June 2003 Newsletter
**** The 4specs Perspective
Are You Using AIA Learning Units in Your Marketing?
This article by Michael Chambers gives his perspective of some of the changes that may affect your Learning Units programs:
[article deleted]
If you have not checked out the product and specification discussions at 4specs, you may be surprised at our users and topics. Please no product promotion or spam here.
http://discus.4specs.com/discus/messages/board-topics.html
The Consolidation of Search Engines
Google is King - followed by Yahoo. There has been a continuing consolidation of search engines with just 2 primary search engines remaining at the top - Google and Yahoo. Search.msn.com has been slipping seriously, and the 4specs stats confirm this. Microsoft's primary business is not advertising revenues from searching. Microsoft has lost their focus in this area and Google and Yahoo have increased their market share.
Google is King:
[link outdated]
This means a clearer focus on where to evaluate spending advertising revenues on Internet advertising. Our past newsletter on Google advertising is still relevant:
https://www.4specs.com/news/0203_ads_google.html
Business to Business searching is very different. Quoting from this article: "B2B marketers know the value of a new customer is typically very high." The articles lists several general B2B portals - 4specs would be classed with this group with a specific focus on "Specified Construction."
ClickZ
Search Engines are focused on advertising revenues to survive and grow. This article discusses some of the new concepts in advertising and provides rankings by search engine revenues so you can see relative size:
[link no longer valid - and outdated]
"Tips for Google Optimizers and Advertisers:"
[Link no longer available]
"Ten Tips to the Top of Google:"
[Link is no longer valid]
Frustrated with finding your best key words? "Target the wrong keywords and all your efforts are in vain." This website (for a reasonable daily or monthly fee) will tell you relative search frequency of words and help find new key words with better search results:
https://www.wordtracker.com/
Spam Increases
Spam is an increasing problem. Here are some of the better articles on what is happening to control spam. Getting your email through is becoming more difficult, and is one reason why I have gone to a very short email with a link to the information rather than putting the newsletter in the email.
Words such as "Free" and "Your Website" will trigger spam filters and the message would not get through. While sending the advertiser emails this month, one company would not pass an email with the word "spam" in it. I had to change the word to "unwanted email" just to get the message through.
"Online Portals Won't Defeat Spam:"
[article no longer available]
"Spam blockers may wreak email havoc;"
[Link no longer available]
"Law Order and Spam:"
ClickZ
--------------------------------------
Colin Gilboy
Publisher - 4specs
Contact us