Search Engine Analysis

I have started to push my products via Shopping Search Engines. I have done a little and there over the years, but I never did an actual analysis by signing up for several at once, and see how the experience is. Over the next few days, I will be documenting my results.

Google Base Feed - I've been using this one for years, because it is free. It's slow as dirt to get listed, there is no rhyme or reason to where your items get placed (sometimes I am in top 10, sometimes I am nowhere to be seen at all). From long time experience, I can say that it drives me 20-90 people per day. This is fine for Free, but I feel I need to do better. Much of the traffic is lookers anyway, only good for brand recognition.

Shopping.com - Took about 45 minutes to sign up, setup the customized feed, and pay them the $50 to start. It says I need to wait 24 hours to process the feed.

Become.com - Took about 45 minutes to sign up, setup the customized feed, and pay them the $50 to start. It says I need to wait 24 hours to process the feed.

PriceGrabber.com - Took about 45 minutes to sign up, setup the customized feed, and pay them the $50 to start. The real problem with them, is it says 3-5 days to wait for setup to be done. Given that they are pulling in all the Yahoo people right now, I assume this will be 4+ days before I get any results from them.

SortPrice.com - Took about 45 minutes to sign up, setup the customized feed, and pay them nothing to start. Not only was this refreshing, but so was the lack of PPC on the system. It was a flat rate of Free for a basic setup with limited items, or $145/mo. for all site items listed. I am looking to speak with them before signing up for anything, but based on what I see, as long as they can deliver traffic, this could be the best option.

Bing Cashback - This is the only website of this group that required State and Federal Tax ID's. This is because their system is for USA sellers only. The service, once accepted, is free to be part of. However, the cashback part means that after 60 days (or so) they will withdraw a percentage of the sale, that You decide, and give it to the buyer. So basically, they will list you on the search for free as a cashback particitent, you decide of you want to give back 1%, 5%, or 10% (completely your choice), and if you make the sale and there are no returns or whatever, then you agree to pay the customer that amount in 2 months. The money gets put into the customers Bing account, which gets saved until they request the payout. After supplying the information requested, I need to wait to be allowed to join in and be given a service representative. I'm not quite sure yet where Microsoft is making their money just yet, but I am sure it's in there somewhere.

Amazon.com - Even though I've had a rough history with Amazon, I figured business is business, so I signed up for their own search thing. Please note, this is not to be a seller with them, simply a generic PPC that happens on their system.

Their signup was by far the easiest, and fastest. There was no Up front fee, which is the only reason I chose to try them. It would be billed after the fact. They were also the only ones to accept the Google feed I already had.

Sadly, of the 660ish items I uploaded to them, they denied everything but 20 or so Bluetooth headsets. The reason, was that the category was closed. Sure would have been nice if the system told me that up front, instead of saying it was A-OK for me to list in Technology and Cell Phones. Once again, Amazon lied to get me in the door, and then left me with nothing in the end.

I decided to pull off the 20 items it did accept for 2 reasons. one was that my prices were considerably higher than the same items already listed on Amazon (one of the main reasons I won't sell on there again), and the other reason was that the system had it listed in the wrong categories (it put some bluetooth in office supplies,others went into sporting goods, etc).