Google Testing Click to Call
November 23, 2005
Google’s testing out a Pay Per Call solution.
Look for a small phone icon next to the PPC ads.
It’s been long speculated they would at least test it out. Google’s mantra: Test it out, see if it works, if yes, then implement, if no, then just call it a limited test.
This seems to follow that same pattern with a limited test.
Google FAQs here.
Google Privacy Policy Here.
Full story here.
Some Info at ReveNews.
Froogle Integrates Maps
November 23, 2005
Froogle is Google’s comparison shopping engine. It debuted a few years ago and has lived in beta ever since.
Froogle just received it’s first major upgrade in quite some time with the integration of Google maps into Froogle based on certain search words.
If you search for a product near city, then the map is pulled into the results. Even a search for city product does not pull map results at present. (Expect this to be fixed eventually, or a more intuitive way of seeing products overlayed on a map).
Alternately, one can also use the ‘local shopping’ vs ‘online shopping’ tabs to determine the shown results.
If you are a merchant who wishes to sell on Froogle, the instructions from Google are here. Many shopping carts these days can also export Froogle feeds which make uploading your entire product inventory quite easy.
Related Resources:
Froogle on Kelsey Blog
Froogle Feeds work with Google Base - Webmaster World
SEO Roundtable Blog Post
CNet Plays the Local Shopping Game
November 22, 2005
CNET Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNET), today announced local shopping functionality that lets consumers find stores in their area that stock the technology gadgets they want to buy. Part of CNET’s annual holiday line-up of resources for consumers, the new local shopping functionality serves up comprehensive local store information, such as the store’s hours, contact information and directions.
I searched CNet for local shopping, and the closest function I could find was a ‘enter zip code’ form. After filling it out for 10 zip codes in the Chicago area, the only results that were brought back were for ‘online stores’. No physical stores were found. Circuit City is one of the ‘online stores’ and has about a dozen stores within 20 miles of me, yet none of these actual stores were presented.
Hopefully, this type of data integration grows over the next few months. It’s a great idea in theory, but there’s not an easy way for an advertiser to add inventory, or for a user to pull back local information yet.
Keep an eye on CNet, they are quite leaders in many online review areas, and I’m expecting them to quietly integrate this data to provide some great functionality without a lot of press to keep one informed.
Yahoo ads PPCall
November 9, 2005
The pay per call trademark is owned by Ingenio. Not sure what Yahoo is going to call their pay per call solution; however, there are many reports of them currently offering a beta test solution on the PPCall platform.
Google is calling their solution Click to Call.
The Kelsey blog has some information about this test.
Expect a few more rumors and announcements over the next few months.
A little info about PPCall:
PPCall is the next generation of small business advertising. Instead of paying per click (the traditional model currently abounding on the web) advertising, pay per call is charged when someone calls the advertiser.
In some industries, this model will never work. Amazon doesn’t want phone calls, they want online shoppers.
However, a plumber would rather pay for a phone call to talk directly with a potential client than have someone visit his website.
Small businesses are familiar with the traditional Yellow Page market. They often measure success in phone calls and actual leads/sales. Paying per click, worrying about website conversion rates, bounce rates, click fraud, etc is not part of their business model or expertise - hence why many small businesses have not adopted the PPC model of advertising.
PPCall will help to alleviate the slow migration of Small businesses onto the internet by giving them a chance to advertise in a model they’re more familiar with - phone calls.
PPCall will probably see a slow adoption over the next year, but those who adopt will be able to take advantage of a growing internet trend - online search to offline sale.
Ingenio to display PPCall ads on Local.com
November 7, 2005
Local.com is an up and coming local based search engine. Their user query is increasing each month, and so is their local data.
Ingenio has been a pioneer in the PPCall (pay per call) arena, and continues to look for new quality distribtuion.
This partnership should be very good for both companies as they look to gain market share.
Pay Per Call is a paid-search advertising model pioneered by Ingenio last year that empowers business — including small and local merchants who may or may not operate a website — to generate targeted phone calls instead of website clicks, and pay only for calls received. Ingenio also powers the industry’s only ad distribution network dedicated solely to Pay Per Call. Local.com represents additional distribution for Ingenio’s Advertising Network, which is anchored by AOL Search.
Launched in August 2005, Local.com enables consumers to find local businesses, products, and services quickly and easily. Powered by Interchange’s proprietary Keyword DNA(TM) and local-web indexing technologies, Local.com is designed to deliver consumers highly relevant local-search results. The inclusion of Ingenio’s Pay Per Call advertiser listings represents
Take Google Local with you Everywhere
November 7, 2005
Google recently integrated their local service with their map structure in the first of what I hear is several new developments for this property.
Google’s next move is to launch Google Local for the phone.
The wave of JAVA enabled phones has allowed a large development of new phone based applications. If you have a JAVA enabled phone, it’s usually quite easy to add new services (often in the form of games or organizers) to your phone.
This service is a very stripped down version of the Google Local property. It allows for search, driving directions, and what is sure to be the best feature - just call the establishment. (This would be a great place to integrate Pay Per Call Advertising).
The service looks very easy to implement, if they support your particular brand.
