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Our bi-monthly opt-in newsletters are designed for our sponsors and advisors, and are packed with information on StudyAbroad.com, upcoming events, and marketing tips for your own web site! If you would prefer not to receive future issues of StudyAbroad.com News, you should send a message to sab_newsletter-off@list.edudirectories.com.
CONTENTS:
I. The Latest from StudyAbroad.com
II. Major Search Engine Players
III. Top 20 Searches for October 2002
IV. Traffic Numbers
V. StudyAbroad.com Advisor Supplies
VI. StudyAbroad.com Traffic Numbers for this Past Year
As it has been awhile since we last shared StudyAbroad.com news, quite a lot has changed. From changes in personnel to online site changes to innovative, new features, read below about StudyAbroad.com's comings and goings.
The latest from the StudyAbroad.com office
Last spring, StudyAbroad.com's parent company, Educational Directories Unlimited Inc., (http://www.EDUDirectories.com/) launched a consulting division-EDU Internet Strategies.
EDU Internet Strategies [EDUIS] (http://www.EduInternetStrategies.com/) is a full service Internet and Marketing Consultation firm specializing in the provision of reasonably priced, quality services for the higher education market place. Available services include web site design, maintenance, and hosting; database design, and marketing consulting. EDUIS is managed by Ron Gionta and coordinated by former StudyAbroad.com Operations guru Andrew Olanoff.
The current StudyAbroad.com staff consists of:
Manager:
Jennifer Lewis (Jennifer@studyabroad.com)
Operations Staff:
Michael Dittbrenner (Michael@studyabroad.com)
Sherry Melchior (Sherry@studyabroad.com)
Sales:
Erica Brechemin (Erica@studyabroad.com),
John Duncan
(jd@studyabroad.com),
Jerry Rafter [ESL/EFL and TESL accounts]
(gr@studyabroad.com)
Ron Foley [Non-U.S. College and University
accounts] (rf@edudirectories.com).
What's up with the StudyAbroad.com site?
Last fall, StudyAbroad.com introduced a new structure to its online directory. Program listings appear on a primary directory page and are then featured in a tiered structure: Programs of Master Sponsors, programs of Hot Button Sponsors, Programs of Text Sponsors, and Non-Sponsors. Fixed positions (guaranteed 1st, 2nd and 3rd placements) are included when appropriate.
This fall, we have more exciting things to share with you: - The StudyAbroad.com site is being redesigned. While the home page release is just a few weeks away, take a peek at the below sections...
Academic.StudyAbroad.com: Summer.StudyAbroad.com Intern.StudyAbroad.com HighSchool.StudyAbroad.com English.StudyAbroad.com: A uniquely designed portal, English.StudyAbroad.com offers ESL program listings in the USA and around the world. ESL programs listed on this site typically consist of short-term Intensive English Language Programs.
The Programs Still Available Directory, 2003 edition
The Study Abroad 2003: Programs Still Available Directory is a short-term, time-sensitive opportunity for Program Administrators to advertise current program availability. This Directory will be specially featured on StudyAbroad.com until January 02, 2003. It was created with the intention to feature programs with extended deadlines, available programs that haven't yet filled, and/or those programs that seek additional exposure.
The page resembles a Studyabroad.com Directory page, however, it only contains text link advertising. The cost for each listing, which contains one link, is $100 and advertisers are limited to a maximum of three listings.
Any program can be listed in the Study Abroad 2002: Programs Still Available Directory. If your program has extended its deadline, increased participation numbers or just has some room left, "Programs Still Available" is a great place for students to find your program.
Link to the Study Abroad 2002: Programs Still Available Directory from the StudyAbroad.com Home page or follow this link: http://action.edudirectories.com/sab_tango/sab_deadlines.taf
For advertising information, please e-mail: advertise@studyabroad.com
InternationalEducationWeek.com, 2002
For the second year in a row, StudyAbroad.com has partnered with AIFS in sponsorship of InternationalEducationWeek.com (http://www.internationaleducationweek.com).
InternationalEducationWeek.com was created by StudyAbroad.com in order to promote and celebrate international education. While this site is not affiliated with the Department of Education or the Department of State, it strives to provide accurate and reliable information. The site is produced as a community service, and includes a comprehensive resource page, discussion boards, a program search feature, and an exciting Quiz Contest, generously sponsored by AIFS. The grand prizewinner of the Quiz Contest will receive a four-week trip to Salzburg, Austria.
International Education Week is a joint effort between the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of State in order to promote and celebrate multiculturalism and international education. The Week was first established in the year 2000 by the Clinton Administration. Throughout International Education Week - November 18-22, 2002, campuses, embassies, and communities are encouraged to hold activities celebrating international education and diversity.
