U.S. Search Engine Rankings, March 2007

The number of U.S. searches rose 6 percent from February, and 14 percent from a year earlier. Data for March 2007 search engine rankings was released by comScore Networks from its qSearch analysis. 

In March 2007, 7.3 billion domestic searches were conducted. Google accounted for 3.5 billion search queries; Yahoo served 2 billion; Microsoft garnered 798 million; Ask.com served 379 million; and Time Warner, which includes AOL, hosted 368 million queries.

QSearch data are based on an opt-in global panel of over 2 million consumers. The panel is observed for browsing and transactional behavior and participates in survey research to capture attitudes.

How 7 Basic Human Needs are Driving the New Social Web2.0

I recently read a insightful piece from Ben Hunt about the future of the web2.0 social experience.  It was particularly relevant as I am heading to the Web2.0 Expo here in San Francisco today and will have a chance to see many new technologies later this evening at the "Booth Crawl" event at the opening of the Expo.  Thinking about the future of the social web can be overwhelming - particularly if you look at the quantity of new sites and technologies that are being launched each day.  While we may not suffer from the same overfunded hype of the early 2000s, hype is certainly alive and well and I will likely see quite a bit of it tonight at the Expo.

Click to read more.

Niche Sites Invigorate Online Travel

New online travel sites are chipping away at some of the expertise that drives people to online travel agencies (OTAs), which are themselves already pressured by travel supplier sites run by airlines and hotels.

Recent offerings from Farecast and FareCompare help consumers determine the best time to book airline tickets. Travel social networking sites like Gusto.com let visitors share itineraries and trip information.

Capitalizing on the online video rage, travelervideos.com lets travelers upload vacation photos and videos and write their own travel blogs - all of which can be shared with family, friends and other travelers.

All this activity comes as research from comScore shows that travel supplier Web sites are steadily taking share away from OTAs, due to the success of their lowest-price guarantees.

  Click here to read more.

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Yahoo Shares Fall

Yahoo Inc. recently overhauled its online advertising system, giving some investors hope for a positive earnings surprise. So far, that hope hasn't materialized.

The Sunnyvale, Calif., company reported an 11% drop in first-quarter profit as its revenue growth rate continued a steady decline. Yahoo's shares fell about 8% in after-hours trading.

Email Marketing for Hotels.

AOL Launches Google Powered Marketplace

AOL and Google have unveiled a new search marketplace that will allow marketers to target ads specifically to AOL Search users, and to coordinate search campaigns with other kinds of ads on the AOL Network.

The AOL Search Marketplace is based on a white-label version of Google's AdWords platform, with all its features and functionality. The two had announced the intention for Google to create a white-label marketplace for AOL when they reached an expanded alliance in December 2005.

The move is an extension of the strategy AOL embarked on last summer, in which it began moving away from its roots as a dial-up service provider to become an ad-supported media network.

Many advertisers buying AOL's display ads, or performance-based ads through Advertising.com, have expressed an interest in buying search ads that target that same audience, Dariusz Paczuski, VP of Search Products, AOL Platforms, told ClickZ.

"These advertisers have been working with us on display and performance-based ads, but we've had no answer for search," he said. "Now we're able to offer a complete solution."

Paczuski noted that AOL's own research, as well as multiple third party reports, have noted a boost in performance when advertisers buy both search and display ads.

AOL will continue to share revenue from ads on its network with Google, though Paczuski declined to say whether the arrangement changed with this new implementation. This is the first time Google has offered a white-label version of the AdWords platform.

Plans for a white-label version of AdWords have been in the works for more than a year. A beta version was introduced to a set of 20 to 30 advertisers in December 2006, and most of those advertisers have renewed their ad buys and increased their spend on the platform, Paczuski said.

AOL has also made some changes to its shopping search and local search products. At shopping.aol.com, comparison shopping results previously supplied by Shopzilla have been replaced by results from new partner Pricegrabber. A new AOL Local Search beta has also been launched, sporting a combination of results from AOL-owned MapQuest, AOL CityGuide, and Yellow Pages business listings.

