WebSage

On March 1st at 6 pm Pacific Time, Yahoo! launched a new paid inclusion search program which combines and replaces the paid inclusion programs of Inktomi, AltaVista, and FAST, and distributes search results to Yahoo Search, AltaVista, AllTheWeb, MSN, CNN, InfoSPace, and other partners of its search distribution network.

While everybody in the search engine optimization industry is trying to understand and intepret how this new program will change the way web sites are marketed via search engines, stay tuned for more details. Google, not surprisingly, reacted quite negatively to the new program which essentially forces web marketers to pay for search engine traffic without an alternative. This week, I am going to the Search Engine Strategies in New York City and should have more updates on Friday.

For now, here is the official information:

How Site Match™ Works

Submit your URLs for review and pay an annual fee for quality review of your submitted pages.

Once reviewed and accepted into the program, your pages are added to a database of sites that powers search results for major web portals such as Yahoo!, Alta Vista, AlltheWeb and others.

When a user clicks your Site Match listing in search results, you pay a cost-per-click fee for that lead. You must maintain a positive balance in your account for your pages to remain active in the program.

At the end of one year, your annual subscription renews.

Overture Site Match™ Pricing & Categories

When you initiate your Site Match subscription, a non-refundable annual review fee is charged for setting up your account and for quality review of your pages.

URL Submission
(non-refundable annual review fee, per domain)
First URL: $49
Next 2-10 URLs: $29 each
11th URL and beyond: $10 each

Once your pages are accepted into the program, a cost-per-click fee is charged for each lead driven to your site.

Cost-Per-Click Fee
Tier 1 Categories: $.15
Tier 2 Categories: $.30
$50 initial DEPOSIT for clicks

Overture Site Match Categories Tier 1 Categories / $0.15
Adult • Automotive • Books • Computers & Software • Dating
Education & Career • Entertainment & Attractions • Jewelry & Watches
Music & Video • Office • Other • Reference • Sports & Outdoors
Toys & Baby Equipment

Tier 2 Categories / $0.30
Apparel • Electronics • Financial Services • Flowers, Gifts & Registry
Health, Beauty & Personal Care • Home & Garden • Professional Services
Real Estate • Telecom & Web Services • Travel

Last but not least, few unanswered questions

Following are some of the Site Match related questions that are yet to be answered:

• Confusion over the fate of the previous paid inclusion programs, i.e. Inktomi, AltaVista, FAST
• Problems with tracking the traffic from paid-inclusion sites vs. those which are in the index but do not participate in the Site Match program
• Potential issues with non-disclosure of paid-inclusion content - how are users to know which search results have been indexed because of participation in the paid inclusion program and which ones are not

While I am researching the answer to these and other related questions, don’t panic and continue working on creating a solid web site with appealing web content! Stay tuned!