Late last month, the Wharton School/Philadelphia Business Journal ranked Educational Directories Unlimited Inc. for the third year in a row among the 100 fastest growing companies in the Philadelphia area. Lucky number: #30.
II. THE MAJOR SEARCH ENGINE PLAYERS - LORI FAUNCE
Search engines are still among the most popular sites on the Internet, but the models that existed only a couple of years ago have changed dramatically. Online advertising for search engines has also changed as a result of the evolution of these models. In order to provide a clearer understanding of the major players, listed below are detailed descriptions of the models of three prominent search engines:
YAHOO!
When Yahoo! first appeared in the mid-1990s, its primary function was its website directory. Yahoo! used its human-edited and maintained directory to boast higher quality results compared to crawler-based search engines such as AltaVista. Recently, however, search engines users shifted their preferences toward keyword-relevant searching, whereby they enter search words and are presented with results in order of their relevance to the search criteria. Yahoo! responded to this shift by partnering with Google, a more traditional search engine, to provide this type of keyword searching. Yahoo! also now focuses much less attention on its directory (in fact, to view the directory in most browsers, one must scroll down).
Yahoo! still generates its revenue primarily through advertisers, however the advertising opportunities available are significantly more varied than a few years ago. Banner positions are still available, often for a much lower cost than even a year ago, but they are now a small percentage of advertising. Side buttons and text ads, as well as Yahoo!'s own sponsored links, drive Yahoo!'s revenue model. Advertisers can also be included on Yahoo! through Overture (see Overture section below).
Banners are effective branding tools, however, they rarely produce desirable click-through rates, particularly when placed on cluttered pages. Sponsored Links (text links at the top of search results) are more likely to be cost-effective when analyzed on a cost-per-click basis. They do not, however, effectively brand your logo or institution. Sponsored Links should be used for driving traffic, not branding.
Over the past two years, Google has experienced a tremendous increase in popularity, making it one of the most popular sites on the Web. The Google search is clean and efficient with results that are usually very relevant to the searcher's criteria. Google also offers a directory feature through their partnership with the Open Directory Project (www.dmoz.org).
Google is one of the only search engines that does not allow banner advertising. The site is user-oriented, preferring to keep pages clean and simple. The two types of advertising offered, Sponsored Links and AdWords, yield high click-through rates. Google Sponsored Links are located at the top of every search result, highlighted by a colored bar. These Links are sold on a CPM basis (Cost per thousand impressions), however, buying very specific keywords will increase your click-through rate and lower your cost-per-click.
Google AdWords are now sold on a CPC basis (cost per click) and appear as colored boxes on the side of search results. Advertisers determine how much they are willing to spend per-click for each chosen keyword and positions are then ranked by each advertiser's determined maximum bid per click. Unlike Overture (see below) advertisers do not know what other advertiser's are paying per click.
OVERTURE
Overture, formerly Goto.com, has a near monopoly on the pay-per-click search engine market. While there are many smaller competitors with similar models, Overture reaches by far the greatest number of Internet users.
Overture's primary search results are ranked, not by an algorithm as Google's results are, but in order of advertisers' bids for specific keywords. Advertisers can choose keywords related to their web site (Overture does check for relevancy) and set the amount per click they are willing to spend. Those who are willing to pay higher amounts to be ranked in the first, second, or third positions, will also have their listings appear on Yahoo!, MSN, Lycos, InfoSpace, and AltaVista. As with Google, more specific keywords will generate higher quality results and a more cost-effective campaign.
If you would like further information about Yahoo!, Google, or Overture, visit the following resources:
http://www.Yahoo.com
http://www.google.com
http://www.overture.com
http://www.searchenginewatch.com
http://www.searchengineworld.com
http://www.selfpromotion.com
III. TOP TWENTY COUNTRIES SEARCHED ON STUDYABROAD.COM IN OCTOBER 2002
1. Spain
2. England
3. Italy
4. Australia
5. France
6. Germany
7. Canada
8. Ireland
9. Japan
10. China
11. Sweden
12. New Zealand
13. Egypt
14. Ecuador
15. India
16. Austria
17. Chile
18. Mexico
19. Greece
20. Taiwan
IV. UNIQUE VISITORS FOR STUDYABROAD.COM - TWO YEAR PERIOD
October 2002: 492,210
October 2001: 339,061
September 2002: 437,478
September 2001: 308,090
August 2002: 403,790
August 2001: 312,221
July 2002: 424,791
July 2001: 401,177
June 2002: 346,758
June 2001: 332,871
May 2002: 422,366
May 2001: 357,048
April 2002: 489,860
April 2001: 338,901
March 2002: 500,976
March 2001: 343,107
February 2002: 495,421
February 2001: 266,753
January 2002: 496,133
January 2001: 334,977
December 2001: 318,923
December 2000: 247,478
November 2001: 360,399
November 2000: 269,261
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