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90 percent of Windows 7 flaws fixed by removing admin rights
March 31, 2010, 11:41 pmReport says that 90 percent of vulnerabilities can be mitigated by configuring users to operate without administrator rights.
comScore Announces Introduction of Online Video Measurement Service in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore
March 31, 2010, 10:50 pmcomScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today announced the launch of comScore Video Metrix in the Asia-Pacific marketplace. comScore's industry-leading video measurement product is now available in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, in addition to the five markets where the service is...
Internal Link Structure, Footer Links, In Context Links
March 31, 2010, 10:34 pm
It seems we’re always hammering home the importance of link building, external links, and inbound links, and that sometimes makes us minimize the importance of the links available right there on your own pages. After all, you have complete control over the pages on your site, and if they have matured to where they have page rank, then...
Twitter Requires a Robust Winning Approach
March 31, 2010, 10:20 pmSearch engine optimization is the process of making sure everything is running efficiently. That means that your website is working to its full potential and so are all your online marketing efforts and attempts. Getting involved with the social community's means much more than just starting up a Twitter account. Heavy communication and...
Google April Fool's Jokes in 2010
March 31, 2010, 8:44 pmPlease join our forum thread where all Google-related April Fool's features are collected ! [Thanks everyone!] [By Philipp Lenssen | Origin: Google April Fool's Jokes in 2010 | Comments ] [Advertisement] Want to make money with your website? AllPosters.
Yahoo! Self-Service Beta Program for Small Publishers to Close April 30
March 31, 2010, 8:38 pmDecision does not affect large, direct publishers and partners, nor advertisers using Content Match Earlier today, Yahoo! emailed a small group of publishers participating in the Yahoo! Publisher Network self-service beta program (also known as "YPNO" or "Yahoo Publisher Network Online"), to inform them that we have decided to close the program...
The 'Ferris Bueller' Car: Up For Auction
March 31, 2010, 7:36 pmby Claudine Zap Just in time to skip out of work and spend the day joy riding comes news that the "choice" Ferrari 250GT Spyder California featured in " Ferris Bueller's Day Off " is on the auction block . The English auction house Bonhams is selling the car that starred in the 1986 John Hughes classic movie. The plot, for those of you who haven't...
Reform, Repent, Replays: March 2010 Buzz
March 31, 2010, 7:36 pmby Vera H-C Chan The buzzword for March? Reform, whether it was about health care or moral failings. Meanwhile, sports fans who didn't want to get involved in politics or celebrity scandals, escaped to the fairy tale-upsets in the NCAA. Below, beware the buzz of March. How's your health care bill? For the White House, passing the Health Care and...
Dear Internet, Meet Facebook Status Optimizer (Boom, Mind Explodes)
March 31, 2010, 5:13 pmPosted by Danny Dover At SEOmoz, we have always striven to be at the forefront of understanding digital search. As web search has become an increasingly solved problem, some of our researchers have begun to switch their focus from Google to Facebook. Facebook is unique in that it is able to data mine social patterns between real life friends. This...
Get Yer Bleepin' T-Shirts Here
March 31, 2010, 4:28 pmby Mike Krumboltz Think President Obama was embarrassed when Joe Biden uttered the mother of all swearwords at the health reform signing ceremony? Think again. The Obama machine is actually selling t-shirts emblazoned with the saying, " Health Reform is a BFD ." Embrace you inner potty mouth, people.
B2B SEO - Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
March 31, 2010, 3:31 pmGreat post about common mistakes that B2B companies make in their SEO efforts.
Did Yale Postpone Move to Google Apps Over the China Flap?
March 31, 2010, 2:41 pmThe Yale Daily Press scored a nice piece of local news that warrants some speculation about whether Google's recent moves versus China are adversely affecting its collaboration software business. Apparently, the Ivy League school has decided to postpone its move from the Horde Webmail service to Google Apps for Education, the suite of e-mail, word...
Twitter's "Share" Button Most Common Among Top Blogs
March 31, 2010, 2:36 pmMany blogs depend on the practice of sharing for survival, or at least profitability; they can't count on millions of people to find their own way to every article. And it turns out that, when it comes to "share" buttons, popular blogs depend more on Twitter's than any other option out there. We're going to skip the causation/correlation debate...
Twitter "Share" Button Most Common Among Top Blogs
March 31, 2010, 2:24 pmMany blogs depend on the practice of sharing for survival, or at least profitability; they can't count on millions of people to find their own way to every article. And it turns out that, when it comes to "share" buttons, popular blogs depend more on Twitter's than any other option out there.
We're going to skip the...
Incentives Keep Broadband Customers Loyal
March 31, 2010, 2:19 pmOffering loyalty incentives, such as discounts on monthly fees, service upgrades and other benefits, provides a significant boost in customer satisfaction with fixed and mobile broadband Internet service providers (ISPs) in the UK, according to a new report by J.D. Power and Associates. Around 15 percent of fixed broadband customers and 16 percent...
Yahoo Publisher Network Shutting Down on April 30
March 31, 2010, 2:19 pmIf you're a Yahoo Publisher Network member, chances are you might have received an email notification already stating that Yahoo is about to close down the service on April 30. According to the email, Yahoo is asking YPN members to remove the YPN codes from all of their sites and Yahoo will be paying outstanding YPN revenues by May 31, 2010.
Google Intros Ad Innovations Lab
March 31, 2010, 2:01 pmGoogle has just launched Google Ad Innovations, sort of a Google Lab this time for its many advertising products that it is currently experimenting on. Google Ad Innovations will showcase Google's latest idea around advertising technologies to get, well our feedback. Google Ad Innovations currently has several new advertising products that...
Beware: It's April Fools' Day
March 31, 2010, 1:38 pmby Mike Krumboltz April 1 is the only day of the year when deceit and pranks are not just tolerated, but encouraged. Interest in the "holiday" is palpable in the Yahoo! Search box. Web lookups for " best april fools day pranks ," " how to trick a friend ," and " funny april fools day tricks " are all making more noise than an overinflated whoopee...
Idol Talk: Wait, A Moment
March 31, 2010, 1:16 pmby Vera H-C Chan All that talk about fun is over on " American Idol " and thank goodness for that. The week's theme was R&B, and singer Usher showed up to tell the Top 10 contestants how to "own their moment" on the Fox reality show. Usher, seeking a comeback himself, schooled the wannabe idols on how to claim the stageâ"just in time. Like...
Panasonic Turns Down Android Due To Costs
March 31, 2010, 1:14 pmOne of Android's biggest selling points (so to speak) is that it's free; Google doesn't charge anybody a dime to use the operating system it would like to see powering phones, netbooks, and all other sorts of devices. Unfortunately for Google, a major electronics manufacturer has concluded that using Android is still an expensive...
Tim Ash's Upcoming Conversion Conference
March 31, 2010, 1:10 pmby Sage Lewis ConversionConference.com is a very cool new conference being put on by Tim Ash. It's May 4 & 5 2010 in San Jose. If you are looking to get the most out of your traffic you need to seriously consider this conference. Be sure and visit our small business news site.
Blog Post Round Up: Search Engine Strategies - New York (SES NY) 2010
March 31, 2010, 1:10 pmFor those of you unable to attend SES NY this year, here's a quick list of our coverage by bloggers extraordinaire, Mel Carson and Michelle Honeycutt. Click on each title to read the entire post: Tuesday, March 23 Search & the Integrated Marketing.
Google Real-Time Search Results Powered by Pigeons on Red Bull?
March 31, 2010, 1:10 pmGoogle has a long tradition of perpetrating April Fools' Day hoaxes. According to my sources, who are located in India where it is already April 1, 2010, one of the April Fools Day pranks to watch out for this year is the announcement that Google real-time search results are powered by Pigeons who've been given Red Bull, whose slogan is "it gives...
Google Ad Innovations: where ads are going next
March 31, 2010, 1:10 pmIn the past year, Google's advertising tools have moved in some exciting directions. We've introduced more data-driven and efficient campaign management with the new AdWords interface , easier account optimization with the Opportunities tab , and new ad formats like Ad Sitelinks and Product Extensions that provide more context and value to those...
Yahoo Publisher Network Shutting Down in a Month
March 31, 2010, 1:04 pmYahoo is closing the doors on the Yahoo Publisher Network . The Yahoo Publisher Network was launched in the summer of 2005, and never left beta status. The YPN lets publishers display ads that are relevant to the content of their site, and earn money based on the clicks, much like Google's AdSense program. The program will be shutting down at the...
Thesis Makes WordPress Way Better (Again)
March 31, 2010, 1:04 pmThere's a new version of Thesis out, and this is one of the best updates in quite a while. And yet there are a lot of new Copyblogger subscribers who might use WordPress, but might not really "get" what this Thesis thing is all about. So in this post I'll share with you why Thesis makes WordPress way better, and then let you know what's brand new...
Google: Cyber Attacks on Dissidents Spread to Vietnam
March 31, 2010, 12:52 pm
Google’s already made big waves in the international arena this year by deciding to pull out of China after too many censorship demands and a cyber attack targeting human rights activitists’ email accounts. And now another Asian country might get the same kind of press: Vietnam.
Says Google:
These infected machines...
Greenpeace Questions iPad’s Role in Global Warming
March 31, 2010, 12:35 pm
Fresh off the “success’ of shouting down Nestle over their sourcing of the some of the palm oil used in products, Greenpeace is now going after some other less edible targets. Maybe they got confused by the Apple logo but Greenpeace has drawn a dotted line between the soon to be released iPad (Coincidence? We think not.) and...
10 Ways to Increase your Twitter Followers & 10 Essential Tools to do it
March 31, 2010, 11:25 amAdmit it, size matters. Your Twitter followers have become as big a question as “What’s your number?” People look at your followers and make judgements, it’s only natural. So what can you do to increase your volume of Twitter followers? 10 ideas to increase your Twitter followers and the tools that can help you.
Yahoo Hacked in China (Still Waiting for Other Shoe)
March 31, 2010, 11:23 am
In January, Google reported a coordinated hack attack targeting Chinese human rights activists’ Gmail accounts. In response, Google (eventually) pulled their search engine from China.
And now the hackers are at it again. The Yahoo “e-mail accounts of more than a dozen rights activists, academics and journalists who...
Attracting new brand advertisers to your site
March 31, 2010, 11:15 amWe're constantly focused on bringing new advertisers and more advertising spend to AdSense sites. One way to do so is to make it easier for brand advertisers to reach their goals on AdSense sites. Brand advertisers are focused on raising brand awareness and driving engagement, typically with display ads, for a product or service a person may buy...
Sea Creature Surfaces, Chaos Ensues
March 31, 2010, 11:08 amby Mike Krumboltz Think sharks are scary? They're downright cuddly compared to the Bathynomus giganteus , a very terrifying (and very real) sea creature that recently surfaced from the deep. See Flickr photos of the creature . (Warning: May give you nightmares.) So, what the heck is it? According to an article from Fox News , the Bathynomus...
Rumor Has It...Rachel Weisz Role, Lollapalooza Bands, Verizon iPhone: What's the Buzz
March 31, 2010, 11:08 amby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Rachel Weisz (Searches increased by +5,584%). There's talk that the beautiful and talented actress could be the next James Bond villain . Lollapalooza (+975%). The festival is being a tease about which acts will perform . Transformers 3 (313%). The latest in the series will be filmed...
Bing Launches Maps Apps for World Tour, Oodle, Foursquare
March 31, 2010, 11:02 amMicrosoft launched a few new apps for Bing Maps today: the World Tour App , the Oodle App and the Foursquare App . "Just about every month, Bing Maps gets a makeover in the form of new map imagery for locations worldwide," a representative for Bing tells WebProNews. "The World Tour map app brings these updates to life using the Bing Map Apps...
Google Launches "Ad Innovations" Destination
March 31, 2010, 10:58 amGoogle has launched a new site to showcase its latest innovations in advertising. It's called, appropriately, Google Ad Innovations.
"The principle behind the advertising products we build at Google is simple: ads are information," says Vice President, Product Management Susan Wojcicki. "But the type of information that ads...
"Spotlight on Fashion: Blogging for Style" at SES New York 2010
March 31, 2010, 10:03 amOn Monday, Nathania Johnson wrote about "The Unlikely Heroes of Search and Social Media" who used abso-freakin-lutely no SEO. Today, I'd like to highlight one who did.Click to read the rest of this post...
Make Sense of Huge Keyword Lists with Keyword Niche Tools
March 31, 2010, 9:40 amA new keyword research tool that will help spot open opportunities and gaps in specific keywords to go after.
Win a $3500 Online Marketing Scholarship from MarketMotive (and Help a Non-Profit to Boot)
March 31, 2010, 9:19 amby Jennifer Laycock
If you're looking to further your education in online marketing or know of a non-profit that could use an educational boost of their own, you're going to be interested in hearing about MarketMotive's spring scholarship contest. The team at MarketMotive is generously allowing each faculty member to award a scholarship to...
Bing Maps at Where 2.0 2010
March 31, 2010, 9:19 amThis week Bing Maps and Microsoft Research will be heading to San Jose to attend OReillys Where 2.0 Conference. Blaise Aguera y Arcas, architect of Bing Maps will kick off the event keynote at 9am and will also take part in The Big Picture, from the Big Players panel at 2pm alongside Danny Sullivan and folks from Yahoo!, Google and Yelp. If you...
Asus To Take On iPad With Google OS
March 31, 2010, 9:18 amGoogle and Apple have clashed a number of times in recent months, and a Taiwanese hardware manufacturer is poised to ensure that the two companies butt heads yet again. Asus has indicated that it will challenge the iPad with a tablet PC powered by either Android or Chrome OS. Elizabeth Woyke talked to Asus chairman Jonney Shih and reported...
UK Leads Europe In Smartphone Adoption
March 31, 2010, 9:16 amSmartphone adoption in the EU5 (U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Italy) has grown 32 percent compared to a year ago to 51.6 million subscribers, according to a new report from comScore.
Growth can bee seen across the range of monthly subscription fees, but the mid to low tier is growing faster that high tier subscriptions in each of the EU5...
The Next Big Thing in Social Media - Using Your Brain
March 31, 2010, 9:16 amWhat's the next big thing in social media? Is it Google Buzz? Is it Chat Roulette? Is it Foursquare? Is it Gowalla? Is it something you won't hear about until tomorrow, next week, or next year? While it is certainly a good idea to be aware of trends, it's also important for businesses not to get to fixated on them, and go rushing into things that...
Google Universal Search: A Mystery and Some History
March 31, 2010, 9:01 amGuest post on the Trail that looks at Universal search, some history, triggers and digital asset management. This is an area thatI hope to dig into deeper over the next while. Having a SERP-out strategy isn't really talked about enough. Give a read and leave yer 2c
Twilight Author To Release Short Story Online
March 31, 2010, 8:14 amPopular Twilight author Stephenie Meyer said on her website her next book "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" will be available as both a physical book and online.
The book will be available for purchase in bookstores on Saturday, June 5 in hardcover for $13.99 and free online starting at noon on June 7 until July 5 at...
Seven Deadly Link Sins
March 31, 2010, 8:02 amOk, I am not a huge fan of lists, but c'mon, it's Debra. Duh. This post is short and sweet with some reminders that bear remembering for all. I am surprised no one else picked it up... so posting for all.
Could Forums Be More Valuable to Your Brand Than Facebook/Twitter?
March 31, 2010, 7:52 amSocial media marketing is largely about engaging with your audience, and a big part of that is knowing where your audience is. A lot of brands may find that their audience is easiest to reach through forums, which are kind of the old school social networks. Do you use forums to engage with your audience? Tell us about it . There's no question...
Announcing our 1st S&S Spring Summit Contest Winner â" Ben Cook (@Skittzo) !
March 31, 2010, 7:52 amWe are only 33 days away from the 2010 Search & Social Spring Summit ! Only 68 tickets are still available. We have sold out for past events and foresee the same for this one. This is one of the most important conferences that you will ever attend in the search marketing industry. Top experts within the field are flying in from all over the...
Dynomighty YouTube Video Marketing Case Study
March 31, 2010, 7:48 amTerrance Kelleman, the President and Designer of Dynomighty Design, spoke last week at SES New York 2010. He was one of the speakers on the keynote panel, Video: The Next Digital Marketing Frontier, that was moderated by Zach Rodgers, Managing Editor, ClickZ.Click to read the rest of this post...
Google Detects Malware Targeting Vietnam Dissidents
March 31, 2010, 7:29 amGoogle said it has detected malware targeting Vietnamese-language users opposed to bauxite mining in the Communist country. The malware infected the computers of "potentially tens of thousands of users" who downloaded Vietnamese keyboard language software, Google Security Team member Neel Mehta wrote on the company's security blog. The attacks...
7 MS Adcenter Improvements I Dream About
March 31, 2010, 7:28 amMS Adcenter has a slightly higher ROI than other major PPC alternatives. However, this is where its dominance ends. Adcenter is plagued with small design problems that are not only annoying, but downright frustrating. With the amount of money that Adcenter brings in, it is time for them to make life a little easier for advertisers. Here are 7 easy...
Make Sense of Huge Keyword Lists with Keyword Niche Tools
March 31, 2010, 7:28 amA few weeks ago I discovered a very cool tool that helped a lot with my keyword research (especially for finding really easy and cool long-tail keywords). So I decided to go ahead and share it with SEJ readers. The tool is called Keyword Niche Tools and it essentially helps you figure your keyword list out by streamlining the process of retrieving...
Is Your Copy Too Sugary Sweet?
March 31, 2010, 7:28 amGood copy persuades' Great copy sells. But sometimes, in that urge to be convincing, we throw so much charm and effort into the process that the customer ultimately thinks one of two things: This is too good to be true â" there has to be a catch here somewhere OR This is GREAT â" but why didn't they tell me about (insert issue here') ?
Gmail Opens Up To Apps With OAuth Support
March 31, 2010, 7:11 amSharing one's password is considered a huge security sin; a recent Symantec survey made clear that telling it to even a boss or spouse is verboten. Gmail users may be glad to hear, then, that Google has figured out a way to encourage the creation of Gmail-related apps without asking everyone to compromise on the password issue. A post on the...
The Secret Life of Testimonials (Part 1)
March 31, 2010, 6:30 amYou've seen résumés, haven't you? What's common to all the résumés on the planet? Yup, they're all created to make the candidate look wonderful. So what's the first thing a company does when you present them with a résumé? They go back and do some digging. They check the details. The smarter the company, and the more important the job, the...
BuiltWith: Learn What the Site Is Built with
March 31, 2010, 6:30 amI have already reviewed a few all-in-one SEO tools that compile tons of SEO-relevant information at a glance . Today I am sharing a new one which seems really useful. BuiltWith is a free tool (with no registration required) that aggregates some very important data about any domain you enter. Let's see what it will show: Domain Technology Profile...
Buying Your Competitor’s Keywords an Invasion of Privacy?
March 31, 2010, 6:22 am
A new argument to prevent your competition from buying sponsored search listings, containing your brand, is playing out right now in a Wisconsin court room.
And it sounds like the kind of court case you’d actually enjoy watching unfold!
Habush, Habush & Rottier claims that competing law firm Cannon & Dunphy violated...
Google Takes Limit Off AdSense Category Filtering
March 31, 2010, 6:00 amGoogle has eliminated the limit to how many categories AdSense publishers can filter from their sites. There are 11 categories, and users can filter as many of them as they want.
"The category filtering feature allows you to prevent ads that fall into specific categories like 'religion' and 'dating' from appearing on your pages," says...
Apple to Build a Search Engine? This Just In: Apple Has a Search Engine!
March 31, 2010, 5:47 am
Some analyst predicts that Apple will build its own search engine and the soundbite feeds the blogging community for a week!
We’re also going to jump in–hey we have bills to pay too–but our take is a little different. First the prediction:
We believe Apple could utilize data unavailable to Google, data generated...
Common B2B SEO Mistakes and How to Solve Them
March 31, 2010, 5:13 amWorking with a variety of companies large and small, local and international, B2B and B2C, on SEO projects over the past 12 years has revealed a variety of common obstacles to success. For many reasons, B2B marketers often lag behind B2C in terms of tactics and adoption of new marketing technologies. The customer acquisition and buying cycle...
Yahoo Publisher Network To Close April 30, 2010
March 31, 2010, 5:01 am"Yahoo has ended its Publisher Network betaand the program overall."
Twitter Highlights Top Tweets, Users on its Homepage
March 31, 2010, 3:42 amTwitter has started rolling out a new design of its homepage , the page that loads on your browser when you visit Twitter.com and you are not signed in to your Twitter account. Actually it's not so much of aesthetic redesign but more on what are displayed on the homepage. Previously, Twitter.com just gives you the large Twitter header containing...
Follow, update and search all your social networks in one place
March 31, 2010, 3:25 amNsyght is a web application for Twitter and Facebook that lets you search information from your friends in real time, post directly to your networks as well as search and filter your own "personal fire hose" of information. You might remember Nsyght as a bookmark based search engine from when I wrote about it back in 2008 . It was down for some...
Impact of Time on Link Building
March 31, 2010, 3:11 amIf you are familiar with agency SEO or work in an agency yourself then you will know that time is a pretty big deal. This is because you often have a set time allocation to work on each client. This means you have a limited amount of time to get some of those kick ass links. In most cases you will find you are restricted in the link...
The Cricket Pitch Comes to Facebook
March 31, 2010, 1:58 amI've always had a deep connection to India, even though I grew up in the United States. I've spent a lot of time in the country, and though it took a while to learn my way around my family's hometown in rural Gujarat and even longer to study the languages my parents speak, it didn't take any time at all to learn what truly stirs passion in most...
UK Leads European Countries in Smartphone Adoption with 70% Growth in Past 12 Months
March 31, 2010, 1:42 amcomScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a study of the smartphone market in Europe showing that smartphone adoption in the EU5 (U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Italy) has grown 32 percent versus a year ago to 51.6 million subscribers. Whilst growth can be seen across the range of monthly subscription...
Press Release Services for SEO and Link Building – Free or Cheap
March 31, 2010, 12:36 am
Online public relations campaigns can be used as very effective off-page SEO. Done well, they can increase targeted traffic to your site. A good PR effort for SEO should include keyword optimized press releases to increase the visibility of your brand in the marketplace and get you more leads and sales.
In the best of all worlds, you would use...
Twitter TwiesTweaking Homepage
March 30, 2010, 11:21 pm
Alright, so the title was lame. It’s been a long time since I even considered overusing the “Tw” that has made Twitter talk funny and incredibly annoying at the same time. Twitter must be really big because this bit of news is about their homepage redesign and not about numbers of Twitter accounts etc.
The Twitter blog tells...
KPI's and Monthly Objective Metrics for People Who Do SEO
March 30, 2010, 10:21 pmPosted by richardbaxterseo Todays post is inspired by a brilliant question that came up recently in Q&A. The question was based on targets and objective setting for SEOs and it went something like this: "What metrics should an SEOs monthly objectives be based on?" Having spent a good portion of my SEO career managing SEO teams in-house, this...
SEO Blackhat Video from SES London
March 30, 2010, 10:04 pmAt SES London there was an interesting video about how current SEO people perceive the black hat SEO community. They asked 50 SEO's how they felt about the black hat community and received many different responses. It was interesting to hear that some of them said they are innovative and push the edges of the algorithms like it was a positive...
Mother's Day: Woodlands Junior School strikes again
March 30, 2010, 9:58 pmA couple of years ago we highlighted the extraordinary case of Woodlands Junior School, the best optimised school website in the UK . It appears high up on the Google SERP for popular seasonal terms such as 'mothers day', 'pancake day', 'easter' and 'lent'. Back in 2008 Woodlands Junior School was the biggest recipient of traffic from the search...
FTC Urged to Probe Google Buzz
March 30, 2010, 8:07 pm"11 American lawmakers from the House of Energy and Commerce Committee penned a letter to FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz, asking his office to investigate allegations that Google revealed personal details of its users without first securing their consent."
Orange Teams Up With OpenX To Launch Orange Ad Market In Europe
March 30, 2010, 8:05 pm"Orange, the key brand from Europe's third-largest telecom, and OpenX, an open-source ad server, are teaming up to challenge Google's DoubleClick in the European ad exchange market."
2010 Search & Social Awards : Nominate Your Blog!
March 30, 2010, 6:36 pmWe're very happy to announce the 2010 Search & Social Awards, the extention of the old SEJ Search Blog Awards, will be help this April to award the best in blogging and media campaigns across the online marketing industry. For those of you who are new to the format, SEJ will open nominations today in our comments area. We let the readers of SEJ...
Say "Hi" to Hello Kitty Wine
March 30, 2010, 5:12 pmby Claudine Zap Finally, Hello Kitty is old enough to drink. Or at least savvy enough to market her own alcoholic beverage. Say "hello" to a line of Hello Kitty wines. Pink ones, of course. With bubbles. The LA Weekly blog reports that this cartoon cat turned feline-themed vino is produced and bottled in Italy and will hit shelves in the next...
Google Gives AdWords a Mobile Interface
March 30, 2010, 3:46 pmGoogle has just rolled out its AdWords for Mobile applications that should run on the iPhone, Android and Palm Pre devices. AdWords for Mobile provides mobile access to your account, key alerts and statistics as well as a facility to make quick changes to your AdWords settings even while on the move. AdWords for Mobile lets you select parts of...
Yale's Deployment Of Google Apps Delayed
March 30, 2010, 2:25 pmWhen we first reported that Yale was poised to adopt Google Apps, the development seemed like a big win for Google. The situation's now looking a bit different, though, as the prestigious university has postponed its school-wide switch to Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and other products from Mountain View.
David Tidmarsh of the Yale...
Is Facebook Going to Change the Face of E-Commerce?
March 30, 2010, 2:20 pmOver the years, Facebook has grown into much more than a social network, including a place to shop. More and more brands are placing product listings on their Facebook Pages, a phenomenon, we've discussed more than once within the last week or so. WebPronews had a chat with Doron Simovitch, co-Founder, President, and CEO of comparison shopping...
Social Network Users Improve Privacy Habits
March 30, 2010, 2:19 pmAs the amount of activity on social networks continues to increase, more users are taking steps to protect their privacy but security risks remain, according to a new report released by Webroot.
The survey included more than 1,100 members of Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter and other social networks. The survey found an increasing awareness...
Idol Talk: Nostalgia Trip
March 30, 2010, 1:51 pmby Vera H-C Chan Getting to the Top 10 on " American Idol " is supposed to be a turning point for the Fox reality competition. Instead, viewers are wistfully longing for " american idol alumni contestants ." Is it really that bad? Looks like the excitement just isn't there: Except for Crystal Bowersox, this season's Top 10 crew's not bestirring...
What Ad Format Is Best on Social Media?
March 30, 2010, 1:36 pm
A study conducted in May 2009 by research firm Psychster asked consumers how they interacted with ads on social sites (PDF). With almost 700 Facebook users and almost 500 users of the cooking/recipe/social website AllRecipes (who sponsored the study), Psychster showed participants a video of an ad type and an interaction. The...
Analyst Bets Apple Search Engine Might Be On The Way
March 30, 2010, 1:17 pmAn investment firm that was founded in 1895 and earned almost $470 million in net revenue last year thinks it's likely that Apple will build its own search engine. Specifically, Piper Jaffray assigned this outcome a 70 percent chance of taking place sometime within the next five years. Jay Yarow obtained a research note written by Piper Jaffray...
Twitter Launch New Home Page
March 30, 2010, 12:51 pmIf you've not seen it yet, here is a screenshot of the new Twitter home page.Click to read the rest of this post...
Google Gives AdWords for Mobile Interface to Advertisers
March 30, 2010, 12:14 pmToday Google has made AdWords for Mobile the default mobile interface for a small percentage of English-language advertisers. "AdWords for mobile works best when you customize your experience," says Miles Johnson of Google's Inside AdWords crew. "Before using the mobile website, you should log in from your desktop computer and choose the parts of...
Twitter Tests New Home Page
March 30, 2010, 12:09 pmTwitter is testing a new home page, aimed at showing more of the information that "flows through Twitter."
"This builds on a series of changes starting last year when we redesigned the homepage to make search and trending topics more visible and easily accessible to everyone," says Twitter Designer Doug Bowman. "With...
The Big Picture from the Big Players at O'Reilly Where 2.0
March 30, 2010, 12:02 pmThe O'Reilly Where 2.0 Conference begins today in San Jose, Calif. We'll be there tomorrow to talk about where local search is heading. Details: Wednesday, March 31 Time: 2 p.m. PT Speaker: Tom Wailes, Sr. Director, Local Product & Design Panel: The Big Picture, from the Big Players In this session, representatives from the major search engines...
Naveen Jain Interview : Date Check, People Search & Entrepreneurship
March 30, 2010, 11:56 amPart of learning about business, search and technology is learning about those who have done well in each respected field. While SEJ generally concentrates on search marketing or search optimization, there are many other fields of search that prove of interest. People Search is the cornerstone of many different search related business models, from...
Google, Microsoft Part of Coalition to Get Privacy Law Updated
March 30, 2010, 11:50 amA coalition that includes Google and Microsoft is aiming to get the Electronic Communications Privacy Act updated to reflect the needs of today's technologically fast-paced world, where much consumer and business data resides in the cloud. I listened in on a conference call this afternoon, which featured several members of the coalition, including...
Unvarnished.com Launches: A RipOff Report for Individuals?
March 30, 2010, 11:46 am
Hands-up if RipOff Report keeps you awake at night?
Yeah, the site keeps many business owners awake. It takes just one unhappy customer to cause the biggest online reputation headache of your company’s life.
Now imagine a service that could end up doing the same for your personal reputation.
OK, you don’t need to...
Levi Johnston's Show, Erykah Badu's Video, Chechen Claim: What's the Buzz
March 30, 2010, 11:39 amby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Chechnya (Searches increased by +3,626%). A website associated with Chechen separatists claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks on two Moscow subway stations. Erykah Badu (+2,069%). The singer has just come out with a controversial new video . Levi Johnston (742%). The father of...
Google Blocked For At Least Some in China
March 30, 2010, 10:58 amGoogle results were blocked for (at least) some in China for the past few hours... this includes the search results of all types of Google country domains (e.g. google.de just as much as google.com or google.com.hk) but not the homepage of the service itself, and not an app like Gmail or Google China Music. Casual users may now feel like going...
Australian Censorship: Google Vs. The Communications Minister
March 30, 2010, 10:58 amIn a radio interview on 29 March, Australia's communications minister Stephen Conroy had some strong things to say about Google: "Notwithstanding their alleged 'do no evil' policy, they recently created something called Buzz and there was a reaction. People said 'well, look aren't you publishing private information?'," Senator Conroy said. The...
How Google Buzz Has Been Drowned Out By Twitter
March 30, 2010, 10:52 amWhere have all the Google Buzzers (or is it Buzzees) gone? New research from Chitika and Google's own insights tool shows that Google Buzz, the controversial social network app, has quieted down since its Feb. 9 launch and subsequent privacy brouhaha. Upon launch, the Chitika network saw some1,500 searches for the term "Google Buzz," approximately...
Use Content Ads to Take Advantage of Local Content on the New MSN.com Homepage
March 30, 2010, 10:30 amFollowing up on last week's post, The New MSN Homepage Launch: More Bing Integration = More Opportunity for Advertisers , I thought I'd take a minute to call out a couple of specifics related to the new MSN.com and how they affect Microsoft adCenter.
Consumers Responding to Online Ads Better
March 30, 2010, 10:14 am
This month, the Opinion Research Corporation conducted a survey for Adfusion, the article-based ad network division of ARAnet. While it should probably come as little surprise that the survey found that articles that include brand information were the preferred source of online advertising, it’s nice to hear that all forms...
eBay Launches New Classifieds Site
March 30, 2010, 9:43 ameBay said today it is launching two iPhone selling apps, one for its online marketplace and one for its new classifieds site. With the new eBay Selling and classifieds apps users can photograph and list an item in less than a minute. On April 3, the company will introduce a new version of the eBay app for iPad. "The eBay Selling app makes it easy...
First Open Cross-Communication Between Social Networks?
March 30, 2010, 9:03 amCliqset shared some pretty interesting news with WebProNews today. They say that for the first time ever, the users of two independent, public web entities are able to communicate with each other, without being on the same service as the person they are communicating with. Cliqset and Status.net have accomplished this using Salmon, but this isn't...
Improving Your Checkout Process - E-Commerce Sites
March 30, 2010, 8:54 amOnce you've gotten a shopper to add a product or two to their cart, you have a reasonable chance of converting them into a buyer. We present a number of usability enhancements for the checkout process on e-commerce sites.
Blog Commenting Faux Pas, Red Flags, and Best Practices
March 30, 2010, 8:46 amA great post that discusses each of the different types of comment spam and some best practices to keep in mind when moderating or commenting on blogs.
Which Payment Platform Will Dominate Mobile?
March 30, 2010, 8:17 amA recent study found that consumers are getting more comfortable with mobile shopping , and you best believe that will only continue, as people continue to spend more of their web time on their phones. So as everybody reaches for their mobile devices to make payments, which platforms are they going to use? PayPal hopes to stay in the drivers seat...
Game Over For Google In China?
March 30, 2010, 8:17 amGoogle's term as a search provider in China may at last be coming to an end. Reports from all over the country indicate that would-be users are only getting error messages when they conduct searches, even if their queries cover completely bland and innocent terms. Aaron Back , who's based in Beijing, wrote earlier, "Internet users reported new...
Google Webmaster Central adds Verify by DNS Record
March 30, 2010, 8:17 amJust spotted Google Webmaster Central now has an option to verify a site by its DNS record: Sometimes there are valid reasons why you may not be able to verify via HTML or meta tag verification, so this looks like a useful addition to prove ownership of a server. This looks like it was added yesterday, with a new page now listed on the Webmaster...
Amazon Kindle Leads iPad In Brand Recognition
March 30, 2010, 8:10 amWhile eReaders are still becoming mainstream, the Amazon Kindle leads its competitors in brand recognition, with 61 percent of consumers having heard of the device, according to a new report from PriceGrabber.
More than half (55%) of consumers said they had heard of the Apple iPad. Thirty-four percent indicated they had heard of the Sony Reader,...
Determining Whether a Page/Site Passes Link Juice (and How Much)
March 30, 2010, 8:06 amPosted by randfish We've been hearing some requests lately for some really advanced, expert-level content, and this post is here to deliver. I've built up a short list of topics that deal with more cutting edge SEO, and if there's interest in this series, I'll try to make it a regular part of the blog. These tactics aren't black or gray hat (we're...
Boost Your SEO Efforts with Effective Traffic-Getting Strategies!
March 30, 2010, 8:06 amIn many ways, being an in-house SEO is like working on your own site. You will develop a personal relationship with the website/s you are responsible for. Actually this is the only way to work. If you don't feel at least a little passion for what you're doing then you're in the wrong job. And speaking of passion, we need to talk about getting...
4 Simple Ways to Speed Up Your Site
March 30, 2010, 8:06 amAs a user nothing can be more frustrating than waiting for a site to load. So when I saw a video near the end of 2009 I was excited to see that Google would be taking site speed into consideration, giving credit to sites that load fast and penalizing those that load slowly. I have to agree with Matt Cutts in the video when he says "The web should...
TopSEOs.com - A Review of the Top SEOs Paid Rating Service
March 30, 2010, 7:43 amWho is going to pay to tell people that they are good enough and their lives are fine as they are? A fundamental truth of advertising is that advertising the truth usually isn't very profitable - which is why there is lead generation, affiliate programs, public relations, negative billing options, small print, bogus medical research, and so on......
70 Seats Left for Search & Social Spring Summit : Register Now
March 30, 2010, 7:43 amOnly 70 seats are left for Search & Social Spring Summit (formerly IM Spring Break), the OFFICIAL Conference of Search Engine Journal , which is to be held in Tampa, FL May 3rd and 4th. With 70 seats left, low ticket prices, an increible speaking lineup, 3 meals a day & lots of snacks, nonstop networking events and free shuttle to and from the...
Pimp your links: how to improve your existing backlinks
March 30, 2010, 7:36 amGetting links to your website is one of the most important things that you have to do if you want to get high rankings on Google and other big search engines. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most difficult tasks. Do you make the most of your existing links? This week, we're going to pimp your links.
The Houdini Guide to Getting Noticed Online
March 30, 2010, 7:26 amHave you ever planned what you thought would be a brilliant, jaw-dropping week on your blog? You pour your heart and soul into an ingenious post (or series) then sit back and wait for the praises to come pouring in. But instead, you hear from just your usual readers, commenting politely and moving on. Where are the trumpets? The fireworks? The...
A Monetization Model Worth Trying: Video CPA
March 30, 2010, 7:20 amBeing in online marketing for a bit more than two years, I am now at that stage when getting traffic and promoting a resource is not a problem any more: I can do that pretty quickly and easily. What is still the problem is building a solid monetization plan. So far what I've been earning from was from selling my services. I still have yet to learn...
Dailymotion Introduces New Video Player
March 30, 2010, 7:15 amDailymotion said today it has launched a new Web video player as part of a series of website improvements aimed at offering a better video experience for users, content partners and advertisers. The chromeless player was rewritten to be less resource intensive for faster loading and playback. The cleaner interface features improved headers, larger...
Find More Backlink Opportunities with Site Finder (SEJ tools)
March 30, 2010, 7:03 amOne of the most tedious link building tasks is looking for backlink opportunities. There may be plenty of ways to do that but the first thing I usually do is learning who links to my competitors. This way I both get a deeper look into the niche, analyze competitors' link building tactics and find some backlink opportunities for myself.
Weekly Search & Social News: 03/30/2010
March 30, 2010, 7:03 amWelcome to another edition of ' 7 Days of Search and Social ' - I hope it finds you well. Once again, like the Trademark guy before it, the SEO world got together again last week. This time it was the drama that was the 'Verfied SEO Affair'. That one leads the way this week. Even Bill (Slawski) was taking a stand - a fiesty bunch we be! And hey,
LinkedIn BlackBerry App Debuts
March 30, 2010, 6:57 amBlackBerry devices are, more than any other phones, associated with the business world. And LinkedIn is, in most English-speaking markets, the dominant professional network. It makes a great deal of sense, then, that LinkedIn has at last released LinkedIn for BlackBerry v1.0. This app should provide users with useful information in a number of...
Google Cuts CEO’s Security Budget; Leads to Encounter with Random Old Man
March 30, 2010, 6:34 am
What happens when you cut the security budget for the CEO of the world’s largest search engine?
Random old men come up to you at coffee shops and talk your ear off! Just look!
Huh? What? That’s not some random old guy but Apple CEO Steve Jobs?
Ohhhh!
While some might speculate that the entire meeting was just a...
SEO 101 - Part 15: Everything You Need to Know About Linking
March 30, 2010, 6:27 amby Stoney deGeyter
The following series is pulled from a presentation I gave to a group of beauty bloggers hosted by L'Oreal in New York. Most of the presentation is geared toward how to make a blog more search engine and user-friendly, however I will expand many of the concepts here to include tips and strategies for sites selling products...
Yahoo Brings Facebook to the Inbox
March 30, 2010, 6:11 amYahoo has begun rolling out what the company calls its "next milestone" in Facebook integration. Yahoo Mail users can now update their Facebook status right from their inbox, and they can see their friends' Facebook profile photos in emails received in Yahoo Mail. "These features come on the heels of other recent Yahoo! social updates, including...
PageRank Still A Factor In How Webmasters Perceive A Site's Value
March 30, 2010, 5:44 am"WebmasterWorld Members discuss how and why so many webmasters still see Google PageRank as a definitive factor on a site's value."
Microsoft Issues Out-of-Band Patch For IE Security Hole
March 30, 2010, 5:37 am"We recommend that customers install the update as soon as it is available."
How To Use ‘Remarketing’ To Target Potential Customers
March 30, 2010, 5:30 amLast week Google Adwords announced that it is rolling out a feature called “Remarketing”. This feature is essentially “Retargeting” which I described in my blog post Retargeting 101
How does it work?
You visit a site, look at some products, maybe add some of the products to the shopping cart but then decide not to buy them...
China Appears to be Blocking All Google Searches
March 30, 2010, 4:41 am"All searches on Google appeared to be blocked starting late Tuesday afternoon,..."
Blogging for Business Presentation
March 30, 2010, 3:13 amI've just published this on Econsultancy , but I thought it would be worth sharing with SEOptimise readers too. This is a presentation from a recent seminar session to show 5 reasons for blogging and 5 tips for how to get started. Blogging Guide to Business For the full article please read the Econsultancy post and download our blogging for...
Video To Account For 90% Of The Global Web
March 30, 2010, 1:53 amAt an event focusing on online innovations, it would be impossible to not include video on the agenda. Bruce Daisley, Leader of YouTube and Display in the UK, will be at the International Search Summit on 13th May to talk about the international power of YouTube and how search marketers can transfer their skills to use video as an effective...
iPhone and Android Phones' Traffic Rise
March 30, 2010, 1:02 amMobile Metrics firm Admob's February report is showing some interesting trend in the mobile market today. Specifically, Admob's report indicates that smartphone's worldwide traffic is rising with February's market share growing to 48% in February 2010 as compared to 35% in the same month last year. In addition and perhaps more interestingly,...
FTC Asked to Look Into Google Buzz
March 30, 2010, 12:05 am
Poor Google. Just when you think they are out of the woods with all the Google Buzz privacy stuff they get thrown right back into the lion’s den. So who is the most recent fly in Google’s ointment? The US House of Representatives. They have asked the FTC to take a “look-see” at Google Buzz and privacy.
Mashable reports
An...
A Week With Bing
March 29, 2010, 11:43 pm"I have decided to spend a week using Bing and reporting here on how things go."
Where In the World is SEOmoz - April-May 2010
March 29, 2010, 11:42 pmPosted by jennita Whew! The Spring conference season is in full swing, and the mozzers are coming soon to a city near you. You'll find us anywhere from Charlotte, NC to Munich to Singapore in the next couple months. The coolest part is that we're attending and speaking at some conferences for the very first time. It feels good to get out and...
Nestle Finding That Social Media’s Not So Sweet
March 29, 2010, 11:08 pm
You really have to careful these days if you are doing any kind of business that can be remotely connected to something that will set off a guerilla social media attack by what I’ll call the ’socialnistas’. This is the social media user that is looking for a fight, looking for a way to “make a difference”...
Calling Upon Customers to Give Where it Matters to Them
March 29, 2010, 11:00 pmBoulder, Colorado-based social software developer Giveo has just introduced a new way for brands to get customers engaged with their charitable giving efforts. It's called Crowdgiver, and lets the customers of charitable brands have a say in where the company is donating its money. WebProNews had a chat with CEO Ed Messman about the product, which...
How to Use Facebook to Market your Business
March 29, 2010, 10:42 pm
Using Facebook to market your business is one of the best ideas to come along in recent years. It shoulders some of the advertising burden and connects you with your customers. You have to have a personal Facebook account before you can set up a business account because business pages are created and maintained from within a personal account and...
Get the Basics Right before you think Advanced
March 29, 2010, 10:11 pmIf you are one of those people that feel like you need to go at lightning speed when you start anything you will want to try to slow things down when you start your search engine optimization efforts. You want to make sure you have the basics down right before you do anything else. The basics will follow you through your entire search engine...
Personal Payments in Japan
March 29, 2010, 8:53 pmHi blog readers, It's Kosuke Seto from the Japan team here. I'm sorry to let our customers in Japan know that, starting on March 31st, they will be unable to send personal payments to individuals using the PayPal "send money" service until further notice. The changes to our personal payment services are necessary in order for us to comply with new...
Trash Pickup in Space
March 29, 2010, 6:14 pmby Claudine Zap Space. The so-called "final frontier." So many pioneers in the last half-century of exploration. So much' garbage. Literally. A new invention could get the clean-up of space junk started. Turns out we're as messy in space as we are on our own planet . And with no interstellar trash pick up, it's only getting worse. There are...
Search Engine Strategies New York Day 4 - Training!
March 29, 2010, 5:22 pmDay 4 at Search Engine Strategies New York focused on Search Engine Marketing training. One of the downsides to a lot of conferences is that one hour sessions don't allow a deep dive into the topics we really want to discuss. No fear here, as these are four hour long sessions. Here's what we learned...Click to read the rest of this post...
Consider status of Deleted and Expired synonymous in the adCenter API
March 29, 2010, 4:27 pmWhen an adCenter order expires, the status that is reported to the adCenter API is deleted. The adCenter Web site uses the term expired for the same status. Advertisers sometimes set orders to expire prematurely when using the Web site. If they attempt to correct the status via the Web site, then it may not be reflected via the API if your system...
Using the adCenter API Sandbox environment for development and testing
March 29, 2010, 3:52 pmThe adCenter API Sandbox environment is made available for API developers to test their code in an environment to assure they can access the API. Developers want to see if the API is available, for example, to manage campaigns, manage customers, and get reporting. We make those APIs available via the Sandbox environment, but we also have the Web...
adCenter API tokens â" 3 types of tokens for different scenarios
March 29, 2010, 3:35 pmIf you have a history of high monthly expenditures on adCenter, you can get tokens to access accounts programmatically via the adCenter API. If you want to have access to the adCenter API, then contact your adCenter account representative to discuss the nomination process. In addition to a user name and password, API users need a developer token...
Facebook to Change "Become a Fan" Button to "Like" on Fan Pages
March 29, 2010, 3:34 pmFacebook will soon be changing the "Become a Fan" button that you see on Fan Pages to the more universal "Like" button. According to the site Clickz , Facebook has started sending confidential email to ad agencies informing them that the "Become a Fan" button which functions as a subscription/membership button to fan pages will be changed to...
Professor Michael Eisenberg Talks Critical Thinking Today
March 29, 2010, 3:29 pmBetsynote: I first ran into Professor Michael Eisenberg last fall when he was introduced to me by multiple folks the MacArthur Foundation, local Seattle educators, and the NCCE conference organizers. When I chatted with him in his office (yes, I got lost, even though it was Mary Gates Hall as a landmark) I realized he had a long history of...
Remains of Sean Flynn Perhaps Found
March 29, 2010, 3:29 pmby Mike Krumboltz The remains of actor and war photographer Sean Flynn may have been found in Cambodia. The identification of the remains may put to rest a long held mystery over Flynn's fate. He had been missing since 1970. Flynn, who was son to dashing Hollywood legend Errol Flynn , was an actor in his younger days. He then switched careers to...
Google Adds File Transfer Option To iGoogle, Orkut Chat
March 29, 2010, 2:26 pmSending someone a picture or document while chatting online can seem like the most natural thing in the world; it's common enough for topics like children or school papers to be discussed. So Google's upgraded one of its offerings by making it easier for people to trade files.
A post on the Google Talkabout Blog announced this afternoon,...
FBI Arrests Man Who Made YouTube Threat Against Cantor
March 29, 2010, 2:14 pmA Philadelphia man has been arrested and charged for threatening to kill Republican Party Whip Eric Cantor in a video on YouTube, according to the FBI.
Norman Leboon, 33, threatened to kill congressman Cantor and his family in a YouTube video uploaded sometime in late March. In the video Leboon allegedly said: "Remember, Ericour judgment...
Google Mobile Services Partially Blocked in China
March 29, 2010, 1:45 pmGoogle's mobile applications in mainland China have been at least partially blocked according to the search engine's special Web page for service availability. Google launched the site one week ago today after it shuttered its Google.cn search portal and shuttled users to Google.hk instead, an effort to get around censorship in that country. At...
Are You Getting Your Content in Front of News Seekers?
March 29, 2010, 1:42 pmGetting press coverage can mean a great deal for gaining traffic and overall exposure for your business. That said, there are also ways to take some initiative yourself in getting some exposure from news search.
News Search Optimization
As Lisa Buyer of the Buyer Group talked about with WebProNews at SES last week, news search optimization is...
Back Off I Have a Flag
March 29, 2010, 1:39 pmby Vera H-C Chan Shades of Tea Party? Searches for the " don't tread on me flags " (AKA the Gadsden flag) are flying up 772%, as are lookups for the motto, " don't tread on me " (+334%). Watch for those rattlesnakes.
Google, Adobe May Bring Together Chrome, Flash
March 29, 2010, 1:12 pmGoogle and Adobe may be set to grow a lot closer. A new report claims that the two companies will announce a partnership tomorrow, and that the deal will entail some form of bundling between Chrome and Flash.
This rumor has at least two points in its favor. First, Adobe Reader is already part of Google Pack, meaning there's a...
Tips For Conference Attendees
March 29, 2010, 12:42 pmEvery year in March I make my annual trek to Austin to be part of the South By Southwest Interactive show, one of the biggest gatherings of people working in all aspects of the web in the world. For those who have been, they might describe the event as a simultaneous assault of information, networking and back to back parties. It has become the...
Google wants you to speed up your servers
March 29, 2010, 12:41 pmby Mike Moran
Image via Wikipedia
Nobody likes slow web sites, but did you know that it affects your search results? Google is on the record as saying that site performance is a key factor in both organic and paid search results. The other search engines might be doing the same thing. So, if your site has always been a little sluggish during...
YouTube Still Rolling Out Page Updates
March 29, 2010, 12:23 pm
YouTube has been testing page design upgrades and last week added a highlights view for comments that summarizes top rated comments, uploader comments and responses that can be drilled into for more detail. YouTube also made some improvements to their new like/dislike ratings system. You'll need to opt-in to be part of the test of...
Lawmakers Call On FTC To Review Google Privacy Policy
March 29, 2010, 12:17 pmCongressman John Barrow (D-GA) along with a number of other lawmakers sent a letter last week to the Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz calling for the protection of consumer privacy rights and an in-depth review of Google's public release of personal consumer information "We are writing to express our concern over claims that...
Yahoo ID Hanging in There (Is Facebook Facing a Dive?)
March 29, 2010, 12:11 pm
Data portability has been a big buzzword for the last couple years. Just about everybody has gotten in on the act, from MySpace to Facebook to Google. Even Yahoo has a universal login option.
An new data from commenting platform Echo suggests that the Yahoo ID is doing pretty well for itself (despite launching almost a year after...
The Web Responds to Moscow Bombings
March 29, 2010, 12:06 pmby Mike Krumboltz Monday's two bombings on Moscow's subway killed dozens of people. As of press time, at least 38 people are known to have been killed. More than 60 were wounded. Around the world, people turned to the Web for answers on the suspects. Almost immediately, Web searches on " moscow bombings " and " subway explosions " rocked the Web....
Got MSN? Join Us for an Exclusive Preview of New MSN with Discovery Channel, BMW and Berman Braun
March 29, 2010, 11:49 amYou may have heard that we launched the redesigned MSN site and read the latest MSN Homepage reach and demo stats. You may have toured the new MSN already. You may have even watched Bob Visse's interview about MSN vision and what it means for advertisers. But you have not read or seen it all! We invite you to join Microsoft Advertising and...
comScore ARS Provides Research for ARF Ogilvy Award-Winning Walmart Campaigns
March 29, 2010, 11:43 amcomScore ARS, a leading marketing research and advertising research provider to global corporations, today announced that its client Walmart has been recognized by the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) with two David Ogilvy Awards for Excellence in Advertising Research. The honors celebrate Walmart's "Hispanic Heritage Month" campaign, which...
