According to the dictionary, the definition of the word "overture" is as follows:

"An opening or initiating move toward negotiations, a new relationship, an agreement, etc.; a formal or informal proposal or offer."

Hmmmmmmmm...very interesting definition--especially that part about "a new relationship."

I think pay-per-click giant Overture should look up the definition of their own company name, because they appear to be breaching their "relationship" with their customers big time!

Here are the most common complaints:

• Suspicions that competitors are clicking on their listings just to cost them money.

• Competitors bidding up the top three positions to ridiculous amounts, ensuring that everyone loses money.

• Fear of new, naive competitors coming onto the scene ready to throw away their money and driving up Overture's exorbitant bids even higher.

• Wild fluctuations in bids. The top bid can double or even triple within just a few days.

• The slow, frustrating, and time intensive process of maintaining listings and changing bids.

• Poor, arrogant and unsympathetic customer service and support.

So, why hasn't Overture done anything about the complaints? Because, and I'm going to as blunt as I possibly can here-- they don't care about you. They only care about your money! Arrogance and greed seems to be the common thread that bonds the major search engines.

But you have only yourselves to blame. That's exactly what happens when you "place all of your eggs into one arrogant search engine basket!"

When you're totally dependent on someone and they know you're totally dependent on them, more often than not, they'll put the screws to you. That's exactly what you see happening with Google, Yahoo and Overture. They're screwing you over big time!

I received some very interesting e-mails in response to my article, "Googles Trap, DMOZ's Nap, And Yahoo!'s Crap." The writer of one of the e-mails wanted to know if I was afraid of being penalized by the search engines, because of my criticism's of them.

Penalize me how? How can you penalize someone who neither benefits from nor is dependent on your service? I don't depend on the search engines! I don't benefit from them! I never have. I get almost no traffic from the search engines. For example, so far this morning I've received over 300 unique visits to my website. Out of that total, none came from the search engines--not a single one!

My traffic comes from the dozens of articles I've written, like this one that have been picked up and published on popular websites all over the Internet. I also get traffic via word of mouth, newsletters and ezines that my articles are published in, and a few other secret methods that I use.

That's the kind independence and power you give yourself, when you're not totally dependent on any one entity. Find alternative ways to attract traffic to your website. Here are a few suggestions:

Ezines, newsletters, forums, online magazines, sponsor listings on other websites, exchanging links.

Here are a few offline suggestions:

Magazines, direct mail, shopper newspapers, cable television, radio, flyers, hospital newsletters, card decks, trade journals and directories, bulletin boards, tabloid newspapers.

Here's what the writer of another e-mail I received had to say:

"Wow! What a pleasure to read your article, Googles Trap, DMOZ's Nap, And Yahoo!'s Crap. Boy, I've been complaining about this type of scenario for at least a year. I will also include Overture with the terrible trio. Overture has recently, with the long standing pay per click program, decided that all your keyword phrases will be broad matched. The reason they gave was that it was too time consuming for the user to manage their listings. Well, they forgot to mention that they will also receive more money because of the change.

Also, they say that you can enter words in quotations or negative words against your keyword phrase so that you receive the correct response. In other words, your keyword phrase will not show up when those negative words are searched for. Well, do you know how time consuming the negative word process is? And, there's no way you can muster up all of the possible negative words that could be searched for so that your listing will not appear. Absolute CRAP, to term your expression.

The terrible trio you mention in your article plus Overture have gradually swung towards "God" like service providers. They have the power and the user is very much at effect.

Well, that's my 5 cents worth. After saying all of the above I am a user of these services but have been working for a long time now finding other ways and means of marketing and promotion so that all of our eggs are not in the one basket. I have, in the main, been exchanging links with other websites plus placing relatively inexpensive ads on websites that have similar services to ours."

I love getting e-mails like that! That tells me that some of you are finally starting to "get it."

Give yourself the power! Claim your independence! Find alternative ways to attract traffic to your website. If you do that, one day you'll realize you really don't need the search engines after all. I guarantee it!