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Newsroom 2008-05-07T00:00:00.0000000-05:00 Google, Sprint, Cable Companies Join Forces On Wireless Internet Initiative Sprint, the troubled, third largest US wireless carrier has been mulling a spin off or sale of Nextel and has been the subject of takeover rumors itself. It had ambitious plans to roll out a national WiMax network that had seemingly been placed on the back burner. However, today, the company announced a major deal involving Intel, Google, Clearwire, TimeWarner Cable and Comcast, which are all investing (roughly $3 billion) in a joint venture that will be majority owned by Sprint. The new company will be called Clearwire and run by the existing Clearwire CEO Ben Wolff. No timetable has been announced for actual rollout of the services, although they will likely come to market much faster than proposed, competing 4G networks from AT&T and Verizon. Here's what Google gets in the deal: --Google will partner with the new Clearwire in the development of Internet services, advertising services and applications for mobile WiMAX devices. In addition, Google will be the search provider and a preferred provider of other applications for the new Clearwire’s retail product. --Google will partner with the new Clearwire on an open Internet business protocol for mobile broadband devices. The new Clearwire will support Google’s Android operating system software in its future voice and data devices that it provides to its retail customers. --Sprint and Google have also entered into an agreement related to Sprint's mobile services, whereby Google will become the default provider of web and local search services, both of which will be enabled with location information, for Sprint. Sprint will also preload several Google services - including Google Maps for mobile, Gmail and YouTube - on select mobile phones and provide easier access to other Google services. --Google and Intel have options to enter into 3G and 4G wholesale agreements with Clearwire and Sprint respectively and have no current plans to do so. That means, among other things, that Google could become a mobile carrier (think GPhone) or an ISP although the announcement says it has "no current plans to do so." It also gets precise location targeting on the network for desktop/laptop and mobile ads. For their part the cable companies Comcast and TimeWarner get to resell Sprint/Clearwire access as part of a "quad-play" service bundle that allows them to offer wireless phone service and more fully compete with traditional telcos AT&T and Verizon, which are moving into TV. Everything remains to be seen with the new venture, but it provides something that Google has been wanting (especially given Verizon's backsliding on 700MHz  open access) and something that Sprint desperately needs. Here's Google's perspective on the venture: the future of the "open Internet." Take that Verizon! Google Sprint Cable Companies Join Forces On Wireless Internet Initiative

Newsroom 2007-12-10T00:00:00.0000000-06:00 Online Spending Predicted To Surge In 2008 <DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Local online ad spending will surge 48% in 2008 to $12.6 billion, buoyed by demand for paid search and video advertising, according to a new study. Spending on local search alone is expected to double to $5 billion, while online video will triple to $1.3 billion, predicts local media research firm Borrell Associates. Despite predictions of an economic slowdown next year, the firm's forecast for 2008 exceeds the estimated 44% growth for local media in 2007. "We thought it would be slowing down by now but it hasn't at all," said Gordon Borrell, CEO of Borrell Associates. "The Internet has hit critical mass and it's become very practical for local advertisers because it appears to be driving more store traffic." The report points out that growth rates for most local media companies--whether TV stations, newspapers or Yellow Pages publishers --haven't kept pace with the overall rate for local online ad buys. Pure-play Internet companies for the first time in 2007 captured a larger share of local ad dollars than locally-based traditional players, at 43%. Internet-only companies Local.com and Business.com posted the biggest online ad revenue gains among local media companies--at 138% and 84%, respectively, in 2007. Google's local ad business grew 46%. Gains by the Internet-only insurgents came mainly at the expense of newspapers, with a 33.4% share, and Yellow Pages directories, 10.1%. Those categories have lost a combined 20 percentage points of market share in the last three years. To better compete with Internet rivals, the Borrell study advises that local media companies move beyond relying on traditional reps to sell online ad packages. "There is increasing evidence to support the idea that a greater investment in an independent online sales force will be necessary to continue the growth these properties have enjoyed for the past few years," the study states. Nearly all local media business that focused on convergent sales strategies have seen slower growth. "Their convergent sales dreams are fallling apart," Borrell said. His firm estimates that online-only sales forces for local media Web sites grew by 50% this year, and will increase another 30 to 40% in 2008. Borrell also predicts more partnerships between Internet portals such as Yahoo, Google and AOL and local media as they embrace competition. "Formerly sworn enemies are seeing the wisdom of combining their strengths to increase revenues for both sides," according to the report. The jury is still out, however, on the success of the year-old alliance between Yahoo and 400 local newspapers nationwide, which has failed to halt the downward spiral of print ad revenues. The predicted surge in spending on paid search and video will come at the expense of traditional Web display ads. Search is expected to increase to nearly 40% of online ad budgets and video to 10% in 2008. At the same time, spending on standard ad formats such as banners will shrink to 50.2% from 68.1%. Newspapers are leading the video ad charge, typically selling 60-second spots at $150 to $500 per month in categories such as homes, autos and health. Yellow Pages directories have also begun to offer video ads. In five years, Borrell predicts that three quarters of local online advertising will go toward "infomercial-type" video ads and paid search.</DIV> <DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">By Mark Walsh-MediaPost</DIV> <DIV><A href="http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=72370" target=_blank></A> </DIV> Online Spending Predicted To Surge In 2008