America Ferrera's Hit, Passover Tweets, Coffee Party Jolt: What's the Buzz
March 29, 2010, 11:32 amby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Coffee Party movement (Searches increased by +3,808%). If the Tea Party isn't your thing, get a taste of the Coffee Party, now open for business . America Ferrera (+3,026%). The "Ugly Betty" star lends her voice to the hit movie "How To Train Your Dragon." Cherry Blossom Festival...
Usability Counts for Content Too
March 29, 2010, 11:32 amIn a recent article , we talked about the importance of usability of both the search engines and your site, with regards to the path to conversions. If you create content, you would do well to consider similar lessons in how you craft that. As referenced in the previous article, eye-tracking research has been a major indicator in how sites are...
Liveblog Coverage of SES NY 2010 from Bruce Clay
March 29, 2010, 11:10 amBack from New York and ready to share my coverage of 15 SES NY sessions with the world! The easy-to-read posts make the search industry news and tactics shared by many repsected speakers available to everyone. Hope you like!
Potential Beta Testing Opportunity
March 29, 2010, 10:57 amOur colleagues in the Platform Strategy Group are currently developing a solution kit that focuses on customer/citizen engagement and is interested in working with a number customers prior to its public release. If this sounds interesting to you and your organization meets the following criteria, please contact Marc Mercuri -...
Can Hulu Sustain Free Ad-Supported Content?
March 29, 2010, 10:35 am
Although Hulu has seen great acceptance, popularity and even ad rates—commanding as much as 10% of the online video ad market—it still may not be enough for its creators to call it a success. Hulu may be under more ad pressure than almost any other video site (yes, even YouTube), as Ad Age reports:
Hulu is the No. 2...
Nearly Three-Quarters Of Internet Users Visit Social Networks
March 29, 2010, 10:28 amGlobally, 72 percent of Internet users are members of at least one social network, which translates to 940 million people worldwide, according to a new study by InSites Consulting. Eastern Europe and Asia are the regions with the lowest social networking participation (4 out of 10), while South America has the highest usage in terms of percentage...
Social & the Marketing Mix
March 29, 2010, 10:28 amYour company should be doing Social Media. This much you know. One only has to be alive to know something massive is taking place. But what's the best way to begin getting a handle on it all? You're still struggling with SEO and PPC. Well, coming to Search Engine Strategies and sitting in on the Social & the Marketing Mix session, or at least...
PPC or SEO? The Ultimate Search Marketing Battle
March 29, 2010, 10:23 am"Pay per click is just frittering money away when SEO is free."
The argument rages on. Is PPC or SEO more effective? Which is easier? Which is faster? Which is better? There are compelling points for and against each. But any marketer with the budget and resources should utilize both for their strengths and the integration that can be achieved....
Unknown Person Damages Google Street View Car
March 29, 2010, 10:11 amGoogle's Street View panorama photos have faced criticism over privacy issues in the past. Now, according to Business-On.de , in the German city of Oldenburg an unknown person damaged a Google Street View car. "The person severed the connection between the roof-mounted imaging system and the vehicle interior. Furthermore, the person let out the...
Tribal DDB Scoops 'Best Online Creative Campaign of 2009' - Creative Showcase Grand Prix Awards
March 29, 2010, 9:03 amLast week, Tribal DDB came top of the pile in the 2009 Creative Showcase Grand Prix Awards hosted by the IAB and Microsoft Advertising in the UK. The team won best online creative campaign of the year for their execution of Monopoly City Streets . The Creative Showcase has been recognising best of breed digital campaigns since 2003 and these...
Google Reports "Partially Blocked" Mobile Service
March 29, 2010, 9:03 amIt looks like China has found another way to strike back following Google's decision to redirect Google.cn users to Google.com.hk. The search company is reporting that its mobile service in China is now "partially blocked." This information was disclosed through the "Mainland China service availability" page Google established after making its...
RepSpinner... Warning reputation management scam!
March 29, 2010, 8:39 amMany of us have known Fionn Downhill of Elixer for years. She is very active in the SEO community. You should read this story about this reputation management scam that has affected Elixir. Looks like this is the month of warning people about scams, and this one is a bad one. Please support Fionn in this cause.
How to Add Google Analytics to Your Facebook Fan Page
March 29, 2010, 8:33 amWho knew?! Apparently, you can add Google Analytics tracking code to your Facebook Fan Pages. It takes a bit of doing and the use of a few free programs, but this post by Mariam John outlines all the steps involved.
5 Handy SEO Hacks for Google Analytics
March 29, 2010, 8:29 amRundown of essential SEO Hacks to customize Google Analytics specifically for your SEO campaigns.
Internet Broadcasting Introduces New Hover Ad
March 29, 2010, 8:19 amInternet Broadcasting has introduced a new collapsible ad unit it calls the "IB Hover Ad", aimed at giving online advertisers more visibility while allowing for user control.
The hover ad is anchored to the bottom of a user's browser, with an above the fold presence even when the user scrolls up and down a Web page. The ad can be...
T-Mobile Customers Bigger on Stocks, Bill Pay Than Other Smartphone Users?
March 29, 2010, 8:19 amLast week, we saw some interesting findings from AdMob about smartphone usage. Now Compete has shared some of its own findings with WebProNews. The firm recently conducted a Smartphone Intelligence Survey.
About 47% of T-Mobile smartphone users use their phones to find local branches and ATMs, while 45% of AT&T users and 36% of Sprint users...
Microsoft adCenter Scheduled Maintenance: Saturday, April 3rd from 11am to 6pm PST
March 29, 2010, 8:17 amMicrosoft adCenter will undergo scheduled maintenance this Saturday, April 3, from approximately 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM Pacific Time. During the maintenance window, ads will deliver as normal, but you will not be able to make any changes to your campaigns.
Scheduled maintenance for campaign management on Saturday April 3
March 29, 2010, 8:11 amWe are planning system maintenance on Saturday, April 3, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific time. During this time you will not be able to make campaign updates via the API or the Web. You will still be able to make API reporting calls during this time. During the maintenance window, your ads will deliver as normal. Also, during the maintenance, any...
The Role of News in Blended Search â" Observations & Best Practices
March 29, 2010, 8:11 amWe're starting this Spring Break week off with a very rare guest post from TopRank Marketing client, Jiyan Wei. Jiyan is Director of Product Management at Vocus, Inc. where he drives product platform strategy and roadmap execution for PRWeb. I've presented on panels with Jiyan several times at search marketing conferences, talking about the...
5 Handy SEO Hacks for Google Analytics
March 29, 2010, 7:59 amIt's fair to say that most of us are running Google Analytics on at least a few of the sites we deal with. Market share for Google's traffic tracking platform was estimated last year around 75-80% in a few separate studies - here's one from Ghostery . Let's not get into the whole "Google knows too much" thing. The truth is, the platform is a...
Pitching Link Requests â" One Size Doesn't Fit All
March 29, 2010, 7:37 amImagine that you are a salesperson for a shoe store. There are three potential customers in the store - an athletic male, a professionally dressed female, and a rugged outdoorsman. Approach #1: You tell all three potential customers that you have 100% authentic Australian made Ugg Boots at discounted prices. Approach #2: You tell the athletic male...
2 More Alternative Uses of Twitter Favorites You've Never Known About
March 29, 2010, 7:37 amIt is always fun to discover new and new possibilities of well-known tools. I already shared one tip on how Twitter favorites may help you better understand what your friends like and build closer relations with them. This week I am sharing two more interesting uses of Twitter favorites: Subscribe to Your (or Anyone's) Friends' Favorites Would you...
Apple Owners Show Most Interest In Buying An iPad
March 29, 2010, 7:19 amAwareness of Apple's upcoming iPad release is highest among current Apple owners, (82%), consumers with $100,000 or more income (80%), and 18-34 year olds (78%), according to a new report by The NPD Group. Those demographic groups are the ones with the most interest in buying an iPad. Only 18 percent of all consumers indicated a real interest in...
Link Bait Auto-Generated
March 29, 2010, 7:19 amWarning: this post is intended to be sarcastic. It shows how some fun link-baiting article (you may see on the front page of many popular social sharing sites) can be generated with help of simple web-based free tools. By this sarcasm, I don't mean to say that I am not guilty myself, so who be the judge? :) 1. Need some ideas? Start with a catchy...
How I Became a Better Writer Thanks to Distracted, Hungover College Kids
March 29, 2010, 7:13 amWriting is difficult. So is teaching it to distracted, hungover college students whose cultural touchstones are TMZ and the Twilight series. But after years spent writing in professional newsrooms, I was surprised to discover how teaching college students actually helped make me a better student of the craft of writing. And it's not (just) because...
Will Wikipedia's New Changes Boost Editing?
March 29, 2010, 6:56 amA couple weeks ago, I attended a session at SXSW Interactive, in which USC Professor of Journalism Andrew Lih talked at length about the declining rate of Wikpedia entry editing. A large part of the problem, as Lih presented it, is that the editorial process itself has become much more complex and confusing over time. For example, the editorial...
Google Plans Office Tower Move In Japan
March 29, 2010, 6:56 amGoogle's poised for another quantifiable growth spurt, this time in Japan. Officials have confirmed that the search giant will be moving into a larger office space this year, joining Yahoo Japan, Ferrari Japan, and a number of other interesting companies in Mori Tower. Photo Credit: Wikipedia A Google representative and a Mori Building...
3 Tools That Make Google's Site Search Easier to Run
March 29, 2010, 6:56 amGoogle's SEARCH operator (which restricts the search to any domain, top level domain or subdirectory) is by far the most important and most frequently used (by me). I use it For example, I use it hundreds of times when writing each post to see which other related pages of the site thee are I can link to.
The Charge of the Paywall Brigade?
March 29, 2010, 6:54 am
I watched the movie “The Blind Side” this weekend. Being a sports fan I was interested in it but being a human being I was touched by it. I recommend anyone take a few minutes away from things being offered as entertainment these days and watch this one.
Why am I telling you this? Because there is a part of the movie that...
Forrester Predicts the Interactive Agency of Record Will Die
March 29, 2010, 6:21 am
Did you just poop your pants? Maybe a little bit?
You actually have nothing to fear, unless of course you do actually hope to remain the “interactive agency of record” for your clients. Not that they will no longer require your services, it’s just that a new Forrester reports says that the role will become...
Apple Reportedly Begins iPad Shipping
March 29, 2010, 6:14 amApple has reportedly begun shipping iPads to the first customers to pre-order them. The year's most talked about device thus far, is scheduled to go on sale April 3rd, but it appears that those who pre-ordered them on March 12th or 13th may get theirs a little early.
Maybe.
Arnold Kim at MacRumors says, "Unfortunately, the early ship date...
Google’s Chrome Escapes Hack Contest Untouched
March 29, 2010, 5:38 am
I will file this under “I didn’t know that although I am not even close to surprised” for obvious reasons. Google gets to make a claim about its Chrome browser that others like Firefox and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 and Apple’s Safari can’t. That claim is that it survived the Pwn2Own 2010. Forbes tells us a little...
Google AdSense Revenue Opportunities When Splitting Long Articles
March 29, 2010, 5:30 am"WebmasterWorld members discuss ways of increasing ad revenue by splitting articles into multiple page views."
Video Interview with Marc Bresseel â" VP Global Agencies
March 29, 2010, 5:24 amAhead of his speech at this year's Festival of Media in Valencia , I spent some time with Marc Bresseel who heads up Microsoft Advertising's Global Agency Team to find out how the team came about, why it's important to look at opportunities from a global perspective, and how Microsoft is helping brands navigate digital, harness its power to drive...
Step away from your site, I dare you
March 29, 2010, 2:23 amOptimizing your pages is still important to get your own site ranking. But what about those nine other results on the first page of the SERP? Theoretically they can all be yours. And for that you have to step away from your site.
How To Find And Choose The Best Domain Name For Your Web Site
March 29, 2010, 1:54 amA domain name is the unique label that defines who you are and what you do on the web, even before someone can see your web site. Your domain name is the very first thing a visitor or potential customer knows about your web site. The domain name is also your first mean of communicating to others where you or your organization can be reached online...
The Unlikely Heroes of Search and Social Media
March 29, 2010, 12:09 amLine up the unusual suspects.Click to read the rest of this post...
Twitter Marketing â" Create a Robust Strategy
March 28, 2010, 10:06 pmGetting involved with the social community means much more than just starting up a Twitter account. Heavy communication and interaction is required in order to build a following on any social community and should be part of your Twitter marketing strategy. Let's break down how you can use Twitter to help increase your brand and your visitors. I...
Diagnosing Google Crawl Allowance Using Webmaster Tools & Excel
March 28, 2010, 10:06 pmPosted by Tom_C There's been some talk recently in the SEO industry about 'crawl allowance' - it's not a new concept but Matt Cutts recently talked about it openly with Eric Enge at StoneTemple (and you can see Rand's illustrated guide too). One big question however is how do you understand how Google is crawling your site?
Why Your Harvard-Educated Writer Doesn't Attract Links
March 28, 2010, 6:48 pmQuality copy is supposed to attract links, so why don't you have any?Click to read the rest of this post...
Google Made A Major Move To Behavioral Targeting This Week! Did You Miss It?
March 28, 2010, 3:21 pmWhile many of the search marketing leaders were busy at SES NY this past week, Google launched a couple of products that showed a major move into the behavioral targeting realm. There were many posts and comments on the two new features in Adwords - Search Funnels and Ad Retargeting . Click to read the rest of this post.
New Products, Services and Research Announced at SES New York 2010
March 28, 2010, 1:56 pmOne of the reasons marketers went to SES New York 2010 was to see new products and services. And they weren't disappointed.Click to read the rest of this post...
New Products Launched at SES New York 2010
March 28, 2010, 1:30 pmOne of the reasons marketers went to SES New York 2010 was to see new products. And they weren't disappointed. Click to read the rest of this post.
Steve Jobs, Eric Schmidt Meet, Fuel Speculation
March 28, 2010, 10:55 amNo, the photo above wasn't taken last summer, before Apple and Google began their duel for the mobile Web in earnest. This pic of Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Google CEO Eric Schmidt was taken outside Calafia in the Town and Country shopping center in Palo Alto, Calif., Friday afternoon and sent to Gizmodo. The pic was taken after Apple rejected...
.Fox Networks and comScore Unveil Research About Branding Impact of Online Advertising
March 28, 2010, 8:49 amLast week, .Fox Networks (pronounced "dot-fox") and comScore unveiled the findings of a ground-breaking U.K. study at the Advertising Research Foundation's 2010 conference in New York. The study found that video and display advertising are effective at driving significant uplift in site visits and advertiser search queries.Click to read the rest...
TOPSEOs - Independent Authority on Search Vendors
March 28, 2010, 8:34 amOver the years I've come across a variety of SEO Badges. One of the more frequent badge sightings are those from TOPSEOs.com. When did TOPSEOs become an Independent Authority on Search Vendors? I have many unanswered questions and I'm hoping the Founders of TOPSEOs will get involved at this level to discuss those.
Google leaving China and other Search Engine News (March 28)
March 28, 2010, 8:27 amHere are this week's headlines from the search engine scene. The main focus has been on Google leaving China. Google had said that it would leave China if the government did not allow it to publish uncensored search results. As we have argued repeatedly, the Chinese government cannot agree to this, as it desperately tries to keep its own citizens...
How to protect your search privacy
March 28, 2010, 7:45 amThere is rising concern about web privacy in general and search privacy in particular. Web searchers are waking up to the fact that most search engines store private data like your IP address, which site you came to the search engine from, your search terms and which links and ads you have clicked. If you don't want private data to be stored,...
Overcoming e-mail Spam Filters When Needed, White-Hat Style
March 28, 2010, 6:43 am"My app sends out very important email notification messages to my users, once a sale is completed. I'm finding that once in a while, a customer doesn't get the email. What are best practices for sending email that does not get blocked?" (subscription required)
UK Kids Ignoring Facebook Age Limits
March 28, 2010, 5:54 amA quarter of children in the UK aged 8-12 who use the Internet at home say they have a profile on Facebook, Bebo or MySpace, although the minimum age is 13, according to new research from communications regulator Ofcom. The majority (83%) of these children have their profile set so it can only be seen by friends, and 4 percent have a profile that...
Facebook Preparing to Launch a New Toolbar
March 27, 2010, 11:47 pmThe Facebook folks are definitely up and about these past few days, preparing one new feature after another. You might have read about the Like button and the auto-connect feature that it plans to launch. And now the latest Facebook feature that might soon hit us all is the new Facebook toolbar. The Facebook toolbar is not your ordinary...
Wikipedia To Get New Look
March 27, 2010, 8:00 pm"In April, the Wikimedia Foundation is rolling out the first of several significant changes to the user experience of Wikipedia as part of our usability and user experience program."
Turning Ideas into a Website
March 27, 2010, 9:35 amIndepth article: "A great idea can lead to a great website, but only if its properly developed and deployed. Development doesn't just involve building a site, it involves every stage in the process from having the idea to uploading the finished product. Every stage is important and in theory could be make or break for your site/project."
Johnny's Copyblogger Wrap-Up: Week of March 22, 2010
March 27, 2010, 9:12 amI know what you're thinking. Here you thought it was Saturday, and yet there's a new post on Copyblogger. So either you're drunk, or it's actually a weekday and you stayed home by mistake and now you're going to get fired and lose the family farm. Or maybe this is a new feature. Maybe each Saturday, I'm going to run down the week's posts for you...
Attack of the Twitter Bots!
March 27, 2010, 9:00 amCyber Girl by WebWizzard Welcome back to the weekly Twitter column. Today's topic: The vanishing value of retweets due to the attack of the Twitter bots. The sheer number of retweets has become more and more pointless recently. That's a sad realization but it's true. You can get dozens of retweets just by more or less automated Twitter accounts....
Would You Go Swimming with Sharks or Go Jump in a Lake for Google Fiber?
March 27, 2010, 8:22 amYesterday was the deadline for states, counties and cities across America to make their pitch to be part of the Google Fiber network, which is capable of downloading Internet data at one billion bits per second. More than 190,000 individuals and 600 communities submitted applications.Click to read the rest of this post...
Cup of Joe: The Care Bears Hold the Secret to Being a Successful Entrepreneur
March 27, 2010, 5:29 am
Care Bears?
Have you lost your marbles?
Well I’m not sure yet, but here’s the story.
This week I was taking a break from some coding to relax a little bit with my 21 month old niece. We decided to turn on Care Bears. This specific episode is called Lucky charm. Here we see the story of a young girl with low self...
Google Launches YouTube Channel To Showcase Apps Marketplace Additions
March 27, 2010, 5:12 amGoogle has launched a YouTube channel for its recently released Google Apps Marketplace. The Apps marketplace is a place where developers can create apps that integrate with Google Apps and sell them to users. According to Google, they can reach over 2 million businesses and 25 million users. The YouTube channel should be a good place to checkout...
Is Facebook Prepping Up Something Against Google Analytics
March 27, 2010, 2:21 amIf you are maintaining a Facebook page, you might have received an email from Facebook containing a summary of the activities that happened in the past on your Facebook pages. This started last week, and a couple of hours ago I received another email again. While the page analytics contain just some basic data about your page's activities, its...
Google Receives Overwhelming Response to Call for Fiber Network Host
March 27, 2010, 1:58 amWith the deadline for Google's call for request for information on various communities to host their fiber network project already closed, Google has reportedly receive 194,000 individual responses and around 1, 100 community responses. That only goes to show that people want Google to build its fiber network project no matter what the stakes...
U.S. Hacker Gets 20 Years
March 27, 2010, 12:58 am"The judge who sentenced him described the case as 'the largest and most costly example of computer hacking in US history'."
Yahoo Suggests Hack To Support Proposed IPv6
March 26, 2010, 10:48 pm"Network engineers from Yahoo are pitching what they admit is a "really ugly hack" to the Internet's Domain Name System..."
[Fiction] Censored Google.de Now Redirecting to Google.nl
March 26, 2010, 9:48 pmJens Berger posted a fictional account of Google stopping its censoring in Germany (despite this fiction, Google Germany's censoring is real, though). The following is an auto-translation which I fixed in parts: This morning, the internet search service Google has discontinued its service in Germany and forwards queries on the German Google...
When an SEO Expert is Not an SEO Expert
March 26, 2010, 9:36 pmWas this a case of the affluent reacting to a newbie encroaching on their turf?The SEO industry has a reputation for eating its young. The mere second you show any sign of not knowing your stuff, while at the same time presenting yourself as an expert, you’ll be called on it.
Biden, Neugebaur, and Dubya: Buzz Week in Review
March 26, 2010, 6:01 pmby Mike Krumboltz Ever said something and then wish you hadn't? Politicians on both sides of the aisle can relate. This past week, Vice President Joe Biden dropped the mother of all swearwords during the health care ceremony. Elsewhere, Randy Neugebauer, a Republican congressman from Texas, found himself in a firestorm when he allegedly yelled out...
Google Maps Now Offers Address Privacy and Increased Service Areas
March 26, 2010, 4:59 pmOn the 24th of March I was in Vancouver doing some pro-bono work teaching a group of charities and non-profit organizations some of the ins-and-outs of effective web site marketing. Well, a little ways into discussing how to boost Google local search engine results I was asked by a participant how her charity can be on Google Local without showing...
He Said, She Said: Scott Brown v. Rachel Maddow
March 26, 2010, 4:31 pmby Claudine Zap When Scott Brown successfully campaigned for the late Edward Kennedy 's vacant Senate seat, he used a pickup truck. Now to raise money for the upcoming election, he's trying a new tactic: Rachel Maddow . The liberal MSNBC talk-show host was called out in a fundraising email from the senator, which claimed that she would be running...
Tomorrow night, turn off your lights!
March 26, 2010, 4:14 pmTomorrow from 8:30 to 9:30pm local time, hundreds of millions of people around the world will switch off their lights and participate in Earth Hour , the largest climate awareness event ever held. As climate change will effect people on every continent, we think a united, global call for action to address the problem is needed. At Google we're...
7 Highly Recommended Wordpress Plugins
March 26, 2010, 4:12 pmAn ecclectic list of a few very useful wordpress plugins that would be especially useful to any looking to build an effective blogging presence.
Back From the Future
March 26, 2010, 2:58 pmby Mike Krumboltz It's not every day that a movie with an endearingly goofy title like " Hot Tub Time Machine " hits theaters. Web searches on the raunchy comedy have been rockin' out for weeks, strong evidence that moviegoers are likely to take a dip in the '80s-inspired flick this weekend. And though the cast is impressive, with stars like John...
Exploring DMOZ: Animal Collections
March 26, 2010, 2:42 pmHi Everyone, For this post, editor hiraeth has prepared an overview of her experience editing in the science categories. Enjoy! Emily - - - - - - - - - I'm a collector. In the same way that other people may collect stamps, coins or fossils, I collect websites. As an editor with the ODP, I spend a lot of time finding sites, labelling them, listing...
Facebook Revisits Privacy Policy Ahead Of New Features
March 26, 2010, 2:42 pmAt this point, it seems inevitable that people will object to every little tweak Facebook makes; even a 99.9 percent success rate would leave around 400,000 users unhappy. But Facebook has proposed some revisions to its Privacy Policy and Statement of Rights and Responsibilities in what appears to be an attempt to prepare everyone for some rather...
Yahoo! at SES NY
March 26, 2010, 2:30 pmYahoo! played a key part in several panels in the 2010 Search Engine Strategies Conference (SES) in New York this week. Here's a recap of some of the discussions and panel summaries. Check out the video below to see what Yahoos were discussing with people on the show floor. In the video, Rob Wilk , National Director of Search Optimization &...
Linkscape Index Update and a Peek Behind the Curtains
March 26, 2010, 1:17 pmPosted by Nick Gerner Last week we updated the Linkscape index , and we've been doing it again this week. As I've pointed out in the past, up-to-date data is critical . So we're pushing everyone around here just about as hard as we can to provide that to you. This time we've got updated information on over 43 billion urls, 275 million...
YouTube “Fixing” Its Comments—Good Luck!
March 26, 2010, 12:54 pm
In case you’re new around here (meaning the Internet), let me just tell you: sometimes, comment boards usually devolve into vile gross-out fests attacking the content of the page, other commenters, or random political officials. (Not here, of course [meaning Marketing Pilgrim]—here our wonderful commentators always add...
SEMPO Finds Talks State of Search Engine Marketing
March 26, 2010, 12:37 pmThe Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) has shared the results of its annual State of Search Marketing Report. WebProNews talked about the findings with SEMPO's outgoing president Sara Holoubek at the Search Engine Strategies conference in New York (more exclusive interviews from the conference can be viewed here ). Holoubek...
SEMPO Talks State of Search Engine Marketing
March 26, 2010, 12:30 pmThe Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) has shared the results of its annual State of Search Marketing Report. WebProNews talked about the findings with SEMPO's outgoing president Sara Holoubek at the Search Engine Strategies conference in New York (more exclusive interviews from the conference can be viewed here).
Holoubek...
WARNING : Fake Google AdWords Phishing Campaign
March 26, 2010, 12:19 pmIf you get an email entitled You'r adds have stopped working! from lperez_bt@adwords.com , do not open it because it is not an email from Google AdWords. The following phishing email is being circulated : Dear Adwords Member, We hereby inform you that on the 26th of March a email change request has been submitted to Google. Due to our security...
Is Alexa Relevant in 2010?
March 26, 2010, 11:51 amWe recently reviewed a bunch of competitive research tools , and in that spirit I thought it would be a good idea to review Alexa . It is not that Alexa is the #1 service available, but they do provide one of the better services while being free . Every few years it seems they fall behind and become a bit of a relic, and then every few years they...
Bringing SEO In-House: The Pros and Cons
March 26, 2010, 11:51 amA company may reach a point where it makes sense to bring SEO in-house. And they may not. There are many factors to consider, from company size and budgets to corporate culture and marketing goals. And let's not forget buy-in. Without support from the executive suite and across departments, someone charged with staffing up an SEO team, setting...
Leftovers: What Happened in Search While You Were at SES
March 26, 2010, 11:40 amClick to read the rest of this post.
I'm Glad We're Finally Talking Creative!
March 26, 2010, 11:39 amSeen so many articles lately on Creative in digital and that its now time to start utilizing our creative side of marketing again. Commentators have been saying that digital is not just about the numbers, and I couldnt agree more. From PC to Phone to Gaming, I truly believe were starting to see some exciting creative that would truly inspire not...
Video Ads Uplifting (to Visitor Numbers and Search Queries)
March 26, 2010, 11:19 am
.Fox, Fox International Channels’ global online ad network, commissioned comScore to study the effectiveness of video ads on brand engagement in the UK last year. Four industries, four campaigns and 300 million impressions later, the results are in: video ads provide “significant uplift” to visitor numbers and...
Naomi Campbell's Birthday, Iceland's Volcano, Jesse James's Affairs: What's the Buzz
March 26, 2010, 11:16 amby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Naomi Campbell (Searches increased by +5,981%). The temperamental supermodel is already planning her 40th birthday party â"May 22, in case you wanted to send her a gift. George W. Bush (+842%). The former president may have been caught using Bill Clinton's shirt as his personal hand...
Google Talks Next Steps for Fiber Network
March 26, 2010, 10:33 amUpdate: Google has posted some info regarding the next steps for its fiber network as the submission deadline approaches today. Product Manager James Kelly says:
Over the coming months, we'll be reviewing the responses to determine where to build. As we narrow down our choices, we'll be conducting site visits, meeting with local officials...
iPad Advertisers Ready to Go
March 26, 2010, 10:09 am
With the introduction of the iPad to the marketplace on April 3rd there has been some strong activity from advertisers looking to get a spot on many publishers’ iPad apps. This kind of activity is a testament to the power of Apple and its ability to create a stir with its new products.
The New York Times Reports:
Getting ready...
Earth Hour on the homepage
March 26, 2010, 9:45 amYou'll notice something "off" about the homepage tomorrow â" our lights! On Saturday, March 27 th from 8:30pm to 9:30pm local time, the World Wildlife Fund invites you to join people from 3,100 cities in 121 countries on all 7 continents in participating in Earth Hour , where people across the world can demonstrate their concern about global...
Internet Access Vital For Those With Chronic Disease
March 26, 2010, 9:45 amOnly 62 percent of adults living with chronic disease go online, compared with 81 percent of adults with no chronic diseases, according to a new report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. "We can now add chronic disease to the list of attributes which have an independent, negative effect on someone's likelihood to have Internet access,...
The Times of London to Begin Charging Readers for Using its Web Site in June
March 26, 2010, 9:34 amNews International today announced that two of its publications, The Times and The Sunday Times of London, would begin charging readers using its Web sites in June. Is this the first step towards making the business of news an economically exciting proposition, or is it the last act of a desperate man?Click to read the rest of this post...
Significant Wikipedia Makeover Announced
March 26, 2010, 9:27 amAs if to make up for its brief outage earlier this week, Wikipedia has come back with some big news: the site will soon change in several important ways. It'll change soon, too, with an overhaul of the English-language version of Wikipedia scheduled to start late next month. The rollout is liable to go smoothly. A beta test involving 500,000...
Conversions Rely on Usability of Both Search Engines and Your Site
March 26, 2010, 9:27 amWebProNews talked to a lot of interesting people at Search Engine Strategies in New York this week, and one theme that ran through more than one of these conversations was the relationship between user attention and usability and how this relates to search marketing. Note: There is plenty more useful information in the videos embedded in this...
Bing Director Dings Google's Real-time, Universal Search
March 26, 2010, 9:04 amIt's easy to be the startup rabbit-punching the giant from below when the giant is so much taller it can't even see you when it looks down. At least that's the way I see it when Microsoft executives shepherding Bing, which is pretty much a startup, on the rare occasion criticize giant Google in public. If it's possible to be politic in criticism,...
Liveblogging Coverage of SES NY 2010
March 26, 2010, 8:03 amLisa Barone single-handedly liveblogged seventeen (!!) sessions, from New York SES. Not sure if she survived, but she was at least kind enough to collapse after providing all of the coverage.
Why MapQuest Should Be Considered in Your Local Marketing Mix
March 26, 2010, 8:01 amI don't think too many people will dispute the fact that location is buzz topic of 2010 so far within the online marketing industry. Big players in this space include Foursquare, Gowalla, Twitter, Facebook (soon), and of course Google. As reported earlier this week , Google noted that a third of its searches via the mobile web pertain to some...
Are SEOs & SMMs the Same? SEMPO Says Implies Yes
March 26, 2010, 7:40 am
Spring is the time of year where everything changes. New life begins. It used to be the time of year when new homes were sold. It apparently is also the time of year for market research to blossom in the online marketing space. Everyone and their brother is coming out with something that proves something else to someone. If you...
Peek a Boo I see you! - the Verified SEO affair
March 26, 2010, 7:31 amTim Nash did a little homework on the 'Verified SEO' fella... man, I am enjoying this ride. You can read more in the comments of the original thread - http://sphinn.com/story/145890
UK Newspapers To Charge For Online Access
March 26, 2010, 7:19 amNews International, News Corp's British newspaper unit said today it will begin charging readers for access to the websites of The Times and Sunday Times of London starting in June. Both titles will launch new websites in early May, separating their online presence for the first time and replacing the existing, combined site, Times Online. The two...
The Difference Between Salad and Garbage
March 26, 2010, 7:01 amThere are worse things in life than death. Have you ever spent an evening with an insurance salesman? ~Woody Allen You've got to feel for insurance salesmen. They actually rank below used-car salesmen and bloggers on the list of people no one wants to hang out with. With only a slight edge over politicians . . . maybe. Pushy pitches, cheesy...
Motorola Splits With Google In China
March 26, 2010, 6:56 amGoogle's decision to redirect Chinese searchers to Google.com.hk is having some serious repercussions. On Monday, Chinese Internet company Tom Online distanced itself from Google. China Unicom followed suit on Wednesday. And now, Motorola has also turned its back on the search giant. Mark Lee and Hugo Miller reported late yesterday, "Motorola...
Have an Employee Social Media Policy for FTC Compliance
March 26, 2010, 6:56 amThe FTC guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials that were updated in December have been the cause of a lot of concern and confusion among the industry, and this continues to do this day. A lot of the confusion has been around how the guidelines apply to social media use. I sat in on a session at SXSW recently that featured FTC lawyer,...
Forget Click Fraud, “Ad Impression Fraud” is the Next Big Thing!
March 26, 2010, 6:53 am
We all know that mainstream media is trying to figure out how to exist in a world of web impressions and not “in your hand” subscribers, but are they getting greedy?
That’s what Compete is suggesting, after discovering a disturbing practice that appears to inflate impression counts–which obviously leads to...
Optimize Your FireFox Address (Location) Bar for Search w/ Omnibar
March 26, 2010, 6:38 amWe have had quite a few searching tools reviewed previously - but we can never have enough of them, can't we? So in this post I am sharing a new one that you can't afford not to try. Omnibar is the FireFox addon the main feature of which is actually combining the address bar and the search bar. Besides that, it also shows search and URL...
Twitter’s New “Monetization Platform” Coming “Later this Month”
March 26, 2010, 6:35 am
Remember when Twitter caused a stir among the development community, when it suggested you may never want to use a third-party app again?
Well, co-founder went CNBC and appeared to reveal just a little information about Twitter’s monetization model. When asked if Twitter was receiving a cut of the ads shown by third-party...
5 Tips for Better B2B Branding
March 26, 2010, 5:45 amThink branding only falls in the B2C court? Think again. In fact, three of the top 10 brands in 2009, as ranked by Interbrand, generate a sizable amount of revenue from their B2B customers: IBM, Microsoft and GE. As a B2B marketer your brand is your most valuable asset. B2B branding is less about cool, hip monikers (the Apples and Starbucks of the...
What Kind of SEO Services Do you Really Need?
March 26, 2010, 5:05 amService Dogs by Beverly & Pack While most people, even the Web savvy ones, still don't even get basic SEO , search engine optimisation has evolved dramatically over the recent years. SEO is more about visibility in manifold places than anything else by now. Ranking on top of regular Google results is just one of a plethora of options to get people...
Clearing The Air on VerifiedSEO.com
March 26, 2010, 3:50 amWhen we go through the verification process for an SEM company we are focusing primarily on their track record of previous success. We are also making sure that those results are not being attained by black hat tactics.
Online Ad Pricing Trends: How Publishers Can Increase Ad Revenue
March 26, 2010, 2:30 amWould you get excited if I told you that how to diagnose which actions will help ad pricing to leave the economic downturn in the rear view mirror? Are you interested in analyzing the latest online advertising trends by looking at last year data and see where the market will be going next?
Photo credit: Brosa
As a matter of fact, professional...
Motorola Replaces Google With Bing in China
March 26, 2010, 2:09 amIndia Times reports: Motorola Inc, the handset maker that's rebuilding its mobile-phone business around Google Inc's Android software, has dropped the US Internet company's search engine from one of its Android phones in China. Motorola no longer includes Google's search engine in its Zhishang device shipped to China Telecom Corp (...) Google's...
Hackers Hack, Firefox, Safari, IE and iPhone
March 26, 2010, 12:32 am"Like dominoes falling in rapid succession, the platforms were felled in the fourth year of the contest, which has come to underscore the alarming insecurity of most internet-facing software."
Whiteboard Friday - Influence of Usage Data
March 25, 2010, 11:02 pmPosted by great scott! If a lot of people click on my listing in the search results, I'll rank better, right? Wrong. This week's Whiteboard Friday explores the common myth that the engines use click-through as a ranking signal for organic results. Unlike paid traffic-in which the engines are incentivized to promote the most click-worthy...
SEO Is About Communication Too!
March 25, 2010, 10:10 pmWhat is the overall goal for all businesses, besides building sales? Communication. They try to communicate something to someone in order to create a reaction. This is how a business grows. Over time the communication cone spreads wider and wider and eventually the audience grows leading to more of some sort of an action that helps the business...
Google Launches AdWords Remarketing
March 25, 2010, 8:49 pmSay you followed an online ad from a paid Google search listing. But while on the landing page of that site, you can't decide whether to finalize an ad conversion. So you decide to leave the page and continue browsing within Google's content network. Woudn't you be annoyed when another similar ad is displayed? If you're an AdWords publisher...
Microsoft Bing and Other Top Stories from SES New York 2010 Day 3
March 25, 2010, 8:21 pmThe top story on Day 3 of SES New York 2010 was the morning keynote by Yusuf Mehdi, Senior Vice President of the Online Audience Business for Bing. Check out the story by Sharon Pian Chan in the Seattle Times entitled, "Microsoft adds Foursquare to Bing Maps."Click to read the rest of this post...
GoDaddy, Network Solutions join the China bailout
March 25, 2010, 7:53 pmGoDaddy, the world's largest domain name registration company, stopped registering websites in China on Wednesday after it received demands for additional information about its existing customers. This was revealed in Congressional hearings focusing on Google's decision to stop censoring search results . Network Solutions stopped registering the...
Webmaster Guide To Cross Browser Support: The Definitive Guide
March 25, 2010, 6:45 pm"WebmasterWorld Members discuss cross browser support, and help decide which browsers and formats are needed for compatibility."
James Cameron v Glenn Beck: Trash Talk
March 25, 2010, 5:42 pmby Claudine Zap James Cameron has taken on some formidable opponents: His ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow in the Oscar race. The country of China in getting his epic 3D flick "Avatar" more play . And now he's mixing it up with conservative Fox talk-show host Glenn Beck . The Hollywood director called the Fox commentator a "blanking blank" (actual text way...
Ladies and Gentlemen, Your New King
March 25, 2010, 3:49 pmby Mike Krumboltz Once upon a time there was a man named Billy Mitchell . He wore denim, rocked a mullet, and made award-winning hot sauce in his spare time. Obviously, he was a man with which you do not mess. That was especially true when it came to Donkey Kong. For years, Mitchell held the world's highest score on the famous arcade classic. But...
Spaced Out Roundup
March 25, 2010, 3:49 pmby Mike Krumboltz Ever try to count all the stars in the sky? Don't. Scientists recently announced that there may be a billion (that's with a "b") more stars out there than they originally thought. A buzzy article from the Discovery News explains that astronomers "may have underestimated the tally of galaxies in some parts of the universe by as...
SEMPO Survey: Paid Search Spend to Rise 22% in 2010
March 25, 2010, 3:37 pmAnd most of it's going to Google. Click to read the rest of this post.
Best practices for large resellers using the adCenter API
March 25, 2010, 3:20 pmResellers are businesses that handle adCenter accounts for hundreds or thousands of clients, usually small businesses. Resellers are also known as "aggregators." If you are developing systems using the API for one of these resellers, there are some best practices that you'll want to keep in mind. You should use the provided code samples in the...
Good things just got better
March 25, 2010, 3:03 pmFor our most recent release we have a mixed bag of improvements and new features. Search refinement and graphing â" narrowing results by 1 day?! In some cases that might as well be a year! You can now narrow from the previous limit of 1 day, down to 5 minutes. Try it for yourself here . We also noticed that quite often while narrowing your...
Android Surges In AdMob Report
March 25, 2010, 2:51 pmSometime this month, Googlers who work on Android probably earned the right to pop the corks on a few bottles of champagne. New stats from AdMob (which unfortunately only run through February) indicate that Android was poised to pass the iPhone in terms of U.S. market share. AdMob found that the iPhone had a slight edge at the end of February: 44...
Watch NCAA March Madness Live Streaming Video Online
March 25, 2010, 2:51 pmIt's March Madness! Sweet Sixteen Baby! Maryland and Georgetown are out, but the Tourney is still on! Office workers around the US are looking at their watches, waiting to get off work and head to the local sports bar or someone's house to kick back, toss back a few cold ones, and see who makes it through the weekend to advance, and who gets sent...
Internet Use Surpasses TV Viewing In Canada
March 25, 2010, 2:28 pmFor the first time ever weekly Internet usage of online Canadians has surpassed the number of hours spent watching television, according to a new report by Ipsos Reid. Over all online Canadians are now spending more than 18 hours a week online, compared to 16.9 hours watching television. Internet usage is up from 14.9 hours last year. The number...
City Of Orlando Cuts Costs 62 Percent With Google Apps
March 25, 2010, 2:10 pmThe city of Orlando loves Google, and it's not hard to understand why - according to the city's own estimates, switching to Google Apps cut its IT costs by a massive amount. So now Orlando's CIO, Conrad Cross, is returning the favor (and maybe helping Orlando secure a special prize) by spreading the Google gospel. Cross wrote a post that went up...
SES: Duplicate Content and Multiple Sites
March 25, 2010, 1:48 pmModerator: Adam Audette Shari Thurow Maile Ohye Anthony Long This panel focused on various tactics to control duplicate content for SEO purposes. It's always a great topic because, while the general guidelines are clear, solving duplicate content efficiently always depends on the specific situation. There is lots of nuance involved in this topic....
YouTube EDU Celebrates First Birthday
March 25, 2010, 1:25 pmYouTube EDU turned one year old today, and it's now one of the largest online video repositories of higher education content in the world, according to the company. "The team's work in the last 365 days shows," YouTube's Chris Dale tells WebProNews. Dale shared the following highlights of YouTube EDU's first year: - YouTube EDU has tripled its...
Eye Tracking Research Traps to Avoid from SES NY
March 25, 2010, 1:14 pmAt SES NY this morning, Susan Weinschenk, Chief of User Experience Strategy of Human Factors International, participated in a panel about eye-tracking research and shared some of her thinking on this topic, including the 7 traps to avoid, which I share below. Dr. Weinschenk has a PhD in Psychology and has spent several years conducting cognitive...
Hot Tub Time Machines and Well-Trained Dragons: Critics Roundup
March 25, 2010, 1:08 pmby Mike Krumboltz A hot tub time machine will battle it out with computer-generated dragons at theaters this weekend. One film's a raunchy comedy (gee, can you guess which one?), while the other comes from the animation team at DreamWorks. Two very different movies aimed at two very different audiences. What say the critics? Hot Tub Time Machine...
PayPal Talks This Year's Twestival Efforts
March 25, 2010, 1:02 pmIf you're an active part of the Twitter community, you're probably well aware that the Twestival event is underway today. In some parts of the world it's already over, but in others it's just beginning. WebProNews talked to Judy Chang of PayPal's non-profit team about the event, and the company's role in it. If you're unfamiliar with Twestival,...
More Courses and More Colleges - YouTube EDU Turns One
March 25, 2010, 1:02 pmA college education is something many people take for granted, but only about 1% of the world actually gets one. A year ago today, YouTube EDU ( youtube.com/edu ) launched with a very simple mission: deliver some of the world's greatest university courses to anyone with an internet connection and a screen. Whether it's Salman Rushdie reading...
The Art of Storytelling and the Business of Marketing - SES NY 2010
March 25, 2010, 12:56 pmPeople want stories, not marketing. In the Storyteller Marketing session at SES NY, Brian Lewis of Engine Ready, discussed the effectiveness of leveraging storytelling in marketing. We make sense of our world and our place in it through stories. We can relate to and be captivated by stories as they stimulate and inspire us. We want stories, not...
What a Burn: Tanning Tax
March 25, 2010, 12:45 pmby Claudine Zap " Jersey Shore " wannabes and people who like the color orange, take note: Your blissful, tax-free, tanning-bed days are numbered . That's right. The health care bill will be imposing a 10% tanning-bed tax . According to ABC News , the government hopes to raise a whopping $2.7 billion over 10 years to pay for the health care...
CTIA Video: Yahoo! Sketch-a-Search Demo
March 25, 2010, 12:39 pmNew Yahoo! app lets your fingers do the searching In case you missed the CTIA 2010 conference and our announcement of the new Yahoo! Search-a-Sketch app , here's an on-the-spot video of the demo, taken by conference-goer, zdnetsam . Showing how it works is our own Ariel Siedman, Director of Product, Mobile Search. Cool, huh?
Updated Internet Gambling Bill Would Generate $30 Billion For States
March 25, 2010, 12:22 pmThe Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative told WebProNews today it strongly supports Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA) for the introduction of an updated version of the Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act of 2010. The updated legislation would guarantee taxes and fees are collected from wagers placed online in order to...
Is Facebook Causing Syphilis?
March 25, 2010, 12:12 pm
The Telegraph reports on the rise in syphilis in several English communities—cities in Britain where Facebook is the most popular. Professor Peter Kelly, director of public health in Teesside, publicly announced that they had, in fact, found a “link” between the two.
And by “link,” he means “cum...
Digg iPhone App Launched Along with iPad Contest
March 25, 2010, 11:59 amDigg has launched its long awaited iPhone app, which was created by TapTapTap . "This free app was designed to create a seamless browsing experience between Digg and the most popular content on the web, as chosen by the Digg community," says Digg's Chris Howard. "We wanted to make it easy to discover interesting content on your phone and to easily...
Selling Through Facebook Doesn't Mean Spamming Your Fans
March 25, 2010, 11:36 amSmall businesses are getting more and more opportunities to get some real use out of Facebook. For example, AT&T's Buzz.com has created a way for brick and mortars to get some positive recommendations through Facebook users' news feeds. In an article I wrote earlier, we talked about some e-commerce options that have become available for businesses...
Where Search and Social Media Collide: Real-Time Search and Twitter
March 25, 2010, 11:19 amThe Search world is all atwitter with talk of Social Media. Google has thrown its hat in the ring with Buzz. Multiple search engines are incorporating tweets and Facebook status updates into search results. Things are moving pretty fast, becoming real-time. Click to read the rest of this post.
Dennis Hopper's Problems, "The Hobbit" Gets a Director, Flash Mobs Stopped in Philly: What's the Buzz
March 25, 2010, 11:13 amby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. "The Hobbit" (Searches increased by +1,571%). Peter Jackson is handing off the "Lord of the Rings" prequel to Mexican director Guillermo del Toro . Dennis Hopper (+951%). The actor is dying from terminal prostate cancer and faces a messy divorce . Flash Mob (511%). Seems that some...
Happy Twestival
March 25, 2010, 11:02 amTonight marks the second global Twestival (or Twitter Festival) in over 175 cities around the world and Bing is excited to be a part of it in at least a few of those cities. At first I asked the team to see how many we could hit in a night to lend our support and donations to Twestivals great charity beneficiary , but cooler heads (and the pesky...
Search: Where to Next?
March 25, 2010, 11:01 amCover up your crystal ball. Put away your tarot cards. Hide all those ancient texts by Nostradamus. They won't tell you the future of Search. But the Search experts assembled for the Search: Where to Next? panel might be able to. And Tuesday morning, they gave it a shot. Click to read the rest of this post.
Digg's iPhone app (finally) here - win a customized iPad
March 25, 2010, 11:01 amWe are very excited to announce the launch of Digg's official app for the iPhone. This free app was designed to create a seamless browsing experience between Digg and the most popular content on the web, as chosen by the Digg community. We wanted to make it easy to discover interesting content on your phone and to easily jump into the...
Cambridge SEO Meetup Announcement
March 25, 2010, 10:55 amAre you a small business owner looking to increase traffic to your site or a Search Engine Optimization expert interested in networking? If so, you might be interested in the Cambridge Search Engine Optimization MeetUp taking place at the Microsoft New England R& D Center in Cambridge, MA on April 5th 2010 at 6:30pm . I am excited to be presenting...
Meta tag authentication frustration resolved (From the Forums)
March 25, 2010, 10:50 amToday's installment of the From the Forums column involves a user who had difficulties getting the required authentication code installed on the default page of her website so she could take advantage of the Bing Webmaster Center tools . The customized authentication code issued by Bing Webmaster Center ensures that only the site owner who...
Quick Tip for Merchants: Outsourced Warehousing
March 25, 2010, 10:49 amEddie Davis here, director of SMB Merchant Services, with a quick tip for SMB retailers. I often run into small business owners who are selling globally and who ask me about the best way to manage international shipping. While services like PayPal can easily take care of your payment processing, finding the right shipping service and setting up...
Google: It Wasn’t Just the Hacking (And GoDaddy Hops on the Bandwagon)
March 25, 2010, 10:45 am
Ever since Google first began its threats to leave China (which they finally made good on this week), it’s seemed like a bit of a logical leap to see what a hack attack had to do with the country’s government-mandated censorship—something Google agreed to when it entered the market in 2006.
But the...
FTC Considers Updating Online Child Privacy Law
March 25, 2010, 9:52 amThe Federal Trade Commission is considering revising rules surrounding the online collection of children's personal information due to the growing popularity of mobile Internet usage among young people. The FTC's Children Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rule imposes requirements on operators of websites or online services that are aimed at...
New Agreement with First National Bank will bring PayPal to South Africa
March 25, 2010, 9:29 amHi everybody. My name is Oded Zehavi, and I'm responsible for PayPal's business in Israel and South Africa. Today, we announced an agreement with First National Bank (FNB) that will allow merchants in South Africa to accept PayPal payments â" opening their businesses to our global customer base of 81 million active accounts in 190 markets.
Twitter Hacker Arrested Over Obama and Spears Hack
March 25, 2010, 9:20 am"The man is accused of breaking into dozens of Twitter and Google accounts and posting screen shots of private pages on online hacker forums."
Social media: Where's the revenue?
March 25, 2010, 9:12 amExamples of a real-dollar Return on Investment (ROI) from social media marketing programs are rare. Unfortunately for most ecommerce teams, having hundreds of thousands of fans often doesnt translate into revenue. For your CEO and CFO to take social media campaigns seriously, you need to be able to demonstrate a direct measurable impact that...
Google Lets Advertisers Expand Audience Reach
March 25, 2010, 9:12 amGoogle is rolling out a new AdWords feature called Remarketing . What this does is allow advertisers to reach users on sites within the Google Content Network, as they browse the web. The feature was originally introduced as a trial a year ago as part of Google's interest based advertising beta, but the company is now making it widely available....
Watch Your Behavior Online, You’re Being Targeted!
March 25, 2010, 8:39 am
Sounds scary doesn’t it? Well, apparently behavioral targeting is music to advertisers ears because the technique works. Of course, this very same practice is what makes the hairs on the back of the neck of government regulators stand on end. The controversial and growing practice is going to be around though until it is asked...
Social media: Where’s the revenue?
March 25, 2010, 8:38 amExamples of a real-dollar Return on Investment (ROI) from social media marketing programs are rare. Unfortunately for most ecommerce teams, having hundreds of thousands of fans often doesn’t translate into revenue.
For your CEO and CFO to take social media campaigns seriously, you need to be able to demonstrate a direct measurable impact...
Bing & The Evolution of Search - Yusuf Mehdi at SES NYC 2010
March 25, 2010, 8:36 amThe last time we saw Yusuf speak was at an IAB event at AdWeek in New York last September. His presentation was described as spectacular by Randall Rothenburg from the IAB, so having him talk at Search Engine Strategies this year has created.
