Internet news

By EDISON D. ONG
"We now have a ‘highway’ to the world! You are no longer confined to selling to your own world," says Eric Hsu, senior manager, Yahoo! Search Marketing, Yahoo! Southeast Asia.
He adds, "Never before has there been a channel that allows you to search for anything in the world. (Internet) Search is the indispensable local and global highway."
Expressing bullishness on the future of Internet search, he reports, "Globally, the growth of Internet users is estimated to increase to almost 1.8 billion in the next four years. Locally, Internet penetration is at 21 million with an average 30% growth yearly.
Thus, he underscores, "User growth is on fire!"
He exclaims, "Opportunity knocks! Everyone is looking for something….The technology is revolutionary."
Hsu, a first time and recent Manila visitor, is one of the speakers at the Search Engine Marketing Conference 2008 organized by Fiera de Manila, Inc.
Citing user online behavior, he reports: In the Philippines, media growth for non-traditional media is at 39% as of the first half of 2007 as opposed to 32.4 % on the 2nd half of 2006 (Nielsen Media Research) and 28% click on Web ads."
He continues, "Studies show that there is an increase in online purchase. For search only, there is a 210% lift in online purchases and combining Search and Display Ads proves to be more effective with a 224% increase (Y! Research: Close the Loop, December 2006)."
Hsu suggested to the conference participants to consider the merits of being on the front page of search results. "This is vital," he says because "with 62% of search engine users viewing only the first page of results (prospects) advertisers need to invest more in search engine marketing and search engine optimization."
Yahoo! offers a solution to this by enabling advertisers to create relevant ads for their targeted customers through Yahoo! Sponsored Search.
The Yahoo! Sponsored Search platform allows small-to-medium enterprises to benefit from a cost-effective method for advertising and ability to compete with big brands.
One. An industry standard cost-per-click pricing model that ensures advertisers pay only when interested buyers engage with the products/services offered.
Two. Advertisers never pay more than their bid.
Three. Budgeting option protects advertisers from overspending.
Four. Forecasting feature provides insights into traffic estimates based on budget and bid.
"What you want is to be there. One of eight searches will lead to conversion. Seven of eight will become advocates and evangelist of your product."
He said through Yahoo! Sponsored Search, such companies with minimal advertising budgets can now reach more than 500 million consumers worldwide and 53 million in Southeast Asia.