Pamela Parker

Yahoo!’s expected algorithmic search switch from Google to Inktomi will come in the next few months, according to search engine marketing execs who have spoken with Yahoo! employees. The change, while widely expected, will likely create huge disruptions in Web traffic patterns. The news comes just as Google-watchers whet their appetites for the search player’s […]

Lycos Europe continued its eclectic approach to paid search Tuesday, renewing its deal with Yahoo!’s Overture Services. This time the search firm’s parent will also participate, collaborating with Lycos Europe on e-commerce and community products. Although Yahoo! acquired Overture in October, this is the first deal in which the newly-joined companies have gone to the […]

The majority of Americans would sign up for a do-not-spam list were the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to launch one, a new study has found. “Eighty-three percent of Americans are either extremely or very likely to register for the list, making it more popular than the telemarketing do-not-call list launched back in October,” said Andrew […]

Web measurement firm NetRatings is expanding into site-specific metrics by acquiring RedSheriff for more than $12 million. The Milpitas, Calif.-based NetRatings paid the $12 million to buy a 58 percent stake in the Australian measurement firm from investor Morgan Grenfell Private Equity Limited. It will offer to buy out the rest of RedSheriff shareholders over […]

Search giant Google is taking its AdSense contextual advertising product international, and has begun taking online applications from publishers in Spain, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. The move, announced Friday, expands the program the company began in March in the U.S. in an effort to provide its paid search advertisers with more inventory. What it […]

Facing a dire situation as the expiration of its paid inclusion contract with MSN approaches, paid search player LookSmart will begin distributing its paid inclusion customers’ listings through its bid-for-placement distribution network. The company has combined both products into one, called LookListings, which encompasses both LookSmart’s traditional strength, paid inclusion, and its newly launched bid-for-placement […]

Discount ISP United Online Tuesday launched enhanced versions of its “accelerated” dial-up services and joined the ranks of ISPs offering subscribers pop-up blockers. The Westlake Village, Calif.-based firm has tweaked both its NetZero HiSpeed and its Juno SpeedBand services. Both are priced at $14.95 a month and use compression technology to speed the delivery of […]

Atlas DMT, the advertising technology division of aQuantive , declared its firm commitment to the search business Monday, announcing the purchase of Go Toast, a provider of paid search management and optimization tools. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. The profitable company brought in between $3 and $4 million in revenues in 2003, according […]

ValueClick continued its acquiring ways Friday, agreeing to buy e-mail marketing services company Hi-Speed Media in a deal worth at least $9.5 million. The deal is aimed at beefing up the Westlake Village, Calif.-based company’s e-mail marketing capabilities. The diversified online advertising company already collects opt-in e-mail names for its Ultra Leads offering, and offers […]

That e-mail message may appear to be from PayPal or EarthLink, but is it really? To know for sure, e-mail needs an identity verification system, and there’s a growing consensus among e-mail senders and recipients that one should be developed. The latest two proposals, which were released over the past few days, come from portal […]

First there were banner blockers and pop-ups blockers. Then EarthLink began offering software to block rich media. Now, paid search listings and contextual ads have become the latest prey for ad blocking software, with the latest release of InterMute’s AdSubtract Pro. Dubbed “Search Sanity,” the new feature recognizes and strips off paid listings on Google, […]

Paid search listings player FindWhat.com will provide Verizon’s SuperPages.com with technology to power enhanced local advertising, in a partnership that unites two sectors trying to bring smaller businesses online. There’s been much speculation about the relationships or rivalries that will be formed between paid search players and Internet yellow pages (IYP) companies, as the former […]