Yahoo! Launches Spyware Removal Option in Toolbar
The new beta version of the toolbar from Yahoo! now has an option to check for and remove spyware components on your drive. In the tests we have run on it, it is much faster than LavaSoft’s AdAware, however, it is not as complete and misses a lot of spyware in the registry. Obviously, since this is a beta version, they have some bugs to work out, but this is a great step in assisting users a fast solution to remove spyware components.
Yahoo! “Trusted Feed” Program Update
I have discussed the “Trusted Feed” program that Yahoo! has in the past and I wanted to pass on some numbers to you in case you have not fully taken advantage of this new plan. Due to confidentiality, I cannot disclose the name of this client, but they are in the health supplement / weight loss industry. Highly competitive. Typical top CPC positions are over $2.00. Their cost per click for all campaigns was an average of $1.24. Their conversion rate was 2.12%. They were just barely breaking even with the sales they were making, but their customer retention was 32% after 90 days.
Over a 60-day period, my staff created over 90 new pages of content, highly optimized for Yahoo! and tested on our servers for spiderability. The pages were then loaded on their server, indexed the next day by Yahoo! and included in the index just three days following. Traffic levels were strong, and in the first 30 days following the launch of the Trusted Feed program, the cost per click was reduced to an average of $0.71 (42% reduction), the conversion rate increased to 2.36% (11% increase), customer retention rates are unknown as they are measured after 90 days.
How effective was the Trusted Feed in real numbers? The client saved nearly $4,000.00 in PPC costs and increased sales by more than $17,000. A net increase of over $20,000 in one month. Every client that is using the Trusted Feed with optimized pages has seen a reduction in the cost per click, and an increase in conversions. This is the “silver bullet” as was reported in February.
Recommendation: If your site has at least 250 pages of content, you should be using the “Trusted Feed” program. I also recommend that one person is appointed to handle the account, optimize pages, perform keyword research and develop future content. At the minimum, 5-10 pages of content should be added per month. Doing so will ensure meeting customer demand and also getting spidered often by GoogleBot.
MSN Search Update
According to a source I have, the development of MSN’s new search engine is surpassing internal development milestones. It’s release should occur this summer, baring any huge internal issues. The system is returning queries faster and more accurate than Google. It’s Spam filters thus far have been better than expected, and the test results have shown only 2.3% of the top 30 listings in tests in violation of the terms of use (i.e. Spam). However, these are internal tests, and are limited in scope. I haven’t seen the test engine online for weeks. Despite this information, I would be surprised if the new engine goes public anytime soon. Keep concentrating on Google, Yahoo! and Overture.
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