China Unicom Turns Back On Google
March 25, 2010, 8:08 amRegardless of its intentions, Google's other undertakings in China continue to be affected by its decision concerning search. China Unicom, which is the country's second-largest mobile operator, has decided to cut its ties with the American company. According to Kathrin Hille and Justine Lau , Unicom's president, Lu Yimin, made his position clear...
Most Targeted Attacks on Senior Officials Come from China
March 25, 2010, 8:08 amSymantec has a released a new report looking at the nature of industrial espionage and targeted attacks, a big issue right now, considering the whole Google/China situation . A representative for the firm tells WebPronews, "Further analysis of targeted attacks shows that the top five targeted roles are senior officials (VPs, Directors) and the...
.Fox Networks and comScore Reveal Ground-Breaking Findings About the Branding Impact of Online Advertising
March 25, 2010, 8:02 am.Fox Networks (pronounced "dot-fox"), the leading global online network from Fox International Channels (FIC) and comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, today unveiled the findings of a ground-breaking U.K. study. The study, commissioned by online video specialist .Fox, used comScore's single-source panel methodology to confirm that...
Qualifying SEO clients; keeping Pareto at bay
March 25, 2010, 7:45 amSNIP -For the longest time now I have wanted to write about this topic as it’s one that has legs when I am talking to my fellow search warriors. Deciding on which clients one takes on is paramount to not only keeping your sanity, but the success of your company in general. I'd even go as far to say the process has a lot to do with the success of...
Qualifying SEO clients; keeping Pareto at bay
March 25, 2010, 7:45 amFor the longest time now I have wanted to write about this topic as it's one that has legs when I am talking to my fellow search warriors. Deciding on which clients one takes on is paramount to not only keeping your sanity, but the success of your company in general. I'd even go as far to say the process has a lot to do with the success of an SEO...
Bing’s Features for Someday in the Future
March 25, 2010, 7:31 am
We haven’t heard much from bing as of late so it makes sense that they would use SES NYC to make a few announcements about their Google slaying search engine bing. Of course, it would be a little more interesting if there were announcements of actual product enhancements rather than the following from the bing blog:
Today at SES...
Facebook E-Commerce: What Online Retailers Have Been Looking For?
March 25, 2010, 7:28 amFacebook has over 400 million active users. In the U.S. Facebook surpassed Google as the top site about a week and a half ago in terms of visits for a week. Consider that consumers are getting more comfortable with online shopping from their mobile device, and that social media (at least in significant part), is driving mobile usage. Shopping from...
Libraries Key Resource For Internet Access
March 25, 2010, 7:28 amSome 77 million Americans used a public library computer to access the Internet in the past year, according to a new report by the University of Washington Information School and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Low-income adults are more likely to rely on the public library as their main resource to access computers and the Internet...
10 Deadly Online Marketing Mistakes
March 25, 2010, 7:28 amI love authoritative titles' These are the most horrendous 10 online mistakes you can make. Ever. And they'll probably ruin your entire business. I created a totally free video series about this- 10 videos, about 30 minutes of free info-tainment . That's right, information and entertainment. And if you're an expert in PPC, SEO, and Social media,...
The Bobby McFerrin Plan for Creating A More Remarkable Business
March 25, 2010, 7:21 amI just returned from a Bobby McFerrin concert, and now I know how to run my new business. No, this post isn't about "Don't Worry, Be Happy." Bobby McFerrin is much more than that. You see, I'm a little nervous. For 23 years, I've made my income the same way " in a service business, as a graphic designer. A client comes to me for design work. I...
JCPenny, US Retail Giant, Preemptively Registering Union Organizing Domains?
March 25, 2010, 7:20 am"What do you think? Smart move? Dumb move?"
Bing Intros Some New Search Updates, Foursquare App
March 25, 2010, 7:10 amA representative for Bing just informed me that this morning at SES NY Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president, Online Audience Business, is announcing updates to Bing. Interestingly enough, she also informed me that I could check out the keynote live at live.webpronews.com . "The updates demonstrate Bing's continued mission to connect...
2 Ways to Revive Contact with Your Old Online Friends and Partners
March 25, 2010, 7:10 amDoing business online we meet dozens of new people weekly (and some of us even daily). You start actively cooperate with some of them, and gradually lose touch with most of them. By trying to revive those old relationships, you will see plenty of new opportunities, business offers and cooperation ideas (and maybe more work from old clients). Here...
Google Walks Into a Bar…Gets Fined $2700 a Day!
March 25, 2010, 6:36 am
A search engine walks into a bar, and the bartender says…
“Why the long face?”
Not laughing? Neither is Google after being fined by a Brazilian court for not blocking pages of dirty jokes from its Orkut social network:
The court in the northern state of Rondonia ordered Google to pay $US2700 for each day that the...
Local Search Recipe: How to Track Local Analytics With Wordpress'And Make Pies
March 25, 2010, 6:22 amI am a big fan of food. I think about it everyday, and if things go well I even get to have some on a regular basis. So, in order to give my life some variety I like to prepare different dishes on occasion. To do so, I turn to online recipes. You can read reviews, look up anything imaginable, they are free, and the directions are usually easy to...
Bing Launches Search Updates, Foursquare App for Maps
March 25, 2010, 6:21 amMicrosoft announced some new updates to Bing today at SES NY, where WebProNews covered the event live (during which a representative for Bing also let me know that live.webpronews.com would be a good place to check it out).
Will Bing's updates affect your search strategy? Discuss here.
Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president, Online...
Avinash Kaushik Discusses Web Analytics…Wives and Girlfriends
March 25, 2010, 6:15 am
Giving all of the credit to the first click is "like giving all of the credit for marrying my wife to my first girlfriend."
That my friend, is typical of web analytics guru Avinash Kaushik. If you think that web analytics is boring, you’ve clearly never heard Avinash give a presentation!
You can read the full...
New Stuff Coming From Bing This Spring
March 25, 2010, 6:11 amToday at SES New York we shared with attendees our plans to begin testing some new Bing features as we start to move into the next wave of innovation which will be rolling out later this spring and summer. Our focus remains consistent we want Bing to be the best place to help you make better decisions. When we launched last June, one of the ways...
SES Keynote Day 3: Yusuf Mehdi [LIVE BLOG]
March 25, 2010, 6:07 amClick to read the rest of this post...
Bing to Roll Out Three New Features this Spring
March 25, 2010, 5:59 amAt the ongoing SES event in New York, Bing is reporting about new features that are being prepared for launch this coming Spring. These three new features have something to do with new interface design, enhancement on real-time search data and visualization of localized information. To push its vision in making Bing as a vital assistant for online...
How Much Traffic Does Bing Refer to Your Site?
March 25, 2010, 5:36 amI was going through our Analytics last night on SEJ and looking into our referrals from Bing, and thought I would share with our readers. Over the last 30 days, Bing referrals account for 3.14% of the organic search traffic to Search Engine Journal. Looking at the top 3 referring search engines, Bing did top Yahoo for referrals to SEJ : Google...
3 easy ways to make your testimonials more powerful
March 25, 2010, 5:25 amAh, the testimonial. There are few things more powerful in the conversion process than reading comments from real people stating, "Yes, I used this product (or worked with this company) and I highly recommend them." Unfortunately, many sites don't leverage testimonials like they could. Instead of thinking about strategic testimonial placement,...
YouTube Down?
March 25, 2010, 5:19 amCurrently when trying to access YouTube.com , (at least) some of us are currently getting the message: "Http/1.1 Service Unavailable". [Thanks WebSonic.nl ] [By Philipp Lenssen | Origin: YouTube Down?
How To Develop Great Content â" SESNY
March 25, 2010, 5:07 amAt Online Marketing Blog, content marketing is frequently a hot topic. And with good reason: it's a vital skill for marketers. Not only do we at TopRank Online Marketing see great results implementing content marketing for clients, but the industry as a whole sees it as a clear trend. Consider the following stats: 6 in 10 marketers plan to...
SEO 101 - Part 14: Everything You Need to Know About Link Anatomy
March 25, 2010, 4:55 amby Stoney deGeyter
The following series is pulled from a presentation I gave to a group of beauty bloggers hosted by L'Oreal in New York. Most of the presentation is geared toward how to make a blog more search engine and user-friendly, however I will expand many of the concepts here to include tips and strategies for sites selling products...
Nine common SEO campaign mistakes
March 25, 2010, 4:43 amWith so many factors in play in search engine algorithms, you really need to be aware of all of them at once to ensure a successful campaign. This post is a compilation of various pitfalls, gripes and bugbears where something is lacking in the balance required for success in organic search.
AdWords Remarketing For Content Network
March 25, 2010, 4:04 am"Remarketing is a great way for businesses to reach users who are likely to be highly receptive to their ads and special offers."
Bing Bringing New Features
March 25, 2010, 2:55 am"Today we previewed a cool new map application, which brings real time data from foursquare into our Silverlight maps experience..."
Google's Drummond on China Strategy Shift (it wasn't just the hacking incident, but also increasing pressure to censor more)
March 24, 2010, 11:12 pmThe Atlantic this week spoke with Google chief legal officer David Drummond about Google's strategy change in China (Google now forwards traffic to Google.cn to their uncensored Google.com.hk). Quote from the phone interview paraphrase: We have moved the physical location of it [to Hong Kong], and the virtual location. The experience we are trying...
Improve Your Landing Pages
March 24, 2010, 10:14 pmSEO should not be looked at as just a way to get your website ranking in search results. That is just one factor in the whole end game. Search engine optimization means making your website efficient. It does not only revolve around driving traffic to your website from an organic listing. It also revolves around making your web pages highly...
Google Calls For U.S. to Fight Web Censorship in China, Abroad
March 24, 2010, 9:35 pmEmboldened by its move to shutter its Chinese search engine , a Google policy official argued at a Congressional panel on China that the government should help companies combat Internet censorship abroad because it stymies economic growth. Alan Davidson, director of U.S. Public Policy for Google in America, offered this testimony to the commission...
Avinash Kaushik Video and Other Top Stories from SES New York 2010 Day 2
March 24, 2010, 8:49 pmOne of the top stories from Day 2 of SES New York 2010 was the morning keynote by Avinash Kaushik. Just as he did at SES London 2010, Kaushik provided a "wake up call" entitled, "Be Awesome: Ideas for Approaching Search Analytics Differently."Click to read the rest of this post...
When Conversion Rate Isn't Enough
March 24, 2010, 7:35 pmPosted by Dr. Pete The history of web analytics has read a bit like the quest for the Holy Grail. We've gone through a list of candidates searching for the one true metric: Hits, Page Views, Visitors, Unique Visitors... stopping at each one to admire its purity and virtue while denouncing the heresy of whatever metric it replaced (usually, one...
Post Text and Photos via Google Buzz Widget for Android
March 24, 2010, 6:48 pmRecently, Google updated its Google Buzz app for Android phones by adding a widget facility that lets you post text and photos with a single tap. Google Buzz widget allows you to tag your post with the location or place from which you are posting your buzz. Similar to location-based mobile apps such as Foursquare and Gowalla, the Google Buzz...
GoDaddy Withdraws from China
March 24, 2010, 6:17 pm"The world's largest registrar of internet domain names said Wednesday that it was pulling out of China in the wake of strict new laws that allegedly will increase government surveillance of web sites." - Sify Business
Photoshop's Content-Aware Image Fill
March 24, 2010, 6:14 pmIf this filter works as nice in actual usage as it does when demoed, it could be a very interesting time saver indeed. [Via Reddit .
Google Domains Which Could be Blocked in China
March 24, 2010, 6:14 pmAs of this week, Google started to stop presenting censored web search results in China via their Google.cn domain. Instead, they forward that domain to the (according to Google) uncensored Hong Kong domain, Google.com.hk. Here are some of the potential blocks Chinese authorities could react with, and what they may mean: Blocking of Google.cn:...
Location-Based Marketing To Mobiles and Portables
March 24, 2010, 6:10 pm"Will the uptake of Smartphones and other portable devices finally make location-based marketing a reality."
GoDaddy Joins Google China Boycott : Stops Selling .CN Domains
March 24, 2010, 6:02 pmNever one to back down from a chance to gain publicity, GoDaddy.com has announced that like Google, it too will be halting operations in China. I'm not sure how much of a percentage of the Chinese market uses GoDaddy, but this seems to be a serious announcement by the domain registration and hosting company. If anything, the decision by GoDaddy...
How you can donate to Twestival Global 2010 to benefit Concern Worldwide
March 24, 2010, 5:16 pmHi all, I'm Judy Chang from PayPal's non-profit team and I'm excited to tell you that this year, PayPal is the exclusive payment processor and lead global sponsor of Twestival Global , the largest social media fundraising event of its kind promoted and fueled by Twitter. On Thursday, March 25, more than 175 cities worldwide will help raise money...
Goal Involvement Analogy: "Conversion Attribution is Like Selling Xabi Alonso & Hoping for the Same Result"
March 24, 2010, 4:42 pmGoogle have announced this week at SES New York the introduction of AdWords Search Funnels . This led me to think of a quote which was on Twitter a while ago, (I think was from Chris Lake - correct me if I'm wrong though): "Conversion Attribution is Like Selling Xabi Alonso & Hoping for the Same Result" . Image credit: Flickr Even if you don't...
Idol Talk: That's All They Really Want
March 24, 2010, 4:30 pmby Vera H-C Chan How many times can " American Idol " contestants invoke the F-word and get away with it? Contestant after contestant smiled through withering criticism and said they just trying to have "fun." They were the only ones: An aghast Randy Jackson used words like "honestly terrible," Ellen DeGeneres couldn't understand the song choices...
Warning: Don’t Use Google Maps Service/Home Business Tools Yet
March 24, 2010, 4:02 pmIf you’re a small business owner or a marketer with small business clients using Google Maps’ Local Business Center, a warning: Do not use the new tools for service- and home-based businesses yet! You'll screw your rankings with this experimental feature.
Google to Send Warnings on Compromised Gmail Accounts
March 24, 2010, 3:32 pmTo stop Gmail accounts from getting stolen from their real owners, Google is starting to send notifications to Gmail members whose accounts they think are being compromised. This is in response to the increasing problem on Gmail abuse through various suspicious login activity by unathorized access to Gmail accounts.
Optimism Grips SES in New York
March 24, 2010, 2:40 pmIf youre subscribed just to the Microsoft Advertising Blog , you may not know that were blogging on the adCenter Blog from Search Engine Strategies in New York right now. Its so great to see so many marketers here asking such incisive questions in informative and, in many cases, very advanced sessions on PPC, SEO, social media and video. The expo...
Baidu Closes Above $600 For First Time
March 24, 2010, 2:26 pmTo be a Baidu shareholder must be a wonderful thing. The Chinese company's stock went up yet again today and was at $608.50 when the closing bell rang, making this the first time it's ever ended a trading day above $600.
Here are a couple other numbers sure to make other investors jealous: shares of Baidu actually gained 2.29 percent today,...
AOL Launches Patch.org To Fund Hyperlocal News
March 24, 2010, 2:19 pmAOL said today it is launching Patch.org, a charitable foundation to support access to local news and information in underserved communities.
Patch.org will partner with community foundations and other organizations to launch sites and bring local news and information to communities that lack adequate news media and online local...
Google Alerts Users of Suspicious Gmail Log-In Activity
March 24, 2010, 2:17 pmGoogle introduced a new security feature for Gmail today. It notifies the user when a suspicious log-in activity is detected on their account. This notification will come in the form of a message saying ""Warning: We believe your account was last accessed from" along with the geographic region that Google can best associate with the access....
Amendment Mania on Capitol Hill
March 24, 2010, 2:00 pmby Mike Krumboltz On Tuesday morning, a beaming President Obama signed the health care bill into law. "It is the law of the land," he declared. But the president's political rivals aren't giving up . Republican senators, led by Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, are putting forward several " headline grabbing " amendments in an effort to slow or even stop...
Justin Bieber's Manager Arrested for Not Tweeting Quickly Enough
March 24, 2010, 1:42 pmBack in November, the ever-popular Justin Bieber was scheduled to have an autograph signing in a Long Island mall. It didn't quite go as planned, and they got about three times as many people to show up as expected, and this created what authorities found to be an unsafe environment. The interesting part was that a record label exec, who was...
GoDaddy Washes Hands Of Domain Names In China
March 24, 2010, 1:30 pmA company that has over 40 million domain names under its management - and is perhaps better known for controversial ads featuring busty women - has effectively followed Google's lead in China. GoDaddy will stop registering domain names in the country. Ellen Nakashima reported this afternoon that GoDaddy's taken this step "in response to...
Google Trying Out Hotel Prices on Maps
March 24, 2010, 1:29 pm
If you are not convinced about Google’s efforts to dominate the local search landscape then you may have a tough time believing anything at all. Google has been working on many different offerings on the local level. Some of the questions and concerns are around just how well these changes will play with Android v iPhone devices...
Gmail Adds Warnings for Suspicious Account Access
March 24, 2010, 12:47 pm
Gmail has added a new security feature to identify suspicious logins to your account. Using the broad geographic region of IP addresses logging in, Google says, “a login appearing to come from one country and occurring a few hours after a login from another country may trigger an alert.” The red alert bar displays...
Google’s SiteLinks Program Very Good …. For Google
March 24, 2010, 12:47 pm
Last fall Google made it easy for brands to make their paid search ads around their own branded terms stand out with its SiteLinks program. The idea being that these brands should have some advantage since they are, well, the brand.
Seems like a great idea except when some of these brands have been getting their search bills. The...
Surviving a Site Migration [An SEO's Guide]
March 24, 2010, 11:50 amEssential reading for anyone just about to migrate websites
SEM Campaign Tune-up Tips from SES NY 2010
March 24, 2010, 11:39 amOne of my favorite sessions was 10 Things to Supercharge your SEM Campaigns in 2010 delivered by Michael Mothner and Michael Stone of Wpromote, Inc. While this session ran the gamut (PPC, SEO, website optimization and social media), the focus was on actionable ways to improve your online marketing efforts. Here I'll share 8 tips from that session...
SES: Successful Information Architecture and SEO
March 24, 2010, 11:17 amModerator: Adam Audette Panelists: Shari Thurow Kim Krause Berg Kristján Már Hauksson This panel focused on the strategies and tactics of site architecture as it relates to search engine optimization. This is an important area of discussion because site architecture, usability, design, SEO, and analytics are closely related disciplines. Shari is...
"Fly Girls" Union Problem, Joe Biden T-Shirt, "Transformers 3" Casting News: What's the Buzz
March 24, 2010, 11:11 amby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. "Transformers 3" (Searches increased by +1,555%). The next movie in the series will bring in acting heavyweights Frances McDormand and John Malkovich. Take that, robots . Joe Biden (+1,352%). Crazy old Joe with his potty mouth. Now available in a T-shirt . Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream...
Google Accelerates Messaging For Google Voice for Android
March 24, 2010, 10:59 amGoogle March 23 gave its Voice app for Android , more messaging muscle with Inbox synchronization. This tool alerts users of Android smartphones to new text messages or voicemails within seconds of receiving new messages in your Google Voice inbox. Previously, alerts of new messages appeared within 15 minutes of when they were sent, which is a...
Google Bookmarks Goes Social [Visual Tour]
March 24, 2010, 10:02 amThe social revolution at Google continues. Click to read the rest of this post.
AT&T Launches New Music App
March 24, 2010, 10:02 amAT&T has launched a new music application that combines a number of different apps into one multifaceted application. The AT&T Music application is available on three feature phones including the LG Xenon, Samsung Solstice and Samsung Impression. The company said it plans to make the service available as a download on additional handsets soon and...
There is No Duplicate Content Penalty
March 24, 2010, 10:01 amThe SEO industry has been plagued for years by a lack of consistency with SEO terms and definitions. One of the most prevalent inaccurate terms we hear is "duplicate content penalty." While duplicate content is not something you should strive for on your website, there's no search engine penalty for having it.
New In AdWords: Search Funnels
March 24, 2010, 9:50 amYesterday, AdWords announced the launch of Search Funnels , a new set of reports available only in AdWords that describe the Google search ad click and impression behavior leading up to a conversion. They are rolling out over the next few weeks and work if you are using AdWords Conversion Tracking or importing your Google Analytics goals into...
European Regulators Investigate Facebook Over Picture Privacy
March 24, 2010, 9:32 am"Swiss and Germany regulators are investigating whether the practice of posting photos, videos and other information about people on sites such as Facebook without their consent is a breach of privacy laws."
No Mobile Version of Your Site? There's a Mobile Ad for That
March 24, 2010, 9:27 amAdMob now offers mobile ads for non-mobile sites. Click to read the rest of this post.
Search Analytics Ideas From SES
March 24, 2010, 9:15 amFor all sorts of reasons (more on that in a minute), Avinash Kaushik is an authority on search analytics. He's also a likable and entertaining speaker. SES New York attendees were in for a treat, then, as Kaushik delivered a keynote address titled "Be Awesome: Ideas for Approaching Search Analytics Differently." Coverage of SES New York...
When Personalized Search and Relevance Collide
March 24, 2010, 9:15 amNot everybody is a fan of the increasingly personalized search results they get from Google. Some criticize them as a way for Google to give advertisers reasons to rely on PPC as opposed to the less predictable organic results, and others just find it disruptive to relevance . In terms of relevance, I think it can work both ways. There are many...
WTF! Did Somebody Just Hacked Google's Corporate Site?
March 24, 2010, 9:09 amBefore it's too late, you might want to check out these two Google sites - http://www.google.com/corporate/execs.html and http://www.google.com/corporate/ . Noticed anything different from what is being displayed on your browser? Of course you did. It's pretty obvious that these two webpages while has nothing to do with the Google Chinese site...
Yahoo!'s New Sketch-a-Search iPhone App
March 24, 2010, 9:09 amDraw on a map and get results within that area. Click to read the rest of this post.
10 Steps to Optimize Your Content Marketing Strategy
March 24, 2010, 9:04 amSES New York kicked off with an excellent keynote presentation by David Meerman Scott (interview) followed by a panel on Digital Asset Optimization including Mark Knowles, Chris Boggs and myself. Richard Zwicky moderated. The rising importance of optimizing one's digital assets came out of Google and other search engines' decision to start...
Paid Search 101 â" SES New York 2010
March 24, 2010, 8:51 amWe like Matt Van Wagner . An industry veteran, hes always a force of friendly and positive energy at any conference he attends. Just before his session he told me this was going to be the best presentation hes ever given - 53 years.
From TravelCom: Mobile Advertising Opportunities in the Travel Vertical
March 24, 2010, 8:40 amI recently attended the Travelcom conference held this year in Dallas, Texas. Travel executives, research analysts, and technology experts all gathered to discuss the current state and future of the Travel industry. In almost every session, one theme rose above the rest the importance of mobile in Travel. Over the last ten years, we have been...
SEO Performance Marketing: Paid Search is Accountable So Why Not SEO?
March 24, 2010, 8:11 amWho's to blame for your company's marketing failures? And who gets credit for its marketing successes? The answer should be SEO, along with PPC and every other facet of your marketing programs. It must be held accountable if it wants a seat at the table with the big boys. Click to read the rest of this post.
Would Your Company Benefit from an Internal Twitter?
March 24, 2010, 8:11 amIt's no secret that Google and Microsoft are in heavy competition in the enterprise application space. This competition may extend into a relatively new sub-category of this space - internal microblogging. Think Twitter, just for within the enterprise. Now, Google Buzz isn't exactly a Twitter clone, but you probably don't have to look too far to...
David Meerman Scott on The New Rules of Marketing and PR
March 24, 2010, 7:54 amAlong came the Internet and the World Wide Web. The rest is history... and the present and the future. Marketers have many new tools to reach consumers, from web sites to blogs and social media to videos and podcasts. The tools are developing every day, and new tools are being created. Marketers are scrambling just to keep up. Click to read the...
Is Fairtrade growing in popularity?
March 24, 2010, 7:37 amAnother guest blog by Jonny Steel, Insights Manager, mySupermarket-Insights.co.uk Fairtrade Fortnight is an annual event which aims to raise the profile of fair and ethical trading values. The supermarkets have been keen to get on board for the past few years, highlighting their growing Fairtrade offering, introducing additional promotions and...
Google Exec Page Turned to Chinese
March 24, 2010, 7:31 amSomething fishy is going on. If you search for "Google executives" on an English-language version of Google, you may get a link to http://www.google.com/corporate/execs.html , which would be Google's page where it has profiles for its executives (go figure). However, you may also notice that the text appears in Chinese characters. As you probably...
The Sales Boosting Logic of the P.S.
March 24, 2010, 7:25 amThe P.S is one of those clichés of copywriting. It seems like every sales page has one. Maybe you think it's outdated. Maybe you think it's unnecessary. Until you learn the logic of why it works. So before we get into that, do me a favor. Say the following words quickly, and then look away from the screen for a moment when you're done reading the...
Yahoo's New Sketch-a-Search iPhone App
March 24, 2010, 7:20 amDraw on a map and get results within that area.Click to read the rest of this post...
Google Introduces AdWords Search Funnels Reports
March 24, 2010, 7:08 amLast night, your humble author watched an episode of The X-Files in which a sick boy got a new liver. The twist was this: the boy got a new liver after a man who built Rube Goldberg machines survived four attempts on his life and won the lottery. And a new set of reports known as AdWords Search Funnels acknowledges the same principle of cause...
Behaviorally-Targeted Ads Get More Conversions
March 24, 2010, 7:08 amBehaviorally-targeted advertising is more than twice as effective at converting users who click on the ads into buyers (6.8% conversion vs.2.8% for run-of-network ads) according to a new study by the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI). Based on proprietary data from twelve major ad networks, the study found in 2009, behaviorally-targeted...
Top 5 movie search engines
March 24, 2010, 7:08 amOften, when I am watching a movie, I get curious about stuff like "Where have I seen this actor before?" or "Isn't this the same director that did that other movie I like so much?" Earlier I would have called my friend the movie buff. Now there are some excellent search engines available so I don't need to bother him at odd hours. Here are the top...
How to Get an Influencer's Attention
March 24, 2010, 6:57 amInfluence is everywhere, but it's up to you to spot it. As information flow is infinite, many find that it is of utmost importance to capture the attention of the select few who serve as influencers " these are the people who can actually stop their followers in their tracks to help spread your message. Perhaps this might serve as the start of a...
Twitter "Contributors" Feature Spotted on Salesforce Account
March 24, 2010, 6:50 amBack in December, Twitter announced that it began beta testing a new feature called Contributors. The feature is aimed at businesses, and gives them a way to allow multiple users to tweet under the company account, while displaying exactly who from the company is doing the tweeting, with a clickable name that directs the reader to that person's...
How to Smartly Interlink Your Blog Content with SEO Smart Links
March 24, 2010, 6:44 amInterlinking your sub pages is a great way to both improve your rankings by using keyword-targeted anchor texts and also increase the crawl rate and depth (as well as click-through). While linking to your older articles when writing the post manually is a must, taking advantage of some smart automation is also a good idea. The best Wordpress...
Don't Let Approval Overshadow Your Need For Blogging Goals
March 24, 2010, 6:44 amImagine a teacher who can captivate a classroom of students for an hour, get applause and great reviews, but who has never had a student pass an exam, let alone pass the course. Would you consider the teacher a success? If you were that teacher, would you consider yourself a success? If "good" is the enemy of "great," then "approval" is the enemy...
3 Best Practices of Conversion Rate Optimization
March 24, 2010, 6:44 amConversion rate optimization is "everywhere" these days, from Twitter, to publications, to conferences and beyond. But while it's gaining steam in the industry, it's still a relatively new initiative for many marketers. So what exactly IS conversion rate optimization, you ask? Conversion optimization, often referred to as landing page...
jQuery UI 1.8 has been released
March 24, 2010, 6:30 am"This release adds two new utilities, two new widgets, an upgraded widget factory and a more modular core."
How to Smartly Interlink Your Blog Content with SEO Smart Links
March 24, 2010, 6:26 amHow to interlink your blog posts in wordpress by using the SEO Smart Links WP plugin.
Google Will Continue Sales, R&D in China
March 24, 2010, 6:04 amThe other day, Google announced that it would be redirecting its Chinese language search engine at Google.cn to Google.com.hk, the company's Hong Kong site, where they would now censor search results. That does not mean, however, that Google has ceased operations in China entirely. The company has now announced that it intends to continue research...
SES Day 2 Keynote: Avinash Kaushik
March 24, 2010, 5:57 amClick to read the rest of this post...
Best Practices: Building Scalable Information Architecture
March 24, 2010, 5:51 amTerry dropped a guest post over on WordStream on one of me fav topics; Information Architecture. It is easily one of the areas I often find under-utilized by a lot of SEOs. THere is more to this thang than links right?
AdWords Search Funnels (beta)
March 24, 2010, 5:30 am"we're excited to release a new set of reports for your AdWords account: AdWords Search Funnels (beta)."
Google Experiments With Hotel Prices On Maps
March 24, 2010, 5:20 am"With this feature, when you search for hotels on Google Maps you'll be able to enter the dates you plan to stay and see real prices on selected listings."
Canon Decides To Acquire .canon tld
March 24, 2010, 5:08 am"Is this a marketing ploy, or just good sense."
5 Tips To Optimize Press Releases For Search From PRWeb â" SESNY
March 24, 2010, 5:06 amTopRank Online Marketing has been working with PRWeb providing SEO consulting services for nearly one year. PRWeb was founded in 1997 to help small businesses and communications professionals leverage the web to share their news directly with the public. As part of this process PRWeb lead the way for the "direct-to-consumer" press release,...
Google and Microsoft Test Twitter-Like Services For Their Business
March 24, 2010, 5:04 am"Microsoft, for example, is testing OfficeTalk, a microblogging service that's a sort of Twitter for businesses,"
Forum Marketing Strategy: How To Promote Your Site Through Online Forums
March 24, 2010, 4:13 amIn the age of social marketing, online forums are, next to Facebook, Twitter and your favorite social media network, an ideal natural outlet for marketing your content in an ethical, helpful and altruistic way. As online forums are an online destination used to meet, share ideas and ask questions to people who have a shared interests, their very...
Twitter Spam Declines…Or Does It?
March 24, 2010, 3:59 am
Twitter would like you to know that the percentage of spam on its network is down—way down.
Of course, Twitter attributes this decline to its efforts to combat spammy tweets, but there are two other explanations to consider.
1. Notice the chart shows percentage of spam, not actually numbers. Could it be that actual spam...
Is Social Bookmarking with Ping.fm Sociable?
March 24, 2010, 3:15 amIf you haven't heard of ping.fm before, it's a nice little service that allows you to add a heap of your social media and social bookmarking accounts and post updates to all of your added networks in one go, which can be done directly through the ping.fm site or with SMS, Email, instant messaging bots, or an automatic Wordpress plugin.
Good SEO
March 24, 2010, 3:05 amBill Slawski's post on the main benefits of a good SEO strategy.
Are rankings a reliable metric for SEO success?
March 24, 2010, 2:43 amGiven how much the search engines have changed over the last couple of years, Holistic Search evaluates whether the sole ranking KPI's used by many organisations is the best metric for client success or should we be thinking similar to other marketing channels such as Affiliate, PPC, Display in favour of ROI
Search and Social Media Report: How Brands Can Leverage This Winning Digital Duo
March 24, 2010, 2:17 am2010 is the year the search and social media duo starts truly performing in synch. This is not only great news for consumers, but that is a whole new opportunity of cross-fertilisation for brand marketers. From Intention to Social In a constantly growing internet, one's navigational needs have grown in sophistication and search engines have...
Google Spells Out What's Happening To Its Apps In China
March 24, 2010, 12:05 am"We'd like to share some additional information on how this may affect your employees that use Google Apps within mainland China."
Creating an Online Video Strategy
March 23, 2010, 11:02 pmPosted by katemats Hi SEOmoz community! Let me take a moment to introduce myself since this is my first post on the blog. My name is Kate Matsudaira (Kate Mats for short), and I started here in November as VP Engineering for the fabulous technology team here at SEOmoz. Before that I worked for an online video platform called Delve Networks -...
A Typical Morning Social Routine
March 23, 2010, 10:16 pmA person that is truly involved in search engine optimization does a variety of online marketing items through the day that keeps him or her connected with the online world almost non-stop. For all of you out there who think the SEO should be "free," this will give you a rundown of what a typical SEO person might do on a daily basis to market...
David Meerman Scott and Other Top Stories from SES New York 2010 Day 1
March 23, 2010, 9:18 pmAs expected, the top story at SES New York 2010 for Day 1 was the keynote speech given by David Meerman Scott. Nathania Johnson of Search Engine Watch live blogged the keynote in a post entitled SES Day 1 Keynote: David Meerman Scott [LIVE BLOG].Click to read the rest of this post...
Google Bookmarks Rolls Out Social List Feature
March 23, 2010, 9:14 pmAlthough Google has already stopped supporting its Notebooks service, those who did not delete their accounts can still use the service and its features. One of Google Notebooks' feature is the creation of lists of interesting content you found on the web. This feature is now ported into Google's other online service - Google Bookmarks . Items you...
Twitter Continues Battle Against Spam
March 23, 2010, 8:51 pmIn Twitter's never ending quest to fend off annoying spams on the Twitter timeline, it's good to know that they are succeeding in a way. While those spams may not cease to exist, reducing their occurences is more than enough to make our Twitter's experience a pleasant one. So, the Twitter blog is proud to report on what was already achieved with...
Google Voice for Android Gets Faster Notifications
March 23, 2010, 7:49 pmUnfortunately, I have no way of testing this new feature of the Google Voice app for Android since Google Voice is available only in the U.S. But if you have an Android Phone and you haven't used Google Voice yet, you might want to give it a shot. If you are using it already, expect an automatic update to happen soon. The new feature has something...
Say Hello To Sphinn v. 2.1
March 23, 2010, 7:28 pmWe've just rolled out several changes to Sphinn, some of which make it easier to share stories and comments on social networks, some of which will help us keep spam off the site ... and more. Feedback and questions are welcome below!
Google Releases AdWords Search Funnels
March 23, 2010, 7:09 pmGoogle is currently testing a new Google AdWords feature called Search Funnels. These are set of reports that describe the ad click and impression behavior on Google.com that results to conversion for ad campaigns. What makes Search Funnel different from the current conversion system in AdWords is that it gives you an insight of how customers...
Optimizing PayPal Fees
March 23, 2010, 6:47 pm"WebmasterWorld members discuss the best ways to get maximum value-for-money when using PayPal." (subscription required)
Rush Isn't Leaving
March 23, 2010, 5:38 pmby Mike Krumboltz A few weeks ago, rotund rabble-rouser Rush Limbaugh announced that he would leave the United States for Costa Rica if President Obama's health care bill became law. Now that the bill has been signed, many are wondering if the bombastic Rush will soon be an ex-patriot. The answer: Nope. The bombastic radio giant quickly...
Searching for Star Workouts
March 23, 2010, 4:41 pmby Claudine Zap In the upcoming movie " Twilight Saga: Eclipse ," Kristen Stewart 's character must choose between Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson . But if it was a war of workouts, Mr. Lautner would win every time. The young actor and breakout star has turned werewolves into the sexiest, muscular men since Arnold Schwarzenegger in " Pumping...
Google Announce Adwords Search Funnels at #SESny
March 23, 2010, 4:12 pmMany online marketing analytics experts have been quick to accuse search engines of stealing all the glory, due to using a 'last click' attribution methodology used in free conversion tracing tools. In brief, 'last click' methodologies attribute the conversion (sale or lead) to the last action that the user did when they visited the site. More...
Google Announces Adwords Search Funnels at #SESny
March 23, 2010, 3:35 pmMany online marketing analytics experts have been quick to accuse search engines of stealing all the glory, due to using a 'last click' attribution methodology used in free conversion tracking tools. In brief, 'last click' methodologies attribute the conversion (sale or lead) to the last action that the user did when they visited the site. More...
"Life" Comes to Life on Yahoo!
March 23, 2010, 3:09 pmDiscovery's unprecedented television event gets strong support with a creative array of tools That insect was not a hallucination: You really did see a large praying mantis creep up from the left side of the Yahoo! home page and scamper across to the tree frog's pool on the other side. It's just one part of the extraordinary online marketing...
Search & the Integrated Marketing Mix â" Tips from SES NY 2010
March 23, 2010, 2:41 pmIts so important to think about where search fits into your overall marketing plans. Whether you have the kind of budgets to advertise on TV, or youre a small business with multiple channels to ply your trade, keeping an eye on, and having.
TripAdvisor Moves Mobile Site Out Of Beta
March 23, 2010, 2:12 pmTravel review site TripAdvisor said today it has officially launched its mobile website.
The TripAdvisor mobile website is now available in 17 countries and 11 different languages. The beta version of the mobile site attracted more than one million unique monthly visitors.
On TripAdvisor's mobile site, users can find nearby restaurants, hotels,...
Learning Local SEO and Local Search Optimization
March 23, 2010, 2:00 pmA very detailed, thorough and bookmark-worthy guide on local search engine optimization.
Google Premieres AdWords Search Funnels
March 23, 2010, 2:00 pm
Google is launching a new beta feature for AdWords today: Search Funnels. The feature is a set of reports that show exactly what customers who arrived via a paid search ad saw or clicked before they made a purchase.
Right now, AdWords advertisers only have information about the last ad the customer saw—the last ad they...
Augmented Reality Session at #sesny [LIVE BLOG]
March 23, 2010, 1:52 pmClick to read the rest of this post...
Twitter Business Lessons from Justin Bieber
March 23, 2010, 1:49 pmIf you're not familiar with Justin Bieber (you're excused if you're not a 12-year-old girl), he is 16-year -old singer, who was discovered by his manager on YouTube, apparently after his mom uploaded videos of his performances so his loved ones could see them. According to What the Trend , Justin Bieber is popular right now because, he "has a lot...
The Transformation Of Search Marketing
March 23, 2010, 1:31 pmIt's no secret that marketing tactics must change over time - just imagine how far a modern newspaper would get paying boys to shout "extra" on city streets - and the search marketing industry may be changing right now. Experts discussed how, along with how marketers should react, in an SES New York session titled Search Marketing: Analyze This....
Marketing Tips to Promote Your Business in 2010
March 23, 2010, 1:31 pmAfter a tough 2009, the majority of small businesses have high hopes of emerging from the sales doldrums in 2010. Some 86% of small business owners expect 2010 revenues to be equal to or higher than 2009 figures, according to research firm Ad-Ology . However, despite that glimmer of confidence, most small business owners dont plan to increase...
Delicious is now about Y!ou too
March 23, 2010, 12:46 pmThat's right, after a few years under Yahoo!'s wing we're finally ready to start supporting Yahoo! ID and increase our reach for Delicious and Yahoo! users together. So for those of you who held off Delicious registration because you didn't want yet another combination of username and password that you'd never remember, you can now register a...
Questions from the Health Care Ceremony
March 23, 2010, 12:40 pmby Mike Krumboltz This morning, President Obama signed the historic and controversial health care bill into law. The ceremony was, of course, well attended and highly searched on. But some of the biggest Web searches were spurred by unscripted and unexplained moments. Here's a quick roundup of what people wanted to know... Did Biden just say that?...
Google's Aussie Filter Protest Makes More Waves
March 23, 2010, 12:12 pmAbout one month ago, Google and Yahoo joined the Australian Library and Information Association and the Inspire Foundation in protesting an Internet filter that's meant to affect all of Australia. Now, the country's government has processed their submissions, and the situation has started to receive a lot more attention.
The Sydney Morning...
Stefan Weitz â" a Bing Interview at SES NYC 2010
March 23, 2010, 11:55 amIf you're not following our Twitter feed, you might no know we're at Search Engine Strategies in New York right now. During this morning's session on what's next in search, Stefan Weitz from our Bing team was on hand to explain how the team is striving.
2 Reasons Marketers Should Care About the Real-time Web
March 23, 2010, 11:54 amFirst off, I do not believe the real-time web is only about new content that's published quickly, in response to real-world developments. I believe the real-time web is more appropriately defined as web-accessible material that people are interested in, right now. In this sense, the real-time web is really more about the "attention frontier" of...
SEO for PDF - Optimizing PDFs for Search
March 23, 2010, 11:52 amI have a new client who has provided me with an extensive library of PDF documents. These are technical documents that are well formed and utilize proper markup from the originating source, in this case, Adobe InDesign. I wanted to share with you the steps that I'm taking to make sure that each and every PDF is Optimized for Search.
Bing Barnburner in the Big Apple
March 23, 2010, 11:43 amBing barnburner at SES NY When it comes to conferences, March, indeed, is madness. Lets quickly recount. March tipped off with a bang (or bing! if you may) with Steve Ballmer and Danny Sullivan chatted search and more at SMX West in Santa Clara. Next, we ran the ball up the court to Portlands Searchfest , where Stefan Weitz was handsomely...
Jane Fonda Gets World Fit, Buzz Aldrin Dances, Isla Fisher Weds: What's the Buzz
March 23, 2010, 11:31 amby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Ava Sambora (Searches increased by +11,302%). The daughter of actress Heather Lockler and Bon Jovi rocker Richie Sambora hit the runway for her modeling debut . (She's 12.) Isla Fisher (+10,779%). After a six-year engagement, the actress married funny man Sacha Baron ("Borat") Cohen....
The Advanced SEO Training Series: Tips, Tricks & Tactics 2 is Here!
March 23, 2010, 11:26 amPosted by great scott! The SEOmoz Advanced SEO Training Series is back with our latest installment, Tips, Tricks & Tactics 2 ! Picking up where Volume 1 (now in it's second printing) left off, Volume 2 is bigger, badder and loaded with 8 discs worth of training material to advance your SEO skills. Intended for those seeking to learn high-level,...
Google Maps Surfacing Hotel Prices to Battle Bing
March 23, 2010, 11:20 amGoogle's experiments with integrating more of its search adverting experience within Google Maps continued March 22 with the revelation that the company is now serving up prices for some hotel listings. When the small portion of users for whom this feature is currently available search for hotels on Google Maps, they'll be able to enter the dates...
Blogging vs. Twitter: It Shouldn't Be About the Format
March 23, 2010, 11:20 amIn case you were wondering, Twitter is not killing blogging. No matter how many times this is said, there is still this notion out there that blogs aren't needed when you can simply express what you're feeling to the audience who is interested through Twitter (or Facebook or other social networks). The fact of the matter is, yes - you can do this...
New Digg Buttons Keep Traffic With Publishers
March 23, 2010, 11:20 amDigg has launched some new Digg Buttons and a widget generator for publishers, which the company refers to as updated tools to improve speed, usability and flexibility of integrations for publishers. A representative for Digg tells WebProNews the updated tools are "one of the many steps we're taking in advance of the official release of the new...
PayPal Mobile Team at #CTIA 2010
March 23, 2010, 10:34 amHi all â" Eric Duprat, general manager of PayPal Mobile, here. It's that time of the year again, where all players in wireless gather for the industry's largest conference â" CTIA 2010. I'm thrilled to be participating in one of the panel discussions at the show. I'll be speaking tomorrow, March .
Ask.com Leads the Charge to Monetize the Second Click
March 23, 2010, 10:16 amAsk has removed referral data from many of their ads , leaving advertisers flying blind. Ask.com, which has long been known as one of the leading Google AdWords arbitrage plays , also syndicated their ad feed to the point where Google forced them to turn off syndication . From there Ask has look for new ways to arbitrage search. They have created...
How to unleash empowered workers without creating chaos: The HERO Compact
March 23, 2010, 10:11 amby Josh Bernoff Our new book (at publisher now, due in September) will be called: Empowered: Unleash your employees, energize your customers, and transform your business The reason we changed the title is to emphasize the new focus, which is actually getting stuff done. Our thesis is this: If you want to succeed with empowered customers, you must...
New Digg Buttons and Widget Generator for Publishers Out Today
March 23, 2010, 10:05 amWe're excited to announce that we have launched new and improved smart Digg buttons and a widget generator for publishers.
Mixergy Interview Today
March 23, 2010, 9:36 amI will be interviewed on Mixergy in at 11AM Pacific US time today. :) I love Andrew's energy & wish I had a bit more of his optimism,
SES Keynote: New Rules Of Marketing
March 23, 2010, 9:36 amDavid Meerman Scott, author, of "World Wide Rave," gave a keynote on the new rules of marketing and PR. Coverage of SES New York continues at WebProNews Videos and at Live.WebProNews.com . Stay with WebProNews for more notes and videos from the event this week. He says the goal is to get the attention of others and "we are all about attention."...
Yahoo Integrating Mobile, Maps and Search
March 23, 2010, 9:36 am
Just in time for the iPad, Yahoo is premiering two new Apple apps based around their local/mobile search offerings. One is a fairly standard search app—but the other brings an interesting dimension to local search. Considering that, as Google reported, a third of mobile searches are local, there’s obviously a...
How to Become a Link Magnet â" SES NY 2010
March 23, 2010, 9:25 amLinks are the lifeblood of the web. Without fresh links, your website has no authority in the engines or consistent referral traffic. Some companies and individuals appear to attract links without really trying. Others struggle and never break through to the point of building links at increasing velocity. We've shared plenty of linkbuilding...
Top 100+ Link Building Resources
March 23, 2010, 9:20 amReady to immerse yourself into the world of link building? Here are over 100 links to the best resources on link building training, blogs, tools, and more.
Yahoo Launches New Search Apps for iPhone
March 23, 2010, 9:15 amYahoo launched two new mobile search apps today. The first one is Sketch-a-search, an app that was unveiled at a Yahoo search event event earlier this year, and the second one is the Yahoo Search iPhone app.
If you're unfamiliar with Sketch-a-search, it allows users to simply draw a ring around an area on a map, and find local businesses in that...
AdMob Launches Tools for Cross-Platform Mobile Development
March 23, 2010, 9:13 amAdMob has introduced new software developer kits for Android, iPhone, and Flash Lite in a move the company says makes it easier for developers to make money across multiple platforms. AdMob has also introduced the Adaptive Mobile Ad unit, an industry first, which enables PC sites to monetize on mobile traffic. "Developers and publishers are...
State of Search Panel at #sesny [LIVE BLOG]
March 23, 2010, 8:16 amClick to read the rest of this post.
New Ways to Search with Yahoo! iPhone Apps
March 23, 2010, 8:10 amYahoo! was one of the first companies to revolutionize mobile search. With the launch of oneSearch in 2007, we fundamentally changed mobile search by delivering answers, not just Web links. Today we are introducing two new apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch that once again change the way you search on mobile devices. We've created an app called...
Weekly Search & Social News: 03/23/2010
March 23, 2010, 8:05 amWelcome to another edition of ' 7 Days of Search and Social ' - all in all it was a moderately busy week in the search world. The biggest buzz came from (She-Ra) Rhea kicking (trademark) ass and spending dosh. There are a few interesting videos this week, for those that enjoy consuming that way. And is it just me? Or has the Google promotional...
Link Magnets: A New Paradigm in Link Acquisition
March 23, 2010, 7:48 amPosted by randfish This morning I gave a presentation at SES New York on a session entitled "How to Become a Link Magnet." Below, I've copied the presentation into this post and hope to create some context around it. In my opinion, the "link magnet" concept, however it's phrased, is one of the most powerful and important to understand for...
Google: Location a "Hugely Important" Signal
March 23, 2010, 7:46 amGoogle made a couple of interesting comments at a mobile marketing and advertising event in Vegas. Michael at Mobile Marketing Watch reports that Diana Pouliot – Director of Mobile Advertising at Google says a third of all Google searches via the mobile web pertain to some aspect of the searcher's local environment.
In addition, Google...
Yahoo Search Arrives on the Apps Store
March 23, 2010, 7:42 amWhy Yahoo took this long to release a native iPhone app for its search engine is a mystery. Yet, it's a significant day for the iPhone since the release of Yahoo Search app for the iPhone finally completes the triumvirate of the major search engines for the iPhone. Google has long been in the Apps Store while Microsoft's Bing recently got an...
Official Google statements about ranking factors
March 23, 2010, 7:36 amLast week Google's Matt Cutts gave an interview in which he revealed some things that will help webmasters to better optimize their websites. In this article, you'll find the most important things that Matt Cutts said in the interview.
Google Wins Trademark Infringement Case
March 23, 2010, 7:22 amThe European Court of Justice has ruled in Google's favor with regards to a case Louis Vuitton brought against the search giant. According to the ECJ, Google did not violate trademark law by allowing advertisers to bid on keywords trademarked by other companies. The ECJ decided that this practice is fine so long as advertisers' identities are...
When SEO Is Not Really SEO
March 23, 2010, 7:22 amOkay so this article isn't an SEO tutorial. It's not a rant against the fine people at Google Labs. It's not even a rant so much as a question I pose to you, Search Engine Journal's readers. Okay - maybe I'll rant just a little. because that's part of my voice. Oh fine. Enough of you know me by now that this is really going to be a full...
How Nestle Could Have Fixed Their Problems Online For $7.49
March 23, 2010, 7:22 amDear Nestlé, I'm living in London for a little while and Kit Kat bars here taste way better than they do back in New York. I've actually had friends ask me to bring them back for them. I'm really bummed though because after 25 years of eating Kit Kat bars, I'm not going to buy them anymore. On Friday, you gave the world a shining example of...
Google Finds 1 Out of 3 Mobile Searches Have Local Spin
March 23, 2010, 7:16 am
So it appears that local marketing is the new black of sorts when it comes to the Internet. Location based services, concentration on the SMB and now attention being given to large national advertisers whose lifeblood is local markets all over the map is bringing local marketing to the forefront of the Internet marketing mix.
The...
Google Testing Hotel Pricing In Maps
March 23, 2010, 6:59 amGoogle is experimenting with a new feature in Google Maps that allows a small portion of users to view specific prices for selected hotel listings. By searching for hotels on Google Maps, users will be able to plug-in dates they plan to stay and see prices on selected listings. Google's Lat Long Blog offers more details. "You can click on the...
Explore Your Backlinks with SEJ Tools
March 23, 2010, 6:59 amOne of the newest features inside the SEJ tools is its backlink explorer. Backlink Explorer allows you to enter any domain or URL to get an advanced look at its backlinks . The tool is built in collaboration with Majestic SEO and provides a few awesome features for link builders.
Yahoo Wants Local Display Dollars
March 23, 2010, 6:46 am
Yahoo is the top display ad seller at this point in time. That may come as a surprise to many because Yahoo has had a rough go of staying on top of anything lately. Now they are coming off a rough transition year and the tumult of the Microhoo deal is behind them (from a public perspective at least) so Yahoo needs to get in...
SEO 101 - Part 13: Everything You Need to Know About Links
March 23, 2010, 6:32 amby Stoney deGeyter
The following series is pulled from a presentation I gave to a group of beauty bloggers hosted by L'Oreal in New York. Most of the presentation is geared toward how to make a blog more search engine and user-friendly, however I will expand many of the concepts here to include tips and strategies for sites selling products...