Newsroom 2007-12-19T00:00:00.0000000-06:00 A-B sees Web as fertile ground for advertising efforts It was a big meeting with Wall Street analysts, and August A. Busch IV, chief executive of Anheuser-Busch Cos., wanted to show off a commercial. Specifically, one that portrays an effort to clean up office language by fining staffers 25 cents per profanity. The twist: the cash goes toward buying Bud Light — and the wholesome plan backfires spectacularly. "Hope it doesn't offend anybody," Busch said in the Sept. 6 meeting at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf hotel before playing a new ad called "Swear Jar." One minute and 20 bleeped-out expletives later. … "Well, it's bad," Busch acknowledged sheepishly as the audience guffawed. "But it's Internet-only. And it sells beer." The Web has become a key marketing tool — part refuge, part launch site, part test lab — for the folks at One Busch Place. The country's biggest brewer is planning to plunge more cash into digital advertising to attract young, Web-savvy "contemporary adults" — people whose drinking habits will largely determine how fast the company grows in the United States. A-B is increasingly using the Web to spread and fine-tune its advertising. The Web allows it to test-drive edgy material that, in years past, would never have seen the light of day for fear of causing offense on TV. Witness the strange life of "Swear Jar." Not too long ago, the spiked Super Bowl spot from a few years back was gathering dust. But after Anheuser-Busch posted it on its struggling Bud.TV online entertainment site in June, someone sent it to YouTube. It got more than 2.5 million hits, despite never appearing on television. "The digital space and some of the stuff we're doing internally can be an incubator for ideas," said Tony Ponturo, vice president of global media and sports marketing at the company's U.S. beer subsidiary. "Four years ago, (Swear Jar) would probably still be in a drawer." Using the Web to gauge fervor for offbeat ads promises broader and quicker insight than the traditional way — peeking through a one-way window as a test group watches new TV commercials. The Web gives "instant credibility or thumbs-down," Ponturo said in a recent interview. Using the Web as a test tube is "an intelligent strategy," said Lisa Bradner, a Chicago-based senior analyst with Forrester Research. On the Web — and unlike on TV — marketers such as Anheuser-Busch, coffee-maker Folgers and shampoo brand Herbal Essences know that viewers chose to watch their spots. That gives the companies more leeway to try unusual content. A new Bud Light spot is apparently getting a thumbs-up. It follows a man who uses only the word "dude" in response to a range of experiences — finding a late-night jar of peanut butter, calling for the basketball, admonishing his buddy not to order pretentious cocktails. "Dude" appeared first on the Web during the Major League Baseball playoffs, and Anheuser-Busch later rolled it out on national TV broadcasts. The spot has been viewed more than 1.7 million times on YouTube. It's unclear whether it will spark a call-sign on par with "Wassup?" or "I love you, man." But here's one sign: a recent Goldman Sachs research note on Anheuser-Busch was partially titled "Dude." Stirring up buzz on the Web could help Anheuser-Busch attract elusive "Millenial" drinkers aged roughly 21 to 30. In recent years, big swatches of those drinkers moved to high-dollar distilled spirits and wine. Ten years ago, beer claimed 59 percent of their spending on alcohol. It's now down to 47 percent, according to ACNielsen. Anheuser-Busch wants to turn that trend around. The "cool factor" of online advertising could be a key tool — especially because about two-thirds of men ages 25-34 watch online videos at least once a week. "I don't see this thing slowing down a lot," said Mike Vorhaus, managing director at consulting and research shop Frank N. Magid Associates, who compiled the statistics. "If anything, it's increasing, because it's spreading across all the demographics." With those kinds of trends in mind, Anheuser-Busch is planning a bigger investment in digital advertising. The company spent $8.9 million on Internet advertising in the first nine months of 2007, more than double the sum in the same period of 2006, according to TNS Media Intelligence. The brewer plans to boost its spending on ads and video for sites such as style.com and askmen.com by 50 percent next year. The company does not provide specific dollar amounts. Meanwhile, Anheuser-Busch has changed its approach to filming and editing TV commercials to accommodate the Web's growing influence. Before going on a commercial shoot, teams plan to capture material for online videos — say, behind-the-scenes interviews or alternate endings. "We're always looking for those ways where we can start it on TV and migrate it to the Web" or vice versa, said Keith Levy, vice president of brand management for A-B's U.S. beer division, in a phone call from a Los Angeles filming session. Miller Brewing Co., a unit of London-based SABMiller PLC, doesn't use the Web as much as A-B to test future TV campaigns. But Miller is trying to broaden the reach of its "More Taste League" TV campaign by advertising on sites such as ESPN.com and driving traffic to moretasteleague.com. The site allows Web-surfers to draft friends into the league or link back to the Miller Lite homepage to view current Lite advertising. "These online activities allow us to reach consumers in sharper and faster ways beyond the traditional advertising," Miller spokesman Julian Green said in an e-mail. Coors Brewing Co., meanwhile, launched an online campaign called "Catch the 4:53 to Happy Hour." The campaign, advertised on sites such as Yahoo and featuring a "Happy Hour countdown clock," was designed to reach adult males at work and encourage them to reward themselves with a Coors brew. Anheuser-Busch has learned from the rocky life of Bud.TV as it plans to ramp up a new wave of digital marketing. The company launched the much-hyped site in February with several hours of humorous videos. But executives worried that consumers would dismiss Bud.TV as propaganda if it was too obviously sponsored by Anheuser-Busch or contained too many commercials. So the site used a more a subtle approach. In several shows, it was difficult to discern any connection to beer, much less Bud Light. Bud.TV opened with 253,000 unique visitors in February. But burdened by what Busch called a "Fort Knox" registration system, Bud.TV struggled to draw viewers. Visits tailed off and haven't hit 100,000 since June, according to comScore Media Metrix. One moral of the story: far from being turned off by blatant brand promotion, people actually did want to see A-B's commercials online. But they wanted ones with different twists or off-kilter endings — edgier stuff that wouldn't run on TV but would make them laugh, Ponturo said. Now, Anheuser-Busch — particularly the Bud Light brand — is bringing its online strategy back to its traditional marketing wheelhouse: churning out memorable commercials. The new approach is also more open — rather than cloistering its content inside Bud.TV, the company hopes to spread its material as widely as possible on sites such as YouTube. "We thought you had to be exclusive, but you really want to share," Ponturo said. "As long as people see it, you need to say, 'I don't care where they see it.'" The game is changing. Super Bowl commercials used to get about 700,000 views on the company's sites. With the rise of video sites and blogs, A-B's new Super Bowl commercials have gotten 57 million views over the last two years, said Levy. "That tells you," he said of the Web, "how powerful this thing is." By Jeremiah McWilliams-St. Louis Post-Dispatch <a target="_blank" href="http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/story/A1C796BF01D38BEB862573B6000FE260?OpenDocument">http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/story/A1C796BF01D38BEB862573B6000FE260?OpenDocument</a> A-B sees Web as fertile ground for advertising efforts

Newsroom 2007-12-27T00:00:00.0000000-06:00 eMarketer’s Ten Key Predictions for 2008 <ul><li>Online Ads Remain Resilient </li></ul> <ul><li>Video Surge Slows </li></ul> <ul><li>Social Network Advertising Hits $1.6 Billion </li></ul> <ul><li>Networking Goes Beyond MySpace and Facebook </li></ul> <ul><li>YouTube Decides the Election </li></ul> <ul><li> Beijing Olympics Pumps Up Ad Spending</li></ul> <ul><li> Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store Becomes Expected Feature </li></ul> <ul><li> Movie Downloading Hits the Mainstream</li></ul> <ul><li> Music Marketers Roll Out New Business Models</li></ul> <ul><li>Dynamic Ads Heighten Gaming Revenue Potential</li></ul> Online Ad Spending Overall US online ad spending will be surprisingly resilient, even if the economy slides into a recession. With money tight, marketing executives will continue to gravitate toward the Internet, looking for more measurable ad formats to buttress their positions. <img src="http://www.emarketer.com/images/chart_gifs/088001-089000/088299.gif"> Video Ad Spending The surge in online video growth is expected to slow in 2008 with a 74% growth (down from 89% in 2007) and a spending increase of $1.35 billion. <img src="http://www.emarketer.com/images/chart_gifs/085001-086000/085023.gif"> In 2008, the array of video available online will jump dramatically, both from professional content producers--such as TV networks--and from the growing panoply of amateurs churning out user-generated content. Expect to see large online video players such as Google, Microsoft and the TV networks fortifying their video offerings by buying small, ad-related companies. However, the heat of ad spending dollars on video will remain small relative to the entire US online ad spending universe. Social Network Advertising US ad spending on social networks will climb to $1.6 billion in 2008, from $920 million in 2007, representing a 70% growth rate. Although targeted advertising is getting the lion’s share of attention and will continue to be a hot button in 2008, other forms of social network marketing, such as search advertising, widgets and e-commerce, will draw marketer interest. Additionally, self-serve advertising systems will create a new market for local and small businesses to promote themselves via social networks. <img src="http://www.emarketer.com/images/chart_gifs/090001-091000/090117.gif"> Social Network Usage Social networking will remain a key online activity, with 44% of US consumers using social networking at least once a month in 2008. While MySpace and Facebook will continue to dominate the market, changes are taking place that will extend social networking activities beyond a single destination site. Profiles will eventually become portable, meaning consumers need only create one and be able to use it in many places on the Web. Widgets that today work with only one social network destination site will be designed on an open platform, extending their reach. Activities such as online shopping, searching and even sending e-mail will be enhanced with social networking features. YouTube and Politics YouTube attracts the most online traffic and is consistently rated the favorite social media site by US Internet users. eMarketer predicts that YouTube will play a decisive role in the 2008 US presidential election by either airing a user-submitted clip that embarrasses a leading candidate, or, setting the tone of the campaign through its series of sponsored debates. <img src="http://www.emarketer.com/images/chart_gifs/089001-090000/089295.gif"> Beijing Olympics Events of 2008—the Beijing Olympics, along with the US election will spike advertising spending in all channels, but will give a particular boost to the online sector. As the Internet market matures, the growth rate of online ad spending will taper off, dipping to under 30% in 2007 for the first time since 2004. But in 2008, growth will surge upwards to 29%, before declining to 18% the next year. The Olympics will also mark the “coming out” party of China and be an important milestone for the country’s economic and political development. The competition will be fierce on and off the sporting field as multi-national organizations try to tap into China’s growing middle class. E-Commerce Multi-channel retailers will begin rolling out more "buy online, pick up in-store" services, joining big-name retailers such as Circuit City, JC Penney and Sears. Consumers like the service because it allows them to avoid shipping fees. Research shows that retailers are gearing up to offer the service more often. A Forrester Research survey found that 79% of multi-channel retailers ensure consistent pricing across their channels. An Internet Retailer study showed that three-quarters of retailers link their e-commerce systems to their fulfillment and order management system. Movie Downloads US consumer spending on movie downloads will more than double between 2007 and 2008, from $114 million to $245 million. The result is that digital services, such as iTunes, Netflix, Amazon Unbox, Movielink/Blockbuster, Vongo and others will become more popular with the mainstream. <img src="http://www.emarketer.com/images/chart_gifs/086001-087000/086272.gif"> Music Marketing Music labels and marketers step up their experimentation with new and emerging business models as the CD continues to fade away. Worldwide recorded music spending has declined year after year—from $32 billion in 2006 to $28 billion in 2008, hitting a low of $26 billion in 2011. Expect to see more ad-supported sites, monthly subscription services, full-track mobile download offerings and use of social networks as music discovery and sales tools. <img src="http://www.emarketer.com/images/chart_gifs/089001-090000/089075.gif"> Gaming Old video games will get new life breathed into them by companies such as Double Fusion, which serves ads in real time. Advertisers will purchase advertising that is served on free casual games that consumers download. The same concept will apply to console games distributed online for Xbox and Wii, with firms such as Microsoft’s Massive providing the technology. By eMarketer.com<a target="_blank" href="http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1005790">http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1005790</a> eMarketer’s Ten Key Predictions for 2008

