| Vice President of LookSmart, Dakota Sullivan, | | | | franchises. Most new Google users are former |
| is apparently a very busy man. Nevertheless, | | | | Yahoo or AOL search loyalists. Our position |
| he finally took time out to be interviewed by | | | | is that the optimal search engine partner for |
| Web Rank CEO Kalena Jordan. In the interview, | | | | the major portals is a company that delivers |
| Mr Sullivan reveals how the Yahoo/Inktomi | | | | best of breed search relevancy, yet does not |
| deal will affect LookSmart, the new features | | | | compete with their brand for ownership of the |
| LookSmart will be introducing for Small | | | | search user. With our purchase last year of |
| Business Listings customers shortly and why | | | | WiseNut, a world class, next generation |
| he thinks WiseNut is a better search engine | | | | search engine, we're focused on meeting this |
| partner for the major portals than Google: | | | | need. |
| | | | |
| (WR) = Web Rank, (DS) = Dakota Sullivan | | | | >> Question 5 (WR) - There have been some |
| | | | complaints in the various search engine |
| Question 1 (WR) - With Yahoo purchasing | | | | forums about the inability to clearly track |
| Inktomi, how will this affect LookSmart's | | | | traffic from LookSmart pay per click |
| search results? | | | | campaigns or even clearly track keywords |
| | | | which will trigger an appearance of their |
| (DS) LookSmart, Inktomi and Yahoo are | | | | listing. Given click-tracking is vital to ROI |
| discussing our relationship going forward. | | | | measurement and standard with PPC models like |
| For now, it's business as usual, with | | | | Overture and Google AdWords, do you plan to |
| LookSmart listings being distributed | | | | introduce a more transparent click tracking |
| throughout the Inktomi network, and Inktomi | | | | and reporting system in the future? |
| providing fall through results on and on | | | | |
| LookSmart's hosted properties. | | | | (DS) Today, LookSmart enables and encourages |
| | | | our larger advertising customers, who work |
| Question 2 (WR) - A recent email from | | | | directly with dedicated account managers, to |
| LookSmart Public Relations staff mentions | | | | add URL tracking to their LookSmart listings. |
| "The Yahoo! deal makes LookSmart prime for | | | | This spring, LookSmart will be expanding this |
| partnership (or the picking!)". Are LookSmart | | | | functionality to Small Business Listing |
| currently looking for new business partners? | | | | customers who use our web-based platform. At |
| Have LookSmart received any take over offers? | | | | that time, both large and small advertisers |
| | | | will be actively encouraged to include their |
| (DS) LookSmart already partners with more | | | | own tracking on submitted URLs, whether the |
| than 100 major portals, search engines and | | | | site is submitted using our on-line forms or |
| ISPs including MSN, About.com, AltaVista, | | | | via our account management staff. |
| Netscape, Inktomi, InfoSpace, Cox | | | | |
| Communications and Road Runner in the US, MSN | | | | Question 6 (WR) - According to this Ezula |
| in Japan, Australia and the UK, Lycos in | | | | press release from 2001, LookSmart have |
| Japan and Yahoo in Australia. We are | | | | partnered with Ezula. According to |
| continually in discussion with other portals | | | | Scumware.com, there have been suggestions |
| and search engines in the US and around the | | | | that LookSmart's partnership with the Ezula |
| world, as we expand our distribution network. | | | | TopText plugin produces false PPC clicks due |
| | | | to the way TopText siphons off traffic from |
| Question 3 (WR) - Following the industry | | | | other sites. With no way to track clicks and |
| backlash last year when LookSmart moved from | | | | no accountability measures in place, people |
| a directory to a pay per click model, there | | | | are understandably suspicious that their |
| seems to have been a large loss of search | | | | clicks are not "genuine" and instead come |
| market share and customer loyalty. Does | | | | from TopText and affiliate links. Can you |
| LookSmart now regret their change of business | | | | comment on this? |
| model and are there any plans to counter the | | | | |
| market share loss? | | | | (DS) LookSmart no longer has a relationship |
| | | | with eZula. |
| (DS) The truth is, our customer base has | | | | |
| grown significantly since last April. At that | | | | Question 7 (WR) - Given LookSmart results now |
| time, a number of businesses had paid a | | | | rely largely on Inktomi and MSN, what does a |
| one-time fee to be reviewed for our search | | | | listing in LookSmart offer customers these |
| directory,yet we had no customers paying an | | | | days? Why should people advertise on |
| ongoing fee. Today, we have more than 30,000 | | | | LookSmart when they can get high rankings in |
| businesses renewing their accounts with us | | | | MSN using Overture PPC? |