YouTube Pulls Plug on YouTube RealTime
March 23, 2010, 6:30 amUpdate: YouTube has decided to pull the plug on the RealTime feature. The company wrote in the Help Forum:
We've seen some of you wondering what occurred to the Realtime Toolbar. The Realtime Toolbar was recently retired and is no longer an available feature on YouTube.
We were excited to release and experiment with Realtime and it...
Why The New FTC Guidelines May Become Your Best Friend
March 23, 2010, 6:19 amIf you've read the FTC's new 81-page Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising , you might think the FTC is a really nice bunch of guys trying to do the right thing by consumers " which, for the most part, is true. And yet, I just don't think they give most consumers enough credit. Maybe fifty-odd years ago, when...
SES Day 1 Keynote: David Meerman Scott [LIVE BLOG]
March 23, 2010, 6:00 amDavid Meerman Scott, author of World Wide Rave, is here to talk about "The New Rules of Marketing & PR"Click to read the rest of this post...
10 Ways All Employees Can Contribute to Link Building
March 23, 2010, 5:54 amHaving your company buy into the fact that actively building links to your site can help your bottom line can help make your efforts a lot easier. Instead of having an in-house SEO or marketing department focused on link building, why not leverage the power of the entire company and have everyone contribute.
10 Ways All Employees Can Contribute to Link Building
March 23, 2010, 5:51 amIt's not a hidden secret that link building is an essential part of SEO, but how you go about building links can make a huge difference in your organic visibility. Having your company buy into the fact that actively building links to your site can help your bottom line can help make your efforts a lot easier. Instead of having an in-house SEO or...
.ru Registration To Require Legal Papers From April 1
March 23, 2010, 2:40 am"In a bid to cut down on fraud and inappropriate content, the organization responsible for administering Russia's .ru top-level domain names is tightening its procedures."
China Without Google - Time To Optimise for Baidu
March 23, 2010, 2:38 amChinese search engine Baidu is the undisputed market leader when it comes to search in China - and following Google's closure of its Chinese website, its market share is likely to rise. Organisations attempting to reach the 380 million Chinese internet users should already be targeting Baidu but it is now even more important to ensure your website...
Firefox Security Patch Released, 3.6.2
March 23, 2010, 12:37 am"Mozilla has released Firefox 3.6.2 almost a week early after security issues were found in earlier versions."
Europe Court Rules Google Not Guilty In LVMH Trademarks In AdWords
March 22, 2010, 11:56 pm"Google has not infringed trademark law by allowing advertisers to purchase keywords corresponding to their competitors' trademarks," the ruling found."
Google is Looking for Traders to Manage its Cash Reserves
March 22, 2010, 11:41 pmIf your a seasoned trader and you've long wanted to become a Google employee, now is your chance to take a crack at this once in a lifetime chance. A published advertisement on Google's job site shows a listing for "Trader, Foreign Government Bonds" The position is located in Google's HQ in Mountain View and some of the responsibilities to be...
How to Write Sticky Blog Posts
March 22, 2010, 10:10 pmThere is no rule book on how a business should be writing blog posts on their website. Just getting a small business to write something in their blog is a great start. It has been proven that just writing blog posts delivers a significant amount of internet traffic to a website than a website without a blog. Blogs should have some sort of...
Google in China - A Timeline
March 22, 2010, 9:12 pmAs Google announces its withdrawl from the Chinese market, this post highlights some of the key events in Google's ten year history in the country. 2000 â" A Chinese language version of Google.com is launched â" and over the next few years is often blocked or at least temporarily unavailable. It does not have widespread usage in the country....
Google Tests Hotel Price Listings on Google Maps
March 22, 2010, 9:07 pmGoogle Maps is a pretty useful tool for conducting local search on business establishments, directions and yes route maps. It's been getting wide usage and yet Google seem to have not capitalize on its monetization potential especially from local search advertising. But this perhaps might change soon, as Google has started testing out a new Maps...
Google China Exit: Global Search Empire on the Wane?
March 22, 2010, 8:50 pmGoogle's announcement that it is re-directing Chinese users to uncensored Chinese-language results at Google Hong Kong is an historic turning point when one 'empire' sees its apparently unassailable position as no longer certain. In China it is hugely important to maintain 'face' and not to embarass another party. Google's move could either be a...
Find Health Care Reform Bill Info Online
March 22, 2010, 8:50 pmThe health care reform bill, a landmark $940 billion decision, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last night. This extends health insurance coverage to 32 million uninsured Americans, preventing companies from denying coverage to people with preexisting medical conditions as well as cut the federal deficit by an estimated $138 billion...
Job Search Engine with Social Graphing : JIBE Secures Seed Funding
March 22, 2010, 8:49 pmJIBE, a job search engine with a social networking powered component announced that it has received $875,000 in seed funding. Formerly known as LocalBacon, JIBE " Opens Up The Social Graph of Both Employers And Job Seekers To Place The Most Trusted & Qualified Candidates with The Right Positions ." Great idea, and sure to be an acquisition target...
SEO for AJAX
March 22, 2010, 5:33 pmAJAX and SEO is a tricky topic – after all, an AJAX-based website is more or less the same as a FLASH website: it may look fancy but is non-navigatable.
Forces Out To Destroy Interactive Advertising
March 22, 2010, 4:57 pmThe IAB reports that there are measures working their way through governmental systems that will severely restrict ad serving in the United States and Europe.
Yahoo! at Search Marketing Strategies
March 22, 2010, 4:56 pmJoin us in New York for search's annual big event Well, it's not quite the Oscars , but as far a search goes, Search Engine Strategies is it. Yahoo! will be there, natch"because you know we invented this officious oracle thingy , right?"and we'll be working the crowd, pressing the flesh and offering you all the tips and tricks you need to be...
The Value of DMOZ (Open Directory Project-ODP)
March 22, 2010, 4:27 pmLast night StepForth hosted the ' WebMarketing Meetup ' at Accent Inns , Victoria, BC and though the turnout was small, the tips offered by the participants were valuable and noteworthy. One of my duties at StepForth is Link Building and after I shared my 'nugget' of information the discussion revolved around the value of submitting to DMOZ.
YouTube Rentals for All
March 22, 2010, 3:45 pm
YouTube experimented with renting videos on its site during the Sundance Film Festival in January. In the ten-day test, reports said they netted about $10,000 from the four films.
Apparently that was enough to impress YouTube. Recently they opened the rental program to many publishers. Barry Schwartz blogs at Search Engine...
Online Hasn't Killed TV, Just Made it Better for Advertisers
March 22, 2010, 3:02 pmHow to combine TV and online advertising to improve performance without increasing spend Almost everyone here at Yahoo! loves their TV shows, from "The Three Stooges" all the way up to "Lost." TV's not going away anytime soon. (At least we hope not.) Many search advertisers are also display advertisers. Both often depend on a blend of online and...
Parliamentary Clips May Come To YouTube
March 22, 2010, 2:50 pmSome rather important proceedings might soon become viewable to everyone with an Internet connection and access to YouTube. A report's indicated that a ban covering video footage of the UK's House of Commons could be lifted in the near future. Elected Members of Parliament hold debates and vote on legislation in the House of Commons, making it...
Google Apps and JIRA Studio, at 60mph, on the Startup Bus
March 22, 2010, 2:45 pmEarlier this week, we launched the Google Apps Marketplace , an online storefront for Google Apps that makes it easy for domain admins to discover, purchase and deploy integrated business applications. JIRA Studio , a hosted software development suite from Atlassian, was one of 50 apps available at launch and is now available for trial or purchase...
4 Link Building Tips You Should Integrate Into Your SMM
March 22, 2010, 2:42 pmKnow your market and increase traffic through link building integrated into SMM
301 to 404 gets 200 â" oops! (From the Forums)
March 22, 2010, 2:38 pmIn another installment of the From the Forums column, today we have an interesting thread about a website that updated its content and used 301 redirects to migrate users to the new content. However, the transition to the new content in the Bing index was taking longer than they expected. The old content was not fading away. The amazing volunteer...
ABC News Expands Online Health Offerings
March 22, 2010, 2:28 pmABC News Digital said today it is working with Healthline Networks to provide users with interactive medical and health tools on it broadcast website. The improved health site will feature advanced search technology and content to help users find the information they need to manage their health and wellness. "Healthline now provides a growing...
Google Redirects Chinese Search to HongKong
March 22, 2010, 2:27 pmFinally, Google made the drastic move top stop censoring its search services on Google.cn. Starting today, users visiting the site will be redirected to Google.com.hk where searches in simplified Chinese are not censored. Google.com.hk was specifically designed for users in mainland China and delivered via Google's servers in Hong Kong. Users will...
Why Does Hitwise Want Facebook to Kill Google?
March 22, 2010, 2:14 pm
Hitwise has been blogging its stats for over a month showing Facebook beating Google in all kinds of ways. At the beginning of February, they said that Facebook sent more downstream traffic to news sites than Google News. Last week, they had two such stories: Facebook eclipsed Google in terms of traffic and loyalty to those...
Katrina Hodge Battles On
March 22, 2010, 2:04 pmby Mike Krumboltz If Katrina Hodge has her way, the world's major beauty pageants may start looking a lot different. A soldier in the British army, Hodge detained and disarmed a suspected rebel fighter with her bare hands while serving in Iraq. But she doesn't wear combat boots and Kevlar 24-7. Lance Cpl. Hodge is also a lingerie model for La...
comScore Releases Results of Study on Apple iPad and E-Reader Consumer Attitudes, Behaviors and Purchase Intent
March 22, 2010, 1:41 pmcomScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released the results of a survey of 2,176 Internet users regarding their awareness, attitudes and opinions of the Apple iPad and other e-readers/tablet devices. Results were analyzed across age and gender profiles, as well as the "iOwners" consumer segment, defined as...
Google Pushing Back Hard At China Censorship
March 22, 2010, 1:35 pmThe Official Google Blog came out with their new actions in regards to access to all things Google in mainland China . They have even created a page that shows what services are currently being blocked in China and promise to keep it updated so people can see as other services are shutdown. Click to read the rest of this post.
Google's China Service Availability Page
March 22, 2010, 1:23 pmIn a dramatic move, Google today started redirecting traffic from google.com to google.com.hk, from which it serves uncensored search results in simplified Chinese for users in mainland China. This leaves Google's services vulnerable to being blocked by the Chinese government. Google's David Drummond (SVP, Corporate Development and Chief Legal...
Plan Your Spring Break with Bing
March 22, 2010, 1:06 pmPlan Your Spring Break with Bing Oh how I love this time of year. A little spring cleaning, the start of the NCAA basketball tournament , the anticipation of warm afternoons at the ballpark, and students and families gearing up for Spring Break. As I work away from the comfort of my office, I intend to reminisce and remember the good old days of...
Google Introduces Uncensored Results In China
March 22, 2010, 1:06 pmGoogle's followed through on its promise to promote free speech in China, as Chinese citizens who attempt to conduct searches on Google.cn today will not encounter censored results. Instead, they will redirected to Google.com.hk, where Google is offering an interface and uncensored search results in simplified Chinese. David Drummond, Google's...
Kimora Lee's Trash Talk, Tim Burton's Warning, Cornell's Wild Ride: What's the Buzz
March 22, 2010, 12:31 pmby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Kimora Lee (Searches increased by +4.470%). The reality show star of "Life in the Fab Lane" slammed Kate Gosselin for putting her kids front and cente r in "Jon and Kate Plus 8." Healthcare reform (+2,694%). Done. Next up: banks . Tim Burton (680%). The director warns that Hollywood...
Americans Increase Use Of Internet And TV Together
March 22, 2010, 12:29 pmAmericans upped their overall media usage and multitasking in the fourth quarter of 2009, according to Nielsen's latest Three Screen Report.
In the last quarter of 2009, simultaneous use of the Internet while watching TV reached three and a half hours a month, up 35 percent from the previous quarter. Nearly 60 percent of TV viewers now use the...
Banned in Switzerland
March 22, 2010, 12:14 pmby Mike Krumboltz Violent video games have been controversial for decades. Some countries, like the United States, rely on the gaming industry to regulate itself via a rating system. The Swiss are going several steps further, banning violent video games within their borders. According to video game blog MCV , "the Swiss National Council has now...
Google Redirects Google.cn, Fears for Employees’ Safety?
March 22, 2010, 12:14 pm
Google just shut down Google.cn.
There are three things you should know. First, the decision:
…earlier today we stopped censoring our search services—Google Search, Google News, and Google Images—on Google.cn. Users visiting Google.cn are now being redirected to Google.com.hk, where we are offering uncensored search in...
PayPal at #DEMOSpring2010
March 22, 2010, 12:08 pmHi, it's Osama again, here at DEMO Spring 2010 in Palm Springs â" a showcase for the hottest innovations in tech. We're pleased to be here announcing great ideas built on our platform: I just had the pleasure of awarding prizes to the winners of our first ever PayPal X .
The New MSN Homepage Launch: More Bing Integration = More Opportunity for Advertisers
March 22, 2010, 12:03 pmHave you seen the new MSN homepage? Im sure you all think Im biased, but nevertheless, I think its pretty spiffy. Until now, MSN.com had not made the cut onto my list of homepage tabsthere was too much going in too tight a.
Optimising your Youtube Channel for SEO
March 22, 2010, 12:03 pmWhen it comes to online video marketing, we often assume that the only hope of getting a substantial quantity of views is through some form of viral marketing, which don't get me wrong is a brilliant tactic of gaining traffic to your video but with Google shifting further towards universal search results, optimising your video for search is...
Analyst: Google A "Buy" Regardless Of China
March 22, 2010, 10:59 amSince Google announced its "new approach to China" on January 12th, the Dow's gone up 1.20 percent and the Nasdaq's risen 3.52 percent. Google's stock, meanwhile, has fallen 7.41 percent. But one financial analyst stated today that there's no need to panic if Google pulls out of China. Indeed, if Google stops operating in the country, the...
PayPal to Double Presence in Asia
March 22, 2010, 10:42 amHello again, this is Farhad Irani and I am delighted to report on many new, positive developments across Asia that will enhance the service our customers in the region enjoy. Here at the new international headquarters at Suntek Five in Singapore, PayPal's Executive Team has decided to double the size of .
SEOtini Contest â" Last Chance for Free Pass to Search & Social Spring Summit
March 22, 2010, 10:18 amThis is your LAST chance at winning an all-access pass to the 2010 Search & Social Spring Summit . For the final contest, we are asking all of you happy hour fanatics out there to create the recipe for the SEOtini, our signature drink at the 2010 Search & Social Spring Summit. As you all know, there will be a cash bar from 12noon â" 5pm on both...
9 Do's and Don'ts For Building a Social Bookmarking Network
March 22, 2010, 10:15 amby Stone Reuning
Developing a strong presence on social networking and
bookmarking sites doesn't involve complex formulas or algorithms. Sure, sites
like Digg and Reddit have algorithms, but your best bet is to focus on the two
major pillars of success on social bookmarking sites - great content and a
network of users to promote it - rather...
Use Social Network Services To Send Gift Cards
March 22, 2010, 9:58 amIf you are like me and you spend quite a bit of time hanging out on social networks and social media websites online, then you know that your friends’ and family members’ birthdays and other special occasions tend to pop up out of nowhere, and you are left to scramble and purchase something online and send it to them. We are internet...
ChaCha Introduces Q & A Social Platform
March 22, 2010, 9:32 amOnline answers service ChaCha has launched ChaCha.me, a social platform that includes answers directly from individuals and businesses. ChaCha.me allows anyone who sets up a profile to ask questions directly to people or brands. The owner of the page can choose which questions to answer which will then be seen publicly. ChaCha is promoting the...
New SEJ Design : Goals, Speed & Feedback
March 22, 2010, 9:32 amGreetings SEJ readers! It's a new year and time for a new design at Search Engine Journal . I know what many of you are thinking ' "didn't SEJ just go through a new design?" Well the answer is yes and no. As a blogger I do not think that there is always room for improvement in design and tweaking a professional blog and/or community will always be...
Campaign Management API Documentation Update
March 22, 2010, 9:32 amOn March 17th, the Microsoft adCenter Campaign Management API documentation was updated. There were several small changes, but the major changes are: The campaign management C# example code has been updated to use the new exception handling scheme outlined in Scott Whites blog post: Changing the Exception Handling for .NET adCenter API Examples .
8 Ways Affiliates Can Benefit from Twitter
March 22, 2010, 9:18 amTwitter has become the major networking and marketing tool for many businesses. And when used correctly, it can be a powerful tool to help you become a more successful affiliate. In this article will go over the how to promote your affililiate site, how to build relationships with Affiliate Networks through Twitter, and how to use Twitter to track...
My Google Local Presentation From Think Visibility 2010
March 22, 2010, 8:55 amSo this is a few days late I’m afraid but here are my slides from the simply awesome Think Visibility 2010 in Leeds:
Google Local Tips & Tricks by Tom Critchlow
I’d like to say thank you again to Dom for organising such a great event and putting us up in a swanky hotel. Good times all round!
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5 Ways to Make Back Links More Powerful
March 22, 2010, 8:54 amGreat post by Jen Van Iderstyne who says, "A link builder’s instinct is usually to plow forward, but every once in a while it’s a good idea to stop and smell the links."
How we made $1 million for SEOmoz with one landing page and a few emails
March 22, 2010, 8:49 amWe’ve all heard the business principle of “listen to your customer”. In analyzing the SEOmoz business, we took that principle much further ...
Emerging Markets - The State Of Search In India
March 22, 2010, 8:35 amGillian Muessig is the President and Co-founder of SEOmoz , one of the world's leading SEO resources and is a regular speaker at search marketing conferences around the world. She sits on the board of directors for two search marketing companies in India, and has just spent a month working and speaking in the country. At the forthcoming...
SEO for AJAX
March 22, 2010, 7:49 amAJAX and SEO is a tricky topic â" after all, an AJAX-based website is more or less the same as a FLASH website: it may look fancy but is non-navigatable. AJAX got its bad SEO reputation for a number of reasons,
Online Ad Spend in US Inched Up in Q4
March 22, 2010, 7:48 am
While it is getting smaller and smaller in the rear view mirror, 2009 was just a terrible year for advertising whether it was online or offline. It will be one of the “Remember when?” years that will have people who ‘survived’ saying “hmmmm, yea that was rough, man” over their frappamochacappasigmafi-chinos in the...
Google Suggest and the Term 'Scam'
March 22, 2010, 7:26 amThere are so many positive, non-controversial uses of Google Search, it makes it hard to believe that sometimes there are serious problems in it that constitute the proverbial "growing threat" that you'd expect to see flagged in a USA Today Editorial. Take, for example, the search results for my latest query. Needed to use up some ingredients in...
Google Gulps a Lot of Data So Why Shouldn't it Be Your ISP?
March 22, 2010, 7:26 amArbor Networks, which offers deep packet inspection and other security technologies to more than 70 percent of the world's ISPs, has determined that Google Google contributes somewhere between 6 to 10 percent of all Internet traffic worldwide. That's part of why Google is big enough to be an Internet Service Provider, one of those gatekeepers that...
Bing iPhone App Receives Big Update
March 22, 2010, 7:26 amThe Bing app for the iPhone and iPod Touch should now offer users a much-improved experience. Microsoft's released an updated version, and just about every aspect of the app was upgraded as part of this move. Microsoft paid attention to the basics by implementing some stability fixes and adding support for the first-generation iPod Touch. A post...
5 Ways to Make Back Links More Powerful
March 22, 2010, 7:25 amSometimes in link building, you're only as good as your next link. We're always on the hunt for new links, more links, better links. But when do we ever stop to think about the back links we have and whether or not we're actually making the most of them? A link builder's instinct is usually to plow forward, but every once in a while it's a good...
Stop Selling Your Products!
March 22, 2010, 7:14 amby Mike Moran No, I don't mean to take them off the shelves, or rip up your catalog. Yes, I know that if we don't sell things, we cease to make a living. I'm talking about a style of marketing that seems focused on nothing but the final sale, while missing all of the other steps of the process. You need to end this maniacal focus on the sale as...
The Ancient Persuasion Tactic Behind "But Wait, There's More!"
March 22, 2010, 7:14 amYou're watching late night TV when you encounter the inevitable infomercial. The pitchman is asking you how much you'd be willing to pay for the super-new-thingamabob, and then it comes' But wait, there's more! Then you discover you're getting not one, not two, but three super-new-thingamabobs for only $19.95, plus a mechanized back scratcher and...
Google Pulls Back From China, Redirects Google.cn to google.com.hk
March 22, 2010, 7:10 am"Users visiting Google.cn are now being redirected to Google.com.hk, where we are offering uncensored search in simplified Chinese, specifically designed for users in mainland China and delivered via our servers in Hong Kong."
The Most Important Blog Post You’ll Probably Never Read
March 22, 2010, 7:09 amI’m going to be controversial and I might even upset a few people. I’m not being controversial for the sake of controversy and I’ve been told I’m actually quite a nice guy. I’m simply telling the truth, and giving you the real state of the blogosphere for no other reason than it’s about time something like this was said.
eBay And The NRF Go After Organized Retail Crime
March 22, 2010, 7:08 ameBay has partnered with the National Retail Federation (NRF), the trade association for the retail industry, to fight organized retail crime. The partnership between eBay and the NRF will receive support from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as part of an effort to halt crime in which items are stolen from physical stores and then sold online.
How to Use "Linearize Page" Option of Web Developer Addon
March 22, 2010, 7:08 amI know plenty of people who use Web Developer FireFox Addon and yet don't have the clue about the real value of some of its features. This post looks at one of those underutilized features: " Linearize Page ". As the one who has mentioned the Web Developer addon quite a few times, I get a lot of questions about it from our readers and most of them...
Google’s China Exit About to Cause a Revolution?
March 22, 2010, 6:56 am
Is Google about to cause a revolution in China?
Seriously! Could Google’s decision to pull out from China become the wake-up call that Chinese citizens have been waiting for? Could they be willing to revolt against their communist heritage and demand democracy and free speech?
OK, maybe not, but that’s not stopped a...
How I Tested My Website Usability with UserTesting (+ SEJ Readers' Contest!)
March 22, 2010, 6:44 amYou may already know that about 3 months ago I launched my newest project uniting blog owners with guest contributors - MyBlogGuest . The site is being still constantly developed and the feature set is being continuously thought over and updated. Therefore I've been trying various usability tools and services that could give me some insight into...
Sleep Tight and Don’t Let the Facebook Updates Bite
March 22, 2010, 6:37 am
Ever find yourself getting up in the middle of the night needing to go to the bathroom and then decide that it’s a good time to check Facebook to see if anyone else might be doing the same thing (or something else)? If you have then you are part of a group of people that can either be explained as really in touch or really out...
Twitter Search Will Rank Tweets One Day â" Topsy Does Already
March 22, 2010, 5:58 amIn this edition of our weekly Twitter column I'd like to ridicule Twitter search. Yes, no mistake here. We know now, after I've predicted it a few weeks ago that Twitter search will finally rank tweets instead of just showing the latest ones. Search Engine Land asked when the news Twitter search ranking will get live but they received a "no...
SESNY Keynote Interview: David Meerman Scott
March 22, 2010, 5:52 amDavid Meerman Scott is a best-selling author and popular keynote speaker on the topics of viral and online marketing as well as the convergence of web marketing, digital media and online PR. One of his most popular books, The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to use news releases, blogs, viral marketing and online media to reach buyers directly ,...
Essential Resources In My Internet Marketing Toolbox
March 22, 2010, 5:50 amGlen from Viperchill recently wrote a post about the resources that are in his internet marketing toolbox, so I thought it would be a good idea to share the tools I use on a daily basis. I think I should mention that I probably have used hundreds of tools to perform various tasks, however there are a core set of tools I have grown to love and...
Microformats, rich snippets & clickthrough rates
March 22, 2010, 5:43 amUsing microformats such as hCard and hReview to display 'rich snippets' in the description area of Google's SERPS
Embedded Structural Contempt for Personal Freedom
March 22, 2010, 4:31 amI must confess to being a junky for reading economics and investing sites. A person can't beat the market for a long period of time without having some skills, and so the level of discourse you find on top investing blogs blows other areas out of the water. And sometimes the comments are more quote-worthy and insightful than the blog posts. For...
Buzzzy bytes the Beast
March 22, 2010, 4:06 amRecently everybody has been abuzz with concern over Google's presumptious approach to privacy, particularly since the launch of Google Buzz, which automatically co-opted gmail contacts as a user's social graph and merged their personal and professional worlds into one network overnight. Now, new advanced search features from Buzzzy, mean you can...
Self-Serve Advertising Services: Guide To The Best Do-It-Yourself Ad Management Platforms
March 22, 2010, 3:58 amSelf-serve do-it-yourself advertising solutions make it possible for any web publisher to allow potential advertising customers to evaluate, buy and publish ads on their web pages without their intervention. It's like placing an ad-vending machine on your web pages, allowing who wants to advertise there to do so with the minimum fuss and the...
Using Bespoke Products & Services To Build Links
March 21, 2010, 10:21 pmPosted by Tom_C I was at a recent client meeting for a new project and we were brainstorming ideas. After considering all kinds of wacky schemes, plots, techniques and tactics we came up with what is, in essence, a very simple linkbuilding technique. In the interests of openess I wanted to share it with you, I'm just nice like that. :-) This idea...
Search Marketing is More Than Search Results
March 21, 2010, 10:15 pmSearch engine marketing and optimization is not just for increasing search engine rankings. It is important to understand that once you believe in the power of SEO your mindset will begin to change and evolve into something much different. Eventually your thought process will move past just reaching search rankings and really building your...
Travel Websites in Singapore Amass Record Number of Visitors in January Following Year of Substantial Growth
March 21, 2010, 8:56 pmcomScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a study on visitation to online Travel sites in Singapore, which found that more than 40 percent of Singapore's Web population visited a Travel site in January. Nearly 1.2 million total people in Singapore visited the Travel category, marking an all-time high...
ECommerce: Offering Free Shipping in an Era of Rising Transport Costs
March 21, 2010, 8:00 pm"WebmasterWorld members discuss the issue of increasing shipping costs, and how this increase is passed on."
Facebook More Popular Than Google: So?
March 21, 2010, 7:29 pmAccording to Hitwise, Facebook just became more popular than Google Search . become the most visited website for the week. Facebook.com recently reached the #1 ranking on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day as well as the weekend of March 6th and 7th. The market share of visits to Facebook.com increased 185% last week as compared to...
Facebook Drive More Loyal Visitors to News and Media Sites
March 21, 2010, 6:02 pmWell, it looks like Facebook is not only beating Google in terms of being the most visited site in the U.S . as well as for driving traffic to news and media sites, but Hitwise's follow up data is also showing that visitors from Facebook.com are more loyal to these sites . Meaning, they are not just one-click wonders but repeat visitors of the...
Achieving Success with Social Media
March 21, 2010, 5:03 pmTraditional marketing will never go away- it has a habit of sticking around. I still get random surveys through the mail, physical coupons as well as those oh so lovely hang tags on my door knob. But there's a new animal in the 21st century' and that animal is social media. It's hard sometimes to reach through to companies who have been around for...
SEO Companies and Conflicts of Interest
March 21, 2010, 1:19 pm"After almost hiring a company to help with traffic generation to a site, it came to my attention that they were, in fact, a competitor that is operating sites on relevant topics."
Pandia Search Engine News Wrap-up March 21
March 21, 2010, 7:36 amHere are some of the search engine relevant articles we have found interesting this week: In China, Google users worry they may lose an engine of progress Without Google,
Why Google will have to leave China
March 21, 2010, 6:50 amOn Monday Google is expected to announce plans for closing the google.cn site. The date set seems to be April 10. Google has threatened the Chinese government, saying that it will not accept future censoring of search results at its google.cn site. The main reason for this change of heart is the recent hacker attacks on Google's servers. Business...
How the iPad will change the way we read and search
March 21, 2010, 6:33 amPandia takes a look at the next generation of online magazine publishing (including tablet like the Kindle and the iPad) and looks at the consequences for search. We got the Amazon Kindle for Christmas, and we love it. We have downloaded a large number of books already, and the fact that we can carry them around everywhere has turned out to be...
Usage Data vs Relevancy Algorithms
March 21, 2010, 4:39 amA few years ago Google's chief economist Hal Varian explained that scale is over-rated : We're very skeptical about the scale argument, as you might expect. There's a lot of aspects to this subject that are not very well understood. ... So in all of this stuff, the scale arguments are pretty bogus in our view because it's not the quantity or...
The Music of Percent Backed Loans: A YouTube Auto-Transcription Poem
March 21, 2010, 2:39 amAccording to Google's auto-transcription service, these two Google engineers (there's some noise in the audio and foreign accents) aren't talking about Google's 20% time.
Cash is King
March 20, 2010, 7:00 pm"WebmasterWorld members debate whether cash really is king."
Unix, Linux Command To List The Top IP's Accessing Your Site
March 20, 2010, 5:01 pm"Nice little shell command to get a real-time list of the top IP's hitting your site at the moment..."
A Roundup of Cool Social Media Monitoring Tools
March 20, 2010, 10:35 amby Sage Lewis
WebWorkerDaily has a nice article on several very cool social media monitoring tools. If you aren't monitoring the social media space for your brand name and probably your own name, you are leaving yourself open for potential damage.
Be sure and visit our small business news site.
Going to SES New York or Stuck in South Succotash?
March 20, 2010, 9:59 amApproximately 5,000 marketers and search engine optimization professionals will be going to SES New York 2010 next week. In a challenging economy, it is even more important to keep up-to-date with industry trends, see new products and services, and maintain and build relationships. But what if you are stuck in South Succotash?
Click to read...
Cup of Joe: Why Ads Are Devastating to the Users You Love
March 20, 2010, 5:13 am
A few weeks ago Ken Fisher wrote a popular blog post about how ad blocking software can have devastating effects to the websites that you frequently visit. Mr. Fischer describes how ad blocking software is responsible for showing false page view data to ad networks. As a result each ad is priced at a lower rate because the number...
Court Docs Reveal YouTube Smoking Guns - 80% of Page Views Pirated Material
March 20, 2010, 4:38 am"... Chen talked about "concentrating all of our efforts in building up our numbers as aggressively as we can through whatever tactics, however evil." ... senior YouTube employee in an instant message that 'the truth of the matter is probably 75-80 percent of our views come from copyrighted material."
Compete.com Review
March 20, 2010, 2:51 amCompete takes pricing to a different level but has some unique features as well. They have a few different pricing levels but to get all the features you need to dial it up at $499 per month. Although, some of their lower price points may provide good value depending on what you might use them for. Compete Site Profiles Here is how compete gets...
A Review of Spy Tools
March 20, 2010, 2:51 amThere are quite a few spy tools on the market currently, some more heavily promoted than others. They come in a variety of flavors such as SEO spy tools, PPC spy tools, and some which do both. Spy tools can be useful in an SEO and/or a PPC campaign. However, many of these tools essentially try to extrapolate scraped results which can lead to some...
SpyFu Review
March 20, 2010, 2:28 amSpyFu is one of the more feature rich tools, but probably has the least attractive interface out there. SpyFu offers SEO and PPC spy tool options along with their own keyword research tool. The SpyFu toolset covers US and UK markets. SpyFu's toolset includes: SpyFu Kombat SpyFu Classic Keyword Ad History Domain Ad History Keyword Smart Search A...
ISpionage Review
March 20, 2010, 2:28 amiSpionage is a newer player in the spy tool market. They are much more PPC oriented than organic SEO oriented. They offer 3 tool sets: Keyword and Domain Research Keyword Monitor PPC Campaign Builder Keyword and Domain Research They index the top ten results in Google, Yahoo, and Bing (although I only saw G and Y).
Keyword Spy Review
March 20, 2010, 2:28 amKeyword Spy offers 3 different accounts. Research Tracking Professional The countries available within a Keyword Spy account are: No other competitor really comes close to the breadth of their country offerings. Keyword Spy Research Account Keyword Spy's Research account gives you access to the following data PPC Ads (ad copy, the keyword,...
ECommerce: Improving Fraud Prevention When Customers Use Free e-mail Services
March 19, 2010, 7:26 pm"Methods to prevent fraudulent orders when customers use a free, expendable e-mail service."
Search as Synapse: Twitter search API will transform trending topics
March 19, 2010, 6:09 pmMashable reports that Twitter has announced an update of it's search API via the Twitter API announcements group on Google. Click to read the rest of this post.
How To Get Into Public Speaking
March 19, 2010, 6:02 pm"...tips to get someone from a mediocre speaker to a great one?"
Danica McKellar, Blockbuster, and Corey Haim: Buzz Week in Review
March 19, 2010, 5:23 pmby Mike Krumboltz If you came of age in the late '80s or early '90s, several stories may have really hit home this past week. Danica McKellar , who played the unattainable Winnie Cooper on the sitcom " The Wonder Years ," announced that she was pregnant. Blockbuster , the seemingly unstoppable juggernaut of new releases and late fees, told...
Buzz Makes Up
March 19, 2010, 4:25 pmby Molly McCall Military recruiters thought they had a tough job. But when it comes to enlistment and deployment, the Army could take a page from two giants of the cosmetics-industrial complex: Avon and Mary Kay . These makeup powerhouses truly know how to draft new blood; make house calls; and maintain a sweet-smelling, rosy-cheeked, powerful...
New Bing App for iPhone is Here!
March 19, 2010, 4:01 pmToday were excited to announce an update to the Bing app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. You can get it for free from the App Store on your device or use iTunes to download it . In the months following the November release of the app, we received great feedback from people with suggestions for improvements, many of which have been added to this...
For Sale: The Queen's Royal Ride
March 19, 2010, 3:50 pmby Claudine Zap If you're in the market for a used car, have we got a find for you: Queen Elizabeth II 's Daimler Majestic V8 Jaguar . (Yes, as in, the Queen of England ). Turns out, her royal highness likes to drive. And not, "Jeeves, take my car out so I can give the people a royal wave" kind of driving. The monarch relishes time behind the...
The Learning Center: Articles, Tutorials, Trainings, Tools and Research for Microsoft adCenter
March 19, 2010, 2:34 pmIn addition to the blog posts, forums and other helpful resources you'll find here on the Community site, there's another site over on the main Microsoft Advertising site that's chock full of information and tools to help you make the most.
From the Forums: How to improve ranking
March 19, 2010, 2:28 pmWe in the Bing Webmaster Center team are very fortunate to have such a bright, vibrant, and helpful community of users in our Webmaster Center forums . From time to time, I will take a moment to highlight some useful and interesting threads found in the forums. The goal of this new, periodically published blog column is multifold. First, I want to...
Nielsen: Time Spent On Social Networks Up ~60% YOY
March 19, 2010, 2:23 pmFacebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other such sites are - in general, anyway - doing quite well on a global basis, according to new stats from Nielsen. Nielsen revealed this afternoon that people all over the world are dedicating a lot more time to social networks.
A report stated, "On average, global web users across 10...
March Madness On Demand Player Sets Record
March 19, 2010, 2:14 pmCBS and the NCAA said Friday their March Madness on Demand (MMOD) live-streaming video player attracted record traffic for the first day of the men's basketball tournament.
In total, there were 3.4 million hours of live streaming video and audio consumed, over 20 percent growth compared to 2009, with 3 million more unique visitors to the MMOD...
March Madness On Demand Player See Record First Day Traffic
March 19, 2010, 2:14 pmCBS and the NCAA said Friday their March Madness on Demand (MMOD) live-streaming video player attracted record traffic for the first day of the men's basketball tournament.
In total, there were 3.4 million hours of live streaming video and audio consumed, over 20 percent growth compared to 2009, with 3 million more unique visitors to the MMOD...
Yahoo's Chief Technologist Starts New Gig
March 19, 2010, 1:34 pmIt may sound painfully dumb to point out that Yahoo's technology is important to the company, but there you have it. Unfortunately for the organization, that connection also makes it seem somewhat problematic that Yahoo's Chief Technologist has moved on. Benchmark Capital announced today that Sam Pullara, who was Yahoo's Chief Technologist, has...
Welcome to the New PayPal Blog
March 19, 2010, 1:12 pmHi all, Anuj Nayar here from the communications team. I wanted to take a moment to point out a few items on our newly re-designed blog. If you're reading this on the blog itself (as opposed to in your RSS reader) then you've hopefully noticed we've made a few changes. For .
Leftovers: 13 Updates to Read While Your Brackets are Being Busted
March 19, 2010, 1:06 pmIf your NCAA March Madness brackets are as messed up as mine, you'll need a distraction this weekend. Click to read the rest of this post.
OneRiot Launches Real-Time Ads Based On Trending Topics
March 19, 2010, 12:30 pmReal-time search engine OneRiot has launched RiotWise Trending Ad Units, which automatically refresh based on what's trending on the social web.
Previously, OneRiot's Trending Ads were available only via OneRiot's API, meaning developers had to create a customized user interface for their ads.
RiotWise Trending Ads link the latest published and...
Introducing "Google Panic"
March 19, 2010, 12:03 pmEver been following your favorite team, it's late in the year and they're way ahead in the standings? They could cruise the rest of the way and be just fine. Then they have small hiccup, nothing major. But suddenly, they stress out and tense up. They start to think of how embarrassing it would be to blow such a large lead. In fact, they become...
List of Some Social Events During SES NY
March 19, 2010, 11:51 amOkay this list is not definitive and anyone not here should add a link to their party/gathering in the comments. SES NY is one of the major events of the search year, so I hope many of you are attending. If not there will be people from all over live blogging the sessions. Click to read the rest of this post.
Kentucky Supreme Court Favors State In Online Gambling Case
March 19, 2010, 11:51 amThe Kentucky Supreme court issued a ruling Thursday that it will not lift the freeze by registrars of 141 Internet gambling domain names unless an owner of the names comes forward. The ruling by the Court is not final, but the decision is being viewed as a temporary setback by the affected parties. Joe Brennan Jr. IMEGAs chairman "In the written...
Out-Googling Google: Battelle Opines on What's Next in Search
March 19, 2010, 11:15 amWhere is search headed? Kudos to anyone with viable answers to that question, let alone the will to predict where the market is going. Search Engine Land's Gord Hotchkiss is asking such questions of folks like Microsoft Bing Director Stefan Weitz and now, John Battelle. Battelle arguably kickstarted the industry's broader interest in search with...
Joslyn James Sext Messages, Murray State's Win, Bernie Madoff's Tussle: What's the Buzz
March 19, 2010, 11:09 amby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Joslyn James (Searches increased by +4,537%). Just when Tiger Woods thought it was safe to return to public life, his former mistress released "sext" messages she claims are from the golfer . Murray State University (+674%). The little-known school advanced in the NCAA tourney with its...
PayPal at DEMO
March 19, 2010, 11:04 amHi all, Osama here with the Platform team. PayPal has had a very busy week! First, PayPal announced a new Send Money iPhone app that allows consumers to bump two iPhones together to transfer money instantly, split the check for group meals and collect money from friends for shared gifts, .
RFIs gone wild!
March 19, 2010, 10:47 amAh, the RFI. If you've been in business for awhile, you've seen the multi-page "request for information" documents prospects use during the vendor-vetting process. Some companies love filling them out, figuring it's a great chance to showcase their successes and land the client. Other companies dread the time and manpower RFIs take to complete,...
Your Story Contest â" Win a Free Pass to the S&S Spring Summit
March 19, 2010, 10:40 amIf you're still trying to get a ticket to the 2010 Search & Social Spring Summit, you must act fast! We've had contests going on all this week to give you a chance for a free pass: VIP package , Twitter and Youtube . Here's another contest for you to enter! We want to know how you got into Internet Marketing. Was it through a friend? Was it a news...
Social Media Tactics Still Learning to Play Well With Others
March 19, 2010, 10:18 am
Social media is on the front of every marketer’s mind (or at least it seems that way) but it still gets the treatment normally reserved for those who don’t quite fit in. In other words, while there is tremendous value in social media it is still a tough road to travel to get social efforts integrated with traditional marketing...
Send Money for Good at SXSW Music
March 19, 2010, 10:05 amHi, again! I'm Judy Chang from PayPal's nonprofit team, where we're excited about all the great things the new Send Money App from PayPal can do. Here at SWSW Music, we're encouraging everyone to download the free App and use it to do some good by donating to help Save .
If Google China is Done by April 10, Then Why are They Still Hiring?
March 19, 2010, 9:59 amMixed messages from the search giant. Click to read the rest of this post.
For Media Sites, Facebook Referrals are More Likely to Return
March 19, 2010, 9:41 amGoogle News is worse than average for sticky traffic. Click to read the rest of this post.
The World (of Reviews) According to Yelp
March 19, 2010, 9:31 am
Yelp is certainly an interesting phenomenon. Depending on where you live and who you talk to it can be either “all the rage” or it can elicit the “What’s a yelp?” response. Of course, in Internet marketing circles it’s all the rage especially in tech centers like NoCal etc. What is happening quite a bit as of late...
A Look Back at SXSW 2010
March 19, 2010, 9:18 amAs usual, this years South by Southwest Interactive conference was a blur. Between the people, the parties, and purveyors of all things bacon, it was a twenty ring circus of the sublime and bizarre. There was no shatteringly impactful takeaway from SXSW 2010, as it seems weve entered a (sure to be brief) innovation lull. But, I absorbed many...
Facebook Users Favor Online News Sites
March 19, 2010, 9:18 amInternet users who click on links posted on Facebook that lead to news and media websites are more loyal to those portals than those coming from Google News, according to new data from Hitwise. Among the most popular top 5 print media websites for the week ending March 6, 78 percent of Facebook users were returning visitors compared to 67 percent...
comScore Media Metrix Ranks Top-Growing Properties and Site Categories for February 2010
March 19, 2010, 8:49 amcomScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released its monthly analysis of U.S. Web activity at the top-growing properties and site categories for February 2010 based on data from the comScore Media Metrix service. Valentine's Day celebrations sent millions of Americans to Personals, e-Cards, and Gifts Sites as...
Life â" Discovery Channel's New Series Evolves Across Multiple Screens
March 19, 2010, 8:37 amThis Sunday in the US, the Discovery Channel will debut its highly anticipated 11-part series Life and is getting the word out with help from Microsoft Advertising . From the makers of the spellbinding Planet Earth series, Life reveals the spectacular behaviors animals have evolved in order to thrive, many of which have been captured using...
The Betty Crocker Secret to Email Marketing that Works
March 19, 2010, 8:31 amYou've heard it a thousand times: the money's in the list. If you're serious about getting results online, you need to build a list of people who are paying attention to you, typically an email list. So how do you get people to sign up for your email newsletter? You probably already know the answer to this one: Reward them. Give subscribers...
Detailed Look at Reasons People Visit Various Social Sites
March 19, 2010, 8:14 amAs with traditional media, its different strokes for different folks on social media sites. And knowing your audiences needs and preferences is just as valid in PR today as it ever was. According to an analysis of social sites by online advertising network Chikita published by Mashable, people go to Twitter for news, MySpace for games and...
Twitter Responsible For Very Little Visits To News and Media
March 19, 2010, 8:14 amThe latest post from Hitwise discusses where users travel after leaving Twitter. The post further breaks down the various news and media sites which receive the greatest traffic from Twitter. Twitter.com accounted for 0.14% of upstream visits to News and Media sites last week. (Note that we are measuring website visits from Twitter.com only.)...
Twitter Thinks I Am You
March 19, 2010, 8:08 amNot so long ago twitter added nofollow to when you mention someone using @ However they also added a small popup which provides extra information. This popup is only shown when you are logged in. Quite useful to easily see their bio and activity. That way you can decide much faster if you want to follow someone. But to show how much twitter thinks...
Data Suggests Mobile Apps Will Surpass CD in Sales By 2012
March 19, 2010, 8:07 amJust how big is the market for mobile apps?
Global mobile apps will be worth $17.5 billion by 2012, according to an independent report commissioned by app store GetJar. Mobile app downloads across all types of handset are also expected to increase from over 7 billion downloads in 2009 to almost 50 billion in 2012 - a year on year growth rate of...
Different Search Results for the Same Term On Google
March 19, 2010, 7:28 amWhen I got home on Friday I started to put the mac away for the night and just relax, but for some reason I decided to check some email and see what was happening on Twitter. Boy, was I glad I did that. On Twitter, Brad Gosse (his last name rhymes with boss) had a tweet that really caught my attention, "Google Algorithm Updates http://su.pr/ADk8o7...
Google Launches Buzz Widget For Android
March 19, 2010, 7:11 amGoogle has released a Google Buzz widget for Android phones aimed at making it easier for users to update their status and share content with others. The Google Buzz widget allows users to post text and photos with a single tap, directly from the Android home screen. The Google Mobile Blog provides more details. "Like other mobile access points...
Rumor Schedules Google China Exit For April 10th
March 19, 2010, 7:11 amGoogle may end its search operations in China very soon, according to a new report. A local employee supposedly told a Chinese newspaper that Google will announce its plans to leave on Monday, March 22nd, and then actually pull out on Saturday, April 10th. It's hard to judge the accuracy of this information. On the one hand, there have been no...
Is PPC Canabalising your Brand Traffic?
March 19, 2010, 6:47 amAre your PPC campaigns eating your organic traffic? Google love for you to bid on your brand name in AdWords, but how to you know if you are wasting money on traffic you could have got for free? Of course, to find this out you need to run some sort of test. I don't know how you could run a good A/B split test for this because I don't know how to...
See Google Synonyms While You Search (FireFox)
March 19, 2010, 6:47 amMost of us know (and use) Google's synonym operator [~term] What it basically does is instructs Google to include more synonyms in the search results and use the bold font for them (Google uses synonyms for generating search results anyway but this operator makes it focus on the synonyms). I mentioned the operator many times to emphasize how...
Hitwise: Facebook Visitors Are Regular Newshounds
March 19, 2010, 6:24 am"...visitors from Facebook are more loyal to News and Media websites than are visitors from Google News."
Google: The Social Media Company
March 19, 2010, 6:12 amOver the last few years, the popularity of social channels â" for professionals, teens, grandmas and everyone in between â" has skyrocketed. Consider the recent numbers: Twitter experienced an annual growth in 2009 of 1,382% Facebook now boasts 400 million active users Every minute, 20 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube Between blog...
Why Your Web Traffic is Going to Nosedive Thanks to Google
March 19, 2010, 5:05 am
Take a look at the Google Analytics chart to the right.
Now imagine yourself waking up one day to see your web site’s traffic taking such a dramatic drop.
Did you get banned by Google? Is your site down?
Nope! But everyone just opted out of Google Analytics–rendering your dashboard useless.
Far fetched? Not too much....
Google China Plans to Wave White Flag on April 10?
March 19, 2010, 4:41 am
Mark your calendars for April 10!
That’s the day that Google is reportedly going to officially pull out of China, with the announcement coming as early as Monday.
According to Bloomberg (via China Business News) this is all based on a tip from an anonymous sales person inside Google’s Chinese office–I could make...
Google TV?
March 19, 2010, 4:12 amThe NYT on Wednesday wrote: Google and Intel have teamed with Sony to develop a platform called Google TV to bring the Web into the living room through a new generation of televisions and set-top boxes. (...) The partners envision technology that will make it as easy for TV users to navigate Web applications, like the Twitter social network and...
Opera Reports Downloads Doubled Since Microsoft Browser Choice Screen
March 19, 2010, 4:01 am"Web browser Opera says that downloads of its software have doubled since Microsoft introduced browser choice to Windows users on 1 March."
Google Analytics Plans to Offer Opt-Out for Users
March 19, 2010, 2:16 amOne of the most powerful citizens of Webtown also happens to be rather well-behaved at times - which serves the interests of others as well as (arguably) the long term interests of the citizen itself. Google, who already provides data export initiatives as well as a privacy dashboard to show what they store, now announced that "have been exploring...
YouTube: "For years, Viacom continuously and secretly uploaded its content to YouTube, even while publicly complaining about its presence there."
March 19, 2010, 1:41 amChief Counsel of Google-owned YouTube, Zahavah Levine, in a blog post relating to the Viacom vs. YouTube lawsuit writes: For years, Viacom continuously and secretly uploaded its content to YouTube, even while publicly complaining about its presence there. It hired no fewer than 18 different marketing agencies to upload its content to the site. It...
Whiteboard Friday - Faceted Navigation
March 18, 2010, 11:25 pmPosted by great scott! So last week Eric Enge interviewed everybody's favorite Spam Cop, Matt Cutts (not to be confused with everybody's favorite Axe Cop ), about all sorts of juicy Googleyness. You can read the whole enchilada over at Stone Temple , or view an illustrated version Rand put together (I recommend you do both, it's really good...
Yelp Review Filter Explained
March 18, 2010, 10:39 pmGreat writeup by Will Scott about Yelp's outreach to business owners, and how Yelp explains their "evil review filter."
Link Building, Do It Right or Don't Do It At All
March 18, 2010, 10:17 pmLink building is that dreaded phrase that still to this day confuses the heck out of many people trying to figure out how to proactively market themselves online in the search engines. They hear from one source how they need thousands of links to start ranking and from another source they hear just quality links gets the job done. So what is the...
One Or Two Good Links Could Make A Site
March 18, 2010, 10:01 pm"Can a few exceptional links be enough to push a site into the top ten? WebmasterWorld members discuss their experiences."
Yahoo Rolls Out Auto-Updating Address Book
March 18, 2010, 6:25 pmYahoo has just rolled out a pretty useful feature of its Yahoo! Contacts service. This feature, if you're willing to share information with your friends and business contacts will ensure that your friends always gets your latest contact details and information without making them do anything. But that is if you allow them to. The cool thing is...
Batman: Arkham Asylum Goes 3D
March 18, 2010, 6:07 pmby Claudine Zap What's better than Batman: Arkham Asylum ? How about a 3D version ? That's right, the already critically acclaimed video game is coming out with a Game of the Year edition, and it's going to be in 3D . You won't just play it. You'll be inside it. Do not adjust your set. According to the site ShackNews , the latest version will use...
The Most Awesome SES NY Preparatory Guide
March 18, 2010, 5:13 pmWhat to know before you go.Click to read the rest of this post...
'Bounty Hunter,' 'Repo Men,' and 'Wimpy Kid:' Critics Roundup
March 18, 2010, 3:55 pmby Mike Krumboltz Jennifer Aniston's track record for starring in quality films is spotty at best. Does her latest, "The Bounty Hunter," co-starring alpha-male Gerard Butler, buck the trend? Also opening this weekend: satirical sci-fi flick " Repo Men ," starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker, and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," based on the best-selling...
Marketing Like Bing: The Farmville Example
March 18, 2010, 3:24 pmThere are many ways to market your business through Facebook. Some are obvious, and others not so much. One thing you can pretty much count on is that there are incredible masses of people on the social network that you can potentially reach, and in ways that will allow them not only to engage with your brand in a comfortable setting, but with...
