Search company ends paid inclusion
24 June 2004
A leading search engine is phasing out the practice of allowing marketers to buy their way into Web search listings.
Ask Jeeves has said it will phase out its paid inclusion programmes over the coming months. Previously marketers could pay an annual fee of $30 dollars to submit a Web address into its search engine.
Jim Lanzone, Ask Jeeves' senior vice president of search products, said the company decided to end its paid inclusion because the engine powering its search results had increased in sophistication to the extent that it can find all necessary sites on the Web and refresh them as often as needed.
Paid inclusion, he said, poses a conflict for a search engine that promotes the most comprehensive, freshest index to consumers while taking fees from marketers to deliver on that promise.
"Whether it's pay-per-click or a flat fee, it doesn't make sense to draw a distinction of a site in the index--if it's good, it's good. We have to have it anyway, why would we make them pay anything?" Mr Lanzone told zdnet.com, adding that the move will not have a material effect on the company's earnings.
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