| each month, and actively participating in | | | | |
| their relationship with us. This spring, | | | | (DS) Actually, LookSmart serves >45 million |
| we'll be introducing the first update to our | | | | search results per day on MSN, About.com, |
| Small Business Listings product. The update | | | | AltaVista, Netscape, Inktomi, InfoSpace |
| will give customers more control over their | | | | (Excite, WebCrawler, MetaCrawler), Mamma.com, |
| account management and performance tracking, | | | | Cox Communications and Road Runner. According |
| new tools to optimize their campaigns, and | | | | to Media Metrix Digital Media Audience |
| reduce costs for adding listings and making | | | | Ratings, LookSmart search listings reach more |
| changes to their listings. Here are some of | | | | than 77% or 4 out of 5 U.S. Internet users |
| the new features you can expect: | | | | each month through this network. |
| | | | |
| Simpler submission of new listings - | | | | Specific to MSN, LookSmart's paid inclusion |
| automated checks that look for incomplete | | | | listings are an important complement to |
| submissions or potential violations of | | | | Overture's pay-for-placement listings for a |
| editorial guidelines, ability to | | | | number of reasons: |
| automatically upload a large number of | | | | |
| listings for our customers who have | | | | Appear in core search results: LookSmart |
| applicable contracts (our larger clients), | | | | listings provide the main body of search |
| and greater detail around guidelines and | | | | results on MSN. According to an extensive |
| submission requirements. | | | | network traffic study completed in 2002, |
| | | | |
| Flexible options for grouping listings | | | | 74% of search users click in this section of |
| together - Multiple listing campaigns can be | | | | the page, while ~25% click in the Sponsored |
| grouped together within a single billing | | | | Listings section. Therefore, without |
| account or each listing campaign could be set | | | | LookSmart, advertisers are missing a large |
| up in its own account, each with its own | | | | percentage of possible lead volume. |
| billing. (Note that monthly budgets can | | | | |
| already be set up for each campaign) | | | | Improved ROI: By using Overture's |
| | | | pay-for-placement for product introductions, |
| Different levels of on-line account access - | | | | seasonal and featured products and high |
| Several people can be given access to the | | | | margin products, and using lower cost paid |
| same account, but each person would have | | | | inclusion for everything else, advertisers |
| their own log in and password. Additionally, | | | | can get more total leads while lowering their |
| each user could be given a different level of | | | | costs, thus improving the return on their |
| access to the account; for example, one user | | | | search investment. LookSmart's paid inclusion |
| would just be able to see campaign | | | | listings, at a flat $0.15 CPC, are an ideal |
| information, but not change it, while a | | | | way to get into categories on MSN that are |
| second user had permission to view and edit | | | | hotly contested on Overture and have high bid |
| campaign information. This will be highly | | | | prices. |
| beneficial to SEOs, agencies or other people | | | | |
| who manage listings on behalf of clients. | | | | Access the full range of searches: 40% of all |
| | | | searches are for terms with 3 or more words. |
| Ability to set flight dates - Ability to set | | | | Unless an advertiser is willing to manage |
| a specific start date and end date for a | | | | thousands of keywords, it's tough to capture |
| particular listing campaign. This is | | | | all the 3,4,5 and more word searches that |
| especially relevant to advertisers with | | | | happen every day on MSN using |
| seasonal products or promotions. (Note that | | | | pay-for-placement alone. However LookSmart's |
| monthly budgets are already available to | | | | paid inclusion listings deliver this granular |
| advertisers to help manage spending levels) | | | | search traffic to advertisers automatically. |
| | | | |
| Question 4 (WR) - That same email from | | | | Show up for more searches: On MSN, Overture |
| LookSmart Public Relations staff talks about | | | | listings only appear for the most popular |
| how "LookSmart is plotting against Google". | | | | searches. For example, do a search for |
| Can you explain this? | | | | "French cooking" or "men's jeans." You'll see |
| | | | that all the results displayed come from |
| (DS) Google provides an excellent search | | | | LookSmart or LookSmart and MSN. Using |
| experience, and has helped raise the bar in | | | | LookSmart paid inclusion listings alongside |
| terms of search relevancy for the entire | | | | Overture pay-for-placement listings gives you |
| industry. However, Google's rapid growth has | | | | access to a much higher volume of searches. |
| come at the expense of its partners' search | | | | |