Report: Google-Backed Cable Almost Complete
March 18, 2010, 2:50 pmAn undersea cable that Google helped finance is almost finished, according to a new report. Indeed, the completion of the Unity fiber optic cable, which will connect the U.S. to Japan, is supposed to be announced next week, and then Google and the company's Asia-based users should start seeing the benefits soon after. Tom Krazit wrote this...
YouTube vs. Viacom: "Rogue Enabler of Content Theft" vs. "Secretly Uploaded" Videos
March 18, 2010, 2:45 pmAs expected, when the legal documents were unsealed today in the YouTube-Viacom lawsuit, the charges and counter charges made for juicy reading.Click to read the rest of this post...
Young People In The U.K. Go Online For Advice
March 18, 2010, 2:14 pmThe majority (86%) of young people in Britain go online to find help with personal problems, instead of seeking advice from a family member or friend.
The findings come from a poll of 1,000 people under 25 commissioned by Get Connected, a national helpline line in the UK, and conducted by Maximiles Surveys.
Online one third of young people would...
Spotify on the Future of Music Delivery
March 18, 2010, 1:35 pmI sat in on the Future of Music Delivery Keynote interview with Spotify CEO Daniel Ek and author Eliot Van Buskirk on the last day of SXSW Interactive. Buskirk's covered the digital media industry for ten years in various publications. This keynote was not nearly as crowded as the Evan Williams one was at the beginning, but definitely kept a lot...
Google Calendar Labs Gets Smart Rescheduler
March 18, 2010, 1:27 pmGoogle has used its search ranking algorithms to create a gadget for Google Calendar that helps busy users track and reschedule meetings and appointments. When any of the 25 million Google Apps users install the Smart Rescheduler gadget from Google Calendar Labs , they can select the event they want to reschedule and click the "Find a New Time"...
YouTube, Viacom Fight Gets Fiercer
March 18, 2010, 1:08 pmAlmost exactly three years ago, Viacom sued YouTube for copyright infringement, and since then, neither side has been able to say much in public. But today, 108 pages' worth of court documents were released, and YouTube also issued a more comprehensible, 865-word statement.
In the statement (which was posted on the YouTube Blog), Zahavah...
Spotify Talks Future of Music Delivery at SXSW
March 18, 2010, 1:05 pmI sat in on the Future of Music Delivery Keynote interview with Spotify CEO Daniel Ek and author Eliot Van Buskirk on the last day of SXSW Interactive. Buskirk's covered the digital media industry for ten years in various publications. This keynote was not nearly as crowded as the Evan Williams one was at the beginning, but definitely kept a lot...
Yahoo! to Power Mobile Search for Telefónica España
March 18, 2010, 12:54 pmThe move expands Yahoo!'s partnership with Telefónica's global presence. Click to read the rest of this post.
Looking for a good time? New scheduling tool in Calendar
March 18, 2010, 12:48 pmScheduling meetings is tough, but rescheduling is even harder. We all know how frustrating it can be to try to find just the right time that accommodates everyone's availability and preferred working hours. Throw in different time zones and conference rooms and it goes from painful to excruciating. We'd rather schedule dental appointments. On the...
Google + Sony + TV = 1997?
March 18, 2010, 12:25 pm
Remember like 10 years ago when the “cool” thing to do was WebTV? A computer on your television set, with a keyboard and a mouse that worked (sometimes) with no wires?! Okay, so it was never really that cool—maybe watching TV and computing simultaneously hadn’t been invented yet—and yet Google is...
Google's Aardvark and Reasons for Social Search (from SXSW)
March 18, 2010, 12:16 pmAs you may know, Google recently acquired social search service Aardvark. I attended a panel on social search at SXSW this week, in which Max Ventilla, the service's "Head Zookeeper" talked about not only the service, but what social search means for the industry in general.
First off, here are a few Aardvark stats. Ventilla says 85%...
Bing Maps Gets Worldwide Telescope App [Visual Tour]
March 18, 2010, 11:56 amExplore space from your laptop. Click to read the rest of this post.
GMaps: What Happens When Google Loses a Town? They are hosed!
March 18, 2010, 11:49 amGoogle seems to have "misplaced" Rogers, MN. Thus no business or service in the town of Rogers can be found. Not the baker, the butcher, not the candlestick maker and certainly not the doctor. To say nothing of lost income there is a public safety issue. The fire department, the police or any first responder are not findable either. How long...
Yahoo! to Power Mobile Search for Telefonica Espana
March 18, 2010, 11:33 amThe move expands Yahoo!'s partnership with Telefonica's global presence.Click to read the rest of this post...
Warren Buffett: Born to Rock
March 18, 2010, 11:32 amby Mike Krumboltz Warren Buffett is not your average investor. One of the most brilliant financial minds in the history of capitalism, Mr. Buffett has earned a personal fortune that regularly places him among Forbes magazine 's wealthiest individuals. And yet, unlike so many of his fellow billionaires, Buffett isn't afraid to make fun of himself....
Sandra Bullock's Split, Dennis Kucinich's Vote, Tinsley Mortimer's Show: What's the Buzz
March 18, 2010, 11:10 amby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Sandra Bullock (Searches increased by +1,519%). First news of Kate Winslet's marriage ending, and now this year's Oscar-winning actress is leaving her man . The "Oscar curse" lives. Dennis Kucinich (+704%). A liberal hold-out on the heath care bill says he will vote for it . Tinsley...
Noteworthy Websites and More
March 18, 2010, 10:52 amThere are quite a few online subscriptions I read regularly and the one I read pretty much on a daily basis is ' The Best Article Every Day '. The articles tend to be short and informative. For example, today there was an article entitled; ' 15 Noteworthy Websites That Changed the Internet' by Cameron Chapman . Pretty much everyone agrees that...
Paid Search: Cheap Way to Test Messages for Other Media
March 18, 2010, 10:04 am
Yesterday at OMMA Global in San Francisco, US Cellular illustrated a unique way they were using search campaigns: to test calls to action for their print campaigns. According to MediaPost:
U.S. Cellular tested six paid-search campaigns to determine the one targeted message that would reap the biggest rewards and conversions....
Zillow Launches Android App
March 18, 2010, 9:49 amThe real estate search engine expands mobile app access. Click to read the rest of this post.
More People Going Online To Watch TV Episodes
March 18, 2010, 9:49 amThe use of the Internet to watch full television episodes has tripled since 2006 among those aged 13-to-54, according to a new report from Knowledge Networks. Among Internet users 13-to-54 viewing complete TV show episodes via streaming or downloaded video has grown from 8 percent to 22 percent. For Internet users 18-to-34 viewing of complete TV...
E-mail Spam Continues Despite Strikes Against Botnets and Operators
March 18, 2010, 9:42 am"The problem, say experts, is that those who send spam are not those that run the botnets. As a result, if one botnet disappears then spammers and other hi-tech criminals simply shop around for another."
The Rumors of SEO's Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
March 18, 2010, 9:19 amMike McDonald of WebProNews Videos interviewed me recently at OMS 2010, aka SES San Diego, for a story entitled, "The Death (Or Redefinition) Of SEO Discussed." As you will see in the video interview, the rumors of SEO's death are for the birds.Click to read the rest of this post...
3 WordPress Plugins That Make Guest Posting Easier!
March 18, 2010, 9:11 amIf you plan to start accepting guest contributions or launching a new collaborating blog with several co-authors, you may want to configure your WordPress blog to make your (and your contributors’) life easier.
Let’s call it “optimize your blog for guest posting” because an SEO will never die inside me
Zillow Brings Mobile App To Android
March 18, 2010, 8:45 amReal estate website Zillow.com told WebProNews today it has launched a free Zillow Android application. The Zillow Android app uses GPS technology to find and follow users on an aerial map, and displays "Zestimate" values, homes for sale, homes for rent and recently-sold data on the homes around them. Users can also search for homes, even they are...
Is the Content Farm Strategy Just Misunderstood?
March 18, 2010, 8:26 amDemand Media CEO Richard Rosenblatt doesn't understand much of the criticism geared toward his company, which Time Magazine columnist Dan Fletcher refers to as "the Web's least understood and most vilified juggernaut." I attended a panel at SXSW this week in which Fletcher and Rosenblatt discussed Demand's content strategy that has...
Landing Page Makeover Clinic #23: BabyNapsWell.com
March 18, 2010, 8:16 amThis is another addition to our ongoing series of tutorials and case studies on landing pages that work. Nicole Johnson wants to get babies and their moms some much-needed rest. She's packed napping plans, schedules, and strategies into her $37 ebook/consultation package. She's tried different pricing, Google Adwords, different offers, freemiums,...
Google Rolls Out Logo Ads On Map Results Down Under
March 18, 2010, 7:53 am
Google is testing a new opportunity for companies to advertise in Google Maps. While the tests are only being run Down Under (Australia) it doesn’t mean that they are being secretive. The idea is a way to for companies to make their listings on Google Maps stand out a bit more thus increasing their exposure. While this would...
SEO 101 - Part 12: Everything You Need to Know About Page Content
March 18, 2010, 7:49 amby Stoney deGeyter
The following series is pulled from a presentation I gave to a group of beauty bloggers hosted by L'Oreal in New York. Most of the presentation is geared toward how to make a blog more search engine and user-friendly, however I will expand many of the concepts here to include tips and strategies for sites selling products...
Prior to Exit, FTC Commissioner Slams Google on Privacy
March 18, 2010, 7:11 am
We all know that it is virtually impossible for Google to keep a low profile on anything. When you are that big and influential everyone is paying attention and it seems like every time someone breaks wind at the Googleplex it’s news. It’s the price of fame I suppose.
Of course, if you create the kind of stir that Google...
Yahoo Lands Exclusive Mobile Deal With Telefonica
March 18, 2010, 7:07 amHere are a few facts about Telefonica: it's a huge telecommunications company. It's based in Spain. And it's a good friend of Yahoo's, considering that Telefonica has named Yahoo the exclusive search and search advertising provider on its mobile portal in Spain. The Telefonica-Yahoo relationship actually goes back a couple of years, since in...
Amazon Releases Kindle For Mac App
March 18, 2010, 6:42 amAmazon.com has released its free Kindle for Mac application that allows users to read books from the Kindle Store on their Mac computers. Kindle for Mac is Amazon's latest application aimed at expanding Kindle content to a wider range of devices. Kindle books can now be read on the iPhone, iPod touch, BlackBerry, PC and Mac. Amazon said it also...
Topsy Button versus Tweetmeme Button
March 18, 2010, 6:42 amEncouraging Tweets of the current page has become one of the most powerful ways to attract extra traffic and help viral effect. Tweetmeme button is probably the most popular way to do that, however more and more often I come across blogs that use a similar one provided by Topsy. So what's the difference between the two Twitter buttons?
Government Data Transparency Called For By Web Inventor, Berners-Lee
March 18, 2010, 6:32 am"I think obviously there are more fundamental ones, but within a democratic society if the democracy is going to work you have to have an informed electorate,"
Google Dominates Enterprise Level Search
March 18, 2010, 6:23 am
Each month we tell you about reports that have come out which talk about the fact that Google is still leading in search. It pains me to write these sometimes because there is nothing to make anyone stand up and take notice. I think we all get it that Google is the dominant search engine across the board.
Where it can get...
Announcing the New SEOmoz Toolbar - Plus 5 New Features
March 18, 2010, 6:22 amPosted by adamf First, let me make a quick introduction. Normally, I spend my time focused on new products at SEOmoz, working with a great team of people that design and build our new tools and features. Today I am excited to use my first blog post to announce our new SEO toolbar , and tell you about some of the powerful features we have added. As...
The Droid Outsold the iPhone
March 18, 2010, 6:21 amThe Droid from Verizon has actually outsold the original iPhone in their respective first 74 days of launching. The iPhone sold its first million units at the 74 day point and according to Flurry in that same time span, the Droid (aka Motorola Sholes), sold just over a million by 50,000 units. This is a comparison of just one Android phone to the...
Should Clients Invest in an SEO Prenup?
March 18, 2010, 6:21 amThere have been a number of instances over the last year or two where I or people I know have taken on projects from another SEO consultant or agency. In these cases, I've seen the transition of accounts from one party to another create their own spectrum; where the incumbent ranges from hugely helpful to less much than so. With this in mind,
YouTube Responds To Viacom vs. YouTube Lawsuit
March 18, 2010, 5:56 am"We look forward to defending YouTube, and upholding the balance that Congress struck in the DMCA to protect the rights of copyright holders, the progress of technological innovation, and the public interest in free expression."
Best Keyword Ranking Tools for SEO by WordStream
March 18, 2010, 5:53 amby Sage Lewis
Best Keyword Ranking Tools for SEO - Wordstream did a nice job showing us some of the free and paid search engine rank checking tools out there. If you haven't updated your rank checking tool recently (or in the past several years) you should check out what is out there now.
Be sure and visit our small...
10 Reasons SES New York is a Must-Attend Marketing Conference
March 18, 2010, 5:46 amLet's get it out of the way that Online Marketing Blog is a media sponsor for Search Engine Strategies conferences and also that I serve on the advisory board . In fact, the blog you're reading right now was the very first blog to be recognized as a media sponsor by a major marketing industry conference. Specifically, Search Engine Strategies...
Youtube Contest â" Win a Free Pass to Search & Social Spring Summit
March 18, 2010, 5:17 amHey everyone!! It's that time of the year again for the Spring Summi t and we have some great contests going on! With the success of our Twitter #team contest (which is currently going on until midnight), we decided to roll out ANOTHER contest today. If you're interested in winning a free ticket, then try your luck on this one! It'll be fun....
Choosing a Web Hosting Provider – What Aspects Should you Compare?
March 18, 2010, 3:46 am
The great news is that web hosting is a very competitive market, and you have plenty of choices. There is stiff competition for the opportunity to host your website, so make sure that your needs are met. If one company doesn’t meet your needs, there are plenty of other fish in the sea. Here are the things you should consider and compare...
Learning Without Schools: Four Points To Free Yourself From The Educational Get-Certified Mantra
March 18, 2010, 3:30 amI guess we can agree: the world is changing at an increasingly faster pace, and the volume of information is growing at an explosive rate. Change is the name of the game these days and who lives and works off the Internet knows how true this indeed is. But... how are we preparing and equipping our younger generations to live and to cope with such...
Bing Maps Adds Telescope Lens
March 18, 2010, 12:55 am"Microsoft is adding a star-gazing feature to its Bing Maps service."
NYT: Google, Sony and Partners Team Up With Google TV
March 18, 2010, 12:33 am"Google and Intel have teamed with Sony to develop a platform called Google TV to bring the Web into the living room through a new generation of televisions and set-top boxes..."
Different Types of Searches, Are You Visible?
March 17, 2010, 10:12 pmWe are all sort of accustomed to seek out rankings for organic search only but there are actually many different areas of search other than just organic that is equally important for online business to be visible in. Below are a few of the more important ones all websites should keep an eye on: ⢠Image Search - Many search online everyday...
Yahoo Buys Social Sport Site Citizen's Sports
March 17, 2010, 6:45 pmYahoo is beefing up its Sports content site as it acquires social sport startup Citizen's Sports . In case you're not aware, Citizen's Sports are responsible for the popular Fantasy Sports Game in Facebook. By acquiring Citizen's Sports, Yahoo hopes to strenghten its social strategy of enriching,
My Week Running Linux (Summary)
March 17, 2010, 6:34 pm"I set myself with a the challenge of using nothing but Linux for a week to see if modern versions of the Linux operating system really are mature and stable enough for an average user."
Gesture Search, Swipe N' Search for Google Android Phones
March 17, 2010, 6:22 pmGoogle continues to shower mobile phones running its Android OS including its own Nexus One phone with great features one after another. Previously it just made the cool Gesture Search available for all phones running Android OS version 1.5+. And now, Google Maps for Mobile has just been updated to version 4.1. The first new feature that has...
Emma Watson's New Fella
March 17, 2010, 4:54 pmby Mike Krumboltz Romanticus Interupticus! " Harry Potter " star Emma Watson recently split with longtime boyfriend Jay Barrymore . But wait, there's more! Now, the rumor mill is reporting that Ms. Watson, currently studying at Brown University, has "grown close" to fellow student Rafael Cebrian . Nothing is confirmed, but that hasn't slowed the...
Content Strategy Interview with Expert Lawrence Coburn
March 17, 2010, 4:10 pmElise Redlin Cook from Vertical Measures, interviews Lawrence Coburn of RateItAll. In this interview, Lawrence discusses content strategy, viral content curation and his new product DoubleDutch. He answers questions about audience engagement, viral content, and even recommends his favorite blogs.
Brands On Facebook And Twitter Favored By Consumers
March 17, 2010, 2:47 pmPeople who are Facebook fans and Twitter followers of a brand are more likely to buy the brand's product or recommend it to a friend, according to a new study by Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies. The study of 1,500 consumers found that 60 percent of Facebook fans and 79 percent of Twitter followers are more likely to...
FTC Commissioner Takes Issue With Schmidt, Buzz
March 17, 2010, 2:47 pmFTC Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour will leave the agency next month, but that's almost surely not soon enough for Google. Today, Harbour criticized Eric Schmidt and the rollout of Buzz, and also asked her colleagues to adopt a tougher stance on some privacy-related offenses. In fairness to both Google and Harbour, other companies and products,...
Cabbie Scam Exposed
March 17, 2010, 2:24 pmby Mike Krumboltz They're not as bad as mechanics or lawyers, but taxi drivers do have a bit of reputation for inflating their fares. But is this true or just an urban legend designed to keep Midwesterners out of Times Square ? Unfortunately, it appears to have a ring of truth to it. We're not saying all taxi drivers are scamming. Far from it. But...
Google’s New Beta PPC Service Dubbed Remarketing
March 17, 2010, 2:06 pmIn the wake of Google’s new PPC service, there has been speculation that the new service is simply a version of Remarketing. After touching upon the new service in Beyond Google PPC in 2010, Search Engine Journal has since had the opportunity to further investigate the system. From the specifics of Remarketing and industry-related...
YouTube Video Upload Rate Tops 24 Hours/Minute
March 17, 2010, 1:26 pmLegend has it that St. Patrick performed a miracle by driving all the snakes out of Ireland. Now, it seems that YouTube's accomplishing an amazing feat of its own just by functioning. A director of product management revealed this afternoon that a whopping 24 hours of video are now uploaded to the site every minute. Hunter Walk (who, we must...
Idol Talk: Medical Emergency
March 17, 2010, 12:52 pmby Vera H-C Chan Welcome to your Top 12 on " American Idol ." Someone bring the defibrillator. The Fox reality show's ratings are down compared to last year's big stage debut. Yahoo! Searches on Season 9 contestants have fallen by more than half compared to Season 8's crew. Even frontrunner Crystal Bowersox pulls in only 27% of the lookups that...
Social Media Pays: People More Likely to Buy from Brands they Follow
March 17, 2010, 12:42 pm
A new study from market research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies shows that social media might actually pay off—in real dollars in addition to the traditional branding and influence lift. The survey of over 1500 consumers showed that they were more likely to buy from and recommend brands they...
Twitter @anywhere, OpenID, OAuth, and Digg's support of Open Standards
March 17, 2010, 12:34 pmAs you may have heard,
Yahoo Buys Citizens Sports
March 17, 2010, 12:00 pmYahoo said today it is acquiring social sports site Citizen Sports in an effort to strengthen its strategy of aggregating and distributing social content online. Terms of the acquisition were not released. "Yahoo! is in a unique position to combine our deep expertise in content and aggregation technology to offer a highly personalized social...
Get Certified & Get Connected With Social Media- Six Easy Ways
March 17, 2010, 11:42 amInteracting between both students and faculty is convenient and easy with the Market Motive social media course I am taking. I know some of you are reading this thinking "I would hope people would be interacting within in a social media class because after all, isn't that where the social part comes from." Let's not jump to judging and assume that...
Facebook Joins Google, Bing, Yahoo With Auto-suggest Search
March 17, 2010, 11:36 amFacebook, which recently racked up a 10 percent month-over-month gain in searches for February, is rolling out an autosuggest feature to its improving search engine. Soon, when users type a query into the search bar, they'll be offered results for people, Pages, events and groups they're associated with, as well as the connections of friends and...
FTC Member : Launch of Google Buzz was Irresponsible Conduct
March 17, 2010, 11:11 am"Even the most respected and popular online companies, the ones who claim to respect privacy, continue to launch products where the guiding privacy policy seems to be, 'Throw it up against the wall and see if it sticks.'"
Irish eyes are smiling
March 17, 2010, 11:07 amThe Dublin AdSense team would like to wish all of our publishers a very happy St. Patrick's Day! Today we'll be dotting our i's with shamrocks, crossing our t's with shillelaghs, and wishing you all the luck of the Irish.
Education Industry Growth and Search Optimization Best Practices for Microsoft adCenter
March 17, 2010, 11:02 amThe education industry has seen rapid traffic growth in the past year due to the Bing launch and many students and professionals looking to expand their knowledge. Last year, adCenter historical data shows that clicks peaked during the month of May. With similar trends expected in 2010, now is the time to test ad copy, optimize keywords, review...
Praise for Carey Mulligan, Betty White's New Job, St. Paddy's Day Quotes: What's the Buzz
March 17, 2010, 11:02 amby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Carey Mulligan (Searches increased by +23,641%). It's not enough to be recognized as an Oscar-nominated actress. The star of "An Education" is also being praised by boyfriend Shia LaBeouf. Ciudad Juarez Mexico (+1,099%). The killing of US embassy workers highlighted the danger of the...
10 Outstanding Social Media Infographics
March 17, 2010, 10:38 amNobody has time to read anymore, right? Every day we are all inundated with more and more information overload coming from credible and yet to be verified sources. Where can Internet users find relief? Answer: the infographic. Infographics are a wonderful mix of key data and visualization that can really bring the message home if put...
Your interview with Prime Minister Stephen Harper
March 17, 2010, 10:16 am[Cross-posted from the Google Public Policy Blog ] It's not every day that you get to ask your country's leader questions about issues you care about. But that's exactly what Canadians did this afternoon when Prime Minister Stephen Harper sat down with YouTube. Roughly 170,000 votes were cast through Google Moderator for nearly 1,800 questions -...
Google Expands Display Ad Options for Advertisers and Publishers
March 17, 2010, 10:15 amA couple of updates for the display advertising space. Click to read the rest of this post.
Why You Should Always Write Your Headline Last
March 17, 2010, 9:58 amWhen you write a post for your blog, your headline is the last thing you should be thinking about. OK, I realize this is Copyblogger heresy. There's a lot of emphasis on writing a good headline. Hell, I've written posts about how to write an eye-grabbing title myself. Brian wrote an entire series on headlines (including a post on why you should...
YouTube Looking For Indie Bands
March 17, 2010, 9:52 amYouTube has expanded its partner program and has introduced "Musicians Wanted" aimed at getting independent bands or artists to submit music videos to the site. Interested independent bands or artist can apply for Musicians Wanted through YouTube's Partner Program. Those who are accepted will have their own page where they can add details about...
Chinese Ad Partners to Google: What About Us?
March 17, 2010, 9:51 am
Google is/isn’t/might/mightn’t/will/won’t pull out of China over censorship and security concerns. Nobody really knows what the future may hold (although CEO Eric Schmidt’s forecast calls for a 99.9% chance of “something”)—including Google’s 27 Chinese ad resellers. In a letter to...
Anatomy of a Start Up
March 17, 2010, 9:37 amby Dave SnyderThe Beginning
When we started Second Step Search, the goal was to create an SEO system that Small Businesses could utilize to get actual results. We were getting leads every day from small business owners that had been taken advantage of by various small business SEO companies. We could not help them, because their budgets in the...
Facebook Enhances Query Suggestion Feature
March 17, 2010, 9:35 amFresh off the heels of beating Google in traffic for a week... Click to read the rest of this post.
25 million people have gone Google
March 17, 2010, 9:30 amOver the past year, we've highlighted companies around the world who have switched to Google Apps. And that means more than 25 million people have "gone Google", including those at such globe-trotting organizations as Jaguar Land Rover and National Geographic . (You might have seen their Gone Google messages in print .) Recently we visited one of...
Google Sponsors New Computer Science Prize
March 17, 2010, 9:30 amAustralians who study computer science now have an added incentive to accomplish impressive things. Today, it was announced that a certain search company will give away $10,000 once per year in the form of the Google Australia Eureka Prize for Innovation in Computer Science. Like many of Google's contests, this has the potential to be both a nice...
Twitter Contest! Pick a team!
March 17, 2010, 9:12 amYou have heard of Team Jolie and Team Aniston. You have picked sides with Team Edward or Team Jacob. Now it is time to make your own team. Today, gather up everyone you know and get them on Twitter. Get as many people as you can to be on your team. Have them tweet your team name , twitter name , and the hashtag #ssss . We will count the total...
Starry starry night
March 17, 2010, 9:07 amDo you ever find yourself gazing up at the sky on a night filled will stars and wondering whats with all the sparkling lights, or where the heck are the Big and Little Dippers, anyways? I know I have a time or two. Luckily for us the Bing Maps team has been busy integrating their work with the Worldwide Telescope (WWT) into Bing Maps so that we...
PayPal To Add 1,000 New Jobs In Asia Pacific Region
March 17, 2010, 8:26 amEbay's online payment service PayPal said today it would double the number of employees in Asia Pacific from 1,000 currently to more than 2,000 by the end of the year. PayPal said it plans to add more than 100 new jobs at its international headquarters in Singapore. New jobs will be located at all seven offices including Australia, China, Hong...
The Rise of Rich TV
March 17, 2010, 8:15 amChange is inevitable - except from a vending machine. -Robert C. Gallagher Gallagher's famous quip rings true in many aspects of my life - career, children, and climate change to name a few - but none more noticeable than the TV viewing experience. The new world of TV is changing - and fragmenting - so quickly that I am starting to think that...
Mobile App Market To Soar To $17.5 Billion
March 17, 2010, 7:54 amThe worldwide mobile applications market is on track to be worth $17.5 by 2012, according to a new report commissioned by GetJar, the globe's second largest app store.
Mobile app downloads across all handsets are estimated to climb from over 7 billion downloads in 2009 to almost 50 billion in 2012, a year-over- year growth rate of 92...
Facebook Overtakes Google Search
March 17, 2010, 7:47 amHitwise, a web analysis business, said on its Analyst Weblog that Facebook was the most visited site last week, overtaking Google Search for the first time. Hitwise suggests that Google Search accounted for 7.03% of US Internet visits last week, compared to 7.07% for Facebook. If Google's non-search services (Gmail, YouTube, Maps etc) are also...
Thinking Ahead Is Key To Business Success
March 17, 2010, 7:46 amThe fourth annual We Media Conference hosted at the University of Miami offered a peek into the future of media. The common thread from Tuesdays mind-meld was not the same old newspapers are dead theme that so many of these conferences run into the ground. Instead, the focus was on the changing media landscape an evolution that ultimately leads...
35 Crucial SEO, Twitter & Social Media Statistics for Business People
March 17, 2010, 7:23 amNumbers and statistics are never true by themselves, it always depends on how you interpret them. On the other hand, without numbers you have no idea what's going on. Thus we have to study statistics and all other data we can get to stay in business. Here I've collected 35 crucial SEO, Twitter & social media statistics for business people to get...
Google's New Beta PPC Service Dubbed Remarketing
March 17, 2010, 7:11 amIn the wake of Google's new PPC service, there has been speculation that the new service is simply a version of Remarketing . After touching upon the new service in Beyond Google PPC in 2010 , Search Engine Journal has since had the opportunity to further investigate the system. From the specifics of Remarketing and industry-related advantages,...
Blogging in 2010: What You Need To Know
March 17, 2010, 7:11 amIn spite of all the claims that Blogging is dead, the numbers show Blogs are still a great way to get your message out there and to gain exposure and credibility in your industry. We'll get started with some interesting stats on "The State of the Blogosphere" and then I'll share some tips and advice for Blogging your way to more traffic, exposure...
To Get Clients, You Need To Pull, Not Push
March 17, 2010, 7:05 amIn marketing, there are two main categories: Push Marketing, and Pull Marketing. Push Marketing , also known as interruption marketing, is basically when you force your marketing message upon potential clients when theyre in the middle of doing something such as driving a car, surfing the web, or just spending time with friends or family. While...
Google Re-Imagined As World's Third-Biggest ISP
March 17, 2010, 7:05 amIt's common knowledge in the U.S. search industry that Google has a market share of about 65 percent. Lots of people know (or at least know how to check) the search giant's market cap, too (it's currently at $180 billion). But another measure of Google's size was presented yesterday, and it turns out that Google is on par with all but the...
2010 LeadingRE Conference: TopRank Digital Marketing Sessions
March 17, 2010, 6:54 amLast week, I was in Las Vegas for the LeadingRE annual conference and marketing technology event speaking on social media and SEO strategies for real estate professionals. It's always interesting to see where different verticals are at with their willingness to embrace social channels, and I'm pleased to report the top realtors globally are...
Display Ad Spend Up in 2009 Despite Q4 Dip
March 17, 2010, 6:50 am
Display ads in the Internet space are always an area of lively discussion. Do they work? How should their effectiveness be measured? What is the real value of a display ad? You can insert your question here.
One tried and true measurement for the medium though is just how much is being spent on display ads especially when held up...
10 Community Manager Responsibilities that Don't Involve Twitter and Facebook
March 17, 2010, 6:48 amThis is a guest post by Itamar Kestenbaum . Follow him on Twitter . . Every time I tell someone I'm a Community Manager , I get a varied response. But the response doesn't vary enough. The response is usually something along the lines of "Wow! So you tweet and facebook for a living! Kewlz!" or "So do you blog on the interwebs all day, or sumthin?"...
3 Simple Tools to Find Hidden Links (and Text)
March 17, 2010, 6:48 amLike on-page linked text analysis in general, identifying grey areas like hidden links (and text) should be an important and thoroughly considered step. You will want to research hidden links: (!) When you need to diagnose a recently hacked site; (!) When you need to test a web design (some hidden text may be totally innocent and only appear...
Google’s “Nexus One” Infringes Existing Trademark
March 17, 2010, 6:39 am
According to analysts, Google’s Nexus One phone isn’t selling too well. In fact, its 135,000 units sold is way off the 1 million iPhone’s sold during its launch.
Still, there’s good news for Google. It was just denied a trademark for Nexus One, because it’s too similar to one that’s already...
Top 10 Signs You Spend Too Much Time on Twitter
March 17, 2010, 6:14 am
Even if you don’t watch David Letterman, you’ve seen his infamous Top Ten lists before.
A couple of nights ago, he took on Twitter addiction.
Enjoy!
(hat tip)
Study Predicts Mobile App Market Will Show Significant Upward Mobility
March 17, 2010, 5:57 am
Apps is now one of those words that has taken on its own meaning in the American lexicon as most people who use it are referring to the apps for mobile devices. Why not since the market is growing at a serious rate because it makes having a handheld device much more interesting than just being a phone and a way to connect to the...
PayPal And China Union Team Up To Allow Chinese To Buy Overseas
March 17, 2010, 4:07 am"The new program allows customers with a UnionPay credit or debit card to make overseas purchases."
Taking Advantage of Article Directories in Website Marketing
March 17, 2010, 3:59 amEven with embedded video, flash, and other non-text content, the internet is still mostly made up of information in text form. Search engines that crawl the web looking for good sites with high quality content are crawling text. They can’t “see” images, so any information they get pertaining to those images have to come from...
Google Has All of Holland, in Streetview That Is!
March 17, 2010, 3:47 amIt's only a very small country, so it hasn't been the biggest job the Google Streetview-people had to do, but they did it. Almost the entire country of the Netherlands has now been captured in images in Google Streetview. A total of 75,600 square kilometers (about 46,975 square miles) has been photographed to get most of the Dutch roads into the...
Can Google Buzz Replace RSS Subscription?
March 17, 2010, 2:20 amOver recent months I've found I'm reading RSS feeds less and less. The main difficulty is that links are now so often shared on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon etc - that RSS can easily be forgotten sometimes. It's actually quite common that I'll login to see 1000+ items to read so just end up marking all as read and pretending they were never...
An Illustrated Guide to Matt Cutts' Comments on Crawling & Indexation
March 17, 2010, 1:42 amPosted by randfish Late last week, Eric Enge of Stone Temple (and a co-author of mine on The Art of SEO ) published a fascinating interview with Google's head of Webspam, Matt Cutts . I think the whole of the SEO community can agree that Matt taking time for these types of interviews is phenomenal and I can only hope he does more of them in the...
Google Opens Certified Ad Networks To All AdSense Publishers
March 17, 2010, 1:07 am"...all publishers will now have access to these participating ad networks."
Google with over 80% market share in Iceland
March 17, 2010, 12:51 amA study done by Nordic eMarketing in Iceland last October showed that Google had 79% market share with Leit.is a local player with close to 9%. Another study done this March showed that Google has reached the 80% mark and Leit has gone to over 10%. The study was done for the first book in Icelandic on Internet Marketing published in December last...
SEMPO goes International
March 17, 2010, 12:51 amSix out of thirteen SEMPO board members are now none US so SEMPO is turning truly International. SEMPO, the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, earlier this month announced the results of its 2010 Board of Directors election which will begin their two-year term on March 18, 2010. SEMPO's 2010 Board of Directors is: Chris Boggs,...
Followers, Fans or Emails? What do You Want?
March 16, 2010, 10:09 pmIf you are a marketer in this crazy digital era we live in you know firsthand how important it really is to be visible everywhere. You have Twitter, Facebook and that ancient form of marketing, email. All are very important so how do you prioritize which are the most important to seek during the day? ⢠Emails: The good thing about emails is...
OK Go, BBQ and Musicians Wanted at SXSW
March 16, 2010, 9:58 pmRight up there with our love of award-winning Texas BBQ is our love of independent music and the people who create it. That's why the indie-centric SXSW Music Conference in Austin is the perfect place to launch the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) for musicians, aka Musicians Wanted . It's just the latest step in the YPP's continual expansion . This...
Happy Independence Day Estonia!
March 16, 2010, 9:17 pmIt's Independence Day in Estonia and the celebrations are going on in full force. Morning parades, the presidential reception, festive parties, and of course national flags abound throughout the country. The orkut team wanted to show our appreciation for our Estonian members and created a special doodle to mark the occasion: If you're out...
Welcome to Our Flightmare
March 16, 2010, 7:18 pmby Mike Krumboltz Air travel is never fun, but rarely can a flight be described as a true "flightmare." However, that's the word that's being tossed about for a Los Angeles to New York flight that took 16 hours with delays. The Virgin America flight took place this past weekend, but it wasn't until a story ran on MSNBC that the searches took off....
You and the FCC Chairman discuss the Future of the Internet
March 16, 2010, 7:12 pmEarlier today, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Julius Genachowski sat down for an exclusive YouTube Interview, right on the heels of the FCC's announcement of a National Broadband Plan - the agency's strategy to deliver high-speed Internet to more Americans across the country. You might be surprised to learn that - even...
Google-Certified Ad Networks for All AdSense Publishers
March 16, 2010, 5:22 pmIt's been awhile since we last heard anything from Google AdSense. Although it may be starting to lose its luster among website publishers, I would like to think that there are still tons of sites which relied on it to earn some extra bucks. Anyway, the Inside AdSense blog just announced that AdSense publishers will now have access to...
One Man's Keywords are Another Man's List of Forbidden 'Newsspeak' Words and Phrases
March 16, 2010, 5:07 pmMy sympathy goes out to the search engine optimizers for large media companies. While they are trying to get journalists to understand the value of using keywords, journalists often confuse that with using a list of forbidden "newsspeak" words and phrases.Click to read the rest of this post...
Multi-Regional URL Structures in SEO â" the Pros and Cons
March 16, 2010, 5:05 pmWhen I was at SMX West 2010 in Santa Clara a couple of weeks ago, I attended a session called Technical SEO. One of the speakers was Maile Ohye (one of the best Google speakers in my opinion) who showed a very cool comparison of the various URL structures that can be used for multi-regional sites. Maile also discussed the advantages and...
"Predators" Reboot Buzz: Watch the Teaser Trailer
March 16, 2010, 4:54 pmby Claudine Zap Let's be clear. Adrien Brody is no Arnold Schwarzenegger . Sure, Brody's got an Oscar. But does he have the bod? Because he's going to need some serious bulk in his next movie, " Predators ." Find more "Predator" movies . Ah-nold starred in the original way back in 1987, about an elite force sent to rescue hostages in Central...
Google Global Firefox Extension V2.2 Released
March 16, 2010, 3:42 pmThe Google Global Firefox Extension is a free add-on from Redfly Marketing that allows you to quickly and easily see Google paid and organic search results exactly as they appear in different locations that can be defined by the user.The new version supports FF 3.6, has a fancy new icon/logo and is full of awesome.
Bing Adds More Sizes Option to Image Search
March 16, 2010, 3:16 pmIf you're fond of searching for great images and photos available on the web, most often you'd probably encounter search results which don't give you the option for more sizes available for those images. The folks at Microsoft Bing knew this and so they are rolling out a new feature of Bing image search which actually lets you find other...
PayPal Launches Send Money 2.0 for iPhone: The Best App for Mobile Money Transactions
March 16, 2010, 2:59 pmHi all â" Eric Duprat, GM of PayPal's mobile team here. We're excited to announce that PayPal's Send Money 2.0 iPhone application is available in the Apple iTunes app store today. Great new features include tapping iPhones together to transfer funds (via Bump technology), splitting the check for a meal .
71 Chrome Extensions for Blogging & SEO
March 16, 2010, 2:48 pmBest list I have seen to date!
Facebook Tweaks Search Suggestions For Relevancy
March 16, 2010, 2:47 pmFacebook's search suggestions are about to get significantly better. Rather than just suggest the names of people, events, groups, and Pages a person's already connected with, suggestions are going to draw from users' networks of friends and the entire site. It is, of course, nice not to have to type out your closest pal's 17-letter last name...
Facebook Rolls Out Search Suggestion Feature
March 16, 2010, 2:30 pmFacebook has just rolled out a new feature for its site-wide search box - search suggestion. This is is similar to the search suggestion features offered by major search engines wherein various search terms are suggested via a drop-down menu, as you type the first few letters of your search query. According to the Facebook blog , this new feature...
The Heck's a Leprechaun, Anyway?
March 16, 2010, 2:24 pmby Mike Krumboltz St. Patrick's Day is an incredibly popular holiday. After all, most holidays aren't 100% inclusive, but everybody's at least a little Irish on March 17. One of the holiday's most endearing symbols is, of course, the leprechaun . Not surprisingly, searches on the mythical creature are huge on St. Paddy's Day. For example, Web...
Google Gives Advertisers Another "In" On YouTube
March 16, 2010, 1:41 pmIn a move that investors and marketers alike should applaud, Google's figured out another way to make money off the site it bought for $1.65 billion three and a half years ago. Today, Google explained that it's come up with a tool to help small organizations advertise on YouTube. Emily Williams, a member of the Inside AdWords team, explained on...
Celebrating 25 Years of Dot-Com
March 16, 2010, 1:29 pmTwenty-five years ago on this date, the first company registered a Web address with the now prolific .com extension. In recognition of that milestone, we've asked Internet industry leaders to take a look back at the impact of .com and share perspectives on the future direction of the Internet. We're also honored to have Facebook and its founder...
You Suck â" A Memo to Microsoft adCenter
March 16, 2010, 1:11 pmDear Microsoft. While I value a wider selection brought on by competition, ever since you launched adCenter, your back-end has been plagued with troubles. I find it alarming that even after all this time, some basic fundamental usability issues are still not addressed and getting things done within your system continues to be a burden. The...
Pew Internet Project Describes the State of Online News as Moving Target
March 16, 2010, 12:14 pmThe Pew Internet Project and the Project for Excellence in Journalism's " State of the News Media 2010 " report describes the state of online news heading into this year as "a moving target." Click to read the rest of this post.
ISA that Time of the Year
March 16, 2010, 12:08 pmIt's that time of year again when it seems that almost everyone is talking about Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and the various ways to get the most out of them. Indeed, April 6 th 2010 heralds the start of the new tax year here in the UK, and with it comes a whole new set of rules governing the amount of tax-free savings that can be made. In...
5 Ways to Electrify Your Social Network
March 16, 2010, 12:07 pmA typical situation for many marketers when it comes to social networks is this: Setup LinkedIn profile, check. Corporate LinkedIn page, check. Facebook profile, check. Facebook Fan Page, check. Twitter account, check. Corporate blog, check. Check check check! But where's the buzz? Where are the fans, friends, followers, comments, links,...
Google Should Obey Us Even if They Leave, Says Chinese Government
March 16, 2010, 12:07 pm
Maybe I missed the point of the whole China/Google kerfluffle, but I could have sworn the reason Google was pulling out of China was because they didn’t want to obey China’s rules on censorship anymore. Apparently China has decided to conveniently ignore that fact as they remind Google to continue to obey China’s...
Google Hopes Mobile Ad Rates Beat Desktop Standard
March 16, 2010, 11:59 amInvestors and online advertising experts may want to consider for a moment what, exactly, has contributed to Google's stupendous financial success (current market cap: $180 billion). Now consider this: Google thinks mobile ad rates might surpass what's come to be deemed the industry standard.
According to Reuters, Vic Gundotra, a vice...
Win a VIP Trip to Search & Social Spring Summit 2010!
March 16, 2010, 11:39 amHave you ever wanted to attend a premier industry event as a VIP, get inside secrets from industry leaders, and get treated like a rockstar ? Well this week Search & Social are giving you several ways to make this a reality. For the launch of the 2010 Search & Social Spring Summit (formerly known as IM Spring Break), the organizers are giving you...
"Search" for us at SES New York!
March 16, 2010, 11:34 amIf your company runs a website, you already know the importance of search engine marketing and optimization. But are you confident that your website is providing the very best user experience possible? If you haven't added or improved your search function yet, you could be missing out on conversions, sales, and repeat visits. Next week, we're...
Emilie de Ravin's New Role, GQ Magazine's Tell-All, Jessica Simpson's New Show: What's the Buzz
March 16, 2010, 11:33 amby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Emilie de Ravin (Searches increased by +3,326%). The "Lost" star has found a new role in "Remember Me," opposite teen heartthrob Robert Pattinson. GQ Magazine (+1,557%). John Edwards' mistress bared way too much in a tell-all and photoshoot . Red velvet cake (1,958%). The dessert is a...
A Geometric Progression of Effectiveness - The Agility of Interruptions
March 16, 2010, 11:33 amAndré Maurois (1885-1967) wrote that "The effectiveness of work increases according to geometric progression if there are no interruptions." At Digg we struggle between the clear benefits of uninterrupted work and the need to be agile in our communication.
Same Picture Different Size
March 16, 2010, 10:31 amAdvances in digital photography technology have catapulted the number of digital images that are available online. Whether through various online photo services or during an everyday search on Bing , the number of digital image results is staggering, and continues to grow at an amazing pace. How you sift through and find the right image and image...
How to Create a Text Marketing Campaign
March 16, 2010, 10:20 amby Sage Lewis
American Express OPEN Forum has a good article on how to create a solid text marketing campaign. This gives you some good, concrete tips on how to get started.
Be sure and visit our small business news site.
Using Anchor Links to Make Google Ignore The First Link
March 16, 2010, 10:13 amPosted by Errioxa This post was originally in YOUmoz , and was promoted to the main blog because it provides great value and interest to our community. The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of SEOmoz, Inc. In the past, I have tried several different ways to skip the first link that Google takes into account...
Do You Need Google et al.? Hacker News Doesn’t Does
March 16, 2010, 10:11 am
Hang around any industry conference, forum or blog long enough and you’ll find someone lamenting our dependence on Google, or search engines altogether. It’s absolutely true that we as webmasters and marketers need to diversify our traffic strategies (you know what they say about eggs and baskets)—but are you...
Google China Shows "Tank Man," Tibet Search Results
March 16, 2010, 9:45 amThe clash between Google and the Chinese government appears to be coming to a head. Various sources have reported that Google ignored a cut-off date to reregister as an Internet content provider in China, and more importantly, that the company has stopped censoring search results.
Let's get the paperwork-related story out of the way...
More material for web site owners
March 16, 2010, 9:31 amHere's some more stuff you should know about. - I did a monster-long interview with Eric Enge . I think the interview lasted an hour or something like that, and we covered several areas in depth. - Next, take a break and go read this post by Rhea Drysdale . Heck, maybe send her a donation by Paypal. Rhea took on a big fight for the benefit of the...
Diamond iPad : A Smart Social PR Campaign with SEO Focus
March 16, 2010, 9:31 amThis morning I started my day in a rather unqiue fashion which did not involve rushing into the office or trying to find some time to run to the gym. I brewed a cup of coffee, sat down on the sofa and turned on the morning news. MSNBC's Morning Joe is usually my morning news of choice, but today I picked CNN's Headline News and zoned out, catching...
Google Creep Exemplified in Hungry Beast Video
March 16, 2010, 9:07 amI've written often about Google Creep, the notion that the search engine's tendrils are seeping into every aspect of the Internet realm, from broadband networks ( no, really ) to social networks (Buzz), to niche Web services such as annotations to ambitious forays into mobile platforms (Android). Some are still waiting for Google to build robots...
Diamond iPad : A Smart Social PR Campaign with SEO Implications
March 16, 2010, 9:05 amA great case study on social media marketing done properly. "Hitting one major media outlet helped this Mervis campaign get coverage all over the place. Journalists need something to talk about, bloggers need something to write about. This Mervis news trickled down the AOL ladder into the rest of the blogosphere bigtime!"
Facebook Opens in Hyderabad, India to Serve 8 Million
March 16, 2010, 8:56 amFacebook has announced the opening of an office in Hyderabad in southern India to support the roll out of Facebook to the large India-based population. Already Facebook has 8 million users in India. The company is now looking to recruit online sales and operations teams which are to be formed there. Don Faul, Director of Global Online Operations...
MapQuest Expands Mobile Version; Enables 360 View Linking
March 16, 2010, 8:50 amA couple of updates to one of the most popular mapping products. Click to read the rest of this post.
How can small businesses measure offline sales?
March 16, 2010, 8:47 amby Mike Moran
Image via Wikipedia
Often, I work with businesses trying to determine the return on investment for their online marketing. For e-commerce companies, it's not that hard. They can use their Web analytics to see how many people are coming to the site and how many actually convert by checking out. But what if you sell offline? Then...
Is it Time to Fire Your PR Agency?
March 16, 2010, 8:46 amGood reinder: the truth is you can’t always assume your PR agency is pushing your business in the right direction. That’s why it’s important to reevaluate their performance on a regular basis. If you see any of these signs, it may be time to fire your PR agency.
The Secret Ingredient to an Irresistible Blog
March 16, 2010, 8:31 amThings were going pretty well until I bit into my hamburger. Ow. Something was really wrong. "Are you okay?" asked my date. My eyes started watering. I was so confused, but I nodded. I bit down harder and suddenly the hamburger flew out of my hands. I've never been so bewildered in my life. Only when I held my hand up did the sorry truth stare us...
The New MSN â" Microsoft's Bob Visse Explains the Why for Advertisers
March 16, 2010, 8:20 amOn March 9 the new US MSN homepage made its debut offering search, news, local, and social networking â" all in one place. I recently sat down with Bob Visse, General Manager of MSN Product Management, to capture his thoughts on the new, clean look of the MSN homepage, the new features and functionality, and what this means for advertisers. I...
ISAPI Rewrite: Addressing Canonicalization and Redirects on Windows Server
March 16, 2010, 7:45 amIn the previous posts, I've mentioned the importance of having a clean and crawlable website structure for SEO. The reason is simple. Without one, you're dead in the water from an SEO standpoint. If your content cannot be crawled and indexed, then you can forget about the other aspects of SEO, including content optimization, linkbuilding,...
A new Google penalty? What can you do against it?
March 16, 2010, 7:36 amWebmasters in online forums reported an unusual Google behavior. New web pages of some sites are indexed with a longer delay. Is it a new Google penalty? Or is it just a bug that affects only certain websites?
An Unconventional Way to Choose Hosting
March 16, 2010, 7:27 amChoosing a hosting provider can be a big hassle. The first time I started paying for hosting was close to ten years ago and since then I have gone through a lot of hosts. And to tell you the truth, up until this year, I just picked the cheapest I could find with the features I needed. I had already gone through learning SEO to make money online...
3 Skills You Need To Be An SEO
March 16, 2010, 7:27 amBeing an SEO's not the easiest job in the world. It's certainly not as simple as understanding, "I need links, and optimized anchor text, keywords and META tags." How can you develop those links? Why are links important? How does Google actually work? Why does your ranking change in the SERPs? To answer these questions and more, you need more than...
Droid Beats iPhone In Sales Comparison
March 16, 2010, 7:22 amThere's good and bad news for Google this morning with respect to Android and the mobile market. In terms of how many units were sold during their first 74 days of availability, it seems the Droid beat the iPhone to the million-unit mark, but the Nexus One is lagging far behind. That's the state of things according to Flurry , which claims that...
Interview with Mark Bole, CEO of BigMouthMedia
March 16, 2010, 7:12 amLast week I spoke with Mark Bole from BigMouthMedia, about the recent merger of LBi and Obtineo (BigMouthMedia's holding company) and €40m more capital. I wanted to get a bit more detail about what the deal means for search marketers and get a sense of whether this was a strategic or reactive response to changes in the market.Click to read the...
Five Link-Building Experts, Eight Questions
March 16, 2010, 7:06 amWe did an interview series with five link building gurus, and 8 of the questions had a good deal of overlap: find out what Wiep Knol, Garrett French, Ben Willis, Julie Joyce, and Debra Mastaler about tools, link requests, the factors of a quality link and more.
Weekly Search & Social News: 03/16/2010
March 16, 2010, 7:04 amWelcome to another edition of ' 7 Days of Search and Social ' - last week was a pretty damned busy one out in the search news/blogging space and we have a TON of good reading this week. From compliant code for SEO to the ever popular (debated) SEO standards and a whack of search geeky goodiness, there was plenty out there. Oh and what's with Matt...
Microsoft Shows Developers IE9 Platform Preview
March 16, 2010, 7:01 am"Coming in the new version is support for new Web standards including plug-in-free video; better performance with graphics, text, and JavaSript by taking advantage of modern computing hardware; and a new effort at gathering and responding to feedback from those using the prototype software,"
Is Wikipedia on the Road to Becoming the Next DMOZ? (SXSW)
March 16, 2010, 6:59 amThere is no shortage of interesting sessions going on at SXSW Interactive in Austin, but one that was especially interesting was "Can Wikipedia Survive Popular Success and Community Decline?" - a presentation from USC Professor of Journalism Andrew Lih . The session explored factors that contribute to the declining rate of Wikipedia entry editing,...
Twitter Launching @anywhere; Plans to be @everywhere!
March 16, 2010, 6:54 am
Twitter is not content to occupy those little moments you share together when the boss is not looking. It’s not willing to put up with being used merely as a channel to share what you ate for breakfast!
