Billboard on top of Google, Yahoo and Microsoft Live Search
The Web and You | written by Chris Allison | June 8, 2009 at 9:59 PMYou may have received an email with a similar title recently, stating you can have a “billboard” of your website on top of all major search engines (Google, Yahoo, Microsoft Live Search).
This “technology” is a hoax and will hurt your company image. Don’t fall for it. Read on.
Do You Like Adware and Spyware?
Neither do your potential customers. Essentially what you’re doing by advertising “on top of all major search engines” with this “billboard” or “frame” is paying adware and spyware developers. Let’s call it adware to stay consistent throughout this blog post.
What is Adware?
Adware or advertising-supported software is any software package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer after the software is installed on it or while the application is being used. Some types of adware are also spyware and can be classified as privacy-invasive software.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (read more about Adware)
Let’s look at an example of what these “billboards” look like:
Google Doesn’t Do It
If Google doesn’t place “billboards” or “framed” ads on their search engine—and neither does Yahoo or Microsoft Live Search—how can your ad appear on each of these search engines, and at the top? Simple. The individuals who were struck with adware developed by these overseas companies are the ones who will see your ad and wonder why the heck you gave them spyware.
To wrap things up, do not waste your time or money by paying adware developers overseas to keep developing nasty adware, spyware, and viruses for good people (such as yourself) to unknowingly download. Selecting this route can kill your brand in no time.
The reason I wrote this article is because one of these companies sent me spam by scraping my business email address off the online yellow pages. For me, the first sentence gave it away. The company who sent me this spam is called “Banner Marketing Online” and they call their adware “Overnet Billboard Technology”. Their mailing address is a California, USA address along with an 800 number, though if I were to guess, I’d bet my money they’re using a virtual office and an 800 forwarding service. The bad English on their demo site gave it away.
Here’s the email which prompted this blog post:
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Chris, I got the same email, I talked to a representative and he walked me through the process. I seems like a viable alternative to adwords but I got concerned when I wanted to get a quote. He walked me through the process and told me I didn’t have to read the terms and conditions now. I did not acknowledge reading the terms after Rick said I didn’t have to read it now, I got just a bit nervous. I moved to page two, there was a bill asking me to print it out. He informed me that when I printed it out he would get a duplicate and that I should fax it in along with a copy of my check so that they could arrange a wire transfer. I finally took the time to read the terms and the key is that once you send them the money there are no refunds and no cancellations. I have asked him for some more information about the company before I agree to anything. I will let you know how they respond. Thanks for the information.
Mr. Froehlich,
Thank you very much for sharing your experience with us. I am interested in hearing your outcome.
Were u able to get more detail?
Is it legit?
Jack: even it this were legitimate, you’d risk ruining your company’s reputation. People who see things on their computer that were not intentionally downloaded and installed think you put it there.
It’s a win-lose-lose situation. Win for Banner Marketing Online, loss for you, loss for the computer owner. Computer owner gets pissed, you get blamed, Banner Marketing Online gets paid.
Hate to burst your bubble here.. but it’s an awesome technology and it has exponentially increased my traffic.
I’d say that if Trump, FedEx, Starbucks and others have the same experience as me… think twice about it being a scam. They don’t do anything without a lot of research, and they’re all on board!How is their adware installed on computers?
John: in response to “How is their adware installed on computers?”, it’s installed the same way any other virus or adware is installed. Most people don’t know they installed it. Perhaps they visit a website that has it, or open a bad email, open an attachment from a friend who got a virus, or download something from a less-than-reliable source. Getting that stuff is easier than one might think.