Newsroom 2008-01-17T00:00:00.0000000-06:00 Four Reasons To Avoid Using Dates In URLs Everything you do has a chance to provide a clean or dirty signal of relevancy to search engines and searchers. While a date in the URL may provide a signal of relevancy to some searchers looking for archived information, many people who are explicitly looking for old information will likely put a date in their search query, which will match page text even if the date is not in the URL. Other searchers have a good possibility of rediscovering the information they read in the past with the help of search personalization algorithms. But most queries are not for old stuff. And that makes me believe that using the date in the URL causes more harm than good. Dates convey irrelevant information If your file structure uses dates as folders in the URLs, that puts low relevancy data (the date) before the more relevant category name and individual file name. If your keywords are in your filename they may be bolded by the search engine, which would make your URL appear more relevant to searchers. Just like with the page title, I believe the earlier you have highly relevant data in the filename the easier it will be for it to stick out to a searcher scanning the search results. Dates suggest old, stale news While your year-old content may be fresher than anything else ranking at the top of Google's search result, if you are the only one who places a date in your URL people may think your content is old and stale. Especially since Google puts fresh cache dates in many search results. This could also result in a lower click through rate. Dates make sharing URLs more difficult Using dates in the URL makes your file paths longer, which makes links sent in email more likely to break. Some social media sites, like StumbleUpon, only show the first 25 characters of a URL on their site. If those characters are wasted on dates then the file many not appear as relevant as if those characters contained the category name or file name. Dates can cause Robots.txt errors If you find that you would prefer to keep category and individual post pages indexed, but you want to filter out monthly archives it is easy to accidentally block some of your other content pages if they have the dates in the URLs as well. One mistake I made doing something similar cost me in excess of $10,000.By Aaron Wall- Search Engine Land<a target="_blank" href="http://searchengineland.com/080117-083954.php">http://searchengineland.com/080117-083954.php</a> Four Reasons To Avoid Using Dates In URLs

Newsroom 2008-01-17T00:00:00.0000000-06:00 Why The SEO Industry Needs Small Business Here's the primary thing on my mind as we begin 2008: If we, the search/online marketing industry, don't do a better job of helping the small business owner understand and adopt the best practices of search marketing, we are doomed to irrelevance. "Oh, but there's no money in small businesses," you say. Or, "small business owners are too busy to be good clients, they have too many other things on their minds." I know it's easy to dismiss small business clients as a "good fit for someone else," and I know small businesses aren't always good for your company's bottom line. But before you disagree with me wholesale, let me explain why I think we need small businesses to understand and appreciate SEO and search marketing. Your big clients will eventually disappear If you read the In House columns here on Search Engine Land, you've probably noticed the authors making regular references to the "growing number of in-house SEOs" working for large companies. You may also recall the most recent SEMPO indstury report, which shows that "in-house marketing programs continue to grow." You can also look through the Internet Retailer 500, the magazine's list of the biggest online retailers. In many of those business profiles, the search marketing provider goes by the name "In-house." Your big clients are realizing the value of search marketing, and deciding to handle it internally. Who's going to be left to work with? Small business owners. Small businesses are/will be increasingly interested in search marketing Just last week, The Kelsey Group said print Yellow Pages "will continue to bleed dollars to their various digital counterparts" in 2008. Last year, Yellowpages.com opened 11 new sales offices across the U.S. because of "dynamic growth and rising demand for more local search advertising products." Greg Sterling wrote last year about the trend of real estate agents and brokers using online marketing, with search marketing being the most popular choice in that small business industry. A couple months ago, Google said more than a million businesses have interacted with its Local Business Center. It's inevitable that small businesses will continue to be more interested in using the Internet as a marketing tool. But we have a real problem: Finding accurate information about SEO and search marketing is tough I can already hear your objections on this one. Yes, those of us inside the industry know exactly where to go to find certain types of information. We know the great link building writers, we know the great local search writers, and we know the great social media writers. But those of us who've spent many years working with small business clients also know that the average business owner has no idea that Search Engine Land and Search Engine Watch exist. And the Google SERPs for things like seo information, seo help and seo articles are hit and miss. The reality is that there's a lot of SEO noise online, and no guarantee that the small business owner looking for help will find anything of value. So, since small business owners don't know all the great industry resources, they're likely to rely more on known, trusted sources like traditional media. It's great when a USA Today writes about SEO and gets it right, but for every time that happens, it seems another Big Media outlet gets it wrong. Earlier this month, BusinessWeek published an article that is so completely off the mark, it may have set search marketing back five years. Author Gene Marks throws RSS, blogs, SEO, PPC advertising (AdWords), online video, and more under the bus, calling them "overhyped and underwhelming" technologies "that don't work." It's bad enough that such poor advice was given out on BusinessWeek.com; worse, the article was syndicated to MSN.com, where it no doubt reached an even larger audience of small business owners. Ugh. As small businesses continue to migrate online to find customers, if that article is the kind of information they find about SEO and search marketing, we're in deep trouble. We need small businesses to understand what we do and to succeed when we do it for them, for our own benefit as much as theirs.By Matt McGee- Search Engine Land<a target="_blank" href="http://searchengineland.com/080117-073726.php">http://searchengineland.com/080117-073726.php</a> Why The SEO Industry Needs Small Business

Newsroom 2008-01-11T00:00:00.0000000-06:00 Don’t Worry About That Economic Slowdown The Search Ad marketplace “sky” won’t fall when our economy slows or possibly kicks into a recession this year. Lately, we have all heard confirmations about the downturn. Jim Zarroli reported “hiring is down, real estate is in a coma and banks have suddenly become a lot more skittish” on NPR. Some 42% of surveyed economists (WSJ, paid access) believe there’s a chance of recession, and the Fed’s talking about lowering interest rates to stave it off. Are search ads in some protective cocoon? Let's leave aside the well-worn argument that these ads are the safest due to ROI tracking and accountability. I think it’s more important to consider other influences that could protect them from this downturn. <div id="a049518more"> <div id="more"> * Search Ads As Smaller Line Item -- Even if a company wants to cut ad dollars, search isn’t where they would save the most. While each industry’s mix varies, these ads typically represent 2% of all advertising revenues -- simply not a substantial savings. * Search Ads Could Increase -- According to Kevin Lee, “If a mere 10 percent were reallocated from the top three media line items to SEM, most search budgets would double.” Should marketers decide to cut their ad dollars, then they might consider shifting some of those savings into more productive search ads. * Financial Industry Still Spending -- While "bell-weather" financial services are clearly getting challenged, they continue spending online. At Efficient Frontier, Leann Prescott says they’ve experienced substantial sector growth this year. Ongoing clients (more than one year old) even increased spends by 35% between November 2007 and 2006. *Search Ad Prospects Look Good -- According to Forrester projections, search ad revenues are forecast to grow from $4.5 billion (2007) to $10.1 billion (2012). It would take a lot for the Google juggernaut to switch gears as well. So there’s no need to be Chicken Little. Recession or not, the search marketplace might shift around but seems pretty stable. You won't see any search ad retrenchment this year.By Deborah Richman- SearchEngineWatch.com<a target="_blank" href="http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/080111-080159">http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/080111-080159</a> </div> </div> Don’t Worry About That Economic Slowdown

