation ago the average teen strutted around in Levi's and Vans. Now it's Burberry's, Juicy Couture, Seven for Mankind jeans and Uggs.

In the US teens spent $191 billion (GBP104 billion) on designer clothes. According to Marshal Cohen, chief analyst for the US marketing research company NPD Fashionworld, teen's tastes have become more sophisticated. Fifteen years ago they were drinking Cherry Cokes, and now it's Grande Skinny Lattes.

Designers are very aware of teens as a prime target market and make use of the fact in their marketing campaigns. Luxury leather retailer Dooney & Burke features teen actress Lindsay Lohan in its ads and Versace sought out Christina Aguilera to model its couture dresses. Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren employ gorgeous, privileged teens in a number of their ad campagnes. According to Donatella Versace, teenaged girls "go crazy for luxury these days."

Not only wealthy teens are spending small fortunes on designer products. A number of those that have part-time jobs spend all their hard-earned money on clothes. The average second year university student has an outstanding credit card debt of more than $2000, according to www.Cardweb.com.

Reality shows like "Rich Girls", which featured Hilfiger's daughter Ally, and "The Simple Life" with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie have also undoubtedly contributed to the way teens perceive their micro cosmos. With role models like the ridiculously spoiled Paris, parents have their work cut out for them.

Information Technology - Cross Promote Online For Maximum Profits

Cross promoting is when two or more businesses promote their products or services together. I try to find businesses that have the same target audience, but are not in direct competition with my business. Doing cross promotions with other businesses increases your p.rofits, sales, and beat your competition.

You can find businesses to cross promote all over the Internet. Participate in e-mail discussion groups, online forums and newsgroups that deal with your target audience. Subscribe to e-zines that deal with your targeted audience. Note on your Web site or e-zine that you are interested in cross promoting your products and services. Search in your favorite web directories and search engines to find targeted businesses.

Cross promoting has many benefits. Save money by sharing the advertising and marketing costs. Save time when both businesses share the workload. You can offer your customers new products and services. Get referrals from the other business' clients. Receive valuable information from the business.

Once you find a business you would like to cross promote with simply e-mail them your proposal. Tell the business owner the benefits of the cross promotion. Explain to him or her why it would be a win/win situation for both of your businesses. Give them a lot of compliments about their business, Web site, products and services. Using all three methods above will greater your chance for a profitable cross promotion.

Good Luck!

Ten easy steps to help you simplify your work within a month

Have you got caught up in this instant, efficient and fast business world? Are you working longer hours and giving more in terms of commitment, output, effort and travel hours? Have you lost part of yourself along the way? Sarah Berry shares an extract from her latest book, 'Thank God It's Monday, how to love the job you do' and reveals how work can be easier.

Listed below are ten easy steps to help you simplify your work life within a month. The biggest thing you need to appreciate is that you don't have to work as hard as you might have led yourself to believe to date.

1. Attract new people into your life.

Consider inviting new people into your life who don't perhaps work as hard as you do, and try to learn from them. They are there to help you achieve your new level of simplicity.

2. Be willing to change.

If you are ready and willing to change, then change can happen. At this stage, you don't have to know how and what you need to do; you just have to be prepared to explore the options. Make a habit of asking yourself every day for 30 days, 'What do I need to do to change?' Do you need to let go of your high expectations, your high standards and your high demands? Or is it more to do with control? Every day for 30 days ask yourself the same question and if possible write down what comes up. Then you can assess your list at the end of the 30-day period. Has one thing cropped up more than once? Were you surprised by what came up?

3. Look at what you are holding on to.

For 30 days ask yourself, 'What am I holding on to in my job?' Again, note down on a piece of paper what comes up. Is it your power, your authority, your position, your level of respect, your sense of importance or the fact that you are needed? Let your thoughts come up and just note them down at this stage.

4 Look at and notice all the things you think you should do.

For 30 days notice what tasks you are doing at work on automatic pilot without reflecting why you are doing them. Write them down and write next to them what you could do instead. Doing things automatically helps you to 'feel' in control but they also burden you at the same time. Try to change your responses.

5. Look at what relationships you are running away from.

Work and heavy schedules mean that you lose sight of the importance of certain relationships. Be honest with yourself and for 30 days just notice, which relationships you are running away from because you are too busy or working too hard. Is it your partner, or spouse, your children, your boss, your colleagues or your clients?

6. Look at what is feeding your ego.

What work situations or commitments are feeding your ego and desire to have or do more? Often you can take on too much or commit to things that are complicating your life. Have you any of these and, if so, what are they? Write them down.

7. Look at how you could reduce your working day each day.

If your work has begun to creep into your free time, leisure time and weekends, now is the time to stop and look at how you can reduce your working day by as little as ten minutes every day for a month. Then gradually, over the month, you will be working towards working your specified number of hours or contracted hours.

8. Look at how you can communicate to your boss,

colleagues and associates the fact that you are simplifying. You may choose to get used to and feel comfortable with the simplification process before you communicate it to others. Or you may decide to tell others straightaway about your simplification programme. Whatever you decide, at some point you have to let people 'in' on the change in you, as simplifying goes against the main grain of things.

9. Look at how you can nourish your body.

Note down in the 30-day period how you intend to nourish your body better in terms of sleep, diet and exercise and how you intend to spend more time relaxing in nature or doing the things that you really enjoy.

