Project Detail

Description

This project is to create a web search catcher / error redirect software product. It must work with both IE and Firefox. Should run silently in the background. Can be uninstalled via Windows Add/Remove Programs

When initiated:
1) DNS redirection – User types into his address bar (or clicks existing link) for an invalid domain name / invalid URL syntax. Example: http://www.googkle.com (mistyped domain name) or htyp://www.google.com (mistyped http syntax).

2) 404 error page redirection – User types into his address bar (or clicks existing link) for an unavailable web page for a valid domain into his address bar. Example: http://www.google.com/indez.html. (We might also want to look at having the redirect work for errors in addition to 404).

3) ??? redirection - User enters a search phrase directly into the address bar. Example: free software

Result:
Redirects user to our own custom error page. Includes a search box from our search partner (partner undecided at this time) and a page of their search results. We capture the text that was initially entered into the address bar (irregardless of whether from scenario #1, #2 or #3 above). We use this data to customize the results / links we display to the user on our custom error page and also to pre-populate the search box on our custom error page. If we are unable to do that, we display a default / generic results page.

A few existing examples that should make this concept a bit clearer:

http://urlseek.vmn.net/search.php

http://urlseek.vmn.net/search.php?lg=en&type=404&tbn=vendio&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ebodog%2Ecom%2Fwelcome%2F174208%2Fcasino

http://wwwz.websearch.verizon.net/search?qo=www.this-is-not-a-valid-domain-name.net&rn=nt3awQzoTLk5-vQ&rg=

http://slawsearch.com/

Other possible functionality to be quoted as a separate project:

The ability to track when our software is installed, uninstalled and active. Tracking actual individual user activity (by assigning each install a unique identifier which we log into a database) would be even better. I don’t mean tracking where they visit, only the number of times our software performs a redirect for each install. Also, the ability to somehow associate and track an affiliate code to each install. This would allow us to not only distribute the software ourselves, but establish our own affiliate program.