Newsroom 2008-01-17T00:00:00.0000000-06:00 Debunking Five SEO Myths Once and For All! Perhaps more than any other industry, search engine optimization is an area that’s particularly susceptible to ‘myths’ that have grown up around basic guiding precepts even some professionals have latched on to when creating their SEO strategies. One major reason for this is because SEO itself has undergone multiple profound transformations since it first became an entity. Take search engines for example. As Wil Reynolds points out in this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/wilreynolds">informative video</a>, there was a time when professionals would actually create a web page for each of the different search engines. That obviously doesn’t hold true today (thank goodness). <h2>Myth # One</h2> The most prevalent SEO myth of all is that SEO consultants are all scammers, or use ‘Black Hat’ techniques, to use the industry term. Nothing could be further from the truth. The vast majority of us regard our integrity very highly, and go to an enormous amount of trouble not just to be seen to be doing the right thing, but to give an honest and valuable service with a value that often far exceeds the actual fee we charge. Some SEO People to Trust (both for their integrity and their know-how): <h2>Myth # Two</h2> You will hear that META tags are totally unnecessary. This is only partly true. You really need your META description tag to get noticed in a lineup of SERPS. Word it wrongly and you’ll go unnoticed. Word it skillfully and you’ll win a lot of clickthrus. <h2>Myth # Three</h2> Another myth that I hear quite a lot is that if you build a page around one specific keyphrase, you’ll create a winner. About the only thing you’ll be creating here is an exceedingly boring page that couldn’t possible convey useful information as web pages should. In addition, you could be seen to be spamming the engines which is a disaster. In my experience, optimizing for three-or-so carefully-chosen phrases should do it. And here we come to choice of keywords. You simply can’t be too picky here. It’s worth going to a lot of trouble to make sure you’re targeting the right market and picking EXACTLY the right phrases. In the ballpark doesn’t do it, because you’ll be consigning yourself in with dozens of other websites, which may or may not be offering exactly what you do. If you are getting traffic that’s not exactly matched with what you sell, you’re wasting your time and you’ll suffer for it with less-than-lustrous rankings too. There are two reasons for this. First, as I’ve already stated, you need highly-targeted traffic so when a visitor lands on your site, he or she says ‘wow this is exactly what I was looking for.’ Second, if you haven’t done your homework and your visitors are not happy, then the search engines sure as heck won’t be happy. And if they’re not happy they’ll consign you to the bottom of a search. This concept is so central to good SEO that it can stand repeating again and again because there are obviously a lottt of people out there who just don’t ‘get it.’ <h2>Myth # Four</h2> SEO is a ‘set it and forget it’ kind of operation. This is so not true. No matter how much work your SEO consultant does to begin with, you will need to keep an eye on things. SEO, when properly done, takes a great deal of time initially. But the rewards are great if you’re lucky enough to get someone who knows what they’re doing. It’s important to remember that the search engines are constantly moving the goal posts for us, so we have to adapt our SEO campaigns to reflect these changes. In addition, life online is and always has been fluid. What’s relevant today bears little or no resemblance to the eCommerce environment that prevailed in the 1990s. <h2>Myth # Five</h2> SEO is too expensive. You can look at it like that if you like. Or you can acknowledge that even the best PayPerClick campaign (which will likely cost you thousands or even tens of thousands, and is at best a temporary fix) will never match the results of organic ranking. Organic ranking will have a profound effect on your online image and effectiveness. So a professional SEO campaign will produce results that will go on and on, and to a certain extent gain their own momentum with time. It’s sort of like being a celebrity: once you’re famous everything you do is of interest. Once you have a good standing with the search engines you will continue to get traffic even if you don’t do a thing. However, to continue to be competitive, and to keep up with your increase in traffic, you need to tweak your site on a regular basis.By Patricia Skinner- SEO Blog<a target="_blank" href="http://www.blog.marketmou.com/debunking-five-seo-myths-once-and-for-all/">http://www.blog.marketmou.com/debunking-five-seo-myths-once-and-for-all/</a> Debunking Five SEO Myths Once and For All

Newsroom 2008-01-18T00:00:00.0000000-06:00 Top 5 Search Engine Marketing Trends 2008 With 2008 in full swing, the game is already starting to change for the SEO community. After the recent hailstorm of New Year's predictions and resolutions, agencies and in-house SEOs are buzzing with new ideas and strategies for the next big search thing. Following the recent Christmas surge in Google traffic from new iPhone purchases, the search community has started to reexamine mobile. Additionally, the expected war cries for social media and mainstream SEO have echoed through the blog predictions. But what does this all mean to an agency? New opportunities and new competition. Beyond the Search Engine SEO has become a discipline unto itself, and it seems that the industry is annexing new lands for its playground. Just look at mobile. Since the launch of the iPhone, mobile traffic has become a real possibility for real-time search needs. As Steve Jobs and company help break down the WML (wireless mobile language) barriers, SEO has a real chance to thread local search into mobile media needs. At last check, 30 percent of all search engine queries contained a zip code, city name, or state. By answering local needs with mobile search, SEOs have the potential to turn local search listings into a modern day Yellow Pages -- for any piece of information one may need in real-time. Local and mobile aren't the only areas that cross-pollinate either. As discussed in my last column, the use of the social media for SEO work hasn't only taken off, it's exploded. The next step for the new SMO subset is practicality and application. Does Arm & Hammer really need a Facebook account? Probably not, but a company like Kaplan might. A viable strategy to promote a client site not only to search engines but also to the user base (and, in turn, back the engines via user generated content, blogs, etc.) is a valuable commodity -- so much so that it expands the influence of SEO. This leads in to my next point. SEO May Go Mainstream SEO now has more purpose than just raising SERPs. Search results have meaning and collectively tell the user a relevant story about their search. SEOs are not just search promoters; they're image managers, something that clients and traditional agencies are likely to grasp. Online reputation management was in its infancy in 2007. Expect this service to become a mainstay this year. As more blogs and news sources arise, companies and individuals will need continued monitoring and attention to protect their online image. Think that sounds a bit like public relations? It does. Search has started to fall in line with traditional marketing and public relations tactics. With its increasing utility and parallel purpose, SEO may very well go mainstream this year. In-House SEO Woes Regardless of the when, integration of online and traditional marketing seems inevitable, and this poses a new problem for the large agency. If SEO goes mainstream, expect more companies to staff their own full-time SEOs. More in-house demand will hopefully open up more jobs in SEO and attract new talent to the industry. With Yahoo HotJobs citing SEO as one of the top five careers that doesn't require an MBA, the field looks mighty promising. For the agency, there's an obvious downside. If more people develop their own internal teams, then there'll be less need of our services. I guess we'll need to keep attracting top talent as well. The Evolution Will Not Be Televised In 2007 we saw the birth of many new blogs, the launch of Sphinn, and tremendous surge in general SEO chatter. This led to two things: a larger forum for SEO discussion and the outing of certain "special sauce" tactics. Expect a backlash. Tactics may once again retreat to the underground. More private white hat forums may spring up with similar function to certain black hat message boards. The real strategies won't be at SMX, SES or PubCon; they'll be at exclusive water coolers. As people become hesitant to talk openly about their practices, the only real way to get to the good stuff will be through good old-fashioned networking. ROI Will Always Be the Other 3-Letter Acronym SEO must continue justifying its existence beyond high SERPs. Of course, on-site optimization is necessary to compete in organic listings, but we must also understand what it means to the bottom line. In 2008 we expect to see an even greater emphasis on ROI measurability and analytics. After all, this is the way an SEO campaign proves its worth, so why wouldn't clients invest in a proper analytics program? Correct analytics configuration can make all the difference when capturing and measuring conversion data; hopefully 2008 will find clients appreciating this even more. No matter how the search engines create, tweak, or change functionality, the game will remain the same for an agency SEO: increase visibility of the client. No matter how it may change, 2008 is sure to be another interesting year for search.By William Flaiz- SearchEngineWatch.com<a target="_blank" href="http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=3628134">http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=3628134</a> Top 5 Search Engine Marketing Trends 2008

