TQ scores

[wolfis.com]

So far from what I have seen, it's not whether it's a typo or if it's a correct spelled domain, it's all about the volume and does the traffic convert in the end.
Donny

really not 'news' - this is the whole concept behind parking a domain - domainer provides traffic - if it converts to sales, it good traffic if it doesn't, its bad traffic - who wants to pay for bad traffic ?

 

[Donny Simonton]

The advertisers will not know what the TQ score is of the traffic they are receiving.

Donny

 

[namestrands]

When fully implemented, advertisers may exclude sites they don’t want to advertise on. That rollout will also include demographic targeting features for the content targeting program.

 

[georgeh]

So far from what I have seen, it's not whether it's a typo or if it's a correct spelled domain, it's all about the volume and does the traffic convert in the end.

I wouldn't pull any domains right now, because it's pretty amazing in some cases what has a high score and what doesn't.

Donny

I would expect the traffic conversion for typo names would be about the same as the original name's. If I want to buy a cellphone and try to visit cellphone.com. By mistake I key in celphone.com. I would have the same Likelihood to click on ads on either site.

 

[Name Trader]

When do we get to score the advertisers

 

[Focus]

When do we get to score the advertisers

Very good point, considering we hold most of the traffic that in turn gives many companies the bulk of their business online..we are the "GATE KEEPERS" so to speak...maybe we should hold the traffic ransom if advertisers start chipping down our revenue...IF.

 

[Name Trader]

I'd really would like to know more about how our TQ scores are calculated, so that we can take some actions to improve it. Some questions...

1) If we have domains with no/low traffic in our account, will that affect our TQ score? If yes, then the obvious choice would be to move them.

2) If we have domains with low CTR in our account, will that affect our TQ score? If yes, then the obvious choice is to move them.

3) Over what time frame are we being assessed? 1/3/6/12 months?

4) Is the TQ a rolling score? If not how often is it looked at and updated? Another way to ask this is, if we make changes to improve our TQ score, how long will it be before we see the results of those changes.

5) The scale is 1-10, right? So what percentage of a 10 score do 1-9 users get?

6) What other factors are being considered when calculating an account's score?

 

[VirtualT]

Where do we see these illusive scores Donny?

 

[Gerry]

Frank Schilling wrote his comments on this matter as well:
http://frankschilling.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/06/yahoo_to_begin_.html

That was some of the most link laden essays I have ever seen but still interesting and informative.

I have spent the past couple of hours on that sight looking at many articles on many different subjects.

I found some interesting points but also some pointless points.

My overall impression is this...this is a guy who is writing and many thinking he's the king of the world all the while he has nothing to lose from his own advice and take on things...good or bad. Does that make sense?

Because much of what he was saying in several of his blobs make no sense in a global market place.

I guess I'll have to go back and re-read some of it to see if I can find the meat and potatoes.

 

[Raider]

I noticed a bump on the 5th and 6th, then it dropped back to where it was at, the stats overall have been fairly consistent for the past 30 days.

 

[Donny Simonton]

My original plans were to offer the scores to everybody on the front page when you login, unfortunately only 10% of our partners have scores. I don't even have a score for my own account. But once we get more, we will be publishing them.

Now to answer Stu's questions. Before I answer them, my answers might not be 100% correct, but it is all Yahoo has told.

1) If we have domains with no/low traffic in our account, will that affect our TQ score? If yes, then the obvious choice would be to move them.

Removing domains with no or low traffic should not affect your overall score. It's all about clicks, not revenue, not searches, not hits, completely about clicks. They take all clicks from your account and based on that data determine a score. You have a have a minimum number of clicks to get a score, if you don't you get a N/A. Remember we are also only talking about US/CA traffic right now as well.

2) If we have domains with low CTR in our account, will that affect our TQ score? If yes, then the obvious choice is to move them.

Low CTR shouldn't affect your score at all, potentially it might increase your score, because people will be finding exactly what they are looking for.

3) Over what time frame are we being assessed? 1/3/6/12 months?

In the past when Yahoo had TQ scores it was over a 1 month period and they calculated them every 2 weeks. This was good and bad, if you had a low score and we made improvements it took almost a month to see if our changes worked. I have been told the new calculations are done every 2 weeks and it's for the last 2 weeks, I was told no historical information is being used. So this is good and bad. The good is that if you had a low score 2 weeks ago you could potentially move it from a 1 to a 10. The bad is if you are a 10 you could drop down to a 1 under certain circumstances.

