Then came click-throughs, which were fine until everyone started ignoring banner ads. These firms perform what amount to souped-up searches to find out when and how clients appear on search engines, content sites and message boards. A mention in an obscure e-zine doesn't get the same credit as a link on Yahoo. And third billing in a Lycos search sounds great until you learn your key rivals are first and second. But beyond that, visibility advocates can't seem to agree on much.
Different companies measure and report their findings in all sorts of ways.
ScoreCheck and Coastal Sites focus on search engine rankings. Another company, Word of Net, factors both number and relevance of Web links into its chart-laden monthly reports. It seems the trackers might do well to track themselves. It's tough to be an oil company. People need your product, but they don't like fuel spills, environmental devastation or Third World exploitation.