Newsroom 2008-01-21T00:00:00.0000000-06:00 Welcome To The Local Search Jungle Welcome to the jungle. As the first column from the Yellow Pages Association and the Local Search Guide, it is very exciting to join the Locals Only forum with some of the most notable local search contributors in the industry. Representing more than 150 Yellow Pages publishers, we are looking forward to sharing the internet Yellow Pages perspective—from research to challenges—on the jungle we all know as local search. We thought it would be appropriate to start with some history and our position on the state of the industry. The Yellow Pages were the original local search tool—the first medium to provide a directory of advertisers for consumers looking to buy. The medium is needs-driven, not content driven—as in "I need a plumber because my pipes are frozen," or "I need a pizza, and not the frozen kind." Local search is that same model online, and early on, before some of today's internet leaders were even out of high school, Yellow Pages publishers recognized the opportunity of the internet and the long tail of their successful local advertising model, leveraging their small and medium business (SMB) relationships and consumers' ongoing idiosyncratic needs. Today, IYP searches account for more than 30 percent of local commercial searches online, and this number doesn't include the distribution deals several of the powerhouse IYPs have forged with search engines. While many players were quick to discount the IYPs' ability to compete with the search world's big names—Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft—IYPs have maintained relevancy, increased their offerings and grown their traffic and presence. In fact, the number of IYP searches increased 102 percent from Jan. 2005 through June 2007. IYP users, like Yellow Pages users, are "ready-to-buy" consumers who look for local businesses to fill a need—many considered life events, as in "I'm getting married and I need a florist, a baker and a candlestick maker." In taking a look at what has helped IYPs compete, you can't ignore the link to the print Yellow Pages' on-the-street sales force of 15,000 plus. Not to mention a vast database of local market information. Having a solid corporate infrastructure can be a good thing (really, it can), especially when it has been dealing in the local advertising market and working with SMBs and national brands to drive local presence since 1883. In spite of all this, IYPs do face challenges. The number-one challenge is traffic. Number-two is brand recognition. While IYP leaders recognize that their sites do not currently generate the traffic, nor do they have the brand recognition of some of the big search engines, they are working to address those challenges by partnering and acquiring local search properties to strengthen their core competencies—local data, local sales and strong relationships with local businesses. In 2007, DexKnows.com acquired LocalLaunch to improve their search engine marketing services. The company also acquired Business.com, a leading business search engine and pay pay-per-click network. Superpages.com acquired America Towns and InfoSpace's directory assets, including Switchboard.com. Additionally, Yellowpages.com acquired Ingenio to bolster its pay-per-call product. Challenge number three is common to all local search players: the SMB market. While IYPs have the benefit of a foot in the SMB door with large local sales forces, transitioning the SMB market (20 million U.S. businesses according to the U.S. Small Business Association) to an online model has not been easy. SMBs have limited time, resources and budget, and many still lack the know-how to start with online advertising. Yellow Pages are capitalizing on this challenge by transforming their sales forces into multi-media consultants that assist SMBs with their IYP and print Yellow Pages buys as well as mobile and video offerings, search engine marketing programs, direct mail campaigns and more. So what does all this mean? In the U.S., it means that economic challenges, the Hollywood writers' strike, the Olympics and the presidential election will converge to make 2008 a pivotal year for all media, including local search. It means we should expect more consolidation, more mobile, more video, more accountability and more diversified media companies. It means the local search market is quite a jungle, full of both risk and great opportunity. By Stephanie Hobbs- searchengineland.com <a target="_blank" href="http://searchengineland.com/080121-075836.php">http://searchengineland.com/080121-075836.php</a> Welcome To The Local Search Jungle

Newsroom 2008-01-22T00:00:00.0000000-06:00 Why You Should Not Place All Your Eggs in One Basket IncrediMail, an Israeli based a company that develops software to customize e-mails, has provided business owners an incredible lesson as to why you should not place all your eggs in one basket. Last week, they discovered that their Google AdSense privileges had been banned. This resulted in their stock dropping over 45% to a new year low. While IncrediMail does claim to generate revenue by selling software products, offering subscriptions to their content database, and by selling paid advertising on their Web site and e-mail client, they did admit that search revenues powered by Google's AdSense program made a significant contribution to their results in 2006 and 2007. The lesson to be learned here by any business is to not place all of your eggs in one basket. This not only includes revenue streams but marketing tactics as well which is what I want to look at in this post. I see this mostly occurring when small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) place too much dependence on Google's search results to drive traffic to their web sites. It is a difficult thing not to do. When I view the search engine referral traffic for our clients running search marketing campaigns, the vast majority of them receive 50% or more of their traffic from Google. In fact, Google is most often the top referring site period. Therefore it is easy to see why so many business owners want great visibility in Google's search index. And while they should certainly work towards that goal, it is not wise to rely on it alone. Just look at the effect one company (Google) has had on another (IncrediMail) when their relationship was tainted. Not only should SMBs not place so much dependence on Google, but search engines altogether. In other words, if your only marketing strategy is to rely on organic search traffic, you have all your eggs in one basket. Should that basket be dropped, your eggs will be broken. So while SMBs should be engaged in search marketing practices, what are some other things they can do to ensure that they stay afloat should search engine traffic suddenly disappear? Have Paid Search Campaigns in Place Even if you don't plan a large budget for the major paid search programs (e.g., Google AdWords, Yahoo! Search Marketing, MSN's adCenter, Ask), it may be a good idea to have small campaigns in place so that should you suddenly drop out of the natural listings, you can turn on the switch and ensure you are at least represented on the paid side. Keep in mind that paid search campaigns can also prove to be a valuable place to test specific keywords, keyword groups and/or ad copy. You can always increase or decrease budgets or even place campaigns on pause. Having accounts in place will ensure that they are there when you just might need them. Have an Active Company Blog A good blog can not only attract a large number of inbound links, it can attract some pretty decent traffic as well. Most blogging platforms have RSS feeds that can be picked up by feed readers, social bookmarking sites, news sites and the like. The idea is to have a relatively active blog where you are publishing good content. Get a post bookmarked in a site like StumbeUpon or Digg, and you can see a tremendous amount of traffic come your way. Many SMBs that I have spoken to regarding blogging make the excuse that they do not feel they would have any content to contribute to a blog and/or if they did, they have no one to actually write it. This is a poor excuse as there are so many topics they could add content for. For example, if a company runs a small e-commerce site, they could write product reviews or post testimonies from satisfied customers. They could even write posts about competing products and how their products are better. As to the second argument, if you don't have a writer, hire a ghost writer. You may even be able to hire college students who are working their way through school for very little cost. The essential idea with a blog is that you now have the ability to "push" content rather than wait for people to come and find it. This has the potential to attract a lot of new traffic and possibly convert some of that traffic into paying customers. Utilize Social Media Sites Do you have any video content on your site such as product demos, educational videos and the like? Then you should be submitting those to a YouTube account. Does your site include interesting pictures whether they be for  products, services or some other nature? Then you should post those at a Flickr account where you can actually link back to the original source of the picture via the description option Flickr offers. Do you offer interesting products for sale or publish content that is of a unique variety? Then why not develop an application that Facebook users can add on to their profiles? The list of opportunities to engage social media are almost endless. SMBs need to get off their duffs and explore this new medium of potential traffic and how they can best utilize it to their benefit. Utilize Web Forums For every industry that exists, there is most likely a web forum related to it. Whether it be a local community forum such as AnthemStuff (a community forum related to Anthem, Arizona) or a forum related to a specific product such as Everything Treo, these online venues allow people to come together for a common purpose. As an SMB, you can engage in that community by simply participating in the forum and adding value to the community. Sign up, create a signature profile which includes brief information about your company and a link back to your site and become a contributing member. You will make people aware of your existence and attract new traffic to your site. You may even discover new networking opportunities that did not exist beforehand. The only caution I have regarding web forums is to make sure you add value. Don't use forums for mere self promotion as that would be viewed as spam and end up doing more harm to your reputation than helping it. Word of Mouth / Referrals Word of mouth and referral business continues to bring some of the best new sales leads in my experience. No matter how much advertising you do, don't neglect this most important tactic which fundamentally involves providing a great product or service. It is as simple as treating your customers right and they will tell others about you. Of course you can also encourage referrals by promising rewards to those that refer you or establishing partnerships with other companies that can send new business your way. Don't Neglect Traditional Marketing You remember traditional marketing - business cards, flyers, mail-outs, print advertising, radio and television spots, even having your web site URL on company and/or personal vehicles. While search has allowed many businesses to cut back on these traditional ways of marketing, they should certainly not be cast aside. The bottom line is to make sure you are not dependant on any one company for survival. This not only includes search giants like Google but any business relationship in which if you were to lose it, you would suffer irreparable harm. Why You Should Not Place All Your Eggs in One Basket

