Yahoo mindset is a very cool new demo tool from the yahoo research labs for searching the Net. Thanks to Lee at the Online Marketing Blog for letting me know about this. This is what this beta tool does
…applies a new twist on search that uses machine learning technology to give you a choice: View Yahoo! Search results sorted according to whether they are more commercial or more informational (i.e., from academic, non-commercial, or research-oriented sources).
This could really revolutionize how people surf. Often when you search for a certain term you get commercial sites that are 98% selling products vs. mixed informational sites (real content and some marketing) or pure informational sites (no commercial content at all). There’s nothing wrong with selling things on the net, no one forces you to buy. Sometimes though you’re looking for information and it can get frustrating to click on a search results and get a page that is mainly a sales page with no or little informational content or a spam blog i.e., a blog with no real content other than constantly repeating keywords to drive traffic to the site to get money from ad clicks. However it’s nice to have a tool where you chose what kind of results you want. Currently you have no choice.
Once you enter the term and click search you’re taken to a page where you can move the slider from shopping to researching. Try searching for “adult add” and compare the results from the shopping side to the research side.
When I typed in adult add and moved the slider all the way to the research side, my Attention Deficit Disorder resource website, www.addcoach4u.com was #3 out of 45,545 search results. I’m also #8. This made me very happy, though I know the only constant on the net is change. Next week I could be #2 or # 20 or #200. Google and Yahoo giveth and Google and Yahoo taketh away.
When you moved the slider to the far end of the shopping side, my ADD website was much further behind. This makes me wonder, are most of the regular search engine results more geared to sites that are predominantly just sales sites rather than combined informational and sales sites or information only sites? Search engines make their money by selling ads.
On my 180 page + ADD resource website, the only thing I’m selling is my Adult ADD coaching services done over the phone and I’ve had many people tell me I should devote much more time and effort on that, and make them more prominent than the ADD resources on the site. I know some coaching sites that won’t even let you get into their “resource section” (which is often pretty tiny) before signing up to their ezine.
Am I hurting my ADD Coaching business by being too helpful to others for free?
i think your strategy is smart and sounds and will position you in the center of this space and that will NOT hurt your coaching business. 🙂
cool link pete. i’ll blog it tomorrow.
also,in response to your question: “Am I hurting my ADD Coaching business by being too helpful to others for free?”
i’m guessing you’ve already made up your mind. i’ll just add that, on the contrary, i think you’re enhancing your coaching practice this way.
kris said it well. the may resources you provide make you an information hub on the topic. i would like to see you instill a bit more of your personality into the site. things like the cool little comment you sent me in email:
“attention deficit disorder, it’s really a surplus, we have too much attention, not a lack of it.”
i’d also like to see you boil all your expertise down into some premium resources – ecourses, audio, etc – for folks who aren’t ready or can’t afford to hire you for one-on-one coaching. also, it could provide some passive revenue sources for you. like an ADDville but with a different name, because the ville thing is overdone.
overall, well done.
more than asked for, i know, but there it is.
keep in touch – mp
Thanks for the feedback Kris. Have had a few doubts. I enjoy reading your blog http://www.kriskrug.com and seeing the great photos you take.
You’re right Michael, I still want to continue giving information out to help people but have to moderate it a bit, or have some limits around it. Don’t want to overextend myself.
I’m new to the blogging world injecting a bit more of me in the blog is a good idea. Thanks for reminding me of the passive revenue e-product model, I’ve been thinking about doing so for 2 years but haven’t done it yet, should probably be moving more in that direction, I’ve taken enough teleclasses and read enough on how to do it I’m already coaching others how to do so, but not yet doing it myself.
Giving more than is asked is always a good idea:)
Your 8 minute podcast is a good idea, much easier to create and consume than an hour version.
You’ve got some great content on your small business branding site http://smallbusinessbranding.com
Pete