I found it odd that I have a brand new JAVA enabled phone (the Motorola i836) which is not supported at all. There could be an issue as Nextel is my carrier, and it was recently acquired by Sprint, thus Google hasn’t updated their service yet, but no Google Local for me to test out.
Google has released a nice tour of the property so you can see a wide variety of screen shots in how the service will work.
One thing that did impress me is their nice list of FAQs. There have been times when Google released a product with very little support - not this time. It looks like Google understands they need to capture users through phones and their local property, and are quite willing to offer some free services and support to reach these goals.
Google has done a good job of integrating maps and driving directions into the application. With both satellite imagery and traditional maps, one can find directions, view the area, and find their way across a city to a local business.
The integration with search and mobile devices will only grow over the coming years. Google has taken a large step in adding value to not only their local search property, but leaping off the computer to user’s phones so they can take Google with them everywhere.
Keysey Group Research: News They Like, Not the Newspaper
November 5, 2005
I’m a fan of Greg Sterlin’s blog, and he has some comments about their latest focus group which was conducted about what local websites people enjoy.
One thing that was interesting . . . Of the “favorite Web sites” identified, the majority of them had in one way or another to do with news or local (sites like SFGate and Craigslist). These people liked and read the news, just not in the newspaper—although they read newspapers when they were around. They just didn’t buy them or subscribe.
…
What’s the ideal local Web site? “A Google for local that would have everything local in it . . . kind of like Craigslist,” said one woman who was working on a home remodel. While Google Local, specifically, never came up “Local.Yahoo.com” was mentioned a few times.
The news that keeps coming out, IYPs are dead.
IYPs are reinventing themselves.
IYPs will be successful as they’ve been in business for 100+ years.
No matter the viewpoint, they have a lot of cash. They have a lot of sales people. They will play some part in reaching local businesses who wish to advertise online.
Their place in the long run - “innovate or die” seems to be the consensus.
However, isn’t this true for all online destinations?
IYPs will play a part in bringing local businesses online. Some generations may not like them, other’s do enjoy the consolidated business information.
At present, they still bring buyers, conversions, and dollars to local businesses.
In my book, that’s the real bottom line.
Yahoo Upgrades Maps
November 3, 2005
There has been a flurry of activity surrounding Yahoo’s new map service.
For those who don’t want to read any commentary and just get clicking - here’s where you need to visit (FYI - If you’re using Avant browser, you need to turn on Flash to view).
Yahoo Blog on Map Upgrade.
New Map APIs from Yahoo.
The Beta Map Page.
For those who are still here…
The new service has a very interesting point-to-point direction service. Search for your favorite restaurant. Hover over the map until the pop up box appears. Click on the double >> and click on ‘directions to’. Then find your house, and click on ‘directions from’. On the left hand side, you can now get directions.
Yahoo has also integrated user reviews into the maps. Reviews written about businesses on local.yahoo.com show the number of stars and reviews for that particular business.
This is a very seamless integration of user reviews and yahoo local direct into their map service.
Yahoo has a definite edge over Google and MSN with maps, local information, user reviews, and allowing users to update/add information. I’ve been very pleased with Yahoo’s ability to ignore the hype around some other products and keep just churning out quality local products.
Chris Sherman has a nice wrapup on the new product.
Superpages.com Adds User Reviews
November 2, 2005
Superpages, one of the larger IYPs on the net has made a bold step toward becoming a community portal - allowing user reviews.
User reviews are hailed as some as the new online community. Allowing a customer to see what other’s thought of a business, before contacting them, is the new wave.
Others consider user reviews to be amateurish at best and to provide no real value.
Personally, I think user reviews are perfect - Amazon has shown us what kind of value they can provide. However, the real trick comes with providing quality user reviews.
One of the most used tactics right now in local marketing is to write your own reviews. And then switch user IDs, and write another one. And then log into a public computer (different IP address) and write yet another one. Soon, you can have 30 great reviews without someone even seeing your listing.
There is very little quality control in the user review market by the portals as a whole.
However, and I can only speculate that this is how Yahoo and other’s are viewing their overarching goals, when a portal has enough individuals using reviews, they start to control each other. Such questions as ‘Was this review helpful”, ‘Report Abuse’, etc can’t just be pretty links, they have to be used. With enough users, they do provide some quality. With too few users, they just provide a way to manipulate the system.
Superpages does have upto a 48 hour wait period before reviews go live - so let’s hope they are providing only quality reviews to their users and reviewing the reviewers before the content goes live.
Local Matters acquires AreaGuides.net
November 2, 2005
Still not sure of the implications yet, but seems two companies (now one) to keep an eye on:
DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov. 1, 2005–Local Matters, Inc., a technology company transforming the Yellow Pages market through advanced Internet, voice and mobile search and media solutions, today furthered its strategy to deliver added revenue opportunities to Yellow Pages publishers with the acquisition of AreaGuides.net, an aggregator of local and vertical content with more than 3 million unique visitors a month and a consumer traffic profile ranked in the top 15 of local directories.
AreaGuides.net complements Local Matters’ existing advanced search and content technologies for incumbent media publishers and directory assistance service providers. AreaGuides.net delivers vertical content about travel and relocation information and services, generating targeted traffic that is highly valuable to Yellow Pages publishers.
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