Newsroom 2008-01-31T00:00:00.0000000-06:00 10 Search Engines You Don''''t Know About We've got some big news for you. Brace yourself. There are search options beyond Google -- and we're not talking about Yahoo! and MSN. Vertical search is on the rise, and whether you're looking for business products, services or information, or a new place to advertise, vertical search sites can benefit your company. Market research firm Outsell predicts that the vertical search market will reach $1 billion by 2009. While Google gets around 65 percent of search traffic today, it doesn't mean it's always the best place for your search. "When we speak about an alternative search engine, we're speaking about something that's extremely industry-specific, very niche," says Jason Prescott, the owner of vertical search engine TopTenWholesale.com. "It's pin-pointing, accurate and only going to be for that topic you're searching for, [rather than] having to scour through the billions of search results you'll get on a mainstream, tier-one search engine." The same logic applies when determining where to spend your search engine marketing dollars. If you sell a general consumer product, Google may be your best bet. But if you're looking for highly targeted business purchasers, it may be wise to go vertical. "[You get] a much more relevant user, a much higher conversion and a much better return on your investment," says Prescott. "User traffic might be a little less, but the visitor is highly more qualified." Here are 10 vertical search engines we've identified as useful to any business owner. Be sure to research your own industry, however, for more specific verticals that can hone your searches or boost your advertising ROI for business customers. <UL> <LI>TopTenWholesale.com: One of the biggest hurdles for new retailers is finding wholesale merchandise to sell. Prescott aims to place all those product sellers in one place so that when you search for shoes, you receive wholesale results, not Zappos.com. The site also offers news, a blog, directory listings, forums and classifieds, fulfilling Prescott's goal to create not just a wholesale search site, but a wholesale portal. <LI>ThomasNet.com: ThomasRegister has been a leader in the business information field for more than 100 years, and ThomasNet.com is the place to go if you're in the market for industrial and manufacturing goods and services. This robust site allows you to search by product/service, company name, brand name, industrial websites or CAD models. You can narrow your search by U.S. state or Canadian province. Browse by category, download 2D and 3D CAD models of mechanical parts, and even download a search plug-in for your Firefox browser. <LI>FindLaw.com: Both FindLaw.com and Lawyers.com serve the same primary functions: They allow users to search for attorneys by location and specialty. But FindLaw has an easier-to-use interface, making its extra information quicker to find, such as the free form examples, free full-text books and legal dictionary. Both have general search functionality, message boards and blogs, but again FindLaw.com wins us over with its small business section. <LI>USA.gov: The government has a labyrinthine web of sites, and if you're looking for information, it's easy to get lost. This all-things-U.S.-government portal/search engine has a tab specifically for businesses and nonprofits, and you can browse by topic. By far, the most helpful area in the business tab is Get It Done Online, an area with links to business necessities that, yes, you can take care of online. <LI>IT.com: Rather than offering a plain vanilla directory or just one basic search bar, IT.com provides several tech-oriented search options. This includes product and service categories (enterprise networking, open source, product development) or industry solutions (government, SMB, financial markets). The interface takes non-tech folks into consideration as well; each search choice has a roll-over with an explanation of the terminology. In the main search bar, you can choose to search for news, companies, white papers or webcasts. <LI>Zibb.com: Reed Business is one of the leading vertical publishers with more than 200 business titles. Zibb.com is the company's new online venture, a vertical search service for business that offers not only websites and blogs in the results, but also Reed Business content. This site has a strong UK bent to its information, but it's one to keep an eye on because of its strong news element along with the typical search results and directory listings. <LI>VerticalSearch.com: VerticalSearch gets super meta as a vertical search engine for vertical sites. The homepage offers pre-determined categories, but you also can choose your own keywords. Results pages offer feeds of headlines and research papers, and you can choose to pull an RSS feed from any search that you choose. <LI>SearchFinance.com: This site bills itself as the "search engine for financial executives," making it quite the portal for corporate finance. While search is front-and-center, there are a ton of browsing options: blogs, podcasts, events, webcasts, magazines and alerts. Search results are particularly impressive. Directory matches pop up first, but you can also scroll over the results sources for more information on a particular company and choose to remove any "commercial" sources from your results. <LI>Yahoo! Local: This site is the most consumer-oriented of the bunch, but a recent redesign with a focus on vertical categories makes it worth a look. Yahoo! Local has broken out of the restaurants-and-nightclubs city guide mold to offer a number of business categories like health and beauty, automotive, and real estate--useful information whether you're looking for professional service vendors in your neighborhood, a new bistro to take a client to, or a local advertising solution for your business. <LI> <DIV>Melissa Data: This is a slight fudge on our part as this site is more of a new customer enticement for data service provider Melissa Data than true vertical search, but there are so many free search options, it may become a favorite on your bookmarks. You can search for basic demographic and market data, maps and mailing information, statistics or specific data like SIC codes. There's a daily limit to your number of "lookups," so unless you subscribe, you'll have to curb your information appetite.</DIV></LI></UL> <DIV>By Laura Tiffany- bMighty.com</DIV> <DIV><A href="http://www.bmighty.com/services/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205918774" target=_blank>http://www.bmighty.com/services/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205918774</A></DIV> 10 Search Engines You Don't Know About