Nope, Twitter wants to be @anywhere and @everywhere.
OK, so officially it just wants to be @anywhere–the name of its...
Advanced SEO Reporting with SEJ Tools
March 16, 2010, 6:42 amOne of the most powerful features inside SEJ tools is its advanced reporting ability which makes it a lot easier to create pretty, fully-customized and data-rich reports for clients. With SEJ tools you can choose among multiple templates (or create your own), schedule reports, include any sets of data, etc. 1. Create a branded template The first...
Fuzzy Math Puts Facebook Ahead of Google as Most Visited Site
March 16, 2010, 6:27 am
I really thought this chart from Hitwise (via TechCrunch) was going to be a bigger deal than it actually is.
On the face of it, Facebook just overtook Google as the most visited site in the U.S:
However, Google doesn’t get the benefit of traffic to YouTube; and Yahoo is a mere third, because Yahoo Mail or Flickr...
Using Collaboration To Increase Your Marketing Reach
March 16, 2010, 5:30 amI’ve been thinking a lot about collaborative marketing lately, and how we can turn co-existing businesses more into partners and less about missing opportunities. I think there’s a great untapped market for someone that really wants to grab collaborative marketing and run with it.
For example – imagine you’re going on a trip. You have to...
SEO 101 - Part 11: Everything You Need to Know About SEO Copywriting
March 16, 2010, 5:13 amby Stoney deGeyter
The following series is pulled from a presentation I gave to a group of beauty bloggers hosted by L'Oreal in New York. Most of the presentation is geared toward how to make a blog more search engine and user-friendly, however I will expand many of the concepts here to include tips and strategies for sites selling products...
Report: U.S. Online Crime Almost Doubled In 2009
March 16, 2010, 4:38 am"The most popular scams involved requests for advanced fees and non-delivery of merchandise."
Twitter Launches At Anywhere
March 16, 2010, 2:15 am"Rather than implementing APIs, site owners need only drop in a few lines of javascript."
How to Properly Audit your Website for SEO
March 15, 2010, 10:22 pmIf you have had a website for many years but have never really paid much attention to its efficiency in the search engines and you have recently started exploring optimizing your website, here are some areas you can look at prior to audit the current SEO state of your website. Source Code: By right clicking on a page you will have an option that...
Play? Exercise? Both?
March 15, 2010, 8:39 pmby Mike Krumboltz The Nintendo Wii has earned a lot of good press for its ability to get gamers off the couch and exercising. Or, at least getting people to flail their arms to and fro. But the mighty Wii isn't the only gaming device to inspire some real life sweat. Behold, the PokeWalker ! The PokeWalker (a kind of pedometer) is a recently...
Big News: Woman Wants to be World's Fattest
March 15, 2010, 6:43 pmby Claudine Zap Step aside, Homer Simpson . This real-life Donna Simpson, of New Jersey, could eat circles around you . The 42-year-old already weighs 600 pounds but has a big goal: To be the fattest woman in the world by almost doubling her weight in the next two years. That's a lot of donuts. With first lady Michelle Obama taking on the weighty...
Did Facebook Just Beat Google as The Most Visited Site?
March 15, 2010, 5:52 pmYes, the headline is not fooling you. According to the latest Hitwise data , Facebook made it pass through Google to become the most visited website in the U.S. Well, for the week ending March 13 at least. Actually this is not the first time that Facebook achieved this feat. It recently achieved the no. 1 post on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day...
I Want To Be Like Rhea Drysdale
March 15, 2010, 5:29 pmPosted by Sarah Bird, Esquire May It Please the Mozzers, I haven't written on the blog in months, but I simply couldn't let today pass by without acknowledging the courage and perserverance shown by Rhea Drysdale in her pursuit of justice. She's my hero and I want to be just like her-A woman of action and humble fortitude. Rhea announced victory...
From SXSW: How can advertising pros learn about evolving digital platforms?
March 15, 2010, 3:39 pmOn Monday, I went to the South by Southwest panel - How Does an Advertising Pro Adapt to New Communication Techniques? I had been looking forward to this session. One of the presenters, Damon Brewster, had written an interesting blog post about why he feels the SXSW conference is important for advertisers, in a way comparable to the advertising...
Must Read: Matt Cutts Interviewed by Eric Enge
March 15, 2010, 3:28 pmSit back, relax, and digest this thing. Click to read the rest of this post.
How to video chat in orkut
March 15, 2010, 3:22 pmWe recently announced the launch of orkut video chat, an easy way for you and your friends to keep in touch, virtually face-to-face, directly from your orkut pages. To enjoy this feature, all you need is a webcam and a small plugin - free at www.google.com/chat/video . Take a look at this video to see how it works: Remember that to be able to chat...
Rhea Drysdale - SEO Industry Hero
March 15, 2010, 2:59 pmAnywhere there is controversy you will find many marketers who will opine and try to shine the lights on themselves about how wonderful they are and how much they help everyone else and how everyone should link to them in the controversy. But when the attention dies down it turns out few marketers hold true to their promises and stick with their...
Twitter Announces @anywhere Platform
March 15, 2010, 2:17 pmTwitter should soon become more ubiquitous across the Web. Today, the company's cofounders announced something called @anywhere that should help integrate the Twitter experience into standard sites, and a number of impressive organizations have agreed to take part in the initial rollout. Evan Williams essentially handled the SXSW side of things...
Twitter Unveils @Anywhere Tweet Publishing Platform
March 15, 2010, 2:11 pmNo, it's not Twitter's new advertising platform. Click to read the rest of this post.
SEO Trademark Registration Terminated - Rhea's Post
March 15, 2010, 1:51 pmGreat story with a happy ending. How @Rhea saved "SEO" . . .
Harold and Kumar Can't Be Stopped
March 15, 2010, 1:48 pmby Mike Krumboltz Perhaps this announcement should have waited until April 20, but there was no holding back the news. Harold and Kumar are coming back for a third big screen adventure. A buzzy blog from IGN explains that actor John Cho (aka "Harold") told Collider that "the film is moving forward and the plan is to shoot this June." The film is...
Facebook Unseats Google As Most-Visited Site
March 15, 2010, 1:06 pmAlthough the "thud" wasn't verified until this afternoon, it seems that an online giant fell a couple of days ago. According to new data from Hitwise, Facebook managed to beat Google in terms of visits between March 7th and March 13th, becoming the most visited website in the U.S. for the week.
The graph visible below makes the...
Report: Yahoo's SVP Of Revenue To Quit
March 15, 2010, 1:00 pmJoanne Bradford started at Yahoo about a year and a half ago, assuming the title "Senior Vice President, U.S. Revenue and Market Development." Now, a fresh report's indicated that the high-ranking exec is on her way out again, ready to take a position at Demand Media.
Kara Swisher wrote earlier, "According to several sources...
Confirmed: Yahoo's SVP Of Revenue To Quit
March 15, 2010, 1:00 pmJoanne Bradford started at Yahoo about a year and a half ago, assuming the title "Senior Vice President, U.S. Revenue and Market Development." Now, a fresh report's indicated that the high-ranking exec is on her way out again, ready to take a position at Demand Media.
Kara Swisher wrote earlier, "According to several sources...
Facebook Tops Google As Most Visited Site in U.S. Last Week
March 15, 2010, 12:56 pmYou could see this coming a mile away. Click to read the rest of this post.
Now Available in Real Time: Spam!
March 15, 2010, 12:39 pm
Yep, now you can have spam delivered in real time to your search results on Google or Twitter. This is just why we all clapped for joy when Bing and Google hooked up with Twitter for real time results, isn’t it?
Oh, no? Hm. I guess we’re not the only ones. Search Engine Roundtable noted a Webmaster World forum thread...
Liveblogging: Twitter CEO Evan Williams Keynote at SXSW
March 15, 2010, 12:32 pmWe're here at SXSW Interactive waiting for the keynote with Twitter CEO Evan Williams who will discuss "The Next Generation of Social Media." There has been some speculation that an announcement of Twitter's ad platform could occur at this event, but that may or may not happen. We'll see.
Either way, I'll be liveblogging the...
Double Your Fun with Double the SEOmoz API
March 15, 2010, 12:32 pmPosted by Nick Gerner I know, I promised a Linkscape update by last week. And I missed it. But there's an update today! Do you forgive me? No? Not enough? Well how about doubling the volume of data available in our free API ? You might have gotten a totally awesome email last week announcing that the free SEOmoz API is now serving up to...
Alert - HitWise says Facebook Passed Google for a Full Week
March 15, 2010, 12:15 pm"Facebook Inc. edged past Google Inc. (GOOG) to become the most visited U.S. Web site for the week ended March 13, the first time the Internet giant has been topped since 2007, according to Hitwise."
Jude Law, SXSW, Weekend Box Office: What's the Buzz
March 15, 2010, 12:15 pmby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. SXSW (Searches increased by +628%). The search engine Wolfram Alpha, which delivers actual answers instead of links to queries, won "best in show" at the South by Southwest awards ceremony . Jude Law (+558%). The "Hamlet" star hosted "SNL" for the second time, and mocked his role in...
Affiliate Marketing: Choosing The Best Model For You [infographic]
March 15, 2010, 12:08 pmChoosing the affiliate marketing model that works for your site can be tough. For a publisher website, you will need to weight pros and cons of CPM vs CPC vs CPA and find out which model will work for your site audience and provide the highest return. Advertisers on the other hand, need to figure out which model will work for the type of...
Google Loses Another 1% Share in Nielsen Feb 2010 Rankings
March 15, 2010, 12:03 pmMeanwhile, Bing gains 1.5 share. Click to read the rest of this post.
Embed Bing Maps Twitter App on Your Website
March 15, 2010, 11:06 amBuilding on the location-sharing frenzy, a cool app for your site. Click to read the rest of this post.
Professionalism
March 15, 2010, 10:23 amSome people email you out of the blue accusing you of things that are not true while being rude and condescending. One person stated that they were certain I sold their email and that I am unethical and etc etc etc My response was short and sweet "go _ yourself. we don't sell our user information." To which there was a response about how I am not...
MSN Video Player â" Interview with Microsoft UK's Ashley Highfield
March 15, 2010, 10:18 amLast week, MSN UK announced the official launch of the MSN Video Player . In a series of interviews with Ashley Highfield, Microsoft UK's MD & VP of our Consumer & Online division, he talks about the premise behind the new video experience, why it's different and what it means for advertisers.
Twitter to Unveil Advertising Platform Today?
March 15, 2010, 9:51 am
Today, Umair Haque of the Havas Media Lab will interview Twitter CEO Evan Williams at SxSW. TechCrunch is poised to report—especially since they expect Twitter to unveil its advertising platform in the interview.
That’s not for certain, of course, but TC points to Twitter head of monetization Anamitra Banerji’s...
Google Gains Bray for Android to Compete with Apple
March 15, 2010, 9:00 amIf 2008 and 2009 were marked by Google employees leaving for Facebook, 2010 may be the year Google employees leave for Apple. That's OK, so long as Google can continue to poach some high-tech legends. The rub is this: Google hired Tim Bray, co-inventor of XML and a longtime Sun Microsystems employee, to work on the Android mobile operating system....
JetBlue Runs an Interesting and Successful Twitter Promotion
March 15, 2010, 8:22 amIn the social media world, it is so important to try to do things that haven't been done before. Why? Well, since social media is so new and the applications of it have not even begun to be thought of yet, you must be a risk taker by default to see if it will work for you and your business. We hear more about social media flame-outs, which I...
What Avatar Can Teach You About Repurposing Your Content
March 15, 2010, 8:20 amThe entertainment and CGI world has been fawning over the movie Avatar for months, and it seems you can't watch any entertainment news program without hearing about James Cameron's groundbreaking 3D epic. And even if Cameron went home last week without the armful of Oscars he expected, directing the highest-grossing movie of all time probably...
A Proven Time-tested Effective Technique For Reducing Your Income
March 15, 2010, 8:14 amWhen Transparency is Valuable If you are selling a site which you just want to get rid of and lack passion for then there is nothing wrong with being fairly transparent and shopping it for the maximum amount you can get at an auction or such. And if you have high growth and contact an investment banker to get a bidding war going then limited...
Google Hires XML Co-Inventor
March 15, 2010, 7:58 amToday, Tim Bray started working for Google, and had the search giant just put out a one-sentence press release stating this fact, the development would be worth reporting. But what makes this move especially noteworthy is that Bray announced it in a 1,260-word blog post mentioning an absolute hatred of the iPhone.
Bray is a rather important...
Meet The 25-Year-Old Who Saved “SEO” From Being Trademarked
March 15, 2010, 7:52 amBack in April 2008, a man began his attempt to trademark SEO, his name was Jason Gambert. Today I learned, Gambert’s claim to register a trademark on the term “SEO” was formally blocked. It may come to a surprise to you that this trademark application was blocked only because of the help from a few individuals in the SEO industry.
Think Visibility Conference Round-up
March 15, 2010, 7:37 amDavid Towers live blogged from the Think Visibility conference in Leeds at the weekend. Read his in-depth notes and reviews from each session he attended.
Fun Ways to Improve Facebook Ad CTRs
March 15, 2010, 7:15 amDriving traffic to your website or Fan page through Facebook advertising is becoming a popular trend these days. And for good reason too! Facebook is easily capable of sending you thousands of highly targeted visitors! But with all of the advertising Facebook users are subjected to, what can you do to make your ad stick out? Traditionally,...
Google, China Edge Closer To Face-Off
March 15, 2010, 7:10 amThe odds of Google keeping its Chinese search operation running are starting to seem quite small. The Chinese government has started advising Google's partners to prepare contingency plans, and one anonymous person who's supposed to be close to Google even said the company is 99.9 percent likely to shut things down. The "99.9 percent" comment,...
Taking stock of the SEO mindset
March 15, 2010, 7:03 amIf you’re a search geek that’s curious, a blogger looking for hot topics or even a search conference looking for topics of interest; hang in for the ride while we see what is really going on in the space ...
A New SEO Perspective
March 15, 2010, 7:00 amMost SEOs are really keen to explain their tips and tricks to whomever will listen. Goodness knows we at Distilled love to, anyway.
But we thought it would be interesting to see how people outside of the industry view SEO. And since the internet in general has proven tricky for the news media, we’re going to start what we hope will be a...
3 Ways to Subscribe to Any RSS Feed with Your IM
March 15, 2010, 6:58 amDid you know that you could subscribe to any RSS feed with your instant messenger client? There are actually quite a few ways this can turn useful: (!) Be one of the first to learn about any breaking news; (!) Be the first to Digg a post from the Digg-friendly site (and this can be tough, you may know that); (!) Free up the clutter from your email...
How the Crowd is Changing the News (SXSW)
March 15, 2010, 6:52 amHere at SXSW, we attended the session "CrowdControl: Changing the Face of Media or Hype?" At the end, one of the speakers asked the crowd, which they thought it was. Almost everybody responded with the former, while maybe one or two raised their hand for hype. I think it's pretty clear that citizen journalism, the real topic of this discussion, is...
Add Image Links to Your Arsenal
March 15, 2010, 6:34 amIn the pursuit of new inbound links, people don't always seek out new image links. We've been so conditioned to go after good editorial links that image links may be the last things on our minds as we reach out and try to increase traffic (and, let's be honest, rankings) for our sites. However, there are several reasons why you should start paying...
Stalemate Between Google & China Now Just Getting Stale
March 15, 2010, 6:32 am
Not since the year-long courtship between Yahoo and Microsoft have I wanted two sides to just DO IT ALREADY!
What am I talking about? China and Google.
For the love of my RSS stream, either pull out or make-up–this is getting old! The latest? Google is "99.9 percent" likely to shut down its Chinese search...
301 Redirects Do Not Pass Full PageRank & Link Value
March 15, 2010, 6:16 amIronically, my own field tests with a variety of sites (from small ones to the multi-million page Fortune 500 variety) would suggest that Mr. Cutts' assertion is false, but I think that this article and his comments are still worth mentioning.Perhaps there is a bit of a dropoff with the 301, but maybe it's so minimal (think trace amounts of...
Google Confirms: 301 Redirects Result in PageRank Loss!
March 15, 2010, 6:11 am
I don’t often jump into the world of SEO advice–there are plenty of excellent blogs that do that–but when Google’s Matt Cutts confirms that 301 redirects do, in fact, lose PageRank, well, that’s worth sharing.
Eric Enge gets the scoop–boy, is he gonna get a lot of backlinks from...
Use Your Users' Language - And Use It Well!
March 15, 2010, 5:49 amShari Thurow, founder and SEO Director of Omni Marketing Interactive is recognised as the leading expert on search engine friendly design and has authored three books about web design and usability. She speaks at events around the world, sharing her research and offering advice on how to optimise user experience on websites.
SES New York 2010 â" Hear Microsoft Speakers on Bing & adCenter
March 15, 2010, 5:37 amJust a week to go until Search Engine Strategies in New York! The conference looks like being one of the best yet with keynote speeches by David Meerman Scott, Googles Avinash Kaushik and our very own Yusuf Mehdi . Yigal Elnekave , Robyn Raybould.
Shutterstock Voted Best Royalty Free Stock Photos Site for Bloggers
March 15, 2010, 5:14 amA great photo can really add a lot of flavor to a blog post and in our own analysis at Online Marketing Blog as well as with clients, including quality images with a blog post can boost traffic and referrals 30-50%. To make posts more personal, I try to use my own photos as much as possible and do use imags from Flickr under Creative Commons from...
10 Non-Industry SEO Resources and Articles â" SEO Mainstreaming
March 15, 2010, 4:14 amAmazon River by lollyknit One obvious Web trend in 2010 is what I'd like to call SEO mainstreaming . SEO goes prime time so to say. A few people still try to "pull a Calacanis" and tell you that SEO is a dirty word while at the same time spamming Google with fake SEO articles . Nonetheless many other, more sane publishers outside the SEO industry...
Italian Antitrust Authority Investigating Adsense Payment Policy
March 15, 2010, 4:00 am"The antitrust authority is investigating Google Adsense policies regarding the payments made to the publishers and the lack of transparency in how they're calculated."
Matt Cutts Interviewed by Eric Enge
March 15, 2010, 3:49 amMatt talks about faceted navigation. pagerank, crawl budget, duplicate content, 301 vs 302 redirects, rel=canonical tag, javascript, pdfs, video, kml, navigation, and more.
Data Visualization Techniques
March 15, 2010, 2:35 amPosted by willcritchlow Rob and Duncan are currently in Seattle, with this week full of interviews of SEO consultants for our US office . Since the announcement in February, we have been working flat out with a bunch of new clients and dealing endlessly with the US immigration service. With people on the ground, I guess we're now officially...
Website Usability Testing: Guide To The Best Professional Usability Testing Tools And Services
March 15, 2010, 2:27 amWebsite usability testing is a troubleshooting methodology that helps you discover specific ambiguities, pitfalls or issues in your website design and interface that spoil the effective use, legibility and navigation of your web pages. If you want to improve the user experience on your website, in this MasterNewMedia guide you can find all the...
The Inbox Treasure Hunt: How Not to be a Jerk
March 15, 2010, 1:19 amI get lots of emails with business plans, PowerPoints, executive summaries each week. I try to give them all a fair read. After all, you never know where you're going to learn about the next Microsoft. But you'd be surprised how often I will get a mass email address to "Dear Sir" or, worse yet, addressed to the wrong person. The other day I got...
Invited to an AdSense Beta PPC - Pills Porn and Casino Program
March 15, 2010, 1:06 amWe used to joke that PPC stood for Pills, Porn, and Casino. Those were the big 3 affiliate programs that Google loathed to run ads for. Well, Google knocked one off the list this weekend, by sending out invitations to run Pharma/Pills beta AdSense program.
25 Years Of The .com
March 15, 2010, 12:34 am"The internet celebrates a landmark event on the 15 March - the 25th birthday of the day the first dotcom name was registered."
Pew Study Affirms Paywalls a Bad Move
March 14, 2010, 10:33 pm
There are certain things that anyone can hear and automatically say “I don’t think that’ll work very well” without doing any real research. You hear something and you have a visceral reaction that just makes you go with your gut because it makes sense. Even in those kind of no-brainer situations it helps when your...
Mike Grehan Video From the SES Conference
March 14, 2010, 10:16 pmMike Grehan, VP and Global Content Director of Incisive Media gives his opinion on some of the changes that might be happening in the search industry for 2010. It is pretty clear that the industry is changing and evolving and it is important for all businesses that are eager to get involved with search, that they understand that what they might...
Google Surprised Rest of World Not Like the Googleplex
March 14, 2010, 9:44 pm
Google really created quite a buzz around Buzz when it was rolled out in February. The first wave of buzz (pun intended although the whole Wave thing is another story altogether) for Buzz was reasonable and was more about “What do I do with it?” than anything else. That was soon followed by the privacy outcry that became...
test
March 14, 2010, 9:30 pmtest [ test is a post written by Tamar Weinberg . ] Read more about The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web , a primer to social media marketing. Or you can subscribe to the Techipedia RSS feed .
301 Redirect Means "Some Loss of PageRank" - says Mr Cutts
March 14, 2010, 7:39 pm"Matt confirmed that this is in fact the case. There is some loss of PR through a 301." - from the Eric Enge interview.
Does Google PageRank Still Matter - 2010 edition
March 14, 2010, 6:03 pm"I realise that their is a lot of argument about this topic and that most directories still sort there site by pr but to google in the grand scheme of things does it really matter.
Liveblogging: SXSW Keynote: Valerie Casey
March 14, 2010, 12:29 pmI'm sitting here in Exhibit Hall 1 waiting for the keynote to begin. I will be liveblogging/paraphrasing what is discussed (please excuse the inevitable typos). Bio from the SXSW Booklet: Valerie Casey works with start-ups, governments, and companies all over the world on challenges ranging from creating new products and services to transforming...
The future of mapping panel from South By Southwest
March 14, 2010, 11:37 amMicrosofts Chris Pendleton , the technical evangelist for Bing Maps, led a fascinating panel at South By Southwest on Sunday morning with map experts from Foursquare, Twitter, Navtec and Flickr talking about the future of mapping. The panelists discussed their anticipated future at which online maps are overlaid with more and more data: personal...
SXSW: Some Options for Making Money From Your Online Videos
March 14, 2010, 9:14 amAt SXSW, Rob Millis and Will Coghlan of the newly launched Dynamo Player talked about different routes online video producers can take to try and make a buck. While the discussion ultimately led up to the duo's demo of its new product, it was not above representing some different options fairly. The two talked about some of the pros and cons of...
Google stars for bookmarking
March 14, 2010, 9:02 amGoogle is replacing SearchWiki with stars in Google search . The stars sync with Google Bookmarks, so you can get access to them wherever you go. Once you star something, it shows up above the search results: Pretty cool. But I discovered an extra little tip. If you go to Google Bookmarks , you can find a bookmarklet that will let you bookmark...
Dynamo Player - Instant Monetization Tool for Videos Unveiled at SXSW
March 14, 2010, 6:46 amRob Millis and Will Cohlan, the pair beyond the web show Political Lunch , gave a presentation at SXSW called "Beyond Advertising: Can Online Video Finally Pay?" The discussion led to the unveiling of a tool for online video monetization called Dynamo Player . The goal (short-term at least) of the tool is to simplify the process of uploading a...
Google Outdueled Apple in Bid for AdMob, Times Says
March 13, 2010, 10:20 pmIn case the headline and picture above aren't sufficient hints about this post, let's be clear: Google and Apple hate each other with a passion not seen since Apple and Microsoft's mutual loathing from the '80s and '90s. The New York Times in this fine weekend story chronicles the evolution of Google and Apple's relationship from fast friends to...
How To Run Multiple Copies Of IE on Windows 7
March 13, 2010, 8:42 pm"...it would be nice to be able to run some backward-compatibility tests in Internet Explorer 7."
Evan Williams, Twitter's Co Founder: Twitter Fundamental To Democracy
March 13, 2010, 6:12 pm"In areas where censorship hinders freedom of speech, he hopes the "open exchange of information will prevail"."
South By Southwest keynote on privacy and publicity by Microsoft researcher danah boyd
March 13, 2010, 5:47 pmSome of the things we're doing with social media, sometimes in pursuit of profit, and sometimes in pursuit of more altruistic efforts to improve online community, can have some significant and unexpected consequences for users in terms of privacy expectations. That point was driven home by danah boyd of Microsoft Research in her keynote...
SXSW Panel: Is App-vertising the Answer?
March 13, 2010, 4:33 pmI am in Austin, Texas at the SXSW Music, Film and Interactive Festival this weekend attending panels and moderating one of my own. I had a chance to sit in at a panel about "App-vertising." The premise of the panel was the large and increasing amount.
Microsoft Talks Google's Privacy "Fails" at SXSW
March 13, 2010, 3:40 pmAt the keynote today at SXSW , Microsoft 's Danah Boyd placed a lot of emphasis on Google's privacy "fails" with Buzz. The topic of the keynote was the relationship between privacy and publicity, and she certainly covered much more territory and social media in general, but it was interesting that Google Buzz was essentially the first thing talked...
Clarifying a couple points
March 13, 2010, 3:28 pm[Just as a reminder: everything below is my personal opinion. I haven't sent it to anyone else at Google for a review, etc.] Valleywag used a recent podcast I did as material for two points in Six Delusions of Google's Arrogant Leaders . The two assertions that used my comments as material were "Google's wealth means Google 'gets it'" and "Google...
Liveblogging: Danah Boyd (Micosoft Research) SXSW Keynote
March 13, 2010, 1:38 pmI'm sitting here in the exhibit hall at SXSW getting ready for the opening remarks keynote, which is getting ready to get underway. It will be delivered by Danah Boyd of Microsoft Research Her SXSW Bio: One of the world's foremost authorities on social networks, boyd works at Microsoft Research New England and also serves as a Fellow at the...
Google to shut China search engine
March 13, 2010, 12:05 pmGoogle Inc. has drawn up detailed plans to shut its search engine in China and is "99.9 percent" certain of going ahead with the closure.
Pandia Search Engine News Wrap-up March 13
March 13, 2010, 7:56 amThe search never stops! Here are the search industry headlines of the week, brought to you by Pandia. China warns Google to obey or 'pay the consequences' Web censorship battle rumbles on (techcrunch March 2010) SEO Professional FireFox Toolbar: Tracks Yahoo! Backlinks SEO stats as the page loads, stats tracking, on-page diagnostics help, etc (SE...
Possible Scenarios for Google in China
March 13, 2010, 7:50 amAfter a long morning of travel and SXSW preperation, WebProNews popped in on an interesting talk from writer and tech watcher, Kaiser Kuo (here's his bio ) about what might happen with the whole Google/China situation, which has essentially remained at a stand-still for the past two months, since Google made its famous announcement about a "new...
Possible Scenarios for Google in China @ SXSW
March 13, 2010, 7:18 amAfter a long morning of travel and SXSW preperation, WebProNews popped in on an interesting talk from writer and tech watcher, Kaiser Kuo (here's his bio) about what might happen with the whole Google/China situation, which has essentially remained at a stand-still for the past two months, since Google made its famous announcement about a...
Cup of Joe: There Are No Commercial Breaks On the Internet
March 13, 2010, 6:12 am
Sarah Haskins is part of InfoMania’s line up of commentators that pokes fun at mainstream media. Sarah’s biggest contribution is her recurring segment “Target Women.”
“Target Women” is a video commentary that takes a satirical look at television adverts that target women. As we can see above...
SMX Advanced Search Engine Marketing Expo for experienced marketers
March 13, 2010, 5:21 amSMX is arranging expos and conferences for experienced search engine marketers in Seattle on June 8 and 9 and in London on May 17 and 18. The idea is to have knowledgeable practitioners meet to discuss search engine marketing without having to go through all the basics. In the audience you will find advertising budget holders, in-house search...
AltSearchEngines.com is no more
March 13, 2010, 4:18 amThe AltSearchEngines site on alternative search engines will no longer be updated. The editor, Charles Knight, managed to cover some 4000 search engines in its three year long life. To Federated Search Blog he says that AltSearchEngines had reached a plateau: "There are only so many people interested in a daily dose of niche search engines. Not...
The Great Ad Blocking Debate: The Impact Ad Blocking Has On A Site
March 12, 2010, 8:21 pm"It can result in people losing their jobs, it can result in less content on any given site, and it definitely can affect the quality of content."
10 Tips on Live Blogging & Content Marketing at SXSWi
March 12, 2010, 8:19 pmSo here I sit in the DFW airport hanging out with David Berkowitz waiting for my connection to Austin. What better way to spend that 45 min than to write a helpful blog post? A big part of my "mission" for SXSXi is to create content after all. I have several other goals like networking (reconnecting and especially new contacts), competitive...
Runaway Toyota, Glenn Beck, and Lindsay's Lawsuit: Buzz Week in Review
March 12, 2010, 7:50 pmby Mike Krumboltz What. A. Week. One of Hollywood's most famous starlets filed a lawsuit so bizarre, so unintentionally hilarious, laughter was the only suitable response. Elsewhere, Toyota continued to struggle with runaway cars, and a popular cable commentator was upstaged during a wacky interview. Read on for those stories and more with the...
Searching for Daylight Savings
March 12, 2010, 6:35 pmby Claudine Zap Daylight Saving Time is coming, and with it, longer , more light-filled days are on the way. Some may be surprised that Daylight Saving Time is already here. But there's a reason for that. Below, your Buzz round up of searches on the time change. When is it? We spring ahead the second Sunday in March. This year it's Sunday, March...
China Says Google "Will Pay The Consequences" For Not Complying
March 12, 2010, 6:09 pm"Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Yizhong was speaking at China's annual legislation session."
PayPal's Mobile Fundraising Campaigns benefit Save the Children at SXSWi
March 12, 2010, 4:05 pmHi everyone, Judy Chang with PayPal Nonprofits reporting live from SXSWi in Austin, TX! This morning, to kick off the show, PayPal and Foursquare launched "Check-In For Charity," an innovative fundraising campaign benefitting Save the Children's continuing work in Haiti. Whenever anyone "checks-in" to one of the designated locations around...
Bing Picks Up Yahoo's Drop In Febuary Search Volume
March 12, 2010, 3:37 pmThe Hitwise report for search volume for Febuary shows Bing gaining ,2 percent market share (11.5) while Yahoo (16.8) dropped the equivalent amount. Google gained 0.1 percent that same amount Ask dropped.
Nielsen: Online Video Usage Significantly Up YOY
March 12, 2010, 3:37 pmGlass-half-full and glass-half-empty types, prepare to be split. New stats from Nielsen indicate that February of 2010 was a great month for the online video industry compared to February of 2009. Last month was a little bit rotten compared to January of 2010, however. The chart below shows how the big-picture data categories played out. ...
Yahoo Adds TV Shortcut on Search Results Page
March 12, 2010, 3:20 pmIts TV Portal is one of Yahoo's strongest verticals. I personally check it out to get my fix of entertainment news from time to time. So, it is but logical for Yahoo to try to maximize the potential of Yahoo TV to generate site traffic and engagement to its site. Enter the Yahoo TV Shortcuts right smack into your entertainment-related search...
Italian Govt. Now After Google Adsense For Antitrust
March 12, 2010, 3:14 pmSeems the Italian government is not finished investigating Google. Last month three Google executives were convicted of privacy violations and received suspended six-month jail sentences over a video showing a teenaged boy being bullied. Antitrust investigations over Google's impact of the newspaper industry were started in Italy last year, but...
Ruud Questions: Arnie Kuenn on Link Building
March 12, 2010, 3:01 pmI enjoyed this conversation between Ruud Hein and Arnie Kuenn on link building. Think you will, too.
Leftovers: 9 Items to Read During Halftime this Weekend
March 12, 2010, 2:22 pmOr while waiting for panels at SXSW - if you can get a signal. Click to read the rest of this post.
Financial Services in 2010: Credit Cards - Trends and Seasonality
March 12, 2010, 2:16 pmCredit Card debt had a large impact on the breakdown of the economy and causing many Americans into bankruptcy. Because of this, major reform hit credit card in February passed down from the government. Most consumers see this as change for the better, while banks and lenders are expecting huge financial losses due the impact from these changes....
Facebook Makes Austin Expansion Official
March 12, 2010, 2:10 pmAustin, Texas - which already plays home to tech companies Freescale Semiconductor and Dell - will soon boast a Facebook office, too. A $1.4 million incentive package we reported on in late February has been approved, and Facebook's decided to establish a team in Austin as a result. Grady Burnett, Director of Global Online Sales and Operations at...
AOL Updates Social Aggregation Service
March 12, 2010, 2:04 pmIt's nicer, but not yet as comprehensive, as FriendFeed. Click to read the rest of this post.
What will be the Top Stories at SES New York 2010?
March 12, 2010, 1:41 pmI've been out talking to journalists and bloggers about SES New York 2010 , which gets underway the week of March 22nd. One of the questions that I'm frequently asked is: "What will be the top stories at the event?" Click to read the rest of this post.
Stefan is Back Which Means'
March 12, 2010, 1:13 pmOkso I know last week you were all wondering where Stefan was. To be honest he doesnt remember and I am not in the business of keeping tabs on him anymore, so alas there was no video. However I still had Free T-Shirt Friday and we did have two winners from the week prior and last week!
Marketing in Europe? Display Works
March 12, 2010, 1:11 pm
comScore released a new study today examining the effects of display advertising in the European market—and it’s pretty dang impressive. The study (well, actually, report based on more than 20 studies) indicates that, despite minimal clicks on the ads themselves, “those exposed to online ad campaigns in Europe...
Yahoo! Adds TV Series Shortcut
March 12, 2010, 1:07 pmOne click to comprehensive info on your favorite shows on the telly. Click to read the rest of this post.
Tips for Multi-Region Websites
March 12, 2010, 12:22 pmGoogle's John Mueller (JohnMu) offers help for multi-region websites, including a table of pros and cons for three different approaches that might be used on a generic top level domain, such as a .com, .org or .net.
YouTube Mobile Site Now Serving Ads
March 12, 2010, 12:09 pmYouTube experienced 160% growth in traffic to their mobile site in 2009. Click to read the rest of this post.
Crafting SEO Landing Pages
March 12, 2010, 12:03 pmThe landing page, in terms of SEO, went out of fashion. Landing pages, which tended to be mass-generated, near identical pages pointing to one money page, became a target for the search engine spam filters. However, the type of landing page we should take a closer look at is the type of landing page used in PPC - a page carefully crafted to lead a...
Lady Gaga's New Video, Conan O'Brien's Road Show, Illegal Whale Sushi: What's the Buzz
March 12, 2010, 11:46 amby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (Searches increased by +20,422%). The former model/singer and first lady of France disputed rumors that both she and President Sarkozy are having extra-marital affairs . Conan O'Brien (+999%). The comedian who left his "Tonight Show" job has taken the show on the...
AOL Launches Stand-Alone Lifestream
March 12, 2010, 10:54 am
AOL unveiled its social aggregator and publisher, Lifestream, as part of its instant messenger platform last Fall. Now they’re launching a stand-alone site at lifestream.aol.com. After it appears they’ve failed with Bebo, this social venture may have a chance of success, in the opinion of TechCrunch at...
Chinese Minister Hints At Consequences For Google
March 12, 2010, 10:19 amDespite weeks of talks that have supposedly taken place behind closed doors, the Chinese government still seems unwilling to compromise with respect to Google and censorship. Indeed, it may be growing hostile, as a minister talked about "consequences" today. The BBC reported that Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Yizhong adopted...
Jason Calacanis: Screw You Google, Now I'll Sell Links Too
March 12, 2010, 10:10 amApparently it wasn't enough that Jason kept snubbing his nose at Google with the other forms of Mahalo spam, now he has started selling links from there as well.
Google Gives Wave Another Push With Extensions Gallery
March 12, 2010, 9:38 amGoogle Wave didn't do so well when it came out of the gate, and Buzz's privacy problems stole all of the attention not too long after. But now that Google's addressed most of Buzz's faults, it's trying to move forward again by rolling out an extensions gallery for Google Wave. Interestingly, this initial version is still a little rough around the...
New Google Wave Extensions Debut!
March 12, 2010, 9:03 amOkay, so my title is fairly misleading. Google Wave HAD extensions' just maybe one or two. When Wave came out I was so excited that I totally exhausted the "poll" option. I sent out ridiculous polls to all my friends such as, "Can you make me blueberry muffins? Yes, No or Maybe?"'. to which I would always get a maybe. I guess nobody wanted to make...
Google’s Blue Dot Marks the Availability Spot
March 12, 2010, 8:34 am
Google has announced that a service that was previewed last December is now live for mobile devices. I’ll call it the “Blue Dot of Availability” which is stupid but it’s the best I can do. This function is just more evidence that Google is making mobile a top priority and it is giving retailers the ability to come along...
Yahoo Makes Strides In Entertainment Search
March 12, 2010, 8:16 amIf Yahoo has its way, it'll soon be the place to go for information about movies, TV shows, and the celebrities who star in them. Yahoo announced several upgrades to its search engine this morning, and they're all meant to make entertainment-related queries turn up much better results. A Yahoo representative told WebProNews, "Today Yahoo!
Microsoft Loses Appeal Over XML Word Patent
March 12, 2010, 8:10 am"In court documents spelling out their reasoning, the three appeal court judges said there was evidence that Microsoft knew i4i technology was patented before it turned up in Office programs."
Reuters Tells Its Journalists That Twitter Does Not Trump the Wire
March 12, 2010, 7:39 am
Reuters has sat somewhat silently in the background of all the hub bub surrounding whether Google should be able to index stories and make money off that content through advertising. That has been an AP fight for the most part. The strategy has helped Reuters, at least in my eyes, because by staying out of the fray they are...
The Surprising Old-School Secret to Blogging Success
March 12, 2010, 7:34 amAbout 80% of your blog's success comes from "ass in chair" time. That's the time you spend writing posts, editing posts, finding the perfect image, connecting with fellow bloggers, answering comments, shaping up your SEO, and all the other tasks we teach you about here on Copyblogger. You've got to get that stuff right. But great blogs are not...
3 Tricks on SEO & User Engagement
March 12, 2010, 7:16 amI rate search engine optimization on content accessibility, popularity, and usability. We can say that content is well optimized for search engines when it is accessed as soon as it published, generates links from trusted sources, and drives user engagement. The safest road to sky rocket the performance of any SEO campaign is to create or generate...
Join 5,500+ Search Marketers on SEJ's Facebook Fanpage
March 12, 2010, 7:16 amSearch Engine Journal's Official Facebook Fanpage hit the 5,000 mark last week, and is now pushing 5,600 fans who are sharing search marketing news, blog posts and comments on SEJ's Facebook Fanpage . Not only does the SEJ community share SEJ posts on Facebook, but we also have 5 admins sharing search engine news, SEO tips and other relevant news...
Search Out Your Own Entertainment Experiences with Yahoo!
March 12, 2010, 7:16 amAt Yahoo! Search, we pay attention to what's popular on the Web and what matters most to you. We know that celebrities rank near the top of the buzziest searches on Yahoo!, so this is one area in search that we've been working on to make even better. As we've already started to do with news , local , sports , music and movies searches, we want to...
Express Yourself with Google’s New Blogger Template Designer
March 12, 2010, 7:16 am
Don’t go for second best baby
Put your blog to the test
You know, you know, you’ve got to
Make Blogger express how it feels
And maybe then you’ll know your blog is real!
I used to be a Blogger fan. However, just like my love of Madonna, I stopped liking Blogger when it started looking tired and old.
Well,...
SEO Professional FireFox Toolbar: Tracks Yahoo! Backlinks
March 12, 2010, 6:53 amA few weeks ago I shared four addons to show you some website stats at a glance . Earlier I had also compared the three most popular advanced SEO toolbars . Today's addon is one more multi-purpose SEO toolbar to add to your arsenal. SEO Professional Toolbar offers a few useful SEO-related tools in one place (SEO stats as the page loads, stats...
Google Buzz Getting More Inbox Management Features
March 12, 2010, 6:05 amGoogle Buzz has gone through a number of changes since its release more than a month ago, but most of these changes have been privacy related . After the privacy control concerns, the second biggest complaint centers around how noisy Buzz can get. When you've got every Tom, Dick and Harry you don't know following you, seeing their Buzz can be...
5 Social Media Tips for Ecommerce Marketing
March 12, 2010, 5:31 amIf you run an ecommerce business, chances are your customers â" regardless of their age, gender or economic status â" are active on social networks and social media sharing sites. Just consider the statistics from social media monitoring site Pingdom : Males and females almost equally use social sites (47% vs. 53%) 61% of Facebook users are...
Google Buzz To Get Better Controls To Reduce 'Noisiness'
March 12, 2010, 5:30 am"Were testing these features and making sure they work in all 50+ Gmail languages right now, so they should be ready to launch in the next few days."
Mozilla Wants All Firefox Users To Update To FF 3.6
March 12, 2010, 4:53 am"...users running older versions of Firefox will be offered the choice of upgrading to Firefox 3.6"
Social Media Research: Blogs And Twitter Use Trends Inside US Corporations
March 12, 2010, 4:27 amDo top US corporations use social media? Is the business world leveraging new media technologies to engage customers? The answer is definitely positive according to a new research study on 2009 Fortune 500 companies and their use of social media tools, like blogs and Twitter and authored by Nora Ganim Barnes and Eric Mattson.
Photo credit: Kheng...
"How to Create a Personal Brand as a Venture Capitalist"
March 12, 2010, 2:55 amI received an email today from ExecSense Webinars advertising a course on "How to Create a Personal Brand as a Venture Capitalist." That's right, for $250, I can learn "specific ways to use speaking engagements, published articles and social media web sites as a way to establish [myself] as a thought leader." Who knew it was so easy? VCs don't...
Twitter Expands Location Sharing Feature
March 11, 2010, 11:40 pmIt's gonna be a great year for stalkers.Click to read the rest of this post...
Whiteboard Friday - When Optimizing, DON'T Test Everything
March 11, 2010, 11:10 pmPosted by great scott! Test, test, test! That's the mantra these days. Conversion Rate Optimization is the buzzword on everybody's lips (and tweets). So why are we telling you NOT to test? Well, we're not, we're just saying to be smart about it. People often get a testing platform ready to roll and then start obsessing over just how intricate...
Local Inventory, Blue Dot, Mobile Searches Rolled Out By Google
March 11, 2010, 11:01 pm"If you have an iPhone, Palm WebOS phone, or any Android-powered device, and you're in the US, just go to Google.com in your mobile browser, tap on the "more" link, and then select 'Shopping.'"
Google Adds Blue Dots to Product Search Results
March 11, 2010, 5:57 pmJust a quick update to inform you that if you're using Google's product search , whether on your computers or mobile devices such as iPhone or Android phones, you can now check whether a particular product is in stock on a store nearby. You can check out the product's availability by clicking on the "blue dot" included in the search results. This...
'Remember Me,' 'Green Zone,' 'She's Out of My League': Critics Roundup
March 11, 2010, 5:17 pmby Michael Krumboltz Three new movies hit theaters this weekend, and they couldn't be more different. " Remember Me ," a romantic drama, stars Hollywood "It Boy" Robert Pattinson . For action lovers who prefer to see buildings explode than lovers swoon, there's " Green Zone ," starring Matt Damon . And if it's a comedy you want, "She's Out of My...
"Foxy Knoxy" Back in Buzz
March 11, 2010, 4:54 pmby Claudine Zap Seems that some people can't stop talking about the Amanda Knox murder case. Even if those people are already in prison for murder. Here's the quick recap: Known by the press as "Foxy Knoxy," the American study-abroad student and her then boyfriend, Italian Raffaele Sollecito , were convicted, along with local resident Rudy...
Google Product Search Blue Dots Point Way to Best Buy, Sears
March 11, 2010, 4:08 pmGoogle's Product Search for mobile with local inventory, which Google Engineering VP Vic Gundotra used to check whether a Canon EOS camera was in stock at local Best Buy store, is now live for U.S. users of Google Android smartphones Apple's iPhone, or Palm WebOS phones. To use this service, go to Google.com in your mobile browser, tap on the...
Webmaster Center blog comments Q&A, Round 3
March 11, 2010, 3:51 pmThe Bing Webmaster Center team has been very busy lately, working on very cool stuff that we can't wait to share with you (patience, Grasshopper - all will be revealed in time). But the blog waits for no one (well, that's the intent, anyway). From time to time, we gather up enough interesting tidbits of Q&A that we want to share with all of our...
Facebook Provides Insight Into D.C. Employees' Jobs
March 11, 2010, 3:45 pmLast week, we reported that Facebook wanted to hire two people in Washington, D.C., and then dissected the official descriptions of the positions as best we could. Still, the bullet points left a lot unclear, so it's noteworthy that Facebook provided some clarifying paragraphs today. Adam Conner was the first member of Facebook's D.C. team, and a...
4 Things That Are Getting Me Rankings, Right Now
March 11, 2010, 3:27 pmPosted by Glen Allsopp This post was originally in YOUmoz , and was promoted to the main blog because it provides great value and interest to our community. The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of SEOmoz, Inc. Despite my love for SEO and my presence in the industry for almost 5 years, I have to admit that I...
YouTube Solicits Ideas For Partner Program
March 11, 2010, 2:23 pmYouTube Partners are, pretty much by definition, some of YouTube's most important users. They create original content, don't violate copyright laws, and have huge audiences. It makes sense, then, that YouTube is now looking hard for ways to improve its Partner Program. The hunt has taken the form of a crowdsourced project. Just as the Ideas...
BIGLIST Social SEO Blogs Update 031110
March 11, 2010, 2:12 pmWelcome to the post-Winter/pre-Spring version of the BIGLIST review of SEO blogs . Snow is starting to melt and you can actually walk around outside (in Minnesota) without your eyelashes freezing together. We have a nice group for you to review so fire up your RSS reader and subscribe. LyndiT blog gets our attention for great design and user...
I Admit It â" These Videos Taught Me a Few Social Media Tricks
March 11, 2010, 2:06 pmI have been enrolled in the Market Motive social media online course for close to two months now. Each week I have been given a social media topic and have been responsible for viewing a certain number of films which go into detail about the topic being taught. There have been a wide range of social media topics such as a week dedicated to...
More Video Marketing Case Studies from Leading Brands
March 11, 2010, 1:59 pmYesterday, I posted Video Marketing Case Studies with David Meerman Scott and Me. At the end of the post, I said, "If you have any video marketing case studies that you'd like to share with us, just mention them." Silly me.Click to read the rest of this post...
Idol Talk: It Takes Woman's Work to Do a Man's Job
March 11, 2010, 1:49 pmby Vera H-C Chan Weak warbling has made the male competitors look like the weak sisters in this season's "American Idol." But in the anchor spot, Big Mike belted out a ballad that brought judge DioGuardi to tears and vaulted him as the man to beat. Check out how the boys' Buzz ranked on performance night. Top 8 Male "American Idol" Contestants on...
Microsoft Advertising at South By Southwest interactive in Austin
March 11, 2010, 1:48 pmIll be in Austin on Friday for the South By Southwest Interactive conference. Its my first time at the conference but Microsoft has a great presence at SXSW again this year. Microsofts own danah boyd , an expert in social networking research, will be the opening keynote speaker on Saturday. Chris Pendleton of Bing Maps will present a panel on...
Google Product Search for Mobile Showing When Items are in Stock
March 11, 2010, 1:43 pmUsers of the mobile version of Google Product Search can now see if items are in stock at a local store from select retailers. These retailers include: Best Buy, Sears, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and West Elm. Product listings from these retailers will have blue dots that can be tapped to see an "in stock nearby" link, which takes you to a...
FTC Still Examining GoogleMob—Wants Feedback from Rivals
March 11, 2010, 1:39 pm
Now here’s a great way to gather totally, completely unbiased information about a potential merger: ask the companies’ competitors. Okay, so the FTC isn’t completely crazy—of course other companies in the market would have a pretty good idea what the industry looks like and what a big merger might do. But...
Faces of Facebook: The Social Side of Public Policy
March 11, 2010, 1:25 pmWe're introducing a new series today called "Faces of Facebook," which features excerpts from interviews with our employees that originally appeared on our internal blog. Their words offer a glimpse of life inside of Facebook and the work they do around the world. Adam Conner was the first member of our Washington, D.C., office when he joined...
15% Off Search & Social Spring Summit for SEJ Readers!
March 11, 2010, 12:45 pmI am very happy to announce the countdown to Search & Social Spring Summit 2010, the official search marketing and social media conference of Search Engine Journal! Search & Social Spring Summit 2010 is the second annual conference from Search & Social, the team behind Search Engine Journal, DailySEOTip, IMBroadcast and various other search...
Google Shows Inventory on Mobile Shopping Search
March 11, 2010, 12:22 pmFind out what's in stock nearby. Click to read the rest of this post.
Study: Twitter Users 3 Times More Active than Average Social Media Users
March 11, 2010, 12:17 pmThe Community Participation Pyramid courtesy of Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox In this week's Twitter column I want to debunk a myth that gets spread by the likes of CNN Money and Mashable . Roughly it states that Twitter becomes more of an RSS reader than a real social networking venue due to "only" 27% of Twitter users being active. The number is...
Gowalla 2.0 Launches for iPhone
March 11, 2010, 11:54 amGowalla is a service that has been getting a lot of buzz lately. If you're not familiar with it, it's a location-based social networksing service that comes in the form of mobile apps. Gowalla announced today, the availability of Gowalla 2.0 for the iPhone 3G and 3GS platforms. Gowalla highlights the following new features with this version: -...
MapQuest Adds Facebook Share Feature
March 11, 2010, 11:48 amEasily enable stalking by anyone your network. Just kidding. (Sort of) Click to read the rest of this post.
Marion Jones' New Career, Botox Rx, "Eclipse" Trailer: What's the Buzz
March 11, 2010, 11:42 amby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Marion Jones (Searches increased by +9,079%). The former track star, stripped of her Olympic medals for steroid use, has a new career with the WNBA. Tasmanian Devil (+2,527%). A colony of the species that is immune to a contagious cancer could save the population . Botox (+2,476%)....
PayPal at Game Developers Conference [#GDC]
March 11, 2010, 11:42 amHi all â" Steve Woloshin, Senior Manager of Professional Services Engineering at PayPal here, wondering if you're at the annual Game Developers Conference that kicked off on Tuesday. It's been an amazing turnout so far and I'm excited to see what the rest of the week has in store. If you .
Google's Blogger Users Can Now Customize Their Designs
March 11, 2010, 11:36 amGoogle has launched the Blogger Template Designer , a way to customize the look and feel of your Blogger blog. "Over the past few years we've worked to scale Blogger and ensure that it is capable of handling hundreds of millions of pageviews per day," Google says. "But we also believe that blogging is about self expression and that an important...
Google Reader Asks Us to Play
March 11, 2010, 11:25 am
Google Reader Labs is adding a new way to view your feeds—Play. According to the blog announcement, this was conceived as a way to help introduce people to Google Reader—people who “aren’t interested in taking the time to get Reader set up” but are interested in using it. I hope both of you are happy ...