10. Look at how you can become less work-orientated.

Work is and can be a big disease. It forces people to stop laughing, forgiving and having fun. It creates, above all, a critical and over-thinking generation of people. It creates people who lose their desire to be sensual and in touch with their thoughts, feelings and desires because there is always a job to do or a boss to be accountable to.

A huge step towards achieving simplicity is to stop over-thinking about your job, your role and your responsibilities. For the over-thinking crams your brain full of ideas, concepts, thoughts, worries, feelings and concerns about things that may or may not happen. People who suffer from over thinking are never at rest or at peace with where they find themselves.

Calm or simplicity comes when you can stop the over-thinking and get to the point of 'this is it', right now - a point where you are more liberated, carefree and out of the regiment within your work life. For example, you may like to be organised and tidy but on occasions allow yourself to be a little disorganised. You may pride yourself on being 'on time' but occasionally allow yourself to be a little late. You may pride yourself on being reliable but occasionally allow yourself to be a little unreliable.

You can become less work-orientated without losing your ambition, drive and enthusiasm. You are you and are allowed to be less serious about work, and your work colleagues will appreciate you for it. Try to see the funny side of things. As you do this, a calmness and serenity will permeate your working life because your fears will dissolve. No longer will you be running through scenarios in your head.

Notice the change in your energy as you move from a hectic, serious worker into a worker who can laugh, smile and enjoy work. As you step back from seriousness, work will turn from a struggle into a state of simplicity and balance. Just become aware of how you can drop your intensity about work and the need to 'be' or do everything.

Business & Opportunities - Blogging: Can It Be Useful for Your Business?

By Jeremy Wright.Date: Mar 18, 2005.

Blogging is here to stay, but did you know that blogging can be an important business tool? You can communicate with your customers and have them communicate with you in a real and meaningful way. You can build your awareness, influence the way people think about your company, and build better products by virtue of real two-way communication. And, yes, you can find out what your millions of potential customers are saying and then respond to them in an open and engaging way. Blogging expert Jeremy Wright shows you why you ignore this important tool at your peril.

Other Articles By Jeremy Wright.

It has been said that blogging is nothing new, that it's nothing special because it's just recycled technology, and that it's really more hassle than it's worth. It has even been said that blogging is really the worst form of self-interest available to modern man. In that light, it's difficult to see why blogging is still around.

But blogging is here today. There are more than 25 million blogs on the Internet. There are between 5 and 10 million active bloggers. And there are more than 5,000 companies that use blogs, either internally or externally, as collaboration, PR, and knowledge management tools.

But Is it Real?

That said, I'd hate for this article to be all hype and no juice. I spent the last few days at the New Communications Forum in Napa Valley, California talking with some of the top PR minds in the country about the issues and possibilities of blogging.

One individual from a prominent New York firm, who wishes to remain anonymous until she decides how best to apply blogs for her clients, summed it up best when she asked, "All of this is great, but what does it mean for my business and my clients?"

Yvonne DiVita and Tom Collins, two prominent bloggers from Rochester, NY, agree that the real crux of the matter is this: Should you use blogging in your business? And if you should, how should you use it?

Any technology—which is all blogging really is—can be used in a large variety of ways. And as those various ways are explored there are bound to be challenges. Some will be technological, such as how to implement an internal blog so that users don't need to learn a new technology at all. Others will be strategic, such as figuring out whether an external blog will be written by your CEO or by your technical teams.

For some companies, though, the discussion won't even get that far. They'll worry that any new technology isn't worth implementing simply because everyone else is doing it. They'll compare it to the early days of the Web, saying that the companies that first launched websites weren't necessarily the ones that benefited most from the Internet at all.

6 Ways To Keep Your Online Customers Away From Your Competition

1. Stay In Touch

Stay in contact with customers on a regular basis. Offer them a free e-zine subscription. Ask customers if they want to be updated by e-mail when you make changes to your Web site. After every sale follow-up with the customer to see if they are satisfied with their purchase.


2. Friendly Web Site

Make it easy for your customers to navigate on your Web site. Have a "FAQ" page on your Web site to explain anything that might confuse your customers. Ask them to fill out an electronic survey to find out how make your Web site more customer friendly.


3. Easy And Free Communication

Make it easy and for your customers to contact you. Offer as many contact methods as possible. Allow customers contact you by e-mail. Hyperlink your e-mail address so customers won't have to type it. Offer toll free numbers for phone and fax contacts.


4. Teach Your Employees

Make sure employees know and use your customer service policy. Give your employees bonuses or incentives to practice excellent customer service. Tell employees to be flexible with each individual customer, each one has different concerns, needs and wants.


5. Impress Your Customer

Give your customers more than they expect. Send thank you gifts to lifetime customers. E-mail them online greeting cards on holidays or birthdays. Award bonuses or discounts to customers who make a big purchase.


6. Be Nice

Always be polite to your customers. Use the words Please, Thank You, and Your Welcome. Be polite to your customers even if they are being irate with you. Always apologize to your customers should you make a mistake. Admit your mistakes quickly and make it up to them in a big way.

Quote of the Day:

"Joy is the will which labors, which overcomes obstacles, which knows triumph." -- William Butler Yeats