These days Ask.com seems to be flailing, desperately trying to control the bleeding of is its’ visitor base and PPC advertisers.

In the world of PPC search engine marketing, I have found increasingly less value from Ask’s paid search advertising program and stopped using their service altogether for several clients.

• If you cannot get a keyword to convert in 2008, one that easily converted in 2007, and especially during the keyword’s peak season, something is terribly wrong.
• Another issue I am experiencing is Ask double serving ads:  One is from Google, as a Content Network partner. The other comes from the Ask.com account. Ask should implement a stronger filter to discontinue this issue. Could it be on purpose? Might there be so few advertisers that they’re showing everything all the time, any time?
• Ask3D, which I have found little use for, does not seem to be working. The results fall far short and they insert sponsored ads between the natural results like little land mines.
• Spending my monthly budget on Ask.com is not the problem. It’s the part about getting conversions that keeps proving difficult. Folks click on PPC ads, do not find what they want then quickly bounce away.

The days of asking Jeeves the dumbest questions you can think of are far behind us. Even though, their new innovations look like watered down versions of Google results pages. It’s still better than MSN. MSN seems to almost consciously do the exact opposite of Google. But when it comes to pay-per-click advertising Ask.com keeps pushing me away.

Earlier this year rumors predicted that Ask.com might re-brand itself into a women’s focused search engine. Ask squashed that one; maybe they shouldn’t have. Choosing a narrower target audience might help them. Is it too late?  Hey Ask! Do us a favor. Run the idea past your execs again. Make yourself an authority then model your PPC display advertising accordingly.

Come on Ask. We can still be friends. Stop making me take my PPC advertising dollars elsewhere. Make me want to buy clicks from you again.

Oh yeah, one last thing. Bring back Jeeves. I have some questions to ask that guy.