4) Is the TQ a rolling score? If not how often is it looked at and updated? Another way to ask this is, if we make changes to improve our TQ score, how long will it be before we see the results of those changes.

2 weeks is what I have been told. On Friday, I asked when would the next update happen and they were not sure. So I would assume the next update would be next Saturday or Sunday.

5) The scale is 1-10, right? So what percentage of a 10 score do 1-9 users get?

No clue right now. Personally, I haven't really see a large change in customers revenue based on score. I personally originally expected if you had a 1 then the advertiser would only have to pay 10%. But so far it looks like the advertiser gets a 10% discount and still has 90%. Now of course that could change, but Yahoo has not given me any indictation of if a 5 will be a 50% discount or a 5% discount. And I usually ask everyday.

6) What other factors are being considered when calculating an account's score?

The biggest one is conversion, which is very similiar to how Google does theirs. Now Google also includes search queries as well, as Yahoo doesn't. Over the past week we have been taking certain people with lower scores and working with them to see how we can improve their scores.


I hope this answers all of your questions.

Donny

 

[petrosc]

since individual accounts in each parking company are being rated by yahoo, I couldn't help wondering, if Yahoo rates or is planning to rate the individual Parking operators as well(like you, trafficz, active audience etc) with a TQ, based on the overall quality of traffic their clients generate

 

[Donny Simonton]

Normally they do rate us by the combination of all scores. But in the end they don't give me 1 score that says we are an 8 or a 7.

I can tell you that we have 3 large porfolios of domains that we own ourselves and their scores are 10, 8, and 8.

I don't think Yahoo will ever publish a list of what scores parking companies have, they won't even tell me if I'm the 3rd largest parking company with them or the 50th largest.

Donny

since individual accounts in each parking company are being rated by yahoo, I couldn't help wondering, if Yahoo rates or is planning to rate the individual Parking operators as well(like you, trafficz, active audience etc) with a TQ, based on the overall quality of traffic their clients generate

And BTW, you are currently an N/A.

Donny

 

[petrosc]

yes, I figured so cause I moved the ones the main money makers last week or so ... can I PM you about it?

 

[Name Trader]

Thanks Donny. So it's all about the number of clicks and the number of conversions. So badly performing domains do not affect our TQ rating, right? So, if I'm only a small-fry parker, my click volume is being compared to your click volume, and I get a 1 coz I only have small volume of clicks in my account, and you get a 10 coz you have large number of clicks in your account. Is that how it works? My daily revenue has dropped by over 50% after the 7th. Is this because I have a low TQ rating?

 

[GoPC]

I've got a domain with a 162% CTR on my account and I've seen ZERO change in the rate of return. It sways between .06 and .08 cents pretty regularly.

Looks like roughly $100 bucks per month this month... like every other month.

What changed again?

GoPC

 

[Donny Simonton]

Thanks Donny. So it's all about the number of clicks and the number of conversions. So badly performing domains do not affect our TQ rating, right? So, if I'm only a small-fry parker, my click volume is being compared to your click volume, and I get a 1 coz I only have small volume of clicks in my account, and you get a 10 coz you have large number of clicks in your account. Is that how it works? My daily revenue has dropped by over 50% after the 7th. Is this because I have a low TQ rating?

Stu - You have it a little wrong. Let's say your account gets 100 clicks a day, you will probably have a TQ score with Yahoo. I don't know the exact number but 100 is easier to use. The scores are not calculated on a domain level only on an account level. So if you have 10 domains in your account and they get 10 clicks each per day then you will probably have a TQ score. The score has nothing to do with volume, it's all about conversions. As I mentioned before we have one account that is a 10 and it has 3 times the click volume of an account we have that has an 8. I've seen people who were making over $3,000 a day with a 1 and people 2 domains in their account that were a 10.

Overall we haven't gone down since the 7th, but as I was originally told it would take 2-3 weeks for Yahoo to finish implementing all of the initial changes.

Donny

 

[chois]

Remember we are also only talking about US/CA traffic right now as well.

OUCH!!!

:?:

 

[GoPC]

The scores are not calculated on a domain level only on an account level. So if you have 10 domains in your account and they get 10 clicks each per day then you will probably have a TQ score. The score has nothing to do with volume, it's all about conversions.

So again...

If you have 10 domains and ONE gets clicks and the other nine rarely do, then these "sleepers" are hurting your account score and should be pulled, yes?

Originally, you said no. But now that I read this last post, it looks like YES.

More confused than ever,

GoPC

 

[Focus]

How on earth does Yahoo possibly know if conversions are taking place for thousands of different advertisers?