Google Set To Earn $6b In Ad Revenue

Google is set to earn $6.3 billion in net US online ad revenues in 2007. Meanwhile, total US online ad revenues will reach $19.5 billion. Many economists define a monopoly as a company that controls 25% or more of a given industry. With the announcement of its DoubleClick purchase, has the monopoly player just sealed the deal on control of the market?

Click here to read the full story.

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Google Execs Salary $1

The three executives who run Google Inc. each drew a salary last year of $1. But Chief Executive Eric Schmidt and co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin more than made up for it in the large stakes they own in the online-search company, which has made them billionaires.

Besides his $1 salary, Mr. Schmidt received a bonus of $1,723 and "other compensation" valued at $555,742, according to a proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Of his other compensation, $532,755 was for personal security.

Mr. Schmidt, 51 years old, owns 10,096 of Google's Class A shares and 10.7 million of its Class B shares. At the end of 2006, those securities were valued at about $4.9 billion.

Mr. Brin, 33, beneficially owns 28.6 million of Google's B stock, which was valued at about $13.2 billion at the end of 2006. Mr. Page, 34, owns 29.2 million shares, valued at about $13.4 billion at the end of the year.

Google, Mountain View, Calif., doesn't maintain executive-retirement programs or other benefits.

Lodging Interactive Drives 2000% ROI for The Alex Hotel NYC

“While The Alex continues to enjoy a substantial return on its marketing investment with Lodging Interactive, our email marketing programs have been a tremendous success,” said Mary Lou Pollack, General Manager of The Alex.  “Our Lodging Interactive email campaigns continue to perform well with ROI’s over 2,000%.”

Click here to read the entire release.

Google to Acquire DoubleClick

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-- April 13, 2007-- Google Inc. announced today a definitive agreement to acquire DoubleClick Inc., a global leader in digital marketing technology and services, for $3.1 billion in cash from San Francisco-based private equity firm Hellman & Friedman along with JMI Equity and management. The acquisition will combine DoubleClick's expertise in ad management technology for media buyers and sellers with Google's leading advertising platform and publisher monetization services.

The combination of Google and DoubleClick will offer superior tools for targeting, serving and analyzing online ads of all types, significantly benefiting customers and consumers:

• For users, the combined company will deliver an improved experience on the web, by increasing the relevancy and the quality of the ads they see.

• For online publishers, the combination provides access to new advertisers, which creates a powerful opportunity to monetize their inventory more efficiently.

• For agencies and advertisers, Google and DoubleClick will provide an easy and efficient way to manage both search and display ads in one place. They will be able to optimize their ad spending across different online media using a common set of metrics.

"It has been our vision to make Internet advertising better -- less intrusive, more effective, and more useful. Together with DoubleClick, Google will make the Internet more efficient for end users, advertisers, and publishers," said Sergey Brin, Google's Co-Founder & President, Technology.

"DoubleClick's technology is widely adopted by leading advertisers, publishers and agencies, and the combination of the two companies will accelerate the adoption of Google's innovative advances in display advertising," said Eric Schmidt, Chief Executive Officer of Google.

"This transaction will strengthen our advertising network by expanding our access to publisher inventory and enabling us to serve the needs of a broader set of advertisers and ad agencies," said Tim Armstrong, Google's President, Advertising and Commerce, North America.

"Google is the absolute perfect partner for us," said David Rosenblatt, Chief Executive Officer of DoubleClick. "Combining DoubleClick's cutting edge digital solutions for both media buyers and sellers with Google's scale and innovative resources will bring tremendous value to both our employees and clients."

"When we acquired DoubleClick in July 2005, we saw an opportunity to partner with a great management team to further enhance the company's capabilities and growth trajectory," said Philip Hammarskjold, Managing Director of Hellman & Friedman. "This transaction affirms the successful transformation of DoubleClick, positions the firm for the future, and greatly benefits our investors."

Both companies have approved the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, and is expected to close by the end of the year.

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Ask.com's Advertising Campaign?

What are they thinking picking on NJ.  This is Sopranos country!