Sohu: brand effect that weakening?

A glorious past

Sohu's history could have been very successful, in a word: Sohu had wife opportunities when the boss. In 1998, it launched China's own search engine, Baidu also do not know where, but for now, Charles Zhang in addition devote in fame and glamour, and no other ability.

Sohu in 2006 after the release of the Spring Festival results show that in 2005 the total revenues for the year $ 1.083 billion, a growth of 5% in 2004, and full-year net profit only 2980 million. These two figures are lower than TOM online in the first three quarters of 2005 the total revenue of $ 1.24 million and net profit 3232 million.

"Sohu now is the Internet portal providing the most comprehensive private technology companies. "This is Charles Zhang on evaluation, Sohu Sohu in the wireless business, search, online games, frequent attack, but every business are not satisfactory, search business income is not like Charles Zhang was expected, and the online advertising market. As early as the time of listing, Sohu United States analysts on the evaluation of the "this company and other portal sites are very much the same, not particularly unique and attractive places. "But after a few years, Sohu is still not resolved their fatal problems. In the Internet broken down more and more obvious, gaming, search, instant messaging, and other specialized companies continue to mature, Sohu original first advantage and brand is as a "great and all," policy and gradually weakening.

The first impression is "messy"

Sohu has been proud of the content itself has a very big problem.

Open Sohu, gives the first impression is "messy". Take a look at the navigation bar and then look at the entire Home, disorganized. Let's look at news, portals, news is the site content is very important part of the news includes general news, entertainment news, financial reports, and so on with the timeliness of the information, we take a look at how do Sohu.

Sohu in the beginning, go is similar to that of traditional media, which is the old road to regular news reports, a senior Sohu have said: "news content selection, Sohu has been used States allow, as advocated by advanced media units provide content, which fundamentally guarantee Sohu online news content of nature and civilization. Because these media sources of authoritative and consistent with the network civilization engineering standards. ”

Sohu lack a lot of original content, large amounts of content from other paper media, this obviously does not highlight its advantages, might as well blog network or WEB2.0 related website content with exclusive and readability.

From this point of view, one is indispensable, one is easy, so who has influence is a reflection of the problem is. Sohu in content why Super but Sina, the reasons here.

Of course the root or in talent, here are a few years ago, comments: "working in Sohu in the past six years the turnover of Victor Koo naturally is not a good message, but worse Sohu content Department of low-level editing staff have to leave, it is said that the financial channel now only two or three name Sohu work for a year or more of edit, the other is new. In addition, the news, IT, automotive, sports and other channels also have varying degrees of personnel wastage, hurting is one of the very people who were part of Sohu's competitors have and have quit! a few Sohu Edit chat too, some people leave because of certain people regardless of Sohu it Director, another part of the person is too harsh and mechanization of assessment criteria. And still some editing Sohu Roddy, they feel now and a previous is its pressure has effectively delivered to each edit, instead of just stay on the channel in charge of this level. As an outsider, I cannot judge the content sector now Sohu it management, but judging from the current understanding of the situation at issue appears to exist. ”

There is a joke: SINA edit the payroll is 6k, Sohu 2.5k. We have no reason to suspect that the current level of Sohu editors, but the root or in the management operation above Sohu. In the absence of strong original impetus, Sohu embarked on a road that irony is a sensationalist to cover a variety of content, particularly in the caption on the use of metaphor, and other ways to attract the eye. In addition to adopt a large number of blog Sohu and forums in a article, in particular pictures, this is perhaps another way, these blogs and forums in a article mostly without permission reproduced others things, many even obvious is a violation of personal privacy.

Website competitive

Founded by Charles Zhang, Sohu in early publicity promotion, have used the word "advertisement" out on the map, find Sohu "on the Internet. The map is to help us in the real world, an important tool for reaching your destination, Sohu will own and together with the map, like the self-esteem to find information on the Internet a "map", but did not become such Sohu professional help people find information on the Internet.

Sohu content construction never exceed a SINA, Sohu people will feel that their content is far more than the construction of new wave, but Internet users and visitors are not so agree. Content from Ding Lei recognizes the importance of the contents of the NetEase building is getting better and better, we can see the result is more than a Sohu NetEase.

We look carefully, you will find Sohu, Sohu what seems to have, but when you really to browse the content, you will find them there is nothing too exciting, it's easy to find an even better than Sohu. This is trouble, if Internet users can easily elsewhere find better alternatives, but also on Sohu?

And InfoNet CEO Xie blunt: "compared with competitors

Now, Sohu is not a complete story. Now the problem is not related to Sohu will collapse, but Sohu should have done better. But no one in any Sohu business areas achieved leading, this is the lack of core competence of outstanding performance. "Really hit the nail on the head.

Early in 2000 to us $ 30 million of stock acquired the then another portal big net chianren, that used to be the domestic Internet scale in purchasing, Sohu declared that "the establishment of China's largest portal site". At that time, Sohu and chianren two site overlay, exceeded the Sina and NetEase's scale.