Update: Reactive Gym has taken down their ad!
For those of you who are not familiar with search engine advertisement, let me give you a quick explanation. Search engines such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask use their search result pages to do two primary things. First, based on the sites that it has crawled and the algorithms it is using at that moment it displays a list of results based on your keyword search. Second, there is a list of advertisements listed above or to the right of the search results based on the keywords from said search. Advertisers will compile a list of keywords so if that keyword or phrase gets searched, it displays in the ad space. The advertiser gets charged on a per click basis when their ads are clicked by the person who submitted the search. I will now regress from techie-speak.
In the above screen shot (click to enlarge) a Crossfit Affiliate entered “Crossfit One World” into the keywords for their advertisements. So when a person on Yahoo searched for “Crossfit One World” their site is displayed above the actual Crossfit One World site. Since this affiliate is close to One World you can see why this makes me angry. Just so I am crystal clear, this affiliate sought out after being places before Crossfit One World and paid each person who went to their site from this advertisement. Scum.
Although this is seen as standard business marketing and advertising it lacks any morsel of virtuosity, which is so prevalent through out the Crossfit community. But giving this prime example, virtuosity is no longer ubiquitous; unfortunate.
Note: Thank you Doug for bringing this to everyones attention.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Chris,
I work out at Crossfit Excel in Escalon. I ran across your blog searching for something else. I used to do internet marketing for my own company. I am very familiar with Google Adwords and pay per click, etc. I wouldn’t worry about it. Our competitors used to do the same thing. It’s not going to hurt Crossfit One World. Everytime some one does a search for Crossft One World they will most likely click on the natural search, this will increase Crossfit One World’s relevence and just keep you guys up at the top of the natural search links. If they click on the Recative Gym link it will cost them, not you. Anyway I doubt if some one who is specifically looking for One World will go to Reactive. One World has a great reputation. Not sure about Reactive but it doesn’t look like they have much integrity.
BTW, I did the search from my home in Manteca and reactive does not come up, but that’s most likely becasue we are in a different DMA than the Bay Area.
Cheers
Terry’s last blog post..Sat. 2-7-09
Terry,
Thanks for the input. I agree 100% that it won’t affect One Worlds revenue but it was mostly about integrity and it was a bit of a rant
.