Comments on: Ask.com Jumps 20%? Woo-Hoo! http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com/2008/02/22/askcom-increase/ Search Engine Optimization Journal is an SEO Blog that contains usefule articles, tips, resources and news about SEO. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:02:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Nick Stamoulis http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com/2008/02/22/askcom-increase/comment-page-1/#comment-11699 Nick Stamoulis Sat, 23 Feb 2008 21:16:32 +0000 http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com/2008/02/22/askcom-jumps-20-woo-hoo/#comment-11699 Thanks for the analysis, Spyros. It is true that all of the search engines have regional strengths and weaknesses. Yahoo doesn't do well at all in the UK, but I think Ask does. There must be something about the localized algorithms at each of the search engines that allow them to do well in certain places or prevent them from doing well in others. Thanks for the analysis, Spyros. It is true that all of the search engines have regional strengths and weaknesses. Yahoo doesn’t do well at all in the UK, but I think Ask does. There must be something about the localized algorithms at each of the search engines that allow them to do well in certain places or prevent them from doing well in others.

]]> By: Spyros Papaspyropoulos http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com/2008/02/22/askcom-increase/comment-page-1/#comment-11684 Spyros Papaspyropoulos Sat, 23 Feb 2008 17:22:53 +0000 http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com/2008/02/22/askcom-jumps-20-woo-hoo/#comment-11684 I think that ask will not rise unless it does 2 things: 1. Redesign SERPS UID and 2. Start focusing on search as a global fact. I think the SERPS page should have a better defined color that separates PAID ADS from the SERS. The way that ASK has designed this, makes me feel that it is trying to make users click on the paid adds. And why should I have to scroll past PAID ADS at the bottom of the page, to go to the next page. So a question arises. If ASK is trying to make users click on the PAID ADS, doesn't that mean that it is trying in some way to affect the results? Not in a direct way (tweaking results) but in a sneaky way. It is trying to make users click by a mistake on a PAID AD. Another question arises. If users click on a PAID AD by a mistake, thinking that it is a SER, but lands on a site that doesn't provide what that user was really looking for (PAID ADS are sometimes not as valid as a page in the SERPS), hasn't ASK tricked its client (the company or person paying the clicks) into a bad click? For these reasons I don't feel I can trust ASK. If I feel I can't trust ASK, then why should I use it? The other thing is that I find that even though the PAID ADS are localized mostly (Because they are Google Ads!!!), the SERs aren't! I live and work in Greece. ASK is useless for me! So why should I use ASK if when I write "PIZZA HUT" I get US Pizza Hut places?!?! What do I need a Pizza Hut Place in the US for?!?! If I write the same words in Google, I get the GREEK Pizza Hut main page. So for me, ASK isn't what I need and this is why I believe it will never do better in the Search Engine Wars! BTW, even LIVE does a good local search! I could write more and more, but if ASK needs more advice, they can hire me to help them out! :) Cheers! I think that ask will not rise unless it does 2 things:
1. Redesign SERPS UID and
2. Start focusing on search as a global fact.

I think the SERPS page should have a better defined color that separates PAID ADS from the SERS. The way that ASK has designed this, makes me feel that it is trying to make users click on the paid adds. And why should I have to scroll past PAID ADS at the bottom of the page, to go to the next page. So a question arises. If ASK is trying to make users click on the PAID ADS, doesn’t that mean that it is trying in some way to affect the results? Not in a direct way (tweaking results) but in a sneaky way. It is trying to make users click by a mistake on a PAID AD. Another question arises. If users click on a PAID AD by a mistake, thinking that it is a SER, but lands on a site that doesn’t provide what that user was really looking for (PAID ADS are sometimes not as valid as a page in the SERPS), hasn’t ASK tricked its client (the company or person paying the clicks) into a bad click? For these reasons I don’t feel I can trust ASK. If I feel I can’t trust ASK, then why should I use it?

The other thing is that I find that even though the PAID ADS are localized mostly (Because they are Google Ads!!!), the SERs aren’t! I live and work in Greece. ASK is useless for me! So why should I use ASK if when I write “PIZZA HUT” I get US Pizza Hut places?!?! What do I need a Pizza Hut Place in the US for?!?! If I write the same words in Google, I get the GREEK Pizza Hut main page. So for me, ASK isn’t what I need and this is why I believe it will never do better in the Search Engine Wars! BTW, even LIVE does a good local search!

I could write more and more, but if ASK needs more advice, they can hire me to help them out! :)

Cheers!

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