Newsroom 2008-02-05T00:00:00.0000000-06:00 Long Live Traditional SEO Many people seem fond of declaring that traditional / old-school SEO i.e. on-page tactics such as modifying title tags, content, and links, is dead. These people are wrong. Even in recent months I've yet to have a client whose site didn't need these on-page tactics. More importantly, I've NEVER worked on a site where such changes didn't result in a significant improvement in rankings and traffic. So why is there such animosity towards basic SEO? I imagine it is part of what consultants and agencies are doing to differentiate from everyone else. After all, if you're not doing anything different than that of someone charging half your price, why should you be hired over the cheaper solution? In recent months, I've had a site achieve first page rankings just by correcting some mistakes in the robots.txt file along with improper use of the meta robots tag. Many SEOs looking at these corrections would undoubtedly roll their eyes and declare how obvious such changes are. And I agree with them, but with one qualification… They're obvious to SEOs because we've all spent countless hours thinking, reading, and experimenting. Should I turn my nose up to the basics just because they're basic? That would be ridiculous. Webmasters are getting better and better at SEO, but they're still a couple of years behind the folks that do SEO every day. This, I think, is especially true when the webmaster has held the same role for many years and has a full plate just managing day-to-day activities. And so it shouldn't be surprising that what's obvious to me isn't obvious to them until I point it out. What I think people often forget is that companies are paying search engine optimizers for their knowledge and not just for the 25 page document of recommendations. It's no different for lawyers, doctors, and mechanics. When you enlist the services of these people, you're paying for their knowledge and experiences rather than just the few hours they might spend helping you. What I think people are really trying to say about traditional SEO is that it will only take a web site so far before diminishing returns kick in. I also think that the sheer number of companies that have joined the SEO marching band means that traditional SEO is now what you need to just to step onto the playing field. It may take 6 months or more to get there, but it's still a necessary and worthwhile component of any SEO effort. But as I alluded to, since many, many others have also stepped onto the field, you'll eventually need to non-tradition tactics and strategies to out play everyone else. So I'd like to tell all of the SEOs out there to hold their heads up high when they achieve results for their clients even if all it required was SEO 101 techniques. And to clients of SEO agencies or consultants, hurry up and implement the basic stuff so we SEOs can really shine!By Marios Alexandrou- All Things SEM<a target="_blank" href="http://www.allthingssem.com/long-live-traditional-seo/">http://www.allthingssem.com/long-live-traditional-seo/</a> Long Live Traditional SEO

Bill Gates Predicts demise of yellow pagessdfsdfsdfsdf2007-05-27T00:00:00.0000000-05:00Bill Gates Predicts Demise of Yellow PagesBILL GATES: Well, the Yellow Pages are going to be used less and less. We should be able, when you go to the service that's going to take our technology and the Tellme technology that we acquired, when you ay something like plumber, the presentation you'll get will be far better than what you get in the Yellow Pages. After all, we know your location, and so we can cluster around that. We can take the information and show you the names, and then you can expand the information easily. So, yes, I think that these things always take time, but Yellow Page usage amongst people in their, say, below 50, will drop to zero, near zero over the next five years.  new-bill-gates-predicts-demise-of-yellow-pages

Local online advertising comes of age 2006-10-17T00:00:00.0000000-05:00 Local online advertising comes of age Local online advertising comes of age It's now where the big growth in media is By Heidi Dawley Oct 17, 2006 When the ad economy began recovering several years ago, it was the surge in spending on the internet that most captured people''''s attention, as major national brands suddenly began flocking to the web, shedding their loyalties to traditional media. Far less talked about was local online advertising, which had for so long lagged national as to be an afterthought. Now, going forward, the big online story is local, and it will be told in big numbers. Growth in spending began accelerating near the end of 2004 as local advertisers, generally a cautious lot, began to test the medium and found it far more cost effective than traditional local media options. That growth continues apace. <DIV>Borrell Associates, which tracks online ad spending, forecasts 21.8 percent local growth this year to $5.9 billion. It is forecasting 31.6 percent growth in 2007, to $7.7 billion in local online ad spending. And even then it will only be just past the halfway point, accounting for roughly 30 percent all online advertising. It will still have another 20 percent to grow to reach its proper share of the 50/50  local/national ratio of offline media. </DIV> <DIV> “There is an inequity that they are playing catch up with,” says Gordon Borrell, CEO of Borrell Associates. “We are definitely in the early boom years of local online.” </DIV> <DIV>Borrell believes that as things boom, the local online advertising world will subtly change in many ways as the internet begins to more closely resemble TV and as big category killers begin to thrive in the local markets.   </DIV> <DIV>"The draw of the local online is two-fold: the opportunity to target far more effectively and the ability to track how one's ads are performing. And they come atop lower costs. Media planners and buyers, responding to a recent poll by Media Life, echoed this thinking. When asked what the most appealing thing is about local online advertising, the largest share--some 48 percent--agreed with this statement: “Tight targeting. It allows me to find the audience I’m after.” The second-largest share, 17.4 percent, agreed with the statement: “Accountability. I like to see what I’m getting for my money, and local web advertising delivers.” That ability to target online will become even more attractive as the quality of performance tracking continues to improve, says Matt Booth, vice president and program director of interactive local media at the Kelsey Group, a local media and analysis firm in Princeton, N.J. </DIV> “A long time ago, companies threw money at advertising and there was a saying: ‘I know that 50 percent of my advertising money is wasted, but I don’t know which half.''''” As tracking technology improves, that wasted half will be trimmed and trimmed, making online even more attractive. Another big boost in local online advertising will come with the rise of video ads. If the first internet decade was text and databases, the next will be truly multimedia, with the internet more closely resembling TV. <DIV>This will be especially so locally, where many advertisers have largely been priced out of television. Says Borrell: “On a local level there are loads and loads of local advertisers that would love to have video to sell their products."</DIV> <DIV> No one medium will dominate video, either. Newspapers will certainly rush in--many already offer video news snippets--but it will also mean opportunities for local TV, which was generally late to the internet. Says David Hallerman, senior analyst for eMarketer: “Local TV will get more traffic and will gain some share back from newspapers.” </DIV> <DIV> Another trend Borrell foresees arising is the category killer. On the national level, Amazon is a classic category killer, as is eBay.</DIV> <DIV>“We think that there will be one category killer in any given market. It will be the go-to site,” which everyone visits for whatever, news, local events, classifieds. It could be a newspaper site or a TV station site, or an independent, online-only site. It''''s already happening in Boston and San Diego. Another area that Borrell expects to change is local search. Till now national search companies have been able to make inroads into the local search markets. But there will come a point, Borrell believes, after which time these companies will need local sales forces to get further traction in the market. At this time, he expects to see national search engines teaming up with local companies, like the yellow pages or local TV companies, which have sales forces in place. Meanwhile, however, newspapers are buying or teaming up with local search companies and jumping into search themselves, using their own sales forces, says Borrell. “So the national guys are trying to figure out how to get local, and the local guys are creating their own search engines. A big fight is brewing,” Borrell says. </DIV> <DIV>  Meanwhile, in online ratings for the week ended Oct. 8, the top five parent companies remained the same: Microsoft, Yahoo, Time Warner, Google and News Corp. The top five brands were once again Yahoo, Google, MSN/Windows Live, Microsoft and AOL. Gus Plc was the top advertiser with 9.97 million impressions. NexTag Inc. came in a distant second 4.12 with million impressions, followed by United Online with 2.36 million, Time Warner with 2.06 million and Netflix with 1.95 million impressions Sessions per person were steady at 16 a week, while domains visited dropped 2.7 percent to 36 and PC time per person dropped 3.36 percent to 15 hours, 50 minutes and 52 seconds.   </DIV> local-online-advertising-comes-of-age

