[Sigia-l] Random Search Results

[Will Parker]

> "William Bakker" <william.sigia.l at gmail.com> 2/9/2007 12:11:09 PM
>
> Hello,
>
> On our travel planning website, we have the ability for users to
> search for tourism businesses:
>
> These businesses are purchasing listings from us to be featured on the
> website.

Well , it seems to me the key question is whether your primary  
loyalty is to your clients -- the tourism providers -- or your  
customers -- the potential tourists.

If your primary allegiance is to the tourism providers, you're  
ultimately not going to be able to properly serve, and therefore  
retain, the site traffic consisting of potential tourists. Bad idea,  
as the tourists are the ones that will make money for you and the  
tourism businesses.

Tourists need to know that they're getting the most reliable view of  
the tourist services available in order to make their all-too-brief  
vacation time enjoyable (and therefore affordable). Send them off to  
random people in your client pool, and they'll lose trust in the  
service _you're_ providing.

On Feb 9, 2007, at 11:18 AM, Kenneth Bryson wrote:

> Can't you do some simple usabilty tests with the sales team,  
> setting up
> the results to come back randomly and ask them to find something three
> times in row?  Impractical, if not impossible.
>
> I'm sure many users will see something, forget to bookmark it, then
> come back later and try to find it again.  Bad for business!

Kenneth has hit the nail on the head. Your marketing people are  
trying to sell some form of guaranteed exposure for your clients _IN  
THE SEARCH RESULTS_, even when the clients' businesses might not be  
at all related to what the *real* customers -- John and Jane Public  
-- are looking for.

Frankly, that's just another form of payola, and should be resisted  
at all costs, for the ultimate good of your business. Stay true to  
the people who _use_ your site, not those who pay for it.

Use the Google model. Keep your search results focused on the search  
terms the customers provide, using a uniform, non-random weighting  
method to set the order of the results. Make it up to the advertising  
buyers by surrounding the search results with "related" links -- and  
while you're at it, make darned sure your clients understand that  
they're buying advertising placement, not enhanced search ranking.

- Will
Will Parker
wparker at ChannelingDesign.com

"The only people who value your specialist knowledge are the ones who  
already have it." - William Tozier