Don't throw away that AdSense Check!

This month's Google AdSense check came in a very different envelop. It's very plain and looks like junk mail. I usually open my check as soon as it gets in, but this Monday when my check came in, I completely ignored it. It didn't even look like a check. Over here plain envelops get tossed or ignored. It could have ended up in the shredder.

There one good thing about this change. If any publishers have had problems with stolen AdSense checks, it's most likely not going to happen anymore

FYI: The envelope is much larger than normal. The return address is a Buffalo NY P.O. Box. So if you are wondering where your check is, look in the trash.

Google buys Urchin: A web analytics software company

It was announced today that Google is buying Urchin, a Web analytics software company.

"We want to provide Web site owners and marketers with the information they need to optimize their users' experience and generate a higher return-on-investment from their advertising spending," said Jonathan Rosenberg, vice president of product management, Google. "This technology will be a valuable addition to Google's suite of advertising and publishing products."

From Google's past behavior, I wouldn't be surprised to see a free or reduced priced version of the software Urchin makes being offered to Google Advertisers very soon. They did a similar thing after purchasing Picasa and Keyhole.

Affiliate Landing Pages

Next Thursday March 24th, KowaBunga and MarketingSherpa are going to be holding a Teleseminar called "Affiliate Landing Pages - How to convert more clicks to sales".

It looks very promising and if your schedule is free, make sure to register to attend. With the changes to Google's AdWords terms and conditions, the information that's going to be provided on this event should be of great importance to many affiliates.

More details can be found here

Yahoo AdSense equivalent coming soon?

Looks like Yahoo is very close to launching their AdSense type tool for small publishers

To support the publishing community, Yahoo! will be introducing new products and
services-including publishing tools, advertising products and access to our
Yahoo! audience. Our products will leverage the Yahoo! network to provide
the most value for small publishers.

You can now sign up to get alerted when they launch it: http://publisher.yahoo.com/

Overture Services To Become Yahoo! Search Marketing Solutions

Will Offer Sponsored Search and Submit Products, Providing One-Stop
Search Marketing Resource for Businesses Worldwide

Overture Services, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yahoo Inc. today announced that it will be re-branded Yahoo! Search Marketing
Solutions and will bring together its sponsored search offerings and
Yahoo!'s listings submit products under the new banner. Through Yahoo!
Search Marketing Solutions, advertisers of all sizes will enjoy convenient
access to the industry's most comprehensive suite of search marketing
and related products and services.

Yahoo! Search Marketing Solutions' suite of offerings will include the
following products:

• Sponsored Search Listings, the flagship search
  advertising product


• Content Match™, Yahoo!'s contextual advertising
  listings


• Local Match™, Yahoo!'s local sponsored search offering


• Site Match™ Self Serve and Site Match Xchange™,
  Yahoo!'s search URL submission products


• Yahoo! Product Submit™, the Yahoo! Shopping URL
  submission program


• Yahoo! Express™, the Yahoo! Directory URL submission
  program


• Marketing Console™, which enables advertisers to
  track campaign performance across multiple online channels


• Search Optimizer™, which allows advertisers to
  improve their campaign performance and reduce the amount of time spent
  managing their listings

The group will also continue to enhance and expand Yahoo's network of
sponsored search distribution sites.

In conjunction with Overture's re-branding, Yahoo! will launch a new
Advertising Solutions Center in the U.S., through which businesses can
plan and buy Yahoo! Search Marketing Solutions products. In addition,
the new center will offer marketers information about Yahoo!'s customized,
creative media solutions, providing them access to the largest set of
search marketing and brand advertising solutions on the web.

“Our mission is to be essential to marketers of all types around the
world,” said Ted Meisel, Senior Vice President, Yahoo! Inc. “Unifying
all of our search marketing and related products under one banner and
one common approach reflects our commitment to integrate and simplify
online advertising, allowing businesses of all sizes to take advantage
of the Yahoo! search marketing solutions that best fit their marketing
goals.”

Overture will formally change its brand in the U.S. early next quarter.
After the U.S. re-branding is complete, Overture's international markets
will be re-branded at a later date – except for Japan and Korea, where
the Overture brand will be maintained. Several products within the suite
will be re-named once Overture assumes the Yahoo! brand in the U.S.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. is the No. 1 Internet brand globally and the most trafficked
Internet destination. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Yahoo!'s
mission is to provide online products and services essential to consumers'
lives and offer a full range of marketing solutions to enable businesses
to connect with Yahoo!'s hundreds of millions of users worldwide.