WEB SEARCHES: THE FIX IS IN
Some search engines, such as MSN and Lycos, accept money from corporations each time a paid-inclusion Web link is clicked. These links, which are essentially advertisements, are virtually indistinguishable from unpaid links. "Paid inclusion dilutes the accuracy and relevance of a search engine," says James Taylor, CEO of a search-marketing company. But companies using paid inclusion, including Yahoo, insist that search results are displayed in order of relevance. Anecdotal evidence, however, contradicts the claim that paid ads get no preferential treatment. In one example, the Lamps Plus e-commerce site turned up prominently on Google but was nearly out of sight on MSN. After paying to have the site included with LookSmart, which feeds search results to MSN and shares revenues with it, Lamps Plus pages soared to near the top of MSN's search results. An implication of paid inclusion is that smaller companies that can't afford to pay per click fees will be at a disadvantage. In addition, search engines may lose credibility if customers begin to see them as simply leading to a pile of ads.
SOURCE: Business Week; AUTHOR: Ben Elgin
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/03_40/b3852098_mz063.htm

-- Via Benton Communications Headlines