Digital Marketing Blog

Zopa takes $12.4m for US expansion

British "social lending" exchange Zopa has raised a $12.4m (£6.6m) series C investment with the aim of breaking the company in to the US market.

The funds from Bessemer Venture Partners, Benchmark Capital and Wellington Partners will also continue to support Zopa's UK operation, with several new features scheduled.

by Robert Andrews 20 March 2007 09:28am 0 comments

Yahoo! launches oneSearch for mobile web

Yahoo! has launched its oneSearch mobile search platform for mobile web browsers, taking its new search marketing service to a greatly expanded number of handset users.

Previously, oneSearch, which delivers enhanced results and listings for the small screen, was only available in Yahoo!'s downloadable Go 2.0 application, launched in January. Results pages display search-related ads and sponsored banners.

by Robert Andrews 20 March 2007 09:25am 1 comment

Microsoft research finds sources of search engine spam

Microsoft researchers have been looking into the problem of junk web pages, and have found that most of this 'search engine spam' comes from just two web hosting firms.

Microsoft's research, entitled Spam Double-Funnel: Connecting Web Spammers with Advertisers, looked primarily into redirection spam and reveals that the links to spam web pages are generated by a small number of people, with some major advertisers, hosting services and ad syndicators turning a blind eye.

by Graham Charlton 19 March 2007 16:29pm 3 comments

ONS report reveals digital divide

The latest Focus on the Digital Age report from the Office for National Statistics reveals that, while internet use is well established and growing fast, the 'digital divide' remains a problem.

According to the report, one in twelve UK households (8%) have no access to the internet, digital TV, or mobile phones.

by Graham Charlton 19 March 2007 14:23pm 0 comments

ASOS ‘grubbygate’ row gathers pace

You have to wonder whether or not ASOS CEO Nick Robertson went on holiday for two weeks by accident, like Withnail of ‘I’ fame. Or did he strategically flee the masses of affiliates baying for his head on pike?

Labelling affiliates ‘grubby’ is looking like the UK internet industry's gaffe of the year so far, but something tells me it wasn’t just a throwaway statement. Crass and insensitive perhaps, and one hell of a generalisation, but presumably Nick has all kinds of reasons that will back up his choice of phrase.

What might these reasons be? Since Nick is on holiday (or in some affiliate-proof bunker) we’re not going to get any clarification anytime soon. But hey, ASOS is a public company, so let’s delve into the accounts for a brief waltz through its history with affiliates… it is rather revealing…

by Chris Lake 19 March 2007 14:00pm 3 comments

Travelocity bets ad budget on brand search

Brand names function better as search marketing keywords than non-branded terms, according to a study conducted by online travel agency Travelocity.

The company found that only 4% of its bookings came from ads bought on un-branded search terms, suggesting Travelocity's own brand name is responsible for 96% of its business.

by Robert Andrews 19 March 2007 09:42am 0 comments

Google sets up in-game ad battle with Microsoft

Google has confirmed its purchase of San Francisco-based Adscape Media in a push into in-game advertising.

The long-anticipated deal – believed to be worth around $23m – will see the search giant entering a market that's expected to grow massively over the next few years.

by Richard Maven 19 March 2007 09:24am 0 comments

DIY: How to marry your marketing and tech teams

How can you get the marketing team back in control of the business done on the website? And do marketing teams and tech teams have to act like its the battle of the sexes? Not if both sides can share the DIY...

by Deri Jones 19 March 2007 08:25am 0 comments

Site redesign tips from Jakob Nielsen

Jakob Nielsen's latest article looks at site redesign tips which will lead to increased sales and improved customer loyalty.

Nielsen has 10 redesign recommendations that are the most likely to increase return on investment for your website, most of which should be relatively simple to implement.

by Graham Charlton 16 March 2007 14:16pm 0 comments

Lovefilm launches 'download to burn' service

Lovefilm.com, the online DVD rental company, has announced the launch of the UK's first legal movie download service, which will allow customers to burn downloaded movies onto blank DVDs.

The move is prompted by Lovefilm's research into its customer's preferences, which found that 57% wanted the opportunity to create their own discs from their downloads.

by Graham Charlton 16 March 2007 13:11pm 0 comments