Google’s Pay Per Action (PPA) offering has been in beta for several months. As part of the beta, we’ve been running a test campaign on Apogee-Search.com. The traffic volume has been disappointing, to say the least. The campaign has received over 250,000 impressions, and only a pair of conversions. We’re using the same ads that […]

Comments are paraphrased.
Stewart Easterby, VP of Sales Operations, Yahoo! Search Marketing
- Gave Panama overview.
- Average of 12-15% of click on Yahoo! Network are identified and not billed for
- Basic API is free. Advanced API (which includes support and marketing programs) is $2,000/month. More info available at booth.

Doug Stotland, Director of Microsoft adCenter, Microsoft
- Want to […]

Marketing Pilgrim:
Clever title and great analysis.
Yes, he takes a distinctly negative slant, but raises good points.

John Battelle’s Searchblog:
Google, Yahoo, and MSN have announced plans to work together to combat click fraud. Certainly this is a laudable move, but can these fierce competitors work together sufficiently to achieve anything?
And, of course, they each still have a financial incentive to keeping click fraud around.

Associated Press:
Click Forensics reports that the click fraud rate is up 0.4% from three months ago. I’m sure, however, that if we had just let it happen, it wouldn’t have increased.

GoogleBlog:
Google explains that Schmidt’s comments were simply in reference to the theory of click fraud. Even if true, it indicates a lack of understanding of the point of view of their customers.
If anything ever causes Google to truly stumble, you can bet it’ll be connected to their hubris.

ZDNet Digital Micro-Markets:
Google’s CEO suggests that click fraud is a problem that will take care of itself. If a particular keyword (or batch of keywords) is unprofitable due to click fraud, advertisers will stop bidding on that keyword, and the fraud will go away as the bid prices drop.
The hubris of this statement is stunning, […]

Spam Blocker Resouce:
So, this guy discovers someone using his wi-fi connection. A packet sniffer shows the guy is using the connection for blog spamming. He shuts the guy’s connection down so the spammer leaves, and he follows the spammer to his house.
Now, he wants suggestions of what do to with this information.
Certainly, nothing illegal should […]

I, Cringely:
Or, rather, their lack of customer service.
Cringely is quite fair to Google, in my opinion, acknowledging that perhaps Google’s problems aren’t as bad as they might seem, but that the perception of problems is certainly high, due to poor customer service. Providing quality customer service is very difficult, requiring empathy and humbleness, not characteristics […]

Blog Maverick:
With the Spurs out of the playoffs, we’re all Dallas Mavericks fans in Austin now. So, imagine my surprise when I see Mavericks owner Mark Cuban speaking out on click fraud.
He raises some very valid points, particularly about keyword arbitrage.
Thanks go to John Battelle for the link.