Gone in 30 seconds 2007-06-16T00:00:00.0000000-05:00 Gone in 30 Seconds <DIV id=byline>By Frank Ahrens</DIV>Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, June 16, 2007; Page D01 As they have for more than half a century, thousands of advertising executives, art directors, writers and moviemakers converge tomorrow in Cannes, France, for the industry's annual Oscars week -- the Lions festival, which honors the year's best ads. The superstars of the show are the 30-second TV commercials submitted by ad agencies. But as the creative types gather to honor one another, the 30-second TV spot is imperiled as never before. Its competition: A dizzying array of digital and Internet options, many of which produce instant results and valuable consumer data, something that TV ads cannot. Once upon a time, ad firms dreamed up campaigns on sketchbooks and typewriters, and bought television network time in 30-second chunks. Now, if agencies do not know how to use Internet search algorithms and data analysis, how to build turnkey e-commerce sites with Flash video, how to shoot viral video and plant the results on <A href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/YouTube+Inc.?tid=informline" target="">YouTube</A>, they are increasingly useless to clients. The pop-culture idea of a Madison Avenue adman -- "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" or Darrin Stephens from "Bewitched" -- is becoming a fading afterimage in today's ad industry. "My Darrin Stephens is a piece of software," said Benjamin Palmer, president of the Barbarian Group, which has produced more than 300 Web sites for clients but not one 30-second spot for television. Still, the world's major advertising firms are not yet hemorrhaging dollars or clients. Of the world's four major advertising holding companies, massive conglomerates that own dozens of ad agencies much like separate record labels in a big music company, only <A href="http://financial.washingtonpost.com/custom/wpost/html-qcn.asp?dispnav=business&mwpage=qcn&symb=IPG&nav=el" target="">Interpublic Group</A> lost money in 2006. The status quo has its defenders. In a January Advertising Week essay, DDB Worldwide Communications Group Chairman Bob Scarpelli argued that the Super Bowl, the unrivaled showplace of 30-second TV commercials, is still a good buy for some advertisers. "At a time when we know it is getting increasingly difficult to reach our fractionated, time-deprived, attention-deficit-suffering customers, the Super Bowl is still the one place where their interest and our interest as marketers line up perfectly and collide," Scarpelli wrote. But parts are starting to fall off of the decades-old industry machine. Consumers are spending more time online and less watching network television. When they do watch, more viewers have the ability to use <A href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/TiVo+Inc.?tid=informline" target="">TiVo</A> to bypass ads. Consumers demand more from their advertising -- they want product information, consumer reviews and purchase options, not just a glib message pitched by a celebrity. And they want information tailored for them, not a mass audience. "I don't have children, so I don't need to see [ads] for diapers," said Darin Brown, chief strategy officer for Avenue A/Razorfish, owned by digital ad company <A href="http://financial.washingtonpost.com/custom/wpost/html-qcn.asp?dispnav=business&mwpage=qcn&symb=AQNT&nav=el" target="">aQuantive</A>. "I get that the diaper is going to be effective, and the ad entertained me, but it's not going to cause me to buy because it's not relevant to my situation." Microsoft agreed to buy aQuantive for $6 billion last month because it specializes in using sophisticated data-crunching tools to monitor how consumers use digital advertising. The process allows advertisers to reallocate their spending for optimum effect. "I believe that search[-based] and other online advertising is taking away from the off-line [or traditional] budgets of marketers, and one reason is it's more accountable," said Karl Siebrecht, president of Atlas Enterprise Solutions, which aQuantive also owns. "You can send your message out there and understand if people click on it downstream, and if they click, do they purchase? If you're selling <A href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/Toyota+Motor+Corporation?tid=informline" target=""></A>Toyotas, you can see if they asked for a specific dealer location." gone-in-30-seconds

comScore Reports Growth in Internet Yellow Pages Searches 2007-06-13T00:00:00.0000000-05:00 comScore Reports Growth in Internet Yellow Pages Searches Yellow Book Network Shows Fastest Growth in IYP Search Queries Conducted RESTON, VA, June 13, 2007 – comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, today released its qSearch Internet Yellow Page (IYP) search rankings for Q1 2007, which revealed that Yellow Book Network was the fastest growing property with an 85-percent gain in searches versus Q1 2006, while Yahoo! Sites was the market leader, accounting for 22.4 percent of IYP searches.   IYP Search Market Growth Driven by Yellow Book Network Growth in the overall IYP U.S. search market in Q1 2007 has been driven by an increasing number of searchers, with the total number of unique IYP searchers growing by 21 percent.  However, the total number of IYP searches conducted rose by a modest 5-percent during that time-frame, indicating that lighter searchers have entered the market. Nonetheless, Yellow Book Network and Yellowpages Network both realized increases of at least 80 percent in the number of search queries conducted.  The surge in search volume at Yellow Book Network can largely be attributed to a major national TV advertising campaign, as well as strategic partnerships.  Yellowpages Network achieved growth primarily as the result of the inclusion of Switchboard.com traffic in December 2006 and did not contribute significantly to IYP search market growth.     <TABLE style="MARGIN-LEFT: 4.65pt; WIDTH: 295pt; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=393 border=0> <TBODY> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 0.5pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 295pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom noWrap width=393 colSpan=4> Top National** IYP Properties by Number of IYP Search Queries Q1 2007 vs. Q1 2006 Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations Source: comScore qSearch</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" width=201 rowSpan=2> Top National IYP Properties</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 2in; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" noWrap width=192 colSpan=3> Search Queries (MM)</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 24pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 24pt" width=64> Q1 2006</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 24pt" width=64> Q1 2007</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 24pt" width=64> Percent Change</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Total Internet</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 771.6</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 808.6</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 5%</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Yahoo! Sites</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 187.3</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 180.8</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> -3%</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Idearc Media</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 174.1</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 158.2</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> -9%</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Yellowpages Network*</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 79.7</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 143.8</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 80%</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Google Sites</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 94.8</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 97.5</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 3%</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Time Warner Network</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 55.9</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 59.7</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 7%</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Local.com</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 35.0</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 41.4</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 18%</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Yellow Book Network</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 20.8</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 38.5</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 85%</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Microsoft Sites</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 29.2</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 34.2</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 17%</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> *Switchboard.com traffic assignment changed from Infospace.com to Yellowpages Network in December 2006, contributing to significant gains within the Yellowpages Network **RHD/Dex Media is not included among the top national properties because it is primarily a 14-state regional provider     Yahoo! Leads in IYP Search Share, while YellowPages Network Shows Gains For the fifth consecutive quarter Yahoo! <IMG height=14 src="http://www.comscore.com/press/Internet%20Yellow%20Pages%20Searches_web_files/image001.gif" width=14>has led in IYP search share, accounting for 22.4 percent of IYP searches in Q1 2007.  Idearc Media ranked second with a 19.6 percent share, followed by Yellowpages Network with 17.6 percent and Google Sites with 12.1 percent.  Yellowpages Network posted the biggest share gain in Q1 2007 with an increase of 7.3 share points, followed by Yellow Book Network with a gain of 2.1 points.     <TABLE style="MARGIN-LEFT: 4.65pt; WIDTH: 295pt; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=393 border=0> <TBODY> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 0.5pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 295pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom noWrap width=393 colSpan=4> Top National IYP Properties by Share of IYP Searches Q1 2007 vs. Q1 2006 Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations Source: comScore qSearch</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" width=201 rowSpan=2> Top National IYP Properties</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 2in; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" noWrap width=192 colSpan=3> Share of IYP Searches</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 24pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 24pt" width=64> Q1 2006</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 24pt" width=64> Q1 2007</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 24pt" width=64> Point Change</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Total Internet</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 100.0%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 100.0%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 0.0</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Yahoo! Sites</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 24.3%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 22.4%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> -1.9</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Idearc Media</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 22.6%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 19.6%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> -3.0</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Yellowpages Network</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 10.3%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 17.6%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 7.3</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Google Sites</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 12.3%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 12.1%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> -0.2</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Time Warner Network</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 7.2%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 7.4%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 0.2</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Local.com</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 4.5%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 5.1%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 0.6</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Yellow Book Network</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 2.7%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 4.8%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 2.1</TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 151pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=201> Microsoft Sites</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 3.8%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 4.2%</TD> <TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0.5pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt" vAlign=bottom width=64> 0.4</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <A name=OLE_LINK1></A><A name=OLE_LINK2> </A>   Idearc Media Leads in Search Engagement Idearc Media led the competition in IYP search engagement, as measured by both searches per searcher (5.0) and result pages per searcher (9.7), driven primarily by activity on its Superpages.com site.  Yahoo! Sites ranked second in searches per searcher with 4.6, followed by Yellowpages Network with 4.4.  In terms of search results pages per searcher, Yellowpages Network ranked second with 9.4, while Yahoo! Sites rounded out the top three with 8.8.     <TABLE style="MARGIN-LEFT: 4.65pt; WIDTH: 294pt; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=392 border=0> <TBODY> <TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt"> <TD style="