According to the dictionary, the definition of the word "overture" is as follows:
"An opening or initiating move toward negotiations, a new relationship, an agreement, etc.; a formal or informal proposal or offer."
Hmmmmmmmm...very interesting definition--especially that part about "a new relationship."
I think pay-per-click giant Overture should look up the definition of their own company name, because they appear to be breaching their "relationship" with their customers big time!
Here are the most common complaints:
So, why hasn't Overture done anything about the complaints? Because, and I'm going to as blunt as I possibly can here-- they don't care about you. They only care about your money! Arrogance and greed seems to be the common thread that bonds the major search engines.
But you have only yourselves to blame. That's exactly what happens when you "place all of your eggs into one arrogant search engine basket!"
When you're totally dependent on someone and they know you're totally dependent on them, more often than not, they'll put the screws to you. That's exactly what you see happening with Google, Yahoo and Overture. They're screwing you over big time!
I received some very interesting e-mails in response to my article, "Googles Trap, DMOZ's Nap, And Yahoo!'s Crap." The writer of one of the e-mails wanted to know if I was afraid of being penalized by the search engines, because of my criticism's of them.
Penalize me how? How can you penalize someone who neither benefits from nor is dependent on your service? I don't depend on the search engines! I don't benefit from them! I never have. I get almost no traffic from the search engines. For example, so far this morning I've received over 300 unique visits to my website. Out of that total, none came from the search engines--not a single one!
My traffic comes from the dozens of articles I've written, like this one that have been picked up and published on popular websites all over the Internet. I also get traffic via word of mouth, newsletters and ezines that my articles are published in, and a few other secret methods that I use.
That's the kind independence and power you give yourself, when you're not totally dependent on any one entity. Find alternative ways to attract traffic to your website. Here are a few suggestions:
Ezines, newsletters, forums, online magazines, sponsor listings on other websites, exchanging links.
Here are a few offline suggestions:
Magazines, direct mail, shopper newspapers, cable television, radio, flyers, hospital newsletters, card decks, trade journals and directories, bulletin boards, tabloid newspapers.
Here's what the writer of another e-mail I received had to say:
"Wow! What a pleasure to read your article, Googles Trap, DMOZ's Nap, And Yahoo!'s Crap. Boy, I've been complaining about this type of scenario for at least a year. I will also include Overture with the terrible trio. Overture has recently, with the long standing pay per click program, decided that all your keyword phrases will be broad matched. The reason they gave was that it was too time consuming for the user to manage their listings. Well, they forgot to mention that they will also receive more money because of the change.
Also, they say that you can enter words in quotations or negative words against your keyword phrase so that you receive the correct response. In other words, your keyword phrase will not show up when those negative words are searched for. Well, do you know how time consuming the negative word process is? And, there's no way you can muster up all of the possible negative words that could be searched for so that your listing will not appear. Absolute CRAP, to term your expression.
The terrible trio you mention in your article plus Overture have gradually swung towards "God" like service providers. They have the power and the user is very much at effect.
Well, that's my 5 cents worth. After saying all of the above I am a user of these services but have been working for a long time now finding other ways and means of marketing and promotion so that all of our eggs are not in the one basket. I have, in the main, been exchanging links with other websites plus placing relatively inexpensive ads on websites that have similar services to ours."
I love getting e-mails like that! That tells me that some of you are finally starting to "get it."
Give yourself the power! Claim your independence! Find alternative ways to attract traffic to your website. If you do that, one day you'll realize you really don't need the search engines after all. I guarantee it!
About The Author
Dean Phillips is an Internet marketing expert, writer, publisher and entrepreneur. Questions? Comments? Dean can be reached at mailto: dean@lets-make-money.net
Visit his website at: http://www.lets-make-money.net
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
There has been endless webmaster speculation and worry about the... Read More
There are certain tricks and techniques in SEO industry, which... Read More
Some web sites receive hundreds or thousands of unique visitors... Read More
Search Engine Optimization is the creation of a web page,... Read More
One-way link building is a great way to improve your... Read More
Visit Google, Yahoo, MSN or one of the lesser search... Read More
There are today search engine and internet marketing services, in... Read More
With the Internet beginning to stand up and be counted... Read More
The days of basing a successful link building strategy on... Read More
When Google Adwords first came on scene, it was not... Read More
Well actually, linking isn't fun at all. In fact, it's... Read More
There are methods to increase your search engine rankings which... Read More
It is literally amazing how many people start their online... Read More
Welcome to part three of our series of articles on... Read More
What is Google Sandbox?Google Sandbox is applied on new websites,... Read More
No doubt, having a high search engine ranking is very... Read More
If you've been feeling like Tom Cruise climbing up the... Read More
Your title tag is the most important 3 to 12... Read More
Duplicate content penalty. Ever heard of it? This penalty is... Read More
By about 2pm everyday, each of my team members has... Read More
First of all, Google and most other search engines do... Read More
Unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world. You may... Read More
Google is quickly changing...With the big buzz of Novembers fall... Read More
The chase for a high web ranking is constantly on... Read More
Becoming an SEO expert, or a search engine optimization expert,... Read More
For your business web site, good search engine rankings and... Read More
Welcome to part three in this search engine positioning series.... Read More
If you want to increase traffic to your website and... Read More
Been hearing the words Search Engine Optimization lately? I know... Read More
Over the past few years, there have been many debates... Read More
In the last 2-3 years many new companies have mushroomed,... Read More
With the help of MSN, recently I've been reminiscing about... Read More
Google has recently made some pretty significant changes in its... Read More
Not many web master take the time to use a... Read More
Welcome to part five in this search engine positioning series.... Read More
If you have been a webmaster for more than a... Read More
The pursuit of online information has become an increasingly dynamic... Read More
When it comes to search engine optimization strategy, there are... Read More
It is no secret that search engines are the number... Read More
This is part 1 of a 7 part series that... Read More
Webmasters can spend most of their waking hours doing everything... Read More
It is a well known fact that writing, distributing and... Read More
As your guide operator through the web, search engines are... Read More
In my last newsletter I wrote about how your websites... Read More
The internet is the largest market place on earth. It... Read More
Before you make drastic changes to your website after a... Read More
1. Additional Exposure For Your Site.At the end of 2003,... Read More
Before we explore the world of search engine optimization, it... Read More
Finding Targeted Keyword Phrases Your Competitors MissFinding keyword phrases your... Read More
Many internet marketers blow mountains of start-up cash on their... Read More
To many websites, webmasters discover that major sources of website... Read More
For so many web surfers, it's almost automatic to type... Read More
Many of us who build websites get in the habit... Read More
Defining Meta Tags is much easier than explaining how they... Read More
Some web sites receive hundreds or thousands of unique visitors... Read More
I don't mind admitting that every time some new fangled... Read More
Trying to improve search engine rankings is just like a... Read More
Ever felt intimidated at the convoluted, jargon-ridden information about Internet... Read More
As you have seen throughout the guide, search engine optimization... Read More
First, you must realize that targeting the right keywords or... Read More
Google has always been the search industry's innovator and that's... Read More
Search Engine Listing And OptimizationIn the world of website marketing,... Read More
One of the key things to remember when developing your... Read More
In the age of fair competition you may find it... Read More
Searching online can not only be fun, but you sometimes... Read More
There are more than 105 million of them in the... Read More
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) |