Yahoo!'s March 2010 Search Update Underway
March 11, 2010, 11:25 amThe announcement was as short as usual. Click to read the rest of this post.
22 Linkbait Headlines Almost Every Blogger Can Use
March 11, 2010, 11:19 amTrying to craft the perfect piece of linkbait to land you on the front page of Digg or ReddIt? Want your post to go viral on Twitter? No matter how great your content is, if the headline sucks, it stands little chance of getting the attention it deserves. That’s why I’ve come up with a list of 22 linkbait headline ideas almost every...
Crush on Texas. We has it.
March 11, 2010, 11:14 amIts been a little over 9 months since Bing launched back in June 09. In interweb years, that puts us at about 15, a raging teenager. And do we have a crush on big bad Texas. Dallas, you sure are a darling. But OMG OMG Austin WE LOVE YOU too!!! As such (in our usual calm, collected voice), the Bing team is excitedly packing for Austin to join...
Handy Tools and Tips for E-Commerce Websites
March 11, 2010, 10:37 amRunning an e-commerce website is a never-ending task, from trying to squeeze that extra bit of conversion rate out of the check-out page to figuring out which referrers give you the best traffic ....
Questions about the Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance
March 11, 2010, 10:10 amAdvertisers and agencies have questions; we have answers A few weeks ago, we announced U.S. and E.U clearance for the Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance . This was, naturally, big news in the search marketing world. That post garnered some 60 comments from our engaged advertising and agency customers. Most of these comments were positive....
Twitter Changes the Update Button to "Tweet"
March 11, 2010, 10:10 amWhen Twitter users go to post a new tweet, they have in the past used a button that says "update" (at least from Twitter.com...that varies when you get into all the different apps Twitter users use). Now, that button says "Tweet". We're not sure exactly when the change was made, but it appears to have been very recently, as there is quite an...
Twitter Location Features Rolling Out
March 11, 2010, 9:52 amLast fall, Twitter started including geolocation information in its API, but it was not available through Twitter.com. That appears to be in the process of changing now. This week, Twitter has been rolling out (it appears to still be in the process) geolocation info on tweets at Twitter.com. Various reports from users have been circulating, with...
OMMA Global 2010 San Francisco â" Microsoft Speaker Line Up
March 11, 2010, 9:46 amBelow is a list of Microsoft speakers that will be out in force imparting marketing insight and best practice at OMMA Global in San Francisco next week. The event will be trying to answer some burning questions: What effect will an UNBOUND Web have on advertising and marketing? How will GPS-enabled geo-targeting change the way marketers and brands...
Street View Nears Omniscience In The UK
March 11, 2010, 9:28 amPick a road, any road. So long as it's in the UK, there's a good chance Google will be able to provide you with pictures taken from it. Today, the search giant made much more Street View imagery available, meaning its photographs now cover about 238,000 miles - or 96 percent - of British roads. The figure below tells most of the story if those...
Would You Like a Free Apple iPad With Your Trackur Account?
March 11, 2010, 9:07 am
As you know, a couple of weeks ago (my company) Trackur launched Trackur Free–a competely free version of the popular social media monitoring tool.
To celebrate Trackur Free’s success–and to get as many people protecting their reputation as possible–Trackur is now giving all users a chance to win a free...
Twitter’s Site Joins Location Craze and Burglars Celebrate!
March 11, 2010, 8:32 am
I know that what I am about to say is not original but it really struck me that as Twitter announces that it is offering location based information on its site there is so little reported about the potential issues this may create.
I think it struck me because the Twitter site is usually the last place where the cool ideas are...
Companies Spend More on Email Than PPC; 39% Have No Clue of ROI
March 11, 2010, 8:30 am
Wouldn’t it make sense that if you spent more money on email marketing than pay-per-click marketing, you’d have a reasonable explanation for that choice?
Well, according to the data discovered in Econsultancy’s 2010 Email Marketing Census, companies are spending more on email marketing (17% of online...
Critical: Improve Your Mobile Search and Advertising Strategy
March 11, 2010, 8:24 amA Google exec recently said , "In three years' time, desktops will be irrelevant." That's debatable, but there's no question that mobile use will have grown much more than it already has. Based on comments in a recent keynote , Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer doesn't seem to think PC use is going to drop too much, but he did say, "Mobile queries are...
Motorola Goes Bing on Android-Based Devices
March 11, 2010, 8:19 amMotorola has announced a "global" alliance with Microsoft, which will see Bing used as the default search engine on Motorola Android-based devices. The move begins in China, where obviously there is some turmoil between Google and that country, but again, this is being called a "global" alliance that is "launching" in...
3 ways to conquer your SEO copywriting fears
March 11, 2010, 8:01 amIs you fear holding you back from SEO copywriting success? At first read, you may think, "Fear? My fear isn't holding me back from success." I used to think that too. About a lot of things. But ask yourself if any of these statements ring true for you: "Our home page copy is really spammy, but it's ranking well. I don't want to change it and cause...
FTC Takes Closer Look At Google's AdMob Deal
March 11, 2010, 8:01 amThe "Facts about Google's acquisition of AdMob" page Google established in November of last year apparently hasn't satisfied the Federal Trade Commission's curiosity. A fresh report indicates that the FTC has stepped up its investigation of the deal by seeking sworn declarations from third parties. This isn't a good sign for Google. Todd Shields...
How to Win in Las Vegas, And in Business
March 11, 2010, 7:43 amI've written a few contrarian things lately. Specifically, I ranted a bit about why I think the most common "make money online" technique doesn't work for most people , and about how, really, the most important ingredients of success are persistence and grit. Then, on my own blog, I ranted about why "systems" for achieving specific results don't...
My "Couch Talk" Local Marketing Interview With Chuck Reynolds
March 11, 2010, 7:43 amFor those of you that do not know Chuck , he has a great deal of experience with geo games as well and other geo apps, local search and marketing, and is not only a marketer but a heavy engaged user of all the services he talks about. I wanted to interview him about businesses using local social networks such as FourSquare, (because he is a very...
Google Hangs Out a Shingle for Its Apps Marketplace
March 11, 2010, 7:35 am
Google does what Google does and it has now opened the doors on an apps marketplace that is designed for Google Apps customers. Don’t think the overlap in terminology with the other app guys is coincidence either. The difference with this form of app though is the fundamental difference that separates Google from Apple. Google...
AOL Has a Boo-Boo on Its Bebo
March 11, 2010, 7:28 am
“You would have to be stupid. You would have to trip to not succeed at this at some point.”
Those words may come back to haunt the former Bebo chief Joanna Shields, now that rumors are circulating that the social network is about to be dropped like a hot potato.
Back when AOL bought Bebo for $850 million, I was already...
3 Tools to Analyze the Sentiment of Your Brand Social Mentions
March 11, 2010, 7:24 amSentiment analysis is something very new and immature. Sentiment analysis allows you to identify general attitudes towards your brand (or a product). The goal of sentiment analysis is to assign a given social media comment with a degree of association to three basic categories: positive, negative or neutral. 1. Social Mention Social mention is...
"Instant Buy" Increases Conversion by 430%.
March 11, 2010, 7:02 amIndepeth real-world article by ecommerce pro. "last month I cashed in some sweat and built the Instant Purchase feature. The MOMENT the new feature went live, sales increased by 430%. It happened immediately."
Picking Wise Search Projects
March 11, 2010, 6:37 amWhether you work in-house or take on several clients, there are going to be projects that make you cringe and projects that feel good to work one. A lot of this depends on the project manager and/or client. Here are some things to look out for when deciding if a project is for you: Enthusiasm. When a client is enthusiastic about driving traffic to...
Hitwise: Microsoft Bing Gains A Little In U.S. February Search Share
March 11, 2010, 6:04 am"Microsoft Corp. gained a larger portion of the U.S. Internet search market in February..."
How To Name Your Website’s Files
March 11, 2010, 4:08 amThe tip is rather basic but I find very useful and the list is really bookmark-worthy, so I decided to share it here.
Coffee wars: Flat White vs. Cappuccino
March 11, 2010, 4:04 amHitwise was started in Australia, and there remains a strong Antipodean influence in our London office. The most recent manifestation of this is a fashion amongst my colleagues for flat whites â" a style of coffee that, like the pavlova before it, originated in either Australia or New Zealand and, depending on your opinion, is either a less...
Bing UK TV Ads â" Video Interview with Ashley Highfield
March 11, 2010, 3:41 amLast night saw the first Bing TV advert go live in the UK. In November, Bing UK reached an important milestone: we removed the beta tag having added innovative features like Visual Search , Categorised Search and Twitter Integration . Our user base has.
Google Street View Hong Kong
March 11, 2010, 3:23 amGoogle released Street View imagery for Hong Kong . Hong Kong is a fun and busy place where it's easy to get lost, perhaps less so with these photo maps. [Thanks Keith!] If you're looking for a Leberwurstbrot in Hong Kong... [By Philipp Lenssen | Origin: Google Street View Hong Kong | Comments ] [Advertisement] Want to make money with your...
Link Building Check list
March 11, 2010, 2:33 am
Link building also sometimes goes by the name of “offsite optimization.” It is very important to your SEO efforts, and it’s also one of the most time and labor intensive. You can’t wish other webmasters into linking to your site, and when they do, what anchor text are they using? How will you get inbound links to deep...
Yahoo Search Update: March 2010
March 11, 2010, 1:46 am"Yahoo announced a search update - does anyone notice any changes in the SERPs or in your referrals?"
Whither the Click? comScore Releases European Study Highlighting the View-Through Impact of Online Display Advertising
March 11, 2010, 1:26 amcomScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today announced the release of a report entitled "How Online Advertising Works: Whither the Click in Europe?" that highlights the latent view-through impact of online advertising based on numerous advertising effectiveness studies conducted across European markets. The report,...
5 Strategies to Maintain and Improve Your #1 Rankings in Google – After You’ve Reached the Top
March 11, 2010, 12:23 amWhat do you do when you finally reach your goal of #1 rankings? Do you simply enjoy the ride and pray Google keeps you at the top spot? Or is there a way you can be more proactive with your approach so you can maintain and even add to your success?
In this article, I want to answer all of those questions and outline the various strategies and...
SEO Health Checks - Regular Housekeeping Tasks for Your Website's SEO
March 10, 2010, 11:29 pmPosted by richardbaxterseo Technical problems, errors and surprise releases are all regular features in the day to day management of a website when youre an SEO. Theres no doubt that maintaining a quick, error free and well optimised site can lead to long term traffic success. Here are some of my tips for regular checks you should be doing to stay...
Bing and - Facebook? - Up in comScore February 2010 Rankings
March 10, 2010, 11:29 pmFebruary is always a weird month for search data. Click to read the rest of this post.
Housing Bubble Searches in Australia at all time high
March 10, 2010, 11:01 pmHousing affordability in Australia is currently a hot issue with a recent rise in interest rates, an end to the first home buyers' grant, and subsequent slowed lending. Despite this, pressure on house prices remains high with a fast growing population and a shortfall in housing development. There is potentially an element of desperation amongst...
Selling a Six Figure Website
March 10, 2010, 8:04 pm"I'm in the final stages of agreeing to sell one of my websites for a six figure amount. I need any advice you can give me about the sales procedure. "
"Mad Men" Madness
March 10, 2010, 7:38 pmby Claudine Zap Just in time for the next season of the hit AMC show, it's " Mad Men " Ken and Barbie. That's right, you can play out all your favorite scenes that break down the picture-perfect marriage of Don and Betty Draper , or reimagine the workplace flirtation of ad man Roger Sterling and the curvy office manager, Joan Holloway . Martinis...
The Internet, a Basic Human Right
March 10, 2010, 6:16 pm"Nearly 80 percent of people worldwide consider access to the Internet to be a basic human right, rather than a privilege..."
Go Mobile! Series: A case study in optimizing mobile campaigns
March 10, 2010, 5:59 pmMore and more people are accessing the internet on their mobile devices. Take advantage of this trend by making sure that your ad campaigns are opted in to show on mobile devices with full internet browsers . If you'd like to take things to the next level, create separate mobile-focused campaigns so that you can optimize your keywords, ad text and...
Facebook Searches Grow by 10% in February
March 10, 2010, 5:59 pmComScore has just released its February search engine rankings data. And while there's nothing new in terms of who is on top, who gained and who lost, what's surprising about it is that among all the online properties where searches are conducted other than the five major search engines, Facebook gained a significant amount of searches in...
Video Marketing Case Studies with David Meerman Scott and Me
March 10, 2010, 5:13 pmRecently, I sat down with David Meerman Scott, the author of the bestseller The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Social Media, Blogs, News Releases, Online Video, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly and the new book World Wide Rave: Creating Triggers that Get Millions of People to Spread Your Ideas and Share Your Stories. I'm the...
Reader Play, Google's Slideshow of Interesting Stuff
March 10, 2010, 4:26 pmOK, I can see myself waste some time with this. Google Reader Play is a casual, push style way to feed yourself distracting/ enlightening/ inspiring snippets, imagery and videos. You can star a specific page, Like it or share it, but just jumping from page to page using the bottom navigation works too. Note Reader Play is personalized. Google...
An Epic Lawsuit Looms
March 10, 2010, 4:09 pmby Mike Krumboltz Toyota 's ongoing safety troubles with its vehicles have led to deaths, injuries, and an incalculable amount of bad press. Now, it looks like the embattled car company will be facing class action lawsuits that could cost the company a staggering $3 billion. These lawsuits aren't from those who were injured or from the relatives...
Google Scores Major Italian Book Deal
March 10, 2010, 3:45 pmGoogle Books has done it again. Despite heavy opposition to its book-scanning project, another deal's been established, and this time, the agreement involves the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage (along with the National Libraries of Florence and Rome). Up to one million out-of-copyright works may be digitized as a result of this arrangement,...
StumbleUpon Launches New Advertising System
March 10, 2010, 3:45 pmStumbleUpon has launched a new advertising system, which the company says helps cost-effectively deliver advertiser content to targeted audiences, while increasing the opportunity for content to go viral. StumbleUpon finds and recommends ad content it deems relevant to targeted audiences' interested based on demographic and topic areas....
YouTube Mobile Now Serving Banner Ads
March 10, 2010, 3:28 pmWith the ever growing site traffic of of YouTube mobile site, it is not surprising that Google will take advantage of this to serve advertisements. In 2009, YouTube mobile's site traffic increased by 160%. You can just imagine how good this site traffic will be in terms of potential for more ad clicks and brand campaign awareness. So,...
More Than Half Of March Madness Fans Will Watch Online
March 10, 2010, 3:28 pmWith the 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament starting next week (March 16), it's no surprise the majority (83%) of fans will watch coverage on television, while 44 percent will go online and 10 percent will use a mobile device, according to a new survey by Unicast. Among those planning to follow the tournament online or on a mobile device, a...
Your interview with Prime Minister Stephen Harper / Votre entrevue avec le premier ministre Stephen Harper
March 10, 2010, 2:48 pmFrom its beginning, YouTube has been a place where citizens come to have political conversations, and Canada has been no exception. From interviews with Cabinet Ministers to campaign discussions to in-depth news reports , Canadians have used the site to engage with their elected officials in ways previously not possible. Prime Minister Stephen...
comScore Releases February 2010 U.S. Search Engine Rankings
March 10, 2010, 2:35 pmcomScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released its monthly comScore qSearch analysis of the U.S. search marketplace. In February 2010, Americans conducted 14.5 billion core searches, with Google Sites accounting for 65.5 percent search market share.
Experian Hitwise Reports Bing Increases Market Share for Third Straight Month
March 10, 2010, 2:29 pmExperian Hitwise today announced that Bing's share of searches has increased for the third straight month. Click to read the rest of this post.
Eye-tracking Proves Real-Time Search Not Useful
March 10, 2010, 2:19 pm
OneUpWeb recently released the results of an eye-tracking study on Google’s new real-time results integrated into SERPs—and it looks like the search giant might have just wasted $15M (the estimated cost of Google’s deal with Twitter).
The study segmented web users into two groups: consumers and information...
CNN President "Really Afraid Of" Social Networks
March 10, 2010, 2:19 pmOver the years, there have been more than a few arguments about whether online news sites are killing newspapers. Now, due to some almost startling comments made by the president of CNN, it looks like the next round of old media-new media disputes might concern social networks and cable news organizations.
According to the AFP, Jonathan...
Idol Talk: Seems Like Old Times. Really Old.
March 10, 2010, 2:00 pmby Vera H-C Chan Was there a calculated generational appeal happening on " American Idol " during the ladies' round? Tuesday night's repertoire included crusty classics from the Animals, Fleetwood Mac, Carole Bayer Sager, Patsy Cline, and even one Charlie Chaplin-penned ditty. The strategy's not necessarily bad, aside from the risk of being...
SMX West 2010 - Man on the Street Interviews
March 10, 2010, 2:00 pmPosted by jennita Note: This post will make you smile, possibly even laugh. It won't however teach you much about SEO. You've been warned. Last week I attended SMX West in Santa Clara, California and took a couple flip video cameras along. I thought it would be fun to do "man on the street" interviews, somewhat along the lines of Jay Leno's "...
Google Maps Adds Bike Trails
March 10, 2010, 1:49 pmJust in time for spring, Google is helping you enjoy the great outdoors by adding bike trails to Maps. Click to read the rest of this post.
U.S. adCenter Customers: Help us improve your adCenter Reports and Analytics tools and get a $100 adCenter credit
March 10, 2010, 1:42 pmHi everyone, a call for reporting feedback from the adCenter Team. Please note that at this time, only U.S. adCenter customers are eligible for the ad credit. Full details below. We want your feedback! Microsoft® adCenter is working on our next-generation.
Schmidt On China: "Something Will Happen Soon"
March 10, 2010, 1:37 pmTwo Google executives have again assured onlookers that the company is dealing with the situation in China. While in Abu Dhabi, Eric Schmidt indicated today that something will happen sooner rather than later, and Nicole Wong told politicians in D.C. that leaving China is still an option. Unfortunately, not a lot of other details and/or promises...
PayPal at Media Summit New York [#MS10]
March 10, 2010, 1:02 pmHi all â" Renata Dionello, PayPal's Director of Consumer Business Development, here. I'm honored to have been chosen to be a part of this year's Media Summit in New York. I will be speaking on the "Digital Money â" Virtual Currencies: Experimenting and Developing a Micropayment Economy" panel today, .
Saying Yes to NoSQL; Going Steady with Cassandra
March 10, 2010, 12:57 pmThe last six months have been exciting for Digg's engineering team. We're working on a soup-to-nuts rewrite.
Michelle Obama's Gown, Gabourey Sidibe's New Role, Census Jobs: What's the Buzz
March 10, 2010, 12:27 pmby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Census jobs (Searches increased by +655%). Out of work? The government is hiring 700,000 door-to-door census takers this summer . Gabourey Sidibe (+264%). The Oscar-nominated actress has a new job : A recurring role on the new show "The Big C," starring Laura Linney. Vote for the Worst...
MySpace Launches New Games Site
March 10, 2010, 12:15 pmMySpace launched a new gaming experience at myspace.com/games today. The company says it empowers developers with new tools, analytics, and opportunities for driving usage and revenue. "Gaming is core to the overall entertainment value of MySpace; we are replicating our success from MySpace Music for this next round of platform improvements," a...
Searching on the Two Coreys
March 10, 2010, 12:04 pmby Mike Krumboltz There was always something tragic about Corey Haim , even before he died Wednesday at the age of 38. A cautionary tale of the highest order, he reached career heights at a young age, only to see his success undone by addiction. It was impossible to talk about one Corey without mentioning the other. The day after troubled actor...
Google Maps Biking Directions a Welcome Addition to Search
March 10, 2010, 11:52 amGoogle fulfilled a much-made request March 9 with the introduction of bicycle directions and bike trail data for some 12,000 miles of trails on Google Maps in the U.S. Bicycling directions appear as an option in the drop-down menu when users search for directions in Google Maps. In my hometown, we have a popular bike trail that spans a few towns.
Google: Developments in China Coming “Soon”
March 10, 2010, 11:46 am
Last week, Chinese officials reported that Google was in talks about their threats to leave the country (or only partially) if they’re forced to continue censoring search results. Also, Chinese officials reported that Google was not in talks with the government.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt declined to comment on the state of...
Twitter's New URL Shortener to Fight Spam
March 10, 2010, 11:17 amIt's being rolled out to Direct Messages first, where much of the spamming occurs. Click to read the rest of this post.
Online Media Key For Local Consumers
March 10, 2010, 10:48 amNearly all consumers (97%) now use online media when researching products or services locally, according to a new report from BIA/Kelsey and ConStat. Among consumers surveyed, 90 percent use search engines, 48 percent use Internet Yellow Pages, 24 percent use vertical sites, and 42 percent use comparison shopping sites. "The Internet has indeed...
Despite Legal Woes, Google Teams with Italy for Book Digitization
March 10, 2010, 10:42 amIt's a contribution to the digital renaissance. Click to read the rest of this post.
How to Make a Pivot Table
March 10, 2010, 10:24 amAn awesome step by step walkthrough from Rich Baxter showing how to use pivot tables to construct awesome pivot charts to visualise keyphrase research and ranking data.Excel ftw.
Longtail SEO For Ecommerce
March 10, 2010, 10:07 amThe significance of longtail keywords can be exemplified by thinking about the following two people: Bill is a cafeteria worker who spends his spare time fishing and has heard that his favorite TV shows will look even better on on this new-fangled technology called HDTV. He might as well upgrade from his 20 to something a little larger while...
Google, Bing Make Small Gains
March 10, 2010, 10:07 amFebruary was a quiet month for the search market; we're not going to suggest any companies either break out the champagne or fire their CEOs as a result of the small changes that took place. Still, for those who are curious, comScore believes it was Google and Bing that came out looking like winners. Google managed to increase its share of the...
Bing Takes Baby Steps Towards Catching Google
March 10, 2010, 9:53 am
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
A journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step.
If you’re going through hell, keep going.
It’s always the darkest before the dawn.
Whatever the cliché being thrown around in Redmond, it must be working, because Bing’s US search share continues to nudge ever...
comScore Reports January 2010 U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share
March 10, 2010, 9:51 amcomScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released data from the comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month period between October 2009 and January 2010. The report ranked the leading mobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and smartphone...
Study: 79% of Twitter Accounts Are Not Actively Used
March 10, 2010, 9:24 am
Lots of cool Twitter statistics coming out of Barracuda Networks new study (pdf).
Where do I start?
21% of Twitter users are actually using the service–meaning that have at least 10 followers, follow at least 10 people, and have tweeted at least 10 times.
74% of Twitter users have less than 10 followers! However, that...
YouTube Launches New Mobile Ads
March 10, 2010, 9:21 amGoogle is launching ads on the home page, search page, and browser page on the mobile version of YouTube in the U.S. and Japan. "This is a great way for advertisers to reach YouTube viewers across multiple platforms," says Google Strategic Partner Development Manager Taylor Cascino. "In fact, at launch YouTube will immediately provide one of the...
No, we can't translate "Yes we can"
March 10, 2010, 8:40 amTen years ago, the best-available translation software analysed the source text to determine its structure: subject, object, nouns, verbs, phrases, etc. From the structure tree, a new text could be generated in the target language. The precise details of Google's translation algorithms are not published, but the structure tree is not the main...
Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler! Online Retail Growing 10%!
March 10, 2010, 8:32 am
There’s good news for online retailers: Forrester is predicting a 10% growth rate for you guys!
In fact, online sales will increase from $173 billion this year to a healthy $249 billion in 2014. Along with that growth comes a nice bump in online retail’s share of all US retail sales: up from 6% to 8% share.
Forrester...
Google Adds Biking Directions to Maps
March 10, 2010, 8:23 amWhile you are pondering on the points made by Todd about online retirement , here's a worthwile albeit healthy activity that you may want to consider - biking. And to help you navigate your way through U.S. cities on your bike, Google has just added useful biking directions and bike trail data to Google Maps. Google has been gathering these bike...
Google Maps Now Has Biking Directions
March 10, 2010, 8:17 amGoogle has partnered with Rails-to-Trails (RTC), a nonprofit focused on creating a network of trails from former rail lines, to add biking directions to Google Maps. Google Maps now has biking route details for more than 150 U.S. cities covering more than 12,000 miles of trails and bike lanes. Google says it plans to continue to add new trail...
Lindsay Lohan Sues E-Trade; Next Movie Called “The Streisand Effect?”
March 10, 2010, 8:08 am
Have you heard of the Streisand effect?
Long story short, in 2003 Barbra Streisand sued a photographer for $50 million because he took photos of her home. She said the photographs invaded her privacy. Unfortunately for her, the rest of the world had no clue of the existence of these photographs until after she filed the lawsuit....
Twitter Inspects Links To Prevent Spam, Abuse
March 10, 2010, 8:00 amClicking on links that different people send can often be a cross-your-fingers experience, considering that there are malicious tricksters, unknowing victims, and hijacked accounts to watch out for. So Twitter's attempting to make the experience less dangerous by checking (and sometimes rewriting) the links found in direct messages and email...
Actor Corey Haim Reported Dead
March 10, 2010, 7:36 amActor Corey Haim, best known for roles in movies like the Lost Boys, License to Drive, and many others (a number of which also featured Corey Feldman), has reportedly been found dead of an apparent drug overdose. The LA Times reports: The Los Angeles Police Department said Haim, 38, was pronounced dead after 3 a.m. at a Burbank hospital. He had...
Google Apps MarketPlace Greatly Expands Google's Enterprise Offerings
March 10, 2010, 7:36 amLast night at Campfire One, Google launched the Google Apps Marketplace , where developers can create apps that integrate with Google Apps and sell them to users. According to Google, they can reach over 2 million businesses and 25 million users. Right off the bat, the Google Apps Marketplace launched with over 50 applications from companies like...
Be "Real" With Your Customers
March 10, 2010, 7:20 amA lot of today's top copywriters got their start in direct mail, broadcasting and catalog pieces. Back then, the medium was strictly rooted in the "Push" era â" we shovel out the content, you take it all in and buy this widget. When the web started coming of age, people realized that they didn't have to "take it all in" â" they could...
Find Relevant Blogs (and Link Building Opportunities) with Xmarks
March 10, 2010, 7:02 amXmarks is one of those FireFox plugins that I've been using for ages. I mentioned it in my one of the first FireFox tool overviews and I still find it awesome. With some (arguably) great "social" features added Xmarks has turned a cool search engine as well. I find it quite relevant and precise. Sure, the database is not as huge as Google's but...
Your Online Retirement
March 10, 2010, 7:02 am"Burningly it came on me all at once, This was the place! those two hills on the right, Crouched like two bulls locked horn in horn in fight; While to the left, a tall scalped mountain' Dunce, Dotard, a-dozing at the very nonce, After a life spent training for the sight!" Robert Browning "Childe Roland To The Dark Tower Came" I'm sure you've all...
11 Free Tools for Social Media Optimization
March 10, 2010, 6:45 amPlenty of bloggers are talking about the inevitable intersection of social media marketing and search engine optimization. Keyword optimized social content and channels of promotion provide abundant signals to search engines for improved visibility on standard, social and real-time search. The changing nature of social media marketing and...
Advice for a New Internet Marketer (or How to Spot Internet Marketing Snake Oil)
March 10, 2010, 6:39 amI met her during my freshman year of college, though she was two years my senior. We'd exchange greetings when we passed in the dormitory hallways. Nine years later, we met again when we were assigned to the same tables at a local luncheon. She told me she worked in Internet Marketing, which I was quite excited to hear given that there was no...
Blogging Lessons from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
March 10, 2010, 6:39 amA 40 year-old unsolved murder mystery. Strange cryptic codes in a bible. Sweden, sandwiches, and many, many cigarettes. The badass-est female protagonist since . . . forever. And an author who has, posthumously, caused quite a ruckus in the book world and in the minds of conspiracy theorists everywhere. Yes, I'm talking about The Girl With the...
Biking directions added to Google Maps
March 10, 2010, 6:27 amWhenever I meet someone who finds out that I work on the directions team for Google Maps, the first question I'm asked is often "So when's Google Maps going to add biking directions?" We're big biking fans too, so we've been itching to give you a concrete answer. I don't want to keep the good news a secret any longer, so the answer is: right now!...
Link building for high quality links
March 10, 2010, 6:16 amPeople who are new to the business of search engine optimization quickly learn that they need to obtain links to the pages on their website. This can be a daunting task for a newcomer. It sounds simple until you go to do it. How are you supposed to go about it? Where do you start? What kinds of links should you be trying to get? This is where many...
Twitter Wants Your Trust
March 10, 2010, 6:16 am
Social media or networking or whatever it is you want to call it continues to grow at exponential rates of speed. With the “announcement” of Facebook getting its own location based service in place the concerns over privacy and safety of information continue to grow as well. Twitter realizes this concern and is working to make...
The Internet in America: A YouTube Interview with the FCC
March 10, 2010, 6:05 amIf you're reading this, then you're probably on the Internet - via your laptop, your mobile phone or other handheld device, or maybe even through your television. But in 2010, millions of Americans still do not have access to the wealth of information made available on the Web. Even though the Internet was invented in the U.S. over 20 years ago,...
Social Media Tips from Lisa Myers at SES London
March 10, 2010, 5:53 amJust back from holiday to find that those fine folks at Search Engine Watch have posted a video interview I did with Lisa Myers from Verve Search after her Social Media 101 session at SES London. In 2 minutes Lisa tells us where companies should start, that it's not all about Twitter and Facebook, and how not to get swept away by the phenomenon.
Facebook Readying To Allow Users To Say Where Their Face Is
March 10, 2010, 5:40 am
Facebook is going to be joining the frenzy to help everyone not only know what people are thinking but also where they are thinking it. As we move more toward a world of this total view of another’s life you can be sure that Facebook wants to be involved. With the rising popularity of Foursquare, Gowalla and other location based...
A digital renaissance: partnering with the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage
March 10, 2010, 5:13 amThe Renaissance , Europe's period of cultural, political and scientific rebirth, began in Florence around 600 years ago. At Google we're interested in a (small "r") renaissance of a different kind â" a digital one. Since the launch of Google Books, we've been working with libraries and publishers around the globe to bring more of the world's...
Online Publishing Strategy: What Robin Good Suggests
March 10, 2010, 4:37 amOnline publishing is in many respects the new frontier for those who have a voice, a business, a desire to communicate or change things for the better. It potentially enables any individual connected to the net to be a two-way communication hub capable of sending out information and equipped with technologies to listen and respond. But to...
Nasdaq: Ten Years After Dot Com Stocks Peak At Over 5000
March 10, 2010, 4:18 am"It was exactly 10 years ago that the Nasdaq index reached its all-time peak of 5,048.62, and the tech-heavy index has never come close to recovering. It closed Tuesday at 2,340.68, 54 percent below its dot-com bubble high on March 10, 2000."
Why Bartz Won’t Sell Yahoo! (Just Yet)
March 10, 2010, 4:12 amMicrosoft want Yahoo! That's no secret. Whilst it has been made clear in the past that a partial sale is not an option, the recently approved search partnership seems to open the doors for a deeper understanding of the Yahoo! properties and a sale may seem to be inevitable. Or is it? In this industry analysis piece for State of Search, I take a...
Optimizing Search Conferences: How Differing Incentives Create Audience vs. Organizer Issues
March 10, 2010, 2:38 amPosted by randfish WARNING: Get ready to read with this one. There aren't a ton of fun graphics or quick bullet points, but I do promise that if you read through, you'll feel much more knowledgable about the topic, and likely get more value from organizing, speaking or attending an event. Over the past 6 years, I've attended nearly 100 conferences...
71 Technical Factors For Backlink Analysis (From 30 Link Building Experts) – Part 2
March 10, 2010, 2:37 amSome good posints for examining potential linking urls.
Li’l Engine’s Social Media Check List
March 10, 2010, 2:22 am
Used properly, social media can help you with market research, learn about the type of people interested in your business, and build your customer base with only the investment of time. Using social media to build your site traffic and improve visitor loyalty is one of the biggest trends for 2010, and small businesses everywhere are doing it to...
Google: Most of The Internet is Our Competition
March 10, 2010, 1:47 am"We face formidable competition in every aspect of our business, particularly from companies that seek to connect people with information on the web and provide them with relevant advertising. "
WHERE Launches Local/Mobile Ad Network
March 10, 2010, 1:11 amA top mobile service harnesses its strengths to compete in the mobile ad space. Click to read the rest of this post.
Media Ignores Enterprise Level IT
March 10, 2010, 12:25 am"These are tech vendors with billions in profits that are largely ignored by business press... Oracle ($22 billion in revenue, $5 billion in profits) only cracks the top 10 companies by coverage for one of the eight publications..."
Microsoft Warns Of Vulnerability IE6 and IE7
March 9, 2010, 11:54 pm"Computer users running Internet Explorer 5.01 or the latest release, Internet Explorer 8, are not affected by the vulnerability."
Google Opens Apps Marketplace for Business
March 9, 2010, 10:49 pmI pretty much remember when talks about Google launching its own store for web apps started circulating before. But Google remained mum about it until now. The Google Apps Marketplace has been launched and is now open for business. So what's this all about really? According to the Official Google Blog , the Google Apps Marketplace is a new...
Sharing Made Easier: Email and Tweet Your Bookmarks
March 9, 2010, 8:59 pmEarlier this week Delicious released a series of significant improvements and each day this week we spent some time exploring each of these improvements. This post concludes our series of deep dives. A part of the fun of discovering something new on the Web is sharing it with friends. We've made it easier to share your bookmarks on Delicious when...
Open for business: the Google Apps Marketplace
March 9, 2010, 8:25 pmEvery day, thousands of businesses choose the cloud . More than 2 million businesses have adopted Google Apps over the last three years, eliminating the hassles associated with purchasing, installing and maintaining hardware and software themselves. We've found that when businesses begin to experience the benefits of cloud computing, they want...
Twitter Starts Routing All Links Through New Anti-Phishing Service
March 9, 2010, 7:54 pm"By routing all links submitted to Twitter through this new service, we can detect, intercept, and prevent the spread of bad links across all of Twitter."
Chuck Norris Turns 70 - And He Could Still Break You
March 9, 2010, 6:37 pmby Claudine Zap Chuck Norris' birthday is afraid of Chuck Norris . The action star, black belt and all-around tough guy is turning 70. Really. Not that age could put a stop to the actor - or to searches on him. And yes, he probably was born with that beard. The action hero's career started back in the '60s, but not as an actor - as a fighter....
Search Trends for Oscar 2010 at Yahoo!
March 9, 2010, 5:10 pmLast week, we introduced you to some great search features to keep up with the 82 nd Academy Awards. The coveted statuettes have been distributed and the post-show analysis is in full swing! The buzziest acceptance speeches of the evening: Sandra Bullock and Mo'Nique â" although the story behind Elinor Burkett and her so-called "hijacked"...
Teaming up with Magento to Help Online Merchants
March 9, 2010, 4:48 pmHi all, Osama here with the Platform team. Yesterday, we announced an expanded relationship with Magento to offer PayPal through Magento's online shopping platform (see our press release). This means that merchants and developers will be able to get up and running quicker with e-commerce and online payments, making it easier .
Google Suffers Market Share Stumble In The UK
March 9, 2010, 3:39 pmWhile we normally don't comment on market share fluctuations that occur in places other than America, some recent changes in the UK may bear mentioning. According to the AT Internet Institute, Google's share of the search market slipped by 1.6 percent between January and February. That's a significant amount. Indeed, as the slightly upsized...
D.C. Joins Five States in Legalizing Gay Marriage
March 9, 2010, 3:34 pmby Mike Krumboltz Gay marriage continues to be a hot-button issue for many Americans. Whenever it's legalized (or banned) anywhere in the world, searches immediately soar. In Washington, D.C., gay marriage was recently legalized, sparking tremendous Web interest. A lesbian couple who had been together for 12 years became the first same-sex couple...
Geographic Refinements added to Google Search Options
March 9, 2010, 3:20 pm"... "Show options" toggle and noticed a whole slew of geographic options that were new to me, including "nearby" and others, too. Apparently it all depends on what "default location" Google has recorded for your computer."
HR Pros See Value In Social Media
March 9, 2010, 3:15 pmSocial media plays an important role in problem solving and strategy development in the workplace according to a new survey of 900 human resources executives conducted by Toolbox.com and PJA.
Among HR executives and professionals, social media usage outpaced editorial and vendor content consumption. Respondents used social media at a rate of 3.77...
How Important is Your Domain Name to Your Brand?
March 9, 2010, 2:36 pmHow important is your domain name to you brand? Most online businesses would probably consider it to be quite important, and with good reason. Sometimes before searching, customers may simply opt to go to the "yourbrandhere.com" URL simply because it makes sense. Now, sometimes that URL is already taken, and for start-ups, that's something to...
Google May Offer Services In Cuba, Iran, Sudan
March 9, 2010, 2:36 pmIt looks like Google may be ready to wade into another controversial censorship vs. availability of services situation. A high-ranking corporate representative has welcomed the U.S. Treasury's decision to allow the exportation of online communications tools to Cuba, Iran, and Sudan. According to Frank Jordans , Bob Boorstin, Director of Corporate...
W3C Validation for SEO? Give me a Break.
March 9, 2010, 2:25 pmWanna-be SEO types (you know, the ones that would be better off in boiler rooms) love to pitch W3C Validation as being crucial to SEO.
Heads up.....
March 9, 2010, 2:13 pmThe Google Developer team will be live streaming an important announcement about Google Apps this evening. Tune in on the Google Developers YouTube channel tonight at 6:00 p.m. PST to watch. Enjoy the show! Posted by Chris Kelly,
Social Engagement: Making Content Interactive
March 9, 2010, 2:00 pmInteractive infographics open up a whole new level of engagement. Social media users love them because they can easily segment and dissect data that they want to see.
Report: Facebook Location Feature To Bow At f8
March 9, 2010, 1:27 pmAt the first f8 conference, Facebook Platform was launched. Facebook Connect was announced the second time around. And now, as f8 2010 draws near, a report's indicated that Facebook will finally unveil a feature having to do with users' physical locations. Consider the difference someone's location can make. Here's one basic example: Many...
New MSN Homepage Goes Live…Really!
March 9, 2010, 1:25 pm
Unlike last time, there’ll be no snafu about whether the time is right to reveal the new MSN Homepage–it’s now officially live for all.
New features include:
TrendWatch – Highlights the day’s top trends and movers on Twitter
Hyper-local Tweets – Uses the power of Bing to highlight tweets from your...
Video: What's Next for Yahoo! Search?
March 9, 2010, 1:21 pmDavid Pann talks about customer migration and continuing search innovation How will the search agreement with Microsoft affect Yahoo! advertisers and products? David Pann, VP and general manager of search advertising, told WebProNews Video that the deal is "a win for advertisers with a single buy getting access to more inventory, it's a win for...
Problem With The iPad's First Ad
March 9, 2010, 1:09 pmPre-sales for the iPad begin next week and the first orders will start shipping in weeks. So it grabbed my intention when Apple aired its first ads for the iPad during the Academy Awards and the only sign of music was a millisecond long flash of an old Doors album cover.
173 Million Internet Users Watched Online Video In January
March 9, 2010, 1:09 pmcomScore today released January 2010 data from the comScore Video Metrix service showing that nearly 173 million U.S. Internet users watched online video during the month. Highlights from the report below: The top video ad networks in terms of their actual reach delivered were: BrightRoll Video Network with 27.2 percent penetration of online...
Yahoo on Microsoft Deal Benefits for Advertisers, Consumers, Publishers
March 9, 2010, 1:09 pmYahoo's line of thinking with regards to the big Microsoft/Yahoo search and advertising deal is that it will benefit both Microsoft and Yahoo's advertisers, as well as consumers and publishers. It will benefit advertisers because it will increase search volume, with results from both Bing and Yahoo being taken into consideration. It will benefit...
IRS to Track Online Merchants—Will You Be Affected?
March 9, 2010, 1:05 pm
Flying under the radar with your affiliate income is about to get a lot harder for US tax payers. Starting next year, the IRS will be tracking all online payments made through credit, debit and electronic payment processing like PayPal. The new 1099-K form will be provided by any bank or payment settlement company operating in...
Tornado Touches Down in Oklahoma
March 9, 2010, 12:52 pmby Mike Krumboltz A tornado hit western Oklahoma on Monday, leveling five homes and a county-owned barn. Additionally, several more houses lost their roofs to the twister. Fortunately, no people were injured in the destruction, largely thanks to the tornado skirting the center of the town of Hammon. According to an AP article from USA Today , a...
8 Google Updates from the Past 8 Days
March 9, 2010, 12:23 pmCatching up on a week of new stuff from the GOOG. Click to read the rest of this post.
Kathy Griffin's Comedy, Natalie Wood's Case, Jennifer Aniston's Scent: What's the Buzz
March 9, 2010, 12:12 pmby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Natalie Wood (Searches increased by +3,606%). Her sister and a yacht captain want the case of the drowned actress to be reopened . Kathy Griffin (+2,940%). Watch out, Sarah Palin: The "Life on the D-List" comedian has taken her show to Alaska. Let the skewering begin . Joe Biden...
Web Analytics Association Names Mike Levin as Executive Director
March 9, 2010, 12:06 pmPreviously the executive director of the Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG), Mike Levin has been tapped in the same role - but this time at the Web Analytics Association (WAA). Click to read the rest of this post.
Outsell forecasts that online spending will overtake print in 2010
March 9, 2010, 12:06 pmAccording to Outsell, spending on online advertising and marketing will overtake print in 2010 for the first time. The research and advisory firm's annual forecast predicts companies will spend $119.6 billion on online and digital strategies, from search engine keywords to webinars, while committing $111.5 billion to print media such as newspaper...
MySpace Has Most Popular Social App for Android
March 9, 2010, 12:00 pmMySpace announced today that it has the most popular social app in the Android Market, and the third most popular app on Android altogether. "Our deep integration with the Android platform is one of the reasons why weve seen a surge in usage," says MySpace's Scott Goldberg. "Unique to this app, we have three home screen widgets. One of them allows...
Update: Microsoft to Roll Out Big MSN Redesign
March 9, 2010, 11:53 amUpdate: After some delay, Microsoft is reportedly now rolling out the new MSN home page design over the next couple weeks.
Original Article: MSN.com gets about 85 million unique monthly visitors in the US alone, according to Compete. That's significantly more than AOL.com. So now that Microsoft has unveiled a redesign to it, it stands...
Google Could Use Cisco's CSR-3 to Propel its Broadband Network
March 9, 2010, 11:42 amGoogle is soliciting help from U.S. communities to build ultrahigh-speed broadband networks that zip 1 gigabit of data per second to users' computers, according to the Wall Street Journal . Google plans to test the networks for anywhere from 50,000 to 500,000 users. The idea is to help stimulate the creation and use of new applications, such as...
New MSN Homepage Begins Rolling Out Today
March 9, 2010, 11:25 amIt will take a few weeks. Click to read the rest of this post.
Brand Best Practices: Highlighting Your Brand in Your Microsoft adCenter Campaigns
March 9, 2010, 11:19 amFollowing on todays post on the Microsoft Advertising Blog, New Whitepaper: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Digital Advertising for Brand Campaigns , today Im going to address some best practices for incorporating your brand into your search.
Will Facebook and Eventbrite Hook Up for Big Bucks?
March 9, 2010, 11:19 am
Facebook and Eventbrite already have a relationship—Facebook tapped the event site to sell tickets to its f8 developer conference, as confirmed by TechCrunch last week. A TechCrunch reader then noticed that facebook.eventbrite.com was up and working:
So, TechCrunch speculates, might Eventbrite and Facebook be partnering to make...
WebMD Becomes More Social
March 9, 2010, 11:02 amWebMD has launched WebMD Health Exchange, a new health social networking platform. WebMD Health exchange allows people to connect with health experts and other WebMD members to share experiences, discuss personal challenges, and receive answers and support. " WebMD Health Exchange is a powerful new way to connect our 60 million monthly users to...
Allison Schwam is Skiing Her Way to Search Success
March 9, 2010, 10:55 amPrepare to be green with envy.Click to read the rest of this post...
Google Adds Sidewiki Control to Google Webmaster Tools
March 9, 2010, 10:26 amby Sage Lewis Search Engine Roundtable has reported on a new feature in Google Webmaster Tools. You can now update your Sidewiki profile in your tools section. Learn what Sidewiki is and how you can use it to your benefit. Be sure and visit our small business news site.
Google Maps Takes Steps To Improve Marker Accuracy
March 9, 2010, 9:51 amBy and large, Google Maps is great, providing well-plotted directions and up-to-date contact information on demand and free of charge. But slight inaccuracies persist, and to fix this problem, Google will now allow people to reposition markers using Street View instead of just maps and satellite images. Perhaps this sounds familiar: you type an...
Ford's Focus on Social Media: Scott Monty Interview
March 9, 2010, 9:22 amWhen you think of successful consumer brands in the social media space, names like Dell, Zappos and Pepsi come to mind. Another is Ford. Last year the Ford Fiesta movement generated tremendous amount of awareness (and pre-orders) for a vehicle that wasn't available to the public yet. At the same time, it inspired a community to engage, create...
Weekly Search & Social News: 03/09/2010
March 9, 2010, 9:16 amWelcome to another edition of ' 7 Days of Search and Social ' - so, how are we now? Last week was a pretty busy one out in the trenches, especially considering that SMX was on (generally slows the blogging world). I do suggest looking into today's top story as it's one that seems to have slipped by the radar' interesting stuff. I am now in the...
Google Webmaster Tools Gets New Labs Features
March 9, 2010, 9:11 amGoogle has launched two new experiments in Webmaster Tools Labs. These are "Fetch as Googlebot-Mobile" and "Create your Sidewiki page owner entry." "After we launched Fetch as Googlebot, many users with mobile-specific sites asked if we could provide the ability to fetch their pages as Googlebot-Mobile. We thought it was a great idea, and added it...
W3C Validation for SEO - Myth and Reality
March 9, 2010, 8:41 amAlan does a good job of laying out the two sides of the coin. A good read for folks confused about the relative importance of W3C compliance as it relates to SEO.
Migrating to a New Domain and URL Structure – My Learnings
March 9, 2010, 8:29 amI find it a very useful guide on the best practices moving your site to a new domain. As the one who has experienced various weird cases while doing it, I recommend bookmarking the post.
W3C Validation for SEO â" Myth and Reality
March 9, 2010, 8:12 amA topic that has been discussed extensively by some people in the SEO community is the notion that having a W3C compliant web site is either critical to SEO or it's not. Most recently, Edward Lewis and I debated back and forth on Twitter, with Edward holding firm to his long-standing position that compliance is necessary and me taking the stand...
Dailymotion In Music Video Deal With Warner
March 9, 2010, 8:07 amWarner Music Group has entered into a licensing agreement with online video sharing site Dailymotion. Warner will offer music videos via Dailymotion's website in the U.S., Europe and North Africa. "We are delighted that our large and growing repertoire of quality music videos includes content from Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, EMI and...
Is the Future of TV Advertising Dependent on Search?
March 9, 2010, 8:07 amThe Wall Street Journal has the Blogosphere abuzz with r umors of Google testing a new set-top box with Dish Network, which would allow people to search television and online video content like YouTube. Google has given the usual "we don't comment on rumor or speculation" statement on the subject. According to the WSJ, only a small number of...
Goldman Sachs Slashes Nexus One Sales Forecasts
March 9, 2010, 8:07 amInvestment banking and securities firm Goldman Sachs is more or less giving up on Google's Nexus One. A note Goldman Sachs published this week indicates that it's cut its 2010 sales forecast by a whopping 71.4 percent. As reported by the Wall Street Journal , the note stated, "We previously estimated that Google might sell 3.5 mn Nexus One units...
Watch Out America! Here Come the European Social Media Marketers!
March 9, 2010, 7:53 am
According to a new study being published this week by Unica, European marketers trail their American cousins, when it comes to the adoption of social media marketing.
While, 58% of marketers in North America are already engaged in social media marketing, only 34% of Europeans can say the same.
That’s likely to change in the...
The Power of Confident Writing
March 9, 2010, 7:49 amThere's a wonderful European-style market and bakery in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas. They serve everything from made-to-order salads and sandwiches to chef-prepared, ready-to-eat meals. But what I love most about the place is the sign on the door when you leave. It's classic. The sign doesn't read "Please Come Again" or "Thank You for Your...
Colorado: Another State of Confusion
March 9, 2010, 7:46 am
Being a resident of North Carolina I have had the experience of watching the state government take away an income stream for people in a time when income streams can be little more like a trickle. It did this through imposing a tax on Amazon affiliate sales in the state and Amazon essentially said “No problem, we’ll just...
Top 5 elements that you need for high rankings on Google
March 9, 2010, 7:36 amA small error in one search engine optimization factor can destroy your efforts in all other elements. When you optimize your website for search engines, you have to consider several different factors. In this article, you'll find the five most important factors that influence your Google rankings.
Google Testing New TV Search Service?
March 9, 2010, 7:15 am
I will let you in on my new system for posts. If the post title has a question mark there is good reason to suspect that it will fall in the realm of rumor. In this case, the source of the information, The Wall Street Journal, tends to report on things that are as “real” as they can be. On this one, however, there was enough...
Migrating to a New Domain and URL Structure â" My Results and Learning's
March 9, 2010, 7:08 amRecently the company I worked for made a big decision to rebrand and with it came the dreaded domain name change. We are also having a new website being built so another SEO favourite URL's. This article will share my leanings from my sleepless nights and epic amount of research into making sure it didn't go wrong. After my research I decided to...
RipOff Report Now Selling Links, Verifying Safe Cash4Gold
March 9, 2010, 6:34 amRipoff Report is a blight in the search results and really needs to be removed.
Advanced Search Engine Rankings Tracker â" SEJ Tools
March 9, 2010, 6:26 amOne of the most advanced and usable features inside SEJ tools is its SERP tracker. The benefits of the tool include: (!) The tool is easy to use and configure; (!) The tool is organically integrated with all other tools inside which makes adding terms to tracker simple and fun; (!) The tool generates pretty and well-organized reports; etc.
Building a Successful Ecommerce Website
March 9, 2010, 3:30 amBuilding a successful ecommerce sites are far beyond the days of slapping up a pay pal button and performing simple search engine optimization and calling it a day. You need to build trust and have strong branding in order to create a stream of daily customers. If you want your ecommerce website to function how it is supposed to in the search...
New Google Message Center Notifications for Hacking and Abuse
March 9, 2010, 3:17 am"... we will notify more webmasters of more potential issues we've detected on their websites, including: Spammy or abused user-generated content"
Targeting Multiple Keywords vs. Singular Keyword Focus
March 9, 2010, 1:46 amPosted by randfish Despite being a seemingly simple topic, this one seems to stymie even experienced SEOs. There's a natural conflict that creates the issue - the more keywords you target on a single page, the less you need to link build and optimize (for both search engines and user experience/conversion rate) on many pages. To answer this...
ICANN To Reconsider Adult Domains
March 9, 2010, 1:40 am"An independent review recently concluded that decision was unfair and that the plan should be reconsidered."
Review of Tools Provided by Lilengine – Great Ways to Use These Tools
March 9, 2010, 1:24 am
If you haven’t checked out our tools page, you should. We’ve got all kinds of things to make it easier to evaluate and improve your own website and find out how your competitors stack up.
The Google PageRank Checker (see screen shot) does exactly what it says. You type in a URL and it tells you the site’s Google Toolbar...
New Whitepaper: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Digital Advertising for Brand Campaigns
March 9, 2010, 1:16 amDigital has never been more important for brands that are seeking to communicate and engage with their customers, this is especially true when speaking in terms of purchase decision-making and brand perception. As digital media battles for its share of cash and eyeballs in an increasingly saturated market, advertisers find themselves faced with...
Amazon Ends Colorado Affiliates Deal Over Internet Tax Plan
March 8, 2010, 11:59 pm"Amazon did state they would reinstate Colorado-based Associates if the state of Colorado brought the law into compliance with what the US Supreme Court said was constitutional."
The Internet is a Fundamental Human Right
March 8, 2010, 9:17 pm"Nearly 80 percent of people worldwide consider access to the Internet to be a basic human right, rather than a privilege..."
Google Search on Android Set-Top Boxes?
March 8, 2010, 8:18 pmHow does searching on your TV using Google sounds like to you? Isn't it enough that Google has conquered the web and the mobile devices and now it wants to try its luck on TV sets as well? According to a WSJ report , Google has been testing out a new TV search service in cooperation with the second satellite provider in the U.S. - Dish Network....
AdSense Editors Won't be Paid this Month in Brazil
March 8, 2010, 8:05 pm"Payment for some Brazilian Google AdSense editors won't happen this month. In an official note on its online support forum, Google said that "some editors won't be paid in February" due to a "processing problem"."
Google Reluctant to Release info in Viacom Case
March 8, 2010, 6:07 pm"[GOOGLE] has asked a federal court to keep documents filed in the case under seal for another three months. Viacom wants to unseal all but the most sensitive of trade secrets within two weeks and Google wants to wait until June 4. "
Anti-Gay Politician: I'm Gay
March 8, 2010, 5:48 pmby Claudine Zap The California state Senator Roy Ashburn , whose arrest caused a frenzy of searches, has come clean. Not about his DUI. That was public knowledge, and he already apologized for his mistake. No, he admitted to what many bloggers and the rumor mill had already suspected: The anti-gay rights politician is gay . To recap, the state...
Andy Beal Brings His Reputation Management Workshop to Auckland & Sydney in May!
March 8, 2010, 4:32 pm
I absolutely love doing my online reputation management workshops. An entire day of me sharing just about everything I know about reputation management. Not only do I enjoy them, but the feedback has been amazing–just about everyone that attends walks away a reputation management expert!
So, I’m going international and...
A Tribute to John Hughes
March 8, 2010, 4:21 pmby Mike Krumboltz It was a scene reminiscent of "The Breakfast Club." On stage at the Oscars was a brain, and a basket case, and a princess, and a criminal. Oh, and Macaulay Culkin , Matthew Broderick , and Jon Cryer were there, too. At last night's ceremony, awards were given and speeches were made, but one of the most memorable moments came...
Yahoo Gets Stock Boost From "Outperform" Rating
March 8, 2010, 3:58 pmAlthough this turned out to be a pretty "meh" day for the stock market as a whole - the Dow and S&P 500 slipped a little bit, while the Nasdaq didn't gain much - Yahoo investors should be feeling pleased. Yahoo's stock rose by a significant amount as an analyst rated it "market outperform," up from "market perform." Sameet Sinha of JMP Securities...
Microsoft adCenter API Top 10 Viewed Topics for February 2010
March 8, 2010, 3:52 pmHello, Here are the most viewed adCenter API topics on MSDN for February 2010. Microsoft adCenter API United States Microsoft adCenter Campaign Management API Reference Campaign Management Service Operations California (United States) Alabama (United States) Microsoft adCenter Campaign Management API WSDL Overview KeywordPerformanceReportColumn...
"I don't have time ofr Facebook and Twitter"
March 8, 2010, 3:46 pmby Mike Moran Image by luc legay via Flickr Social media is free, but what's the catch? Time. We only have so much time to spend putting our message out there, but we don't want to limit how many people can hear what we have to say. This problem comes up in many ways, but the simplest is the dichotomy between Facebook and Twitter. Many folks...
Examine Your Site's Text, Reduce Chances of Search Engine Confusion
March 8, 2010, 3:35 pmHas it ever occurred to you that you may have keywords on your site that are misleading to search engines? Or that you need to take a look at all of the keywords you are trying to rank for, and think about the different meanings and contexts that those could be taken in that are unrelated to your actual product, and then eliminate other seemingly...
"I don't have time for Facebook and Twitter"
March 8, 2010, 3:10 pmby Mike Moran
Image by luc legay via Flickr
Social media is free, but what's the catch? Time. We only have so much time to spend putting our message out there, but we don't want to limit how many people can hear what we have to say. This problem comes up in many ways, but the simplest is the dichotomy between Facebook and Twitter. Many folks...
173 million U.S. Internet users watched 32.4 billion videos in January
March 8, 2010, 2:55 pmAccording to comScore Video Metrix , nearly 173 million U.S. Internet users watched 32.4 billion videos in January 2010. Do the math and you'll discover that viewers watched an average of 187 videos per viewer during the month. Click to read the rest of this post.
Online Ad Spending To Outpace Print In 2010
March 8, 2010, 2:55 pmSpending on online advertising and marketing will surpass print in 2010 for the first time, according to a new report from Outsell. Companies will spend $119.6 billion on online and digital strategies, from search engine keywords to webinars, while committing $111.5 billion to print such as newspapers and magazine ads. Overall, U.S. spending on...
Ladies' Night at the Oscars
March 8, 2010, 2:08 pmby Vera H-C Chan It was ladies' night at the Oscarsâ"and it wasn't just about the dresses. Sandra Bullock 's off-the-cuff charm, Mo'Nique 's homage to a black female film pioneer, and Kathryn Bigelow 's history-making win made No. 82 memorable. Sure, the ceremony cranked out too long, and some critics cringed at the dance numbers (note to...
Facebook Expands Preferred Developer Program
March 8, 2010, 2:07 pmFour months ago, Facebook launched something called the Preferred Developer Consultant Program in an effort to point companies and celebrities towards the best developers. Now, the program's taking an important leap forward as Facebook's more than tripled the number of recommended developers.
Facebook started things off with just 14...
Razorfish Improves Efficiencies by 50% with Marin Search Marketer
March 8, 2010, 1:57 pmSaving time on bidding and reporting reaps big rewards for the digital agency and software provider. Click to read the rest of this post.
Editorial Review in Microsoft adCenter: Common Disapprovals and How to Fix Them
March 8, 2010, 1:13 pmIt's a fairly common scenario. You've amassed your keyword list with Microsoft Advertising Intelligence , written stellar ads and uploaded your new campaigns to adCenter. You spend the next 48 hrs waiting patiently for the editorial review process.
As SERPs Get More Complicated, Focus on Relevant Elements
March 8, 2010, 1:08 pmAt SES Chicago last year, Yahoo VP of Consumer Products, Larry Cornett suggested that blended search results bring businesses a broader range of SEO opportunities, a chance to take control of their brand, and a potential increase in qualified clicks. While these blended results can tend to divert users away from organic listings, as SEO Dave...
Google Toying With Location-based Ad Formats
March 8, 2010, 1:07 pmLocation, location, location. Some of you may have seen my earlier coverage of Google considering integrations between Google Buzz and Google Latitude. Still others may have seen my supporting story detailing Google's appreciation of location-based mashups. Steve Lee, the product manager for Google Latitude and Google Maps for mobile who so...
comScore Releases January 2010 U.S. Online Video Rankings
March 8, 2010, 12:50 pmcomScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released January 2010 data from the comScore Video Metrix service showing that nearly 173 million U.S. Internet users watched online video during the month. Video viewers at YouTube.com watched 93 videos on average during the month, representing an increase of 50 percent...
Bing's Earth Day Photo Contest for Students
March 8, 2010, 12:38 pmOn Friday at NCCE Seattle we announced that our next homepage photo contest will kickoff on March 29 and this time theres a twist. Were asking students in the United States to submit photos to help celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and the winning photo will be displayed on the Bing homepage on April 22, Earth Day itself! Justin...
Chinese Government May or May Not be Talking with Google
March 8, 2010, 12:35 pm
Google’s big talk on pulling out of China appears to be in “perpetual beta,” as AllThingsD’s John Paczkowski jokes. According to his report, the Chinese government both confirms and denies that they are currently in talks with Google over Internet control/censorship.
China’s Ministry of Industry and...
B2B Marketers Making Huge Increases in Social Media Spend
March 8, 2010, 12:15 pmby Sage Lewis Marketing Pilgrim reports that B2B Marketers will see a 490% Increase in Social Media Spend by 2014. But there are other really interesting stats to be found in this report as well. Be sure and visit our small business news site.
WMT SideWiki in Google Labs Area
March 8, 2010, 12:02 pmNow added to Webmaster Tools Section.
Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar Win, Iraqi Elections, "The Smurfs" Cast: What's the Buzz
March 8, 2010, 11:52 amby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Iraqi elections (Searches increased by +1,053%). Despite deadly bomb attacks , millions of Iraqis turned out to vote in their general election. Kathryn Bigelow (+1,033%). "The Hurt Locker" director became the first woman to take home the Oscar. "All About Steve" (+869%). The flop of a...
Google Launches Public Data Explorer Labs Experiment
March 8, 2010, 11:49 amGoogle has launched a new Google Labs experiment called Public Data Explorer. The product takes large datasets and gives them a visual interface with animated charts and maps.
"As the charts and maps animate over time, the changes in the world become easier to understand," Google explains in the description. "You don't have...
SEMPO Names New Board of Directors
March 8, 2010, 11:28 amOne of our own makes the cut. Click to read the rest of this post.
Matt Cutts Calling for Link Spam Reports
March 8, 2010, 11:16 amby Sage Lewis
Matt Cutts has recently put out a post calling for us all to turn in link spam. Learn what he and Google are up to. This has interesting implications for you to consider.
Be sure and visit our small business news site.
eBay Says Buying Used Is Being Green
March 8, 2010, 10:59 ameBay announced today the launch of the eBay Green Team Challenge, a program aimed at turning green shopping into a tangible environmental impact. Under the program, the first 250,000 people to pledge to reuse on eBay, the company will protect an acre of rainforest in their name through a new collaboration with Team Earth, a coalition of...
Citysearch Teams with OrangeSoda for Online Marketing Solution
March 8, 2010, 10:43 amLocal advertising meets search engine optimization with new tool for marketers.Click to read the rest of this post...
Science, Art and Scale
March 8, 2010, 10:31 amCarol Bartz: What Yahoo! offers advertisers Yahoo! can bring advertisers a combination of strengths that no one else can, Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz said in a keynote speech at the 4A's Transformation 2010 conference today, because only Yahoo! offers them three things: science, art and scale. Carol, speaking to the advertising industry group in San...
Did Google Ignore an Italian Takedown Notice?
March 8, 2010, 10:07 am
The verdict on the Italian YouTube court case verdict seemed pretty clear: sentencing Google execs to jail time for an invasion of privacy in a video posted (by someone else) on the UGC site was, well, “absurd,” as we said two weeks ago.
But some new evidence is coming out that may just justify at least the...
Social Media Lessons from the Big Brands: Intuit Edition
March 8, 2010, 10:01 amA recent survey from E-Consultancy, in association with the Online Marketing Summit, found that most businesses are still only experimenting with social media. With this in mind, it seems worth paying attention to how some big and successful brands use social media in their own strategies.
One company that is finding social media incredibly...
Yahoo "Infusing Mobile Through The Organization"
March 8, 2010, 9:50 amYahoo's approach to the mobile market is about to change in a very noticeable way. Indeed, Yahoo's mobile division will more or less cease to exist as a separate entity, with mobile becoming something of a company-wide concern.
One important note: no layoffs have been announced. "We are infusing mobile throughout the...
What Do You Do When You Run Out of Knowledge?
March 8, 2010, 9:39 amBloggers have a distinct disadvantage. When someone hires an expert in " oh, let's say marketing " that expert can dispense the same information she did for the last client. And the client before that one. And the one before that. Not bloggers. Blogging is about breaking down everything you know into bite-sized chunks so that people can learn it...
Google Testing TV Search Service On Android-Enhanced Set-Top Boxes
March 8, 2010, 9:32 am"The service runs on set-top boxes "using elements of Google's Android operating system..."
Citysearch Has New Way for Local Businesses to Advertise
March 8, 2010, 9:10 amCitysearch recently announced a set of APIs to make all of Citysearchs local listings content and advertising available to other Websites and mobile apps. It's called CityGrid . Today, the company announced an online advertising solution called CityGrid Complete, as an extension of that. CityGrid Complete was built around an investment from...
Exploring Local Businesses on Facebook
March 8, 2010, 8:53 amThe following is part of our series on different ways you can use Facebook to connect with public figures, businesses and organizations around the world. Whether you're in your hometown or on a holiday in a favorite vacation spot, it's easy to stay updated on all of your favorite local businesses on Facebook. From restaurants and clothing...
Facebook Neighbors Reunite Dog with Owner
March 8, 2010, 8:53 amThe following is part of our "Your Stories" series on different ways Facebook is used across the world. If you have a story you'd like to share with us, please submit it here . David Slade's fiancée Kelly was the first to find the lost little dog. Standing in the driveway on her way to shop for wedding dresses in January, Kelly was surprised when...
Facebook Tips: What's the Difference between a Facebook Page and Group?
March 8, 2010, 8:52 amThe following is part of our series, Facebook Tips , which answers some of the most commonly asked questions about using Facebook. While we hope the tips we share will be informative, we are unable to answer individual questions on this blog. Visit the Help Center for additional information about any topics we cover. Making connections on Facebook...
Free Software Foundation Talks Potential of Google's On2 Deal
March 8, 2010, 8:29 amLast summer, Google announced that it would be acquiring video compression technology developer On2 Technologies . A couple weeks ago, Google announced that the acquisition had closed. Upon the completion of this acquisition, the nonprofit Free Software Foundation, whose mission is to "promote computer user freedom" and "defend the rights of all...
In the Land of Twitter, Blogging is King
March 8, 2010, 8:17 amAs Twitter has risen to prominence, many loud voices have declared it the future of media, the future of journalism, even the future of the free world. I am a fan of Twitter. It is a powerful service that is unbelievably flexible and versatile. But, as I contemplate Twitter, it strikes me that Blogging remains the king of new media. Given the...
A Week Without Microsoft Windows - Day 1
March 8, 2010, 8:10 am"...running nothing but Linux for a week. The aim being that as I discovered problems I would try and find solutions, in the hope that these ideas may be of use to other members."
U.S. Online Retail Set For Double-Digit Growth
March 8, 2010, 8:06 amOnline retail in both the U.S. and Western Europe is set for a strong period of double-digit growth over the next five years, according to new forecasts by Forrester Research. U.S. online retail will grow at a 10 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next five years to reach nearly $249 billion by 2014. Online retail within the...
Bing Hopes 3-Month UK Ad Campaign Can Wipe Away 10 Years of Sucking Wind
March 8, 2010, 8:05 am
I don’t remember what Microsoft’s search engine share was, when I left the UK in the summer of 2000, but I’m pretty sure it was a lot better than the current anemic 3%.
According to the Guardian, Microsoft would love for Bing to recapture those glory days and is willing to spend the rest of its natural life next...
Microsoft To Spend $2 Billion On Bing Ads In The UK
March 8, 2010, 7:48 amAs fans of "The Office" may know, it's fairly common for the entertainment industry to take a successful concept and adapt it for use overseas. And now, Microsoft's performing a similar conversion, launching a "Bing and decide" advertising campaign in the U.K. It's a good bet that you've seen a couple of these amusing TV spots by now; they...
Twitter and Politics: Friends or Foes?
March 8, 2010, 7:38 am
If you can believe it, we are rapidly approaching the 1 ½ year “anniversary” of the election of Barack Obama as the President of the United States. This event was historic and monumental on many different levels and not the least of which is how candidate Obama utilized social media to get into office.
Now, before I get...
A Networking Guide to Social Media Commenting
March 8, 2010, 7:30 amStudying the front page of Digg or Reddit can give you some pretty decent insight into what kinds of content is worthy of the communities votes. However, it's nothing compared to what you can learn by reading and being an active member of the "social" part of social media: the comments. If you're looking for insights into the "algorithms" of...
The US Can Learn From Europe On Mobile Search
March 8, 2010, 7:24 amBas van den Beld is a leading expert on European search and a regular contributor to search marketing publications and conferences all over the world. He also runs State of Search - a new website providing insight and analysis on the latest issues and developments in global search marketing. At the International Search Summit on 13th May, Bas will...
Poll: Best Royalty Free Stock Photo Sites for Bloggers
March 8, 2010, 7:17 amAs with many bloggers, we've been using royalty free images for many years. Many bloggers make use of images from Flickr and we have too but you can't always find the right image there. I've even made a point to take more photos of people, places and things while traveling for later use in blog posts like the one to the right. The stock photo...
Marketing Should Be About "And" Rather Than "Or"
March 8, 2010, 7:11 amYou'll often notice than when a new web service or marketing strategy gets starts getting some buzz, it will often be referred to as a "_____ killer", when in most cases this turns out to be greatly exaggerated or just plain wrong. For marketers, it's important not to get too caught up in this kind of mentality, because as long as you...
China Says Google Never Filed Complaint in Hacking Case
March 8, 2010, 7:01 am"The standoff between Google and the Chinese government took another turn this weekend, with state officials saying that the search giant had not come forward with a formal complaint about the hacking attacks that prompted it to threaten to shutter its operations in the country."
Media Giant WPP Sees Its Digital Future
March 8, 2010, 6:58 am
While you may be aware of WPP in general it may be worth a look to see just how big this media conglomerate is. Last week the company stated that digital will account for 2/3 of its business over the next three to four years. Considering they did about $13 billion in revenue in 2009 this is no small statement.
Those of us on the...
7 Google Chrome Extensions To Make You A More Efficient SEO
March 8, 2010, 6:55 amGoogle announced extensions with its latest Chrome release on 21st January this year – implemented to slow down improve the features of the browser and give Firefox a run for its money. Now Google Chrome for me is the super-fast, shiny browser used occassionally that resolves pages in an instant, handling as many tabs as you can throw at it...
Website Usability Testing: Guide To The Best Free Tools And Services
March 8, 2010, 6:53 amWebsite usability testing identifies a precise methodology devoted to uncover specific bugs, idiosyncrasies and ambiguities in the way that website design impacts the effective use, legibility, navigation, and user experience of your website. In this MasterNewMedia guide you can find the best free website usability testing tools available out...
AlertRank: Google Alerts on Steroids
March 8, 2010, 6:47 amIt is not really often that I am actually impressed by the tool (this is because I come across 2-3 new ones weekly so it is not really easy to surprise me already). But today's one is truly awesome. AlertRank is a free web-based tool that helps to make sense of your Google alerts. Most of us use Google Alerts to keep an eye on our keyword or brand...
75 PR/Article Submission Sites to Generate Inbound Links
March 8, 2010, 6:47 amArticle submission sites do not have as much authority and link value as they used to, but they can still help build your link portfolio and give a temporary boost in rankings. Certain sites like EzineArticles and PRweb tend to rank better organically which can help increase traffic, while other article sites are better for gaining high PR links.
Variable Speed for YouTube Videos
March 8, 2010, 6:30 amIf you've opted in to YouTube's HTML5 experiment, the videos will play in your own browser's player, instead of in an Adobe Flash player. This was discussed in the Forum a few weeks ago. YouTube can serve HTML5 videos if you have an HTML5-capable browser with the h.264 video codec (i.e. Chrome but not Chromium, Safari v4+, or IE with Google Chrome...
Link Building Master Class - The Diverse & Creative Approach
March 8, 2010, 5:13 amDiversification and creativity will get you a long way in your link building efforts ....
Top 25 Most Dangerous Programming Errors
March 8, 2010, 5:09 am"WebmasterWorld members evaluate the top programming errors which could lead to serious vulnerabilities."
Search Marketing Desktop out of Beta
March 8, 2010, 4:45 amThe highly regarded Search Marketing Desktop by Yahoo - is no longer in beta. No word if Microsoft will adopt the tool for their usage.
SEO and Software Don't Mix
March 8, 2010, 4:35 amI understand in today's marketplace the need for automation grows and grows as companies seek to cut costs across the board. Streamlining a process down to a science and eliminating as much human interaction seems to be a growing trend but does it work for marketing a website and for SEO? Manufacturing yes, internet marketing to humans? No.
The Big SphinnCon Israel 2010 Recap
March 8, 2010, 4:25 amThe second ever SphinnCon Israel was a huge hit. Check out the big recap to catch up on all the highlights.
Google Public Data Explorer
March 8, 2010, 4:22 am"...launching the Google Public Data Explorer, an experimental visualization tool in Google Labs."
Bing Updates Maps - Large Amount of New Imagery
March 8, 2010, 4:05 amBing Says: "Last month we pushed out our largest amount of new imagery EVER in terms of square kilometers. This month, were blowing THAT record out of the water. You thought 1 million+ sq. km. was large? How about 6.7 million square kilometers! Its pretty much unfathomable. The big winners? Aerial: The Russian Federation, Australia, Mexico and...
SEO Education
March 8, 2010, 3:45 am
The question isn’t so much can you get a decent SEO education for free, online, but will you get a decent SEO education for free, online? There’s a fascinating story in the April 2010 issue of Vanity Fair about a 32-year-old investor who learned how to trade credit default swaps as the real estate bubble inflated and got out right...
Google Makes AJAX Applications Crawlable
March 8, 2010, 3:05 am"This document outlines the steps that are necessary in order to make your AJAX application crawlable. "
Criticism of Google at Wikipedia
March 8, 2010, 2:00 amWikipedia has a whole page dedicated to criticism of Google . [By Philipp Lenssen | Origin: Criticism of Google at Wikipedia | Comments ] [Advertisement] Want to make money with your website? AllPosters.
Do Some People Confuse Public and Private Buzz Messages?
March 8, 2010, 2:00 amDo some people confuse public Buzz messages with private email conversations? I don't know, but some of the following conversations I found using Gmail's Buzz search sounded a bit odd. One of the conversation, for instance, was by a person who only follows one person and only has one follower. Then again, how would this misunderstanding come...
Microsoft to Run a Massive Bing TV Campaign in the UK
March 8, 2010, 1:31 amThe Guardian UK is reporting that Microsoft Bing is preparing to launch a massive TV ad campaign aimed at challenging Google's dominance in the UK search market. According to the report, the series of Bing promotional TV ads is set to begin airing this week and will be promoting Bing as a "decision engine." Microsoft has contracted the services...
Microsoft to Run Major Ad Campaign in UK
March 8, 2010, 12:14 am"Microsoft will certainly have its work cut out winning over consumers it currently holds about a 3% share of the search market while Google controls about 90%."
Search Marketing Success Stories
March 7, 2010, 11:19 pmPosted by RobOusbey Search Engine Optimization covers a huge range of tactics - all of which can bring direct benefit to a website. In this post, I've shared examples of different tactics used at different websites, and the effects that have been seen. If you're considering an SEO campaign for your site, or are trying to persuade someone else to...
The Greatest Unsolved Problems of the Web
March 7, 2010, 10:45 pm"What are the greatest unsolved problems on the web today?" (subscription required)
The Ask-Our-Computer Service (from 1967)
March 7, 2010, 10:00 amThis snippet is from Popular Science , May 1967, page 94: [Hat tip to George R!] [By Philipp Lenssen | Origin: The Ask-Our-Computer Service (from 1967) | Comments ] [Advertisement] Want to make money with your website? AllPosters.
Watch the 2010 Oscars : Academy Awards Online
March 7, 2010, 7:53 amIt's that time of the year again folks, with the 82nd Academy Awards happens tonight in LA. According to reports, this year's Oscar academy awards will be much more exciting than last year, with a record 10 nominations for Best Picture and a hosting lineup of Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. But if you live in New York, you may be missing this...
Pandia Search Engine News Wrap-up March 7
March 7, 2010, 7:28 amHere is our weekly wrap-up of Internet search and search engine industry oriented headlines. Google Buys Online Collaboration Operator DocVerse Something good is about to happen with Google's cloud computing service â" that is interoperability with Microsoft Office files (SE Journal March 3 2010) The five-minute guide to Google Squared Arrange...
Online Daters Mostly Truthful
March 7, 2010, 6:42 amPeople who lie on online dating services are likely people-pleasers who want to present themselves favorably, just as they would in person, according to new research from the University of Kansas. Jeffery Hall, assistant professor of communications studies, surveyed more than 5,000 participants who used Internet dating services to find out what...
The Importance of Having a Sitemap
March 7, 2010, 5:30 am
You have probably noticed that there will be a link on the home page of many websites that is labeled “Sitemap,” as can be seen in the lower right corner of the screen shot. The sitemap is an overview of the structural linkage of a website. While some people used to consider sitemaps as unnecessary to building a website, today having...
Survey: People Who Quit Twitter Out of Boredom Haven't Tried Hard Enough
March 6, 2010, 12:07 pmThis week's Twitter column is about a very intriguing survey by Neicole Crepeau . She surveyed 336 Internet users asking them several questions about their Twitter usage and perception. The most note-worthy finding is that most of those who have quit Twitter did it out of boredom . At the same time these people didn't use Twitter in a way that...
Did I tell you about The Value of Social Media Report by Econsultancy?
March 6, 2010, 8:25 amOver the past three weeks, I've been to SES London 2010 , OMS 2010 in San Diego, and SMX West 2010 in Santa Clara. As The Grateful Dead would say, "What a long strange trip it's been." Click to read the rest of this post.
Google Buys Online Collaboration Operator DocVerse
March 6, 2010, 7:15 amGoogle seems to be prepping up its online collaboration and cloud computing tools - Google Docs for the big league. Just recently, Google Docs supported uploading fo files from your computer and sharing that files with people you collaborate with via Google Docs. Now, something good is about to happen with Google's cloud computing service - that...
Chrome Wins Tom's Hardware Browser Test
March 6, 2010, 6:30 amNot too many years ago, threads on online forums would often have titles like "New Ferrari Pics (56K users, make coffee)" as a way of warning people with slow connections that they'd be stuck for a while. Now, Tom's Hardware has established which modern Web browsers will slow folks down - and which won't.
Chrome, Firefox, Internet...
Cup of Joe: 9 Steps To Go From Newbie To Guru
March 6, 2010, 6:00 am
So you want to be a famous SEO?
You want to be a Social Media guru?
Want to rock the socks off of affiliate marketers?
Awesome! Want a little tip on how to start?? Don’t start blogging! So you might be thinking What? Don’t blog? Are you crazy? (I am not sure) But, here’s the truth. Almost every...
Content Monetizing is Still a Mystery to Many
March 6, 2010, 5:48 am"... by the time I "get" something, it's too late and that boat has sank. So how long is good content going to hold up the monetization of web sites?"
Interview your Future SEO Company and PPC Company
March 6, 2010, 4:50 amBefore you hire an SEO (search engine optimization) company or consultant, or a PPC (pay-per-click) company, you should be thoroughly familiar with what they do.
Hiring an SEO company can potentially raise your site’s profile dramatically in a short time, but if they go about it in the wrong way, you risk damaging your site’s standing...
News Site's Posts Take Exactly a Week To Show Up In SERPs
March 5, 2010, 7:57 pm"WebmasterWorld Members are puzzled by the exact timeframe of the appearance."
Air Traffic, Sarah Palin, and Sony's Problems: Buzz Week in Review
March 5, 2010, 6:32 pmby Mike Krumboltz Air travel is rarely eventful. And that's a good thing â" the less exciting the flight, the better. However, this past week, flyers were given a bit of a jolt after hearing tapes of a child speaking with pilots over the control-tower radio. Elsewhere, former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin paid a visit to "The Tonight...
State Senator's Arrest Causes Buzz
March 5, 2010, 5:52 pmby Claudine Zap Just when the Democrats were ducking for cover over a scandal-filled week (Gov. David Paterson and Rep. Charles Rangel , please stand up), a Republican swoops in with his own problem. And, well, a woman isn't one of them. The California State Senator Roy Ashburn was arrested for a DUI violation. That's not all. The government...
Yahoo! at SMX West and Real-Time Search
March 5, 2010, 5:34 pmWe had a great time at the SMX West conference this past week in Santa Clara, CA. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer kicked things off with his keynote speech, where he addressed several questions on the Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance. Yahoo! participated in several different panels throughout the week, including Thursday's keynote "The State off...
How you can help with Chile earthquake relief efforts via PayPal & eBay
March 5, 2010, 4:30 pmHi there, this is Judy Chang, with PayPal's non-profit team. In the early morning of Saturday, February 27, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Chile, killing hundreds and displacing millions from their homes. Many charities have already sent aid and volunteers, but they still need critical necessities including .
Google Acquires DocVerse, Takes Aim At MS Office
March 5, 2010, 3:39 pmThe acquisitive arm of Google reached out again today, and this time, grabbed DocVerse, a company that specializes in the real-time sharing and editing of documents. The unusual thing is that DocVerse doesn't deal with just any documents; instead, it focuses on Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word documents. A post on the Official Google...
The High-Tech War Against the Low-Tech IED
March 5, 2010, 2:47 pmby Vera H-C Chan A renewed military campaign overseas and a war film in Oscar contention have brought attention to one of the military's toughest tasks: defending against the low-tech makeshift bomb, AKA the IED . Laymen audiences learned from " The Hurt Locker ," set in 2004, how IEDs had been the weapon of choice in Iraq. Six years later, IEDs...
Site Speed Tips for When Google Uses That as a Ranking Factor
March 5, 2010, 2:18 pmLast year, Google's Matt Cutts dropped the bomb (to put it in the exaggerated tone that many took the news in), that Google was considering taking site speed into consideration as one of many potential ranking factors for search results. Is your site's performance up to snuff? Comment here . This of course freaked a lot of people out, but as Matt...
YouTube, Drew Barrymore Select 2010 "HungerBytes" Winners
March 5, 2010, 2:06 pmFor the second year in a row, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) asked activists on YouTube to make videos raising awareness about world hunger as part of their " Hungerbytes " competition. And once again, many creative entries came in. Nonprofits looking to run their own YouTube video campaign may want to take note of this effort as it...
Yahoolympics scores 17.5 million fans
March 5, 2010, 2:06 pmYahoo! attracts largest online Olympic audience, Feb. 8 to 14 Whether it's figure skating, freestyle skiing , snowboarding, hockey, or this year's big game, curling , Winter Olympics fans are turning online in record numbers. And Yahoo!"the single most visited site for the Winter Olympics"is winning the gold in terms of unique visitors. Yahoo's...
Your Academy Award Information Instantly
March 5, 2010, 1:55 pmOn Sunday night I like many others will be glued to the television for those few hours to watch Hollywood honor the best of the best in the 82 nd Annual Academy Awards show. Some people watch for the awards, some for the fashion and other watch for the pure entertainment of the presenters, and this year with Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin hosting...
Searches on the Pentagon Shooter
March 5, 2010, 1:55 pmby Claudine Zap The man who allegedly fired at two guards at the entrance of the Pentagon subway stop, leading to their injury and the shooter's death, has sparked a surge of searches. People want to know more about the man and his motivations. The man John Patrick Bedell was, according to sources, 36 years old and from Hollister, California....
Strategic Link Building: How to Productize Link Acquisition and Dominate Your Niche
March 5, 2010, 1:54 pmPosted by randfish This week, despite still being seriously under the weather (see this week's sad WB Friday ), I flew down to SMX West to speak on the Link Building Strategies panel. Although I'd wanted to put more work in and deliver a better presentation, I received some very kind words afterward and requests from folks to share the deck via...
AP Partners With Livestream On Oscars Red Carpet
March 5, 2010, 1:54 pmThe Associated Press said today it is partnering with Livestream to launch AP Live "Oscars Red Carpet," coverage. AP Live coverage of the 82nd Annual Academy Awards will feature social media elements, on-demand clips, photos and news. AP Live is available on a Facebook fan page and syndicated to AP publishers and other distribution channels,...
Google Launches Gesture Search for Android
March 5, 2010, 1:25 pmHandwrite your way to faster search. Click to read the rest of this post.
Yelp Sued for Extortion—Again
March 5, 2010, 1:03 pmIlluminating the path to SEO for Silverlight
March 5, 2010, 12:50 pmMicrosoft Silverlight is a transformative technology. It enables otherwise basic websites to act as full-blown applications, provides access to state-of-the-art animation and video rich media presentations, and takes full advantage of your development team's existing experience in standard programming languages, such as C# . However, there is one...
Google Open Sources reMail
March 5, 2010, 12:26 pmA couple weeks ago, Google acquired reMail, a popular iPhone app, and pulled it from Apple's App Store. Now, Google has made it open source. "After looking at a number of options to make reMail available in some form, we decided to open source the code, which is now available on Google Code as remail-iphone under the Apache 2.0 License," Google...
Bing Maps Gets Biggest Imagery Update to Date
March 5, 2010, 12:26 pmMicrosoft is rolling out the largest imagery update to Bing Maps to date, adding 6.7 million square kilometers of new imagery, a representative for Bing tells WebProNews. The update includes new aerial imagery for the Russian Federation, Australia, Mexico and most places in the US where there is existing black and white imagery. "There is also a...
Penalty Box for The Marriage Ref
March 5, 2010, 12:21 pmby Mike Krumboltz Jerry Seinfeld is one of the few true comedy gods. But he may have bought himself a return ticket to mortality, thanks to the critical drubbing his newest venture, " The Marriage Ref ," is taking. "The Marriage Ref" is a reality/comedy show in which a panel of celebrity judges watches real couples present their sides of some...
Will YouTube See $1B Next Year? (And More Captions)
March 5, 2010, 11:36 amYahoo! Launches Paid Search Desktop Tool
March 5, 2010, 11:14 amNew tool allows you to manage multiple search marketing campaigns offline. Click to read the rest of this post.
Keyword Normalization: What You Need to Know Before Uploading to Microsoft adCenter
March 5, 2010, 11:09 amKeywords can be tricky things. You think youve got the most relevant, robust keyword list on the planet, but you run it through the keyword expansion wizard in Microsoft Advertising Intelligence (MAI) just to be sure no stone was left unturned.
Romantic Tales from the News Feed
March 5, 2010, 11:03 amAs part of our "Your Stories" series on different ways Facebook is used around the world, we are featuring stories in celebration of Valentine's Day this Sunday from people who found love and nurtured romances on Facebook. If you have a story you'd like to share with us, please submit it here . Love on the Wall After an unexpected divorce, Jenece...
New Privacy Controls for Your Applications
March 5, 2010, 11:03 amFacebook is designed to give you control over the information you share, and today we're making available some of our most recent privacy controls to applications on Facebook and websites and services using Facebook Connect. Last December, we launched a control that many of you had requested for some timeâ"the ability to customize privacy for...
Hijacked Brands Reach Record Level In Q4
March 5, 2010, 10:58 amCybercrime syndicates are expanding the base of brands they exploit for online fraud beyond major financial institutions and online merchants, according to a new report from the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG). The number of hijacked brands reached a record 356 in October, up nearly 4.4 percent from the previous record of 341 in August 2009....
Liveblog Coverage from SMX West 2010
March 5, 2010, 10:57 amVirginia Nussey worked her fingers to the bone to liveblog 15 sessions straight from Santa Clara. If you missed the conference, or just couldn't make all the sessions you wanted to, Virginia's coverage will catch you up. Also thanks to the speakers and conference organizers for their hard work.
Estimate Puts YouTube's Gross Revenue At $945m
March 5, 2010, 10:17 amAn important, if not surprising, item: Another Google/YouTube exec has voiced his opinion that YouTube will be profitable this year. More interestingly, an outside analyst has done the same, and also forecast a gross revenue figure of almost $1 billion. Let's start by talking about Citigroup's Mark Mahaney, who generated that estimate. As Peter...
Talking Bing/Yahoo Integration with Yahoo Search
March 5, 2010, 10:17 amAs you know, Microsoft and Yahoo were recently granted regulatory approval on their search and advertising deal, and we've discussed what this might mean for search engine optimization . WebProNews stopped by the Yahoo Headquarters in Sunnyvale before heading to SMX West in Santa Clara this week, and talked with Shashi Seth, Sr. VP of Yahoo Search...
SMX West 2010 Liveblogging Coverage
March 5, 2010, 9:50 amI don't know how Lisa Barone does it without absolutely collapsing on the last day, but here we have another roundup of her excellent liveblogging coverage from SMX West 2010. If you couldn't attend, you'll feel like you did with the coverage at Outspoken Media of 15 sessions.
Jaycee Dugard Breaks Her Silence
March 5, 2010, 9:49 amby Mike Krumboltz Kidnapping victim Jaycee Dugard lived in captivity for 18 years, before escaping from her captors in August 2009. Since then, she has lived in Northern California with her mother and her two daughters, who were "allegedly fathered by her abductor." Now that she's free and working toward establishing a normal life with her family,...
Awesome Social Media Workshops from Andy Beal & Marketing Superstars
March 5, 2010, 9:15 am
How would you like to indulge in two days of hands-on, advanced social media marketing training?
Training from experts such as Jason Falls, John Jantsch, Giovanni Gallucci, yours truly, and a bunch of other top-notch marketers?
What if I said you could get that training for just $429? When was the last time you went to a 2-day...
Countdown: 203 Days Left Until Christmas Twitter Reaches 20 Billion Tweets
March 5, 2010, 8:37 am
What will come first, Christmas or Twitter’s 20 billionth tweet?
Well, according to the GigaTweet counter, you can celebrate Twitter hitting the 20 billion mark, a few months before you can put up your Christmas tree.
Twitter has already passed the 10 billion tweet count and is rapidly chasing towards the big two-oh.
Of...
New Tool Helps Protect Online Merchants From Fraud
March 5, 2010, 8:33 amVolusion, a provider of online shopping cart software for businesses recently introduced its newest credit card fraud protection service, Fraud Score. Volusion spoke with WebProNews about Fraud Score and how it works to protect online merchants of any size from fraudulent transactions. When an order is placed customer information is cross-checked...
Study: 43% of Email Marketers Want a Slice of the Social Media Pie
March 5, 2010, 8:28 am
According to a study by EmailStatCenter.com (sponsored by ExactTarget and BrightWave), the promise of social media marketing riches is too much of a temptation for email marketers–they want in on the action.
According to the study, 43% of email marketing firms are already offering social media marketing as part of their...
10 Proven Steps to Snag a Guest Post on an A-List Blog
March 5, 2010, 8:16 amGuest posting is the "in" thing. It's the newest craze. All the kids are doing it! You've heard it time and time again " guest posting is the best way of promoting your work. So why haven't you become part of the hip crowd yet? I know why. You're scared of rejection. You're not sure if you have the chops . I can understand these feelings, but...
How Badly Do People Want Personalized Search?
March 5, 2010, 8:10 amLet me start off by saying that I have no problem with my search results being personalized, because I understand that search engines want to deliver the best user experience so that users will keep using them. If I get results that are personalized well, that means I don't have to look too far for what I'm trying to find. However, not all users...
Apple iPad Coming To U.S April 3
March 5, 2010, 8:10 amApple said today its much anticipated iPad device will be available in the U.S. on Saturday, April 3, for Wi-Fi models and in late April for Wi-Fi + 3G models. All models of iPad will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K. in late April. Beginning March 12, U.S. customers can pre-order...
15 YouTube Killer Features of 2025
March 5, 2010, 7:53 amIn the year 2025, perhaps we'll be seeing: 1. YouTube Super Zoom What it is: When watching a video, you can press the pause button and zoom in on smaller stuff you see in the background. For example, we see a mayor walking through a museum, and there's a painting by Vermeer in the background. Hit pause and the zoom icon, and click on the Vermeer...
Yahoo's Bartz Keen On Making Acquisitions
March 5, 2010, 7:47 amBelieve it or not, Yahoo has a market cap of about $22 billion, and the company intends to put some of that money to good use in the near future. Carol Bartz stated at the Transformation 2010 conference that she intends to acquire more stuff this year. In response to what could have been a "yes" or "no" question concerning acquisitions in 2010,...
Most of Google AdWords Case Dismissed
March 5, 2010, 7:43 am
I think that based on the legal angle of much of the news around Google lately, we could see a service called Google Legal. I have no idea what that might look like but since the Internet behemoth spends so much time in court battles they should be able to find a way to monetize that right? They make money on everything else they...
8 Marketing Twitter Chats to Check Out
March 5, 2010, 7:35 amA Twitter chat is a scheduled "group chat" on a specific topic, where Twitter users interact and engage with one another at a certain time by adding a trackable hashtag to the end of all their tweets. Twitter chats are a great way to meet other marketers interested in the same area as you, learn about a topic of interest, as well as build your...
Easy On-Page Diagnosis with SenSEO (FireFox)
March 5, 2010, 7:35 amSenSEO is a Firebug FireFox addon (this means you have to install FireBug to use it) checking important on-page-SEO criteria and calculating a grade of how good the current site fulfills these criteria. The tool adds one extra tab to FireBug window which allows to inspect the current page. The first thing to do is to identify a keyword (or a key...
Six Types of Social Spammers
March 5, 2010, 7:12 amI hate spammers, and I'm 100% certain other people do too. Everyone at some point in time has had some type of experience with spammers. But you almost have to admire these individuals, almost . The techniques used are as varied as the outlets in which they are unleashed. During my thirteen years of internet exposure, I've had the displeasure of...
YouTube Changes Default Size on Embeds
March 5, 2010, 7:06 amYouTube has changed the default size for embedded videos. By default they're getting bigger at either 480x385 for a 4:3 video, or 640x385 for a 16:9 video. YouTube says it went with these sizes, because they will give most viewers the best viewing experience because they better match current video encoding sizes. "A video's life on YouTube is just...
Yahoo’s Bartz Sounds Off on the Advertising Industry, AOL and More
March 5, 2010, 6:56 am
Leave it to Yahoo’s CEO Carol Bartz to stir up a little controversy from time to time. It seems like that’s the best way for Yahoo to get in the news these days. In recent months most stories are more about what Yahoo used to be and people trying to figure out what it will be. For any business, especially in the Internet...
Omniture Now Offers Enhanced Facebook Marketing Analytics
March 5, 2010, 6:49 amWith the ever emerging and evolving world of web 2.0. marketers no more can afford to neglect social media, and with Facebook becoming the second most visited website online after Google ' and THE INTERNET (thinking back AOL circa 1998) to the bulk of its users ' analytical tracking and gauging user action, interest and return on investment is...
Google Wave Eyes Network Effect With E-Mail Notifications
March 5, 2010, 6:49 amGoogle March 4 added the ability for users to receive e-mail notifications about new and updated waves in Wave users' inboxes, lavishing another modicum of control for the real-time collaboration platform. Users may access this just by using the dropdown menu by the inbox link, as you can see here: Of course, selecting notifications can sound like...
Why Single Keywords are For Losers
March 5, 2010, 6:43 amAre you obsessing over big 'trophy' keywords? Mark Nunney on Wordtracker takes a fresh look at the power of the long tail and suggests a great work process for tackling both head and tail terms when planning your site architecture / content.
5 Ways to Weave LinkedIn Into Your Marketing Mix
March 5, 2010, 5:51 amFrom Facebook to Twitter to You Tube, there's no limit to the number of social networking sites that can be leveraged to interact with customers and prospects, and build positive brand awareness. LinkedIn , however, stands apart from the crowd. The roots of popular sites like YouTube and Facebook are founded on the entertainment side of things....
Content Creation: In-House, Outsourced, Quality, Quantity, and SEO
March 5, 2010, 2:31 am
Everything you read about SEO at some point comes back to the same thing: offer great content. You can put every SEO tactic to work at the same time, but if your site doesn’t have great content, it’s like putting Robert DeNiro in a Valentino cocktail dress and Christian Louboutin heels: it’s worth a look, but you’re...
Mistakes the SEO Industry Does All Over Again
March 5, 2010, 1:08 amI’ve been following the SEO industry for long enough to realize the (intentional or unintentional) mistakes the majority of SEOs make most of the time, especially the ones who publish SEO advice. Oh boy, if only we were like the conversion rate guys (who test without mercy). Anyway, let’s get started.
YouTube: AutoCaptions for Everyone and New Default Embed Size
March 5, 2010, 12:22 amA couple of new updates from the Internet's most popular video sharing site. Click to read the rest of this post.
Whiteboard Friday - Twitter as an SEO Research Tool
March 4, 2010, 11:48 pmPosted by great scott! Sure, you use Twitter as a social media tool, but have you ever considered it as an SEO research tool? No? Well watch and learn this week to find out how you can harness it in a whole new way. Now that social signals (particularly Twitter) are becoming more important in the engines, they can help you pinpoint when a keyword...
Browser Makers Want Better Exposure On Microsoft Browser Choice Screen
March 4, 2010, 11:15 pm"The final choice screen design leaves the vast majority of users unaware that there are more than five browsers to choose from,"
How to Break Into the SEO Clique
March 4, 2010, 10:22 pmIf you are in the search engine optimization industry or you are trying to break into this incredibly saturated industry to make a name for yourself you might have a difficult time getting excepted into the circle of friends at the top of the food chain. The "elite" group that has been in the industry since day one and think they are the all...
Learning SEO: It Can Get Noisy
March 4, 2010, 8:38 pmThere is obviously no shortage of information on SEO. But thanks for turning up here :) The sheer avalanche of SEO information can be overwhelming, for beginners and experts alike. Who do you know who to listen to? What information do you need to know, and what information is filler? Why should you even listen to SEOBook ? 1. Most Information...
The Fallacy of Search Engine Marketing Only
March 4, 2010, 8:15 pmby Scott Buresh Allow me to offer a pre-emptive caveat - I own a successful search engine marketing company. Like most businesses, we are constantly trying to expand our client base - primarily through using the same search engine and internet marketing methods that we deliver to our clients. A quick search on terms such as "search engine...
Facebook Increases Local Ad Targeting Capabilities and SMB’s Rejoice
March 4, 2010, 6:36 pm
With all the talk this week about Facebook valuations and the money that they are making (OK so it’s a guesstimate but what the heck……it’s the Internet!) it makes one think about just how Facebook plans to continue to grow top line revenue. One way was revealed as the ability to target Facebook ads locally increased...
Research you can use in search marketing efforts from SMX West panel
March 4, 2010, 6:07 pmMicrosoft Advertising publishes a fascinating library of research and case studies in the online Research Library . I'd recommend that you spend an hour browsing there if you're trying to learn some new best practices that will help in your online advertising.
Bing Goes Farming
March 4, 2010, 5:50 pmO.K. - pop quiz: which social media game boasts an active fan-base of roughly 31 million players every day? Heres a hint: its a happy place where you can plant virtual crops that can be harvested, or ask your neighbor to chase away raccoons. If you guessed Farmville, then youre correct! Earlier this week, we began an advertising pilot with...
'Wonderland' and 'Brooklyn's Finest': Critics Roundup
March 4, 2010, 5:45 pmby Michael Krumboltz "Alice in Wonderland" and "Brooklyn's Finest" hit theaters this weekend, and both feature all-star casts. "Alice" has Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway , and Helena Bonham Carter . Richard Gere , Ethan Hawke , and Don Cheadle are the boys from "Brooklyn." Are critics impressed with these a-listers' efforts? Read on for the full...
Dino Whodunit Solved: It Was the Asteroid
March 4, 2010, 4:47 pmby Claudine Zap Yes, it happened millions and millions of years ago. But dinosaurs â" or more accurately, their mysterious end â" still manages to make the news. Here's the latest from scientists trying to figure out whodunit. Turns out, massive volcanoes didn't doom the dinosaurs. Neither did climate change, or our favorite theory, junk...
Online Marketing Summit 2010
March 4, 2010, 4:33 pmThe Online Marketing Summit 2010 was held in San Diego February 22nd - 25th. OMS 2010 was held at the Paradise Point Resort & Spa, right on the Mission Bay shoreline. The weather during the event was typical February weather with temperatures in the low 70's upper 60's. While the locals know this is a bit cold, most people I spoke with that...
6 Ways to Optimize Your SEO for Misspellings – And Why It Pays to be a Bad Speller
March 4, 2010, 3:48 pmSince SEO is all about optimizing for keywords that people are actually searching for, misspellings present a pretty big opportunity to gain visibility in search. You could potentially get more traffic and make more money from organic search by targeting a few strategic misspellings. Just don’t tell your 5th grade English teacher about it.
Google Apps Billed As Disaster-Ready Solution
March 4, 2010, 3:42 pmWe'll let you decide whether, given the recent loss of life in Haiti and Chile, Google's timing is a little off here. But for better or for worse, the search giant picked today to promote Google Apps in a blog post titled "Disaster Recovery by Google." A few points in Google's defense: it created a Person Finder tool in response to the earthquake...
Idol Talks: Femme Ferment
March 4, 2010, 3:31 pmby Vera H-C Chan What a difference a day and an extra X chromosome make. A medical condition gave the ladies an extra day to practice, and by and large they restored hope to the " American Idol " live rounds. EW expressed relief " there's a little life in Idol yet ," and VH1 praised at least three ladies who came in to " rescue the show ." And the...
Google's Matt Cutts Talks Caffeine, PageRank, PuSH, Buzz, and Much More
March 4, 2010, 3:18 pmIn case you missed it, WebProNews streamed a live interview with Google's Matt Cutts today from SMX West in Santa Clara. It's hard to narrow down the discussion to a singular topic, but here are some of the things touched upon in the video: - The status of Google's Caffeine update (nothing's wrong, they're just being careful.) - Site Speed as a...
comScore to Speak at the Credit Suisse Global Media and Communications Convergence Conference
March 4, 2010, 2:32 pmcomScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today announced that Gregory Dale, Chief Operating Officer, will present at the Credit Suisse Global Media and Communications Convergence Conference in Palm Beach, Florida. The presentation is scheduled to begin at 8:45 am ET on Monday, March 8, 2010.
AT&T: Buzz the "Best Way" to Get Your Business in Front of Facebook Users
March 4, 2010, 2:14 pmGoogle Buzz has captured a lot of the buzz around services with "Buzz" in the title (of which there are a few ), but before Google Buzz was even announced, AT&T Interactive had already launched a public beta version of its latest take on local business search at Buzz.com . Buzz.com has only been available on an invitation basis so far, and will...
Yahoo Adds Facebook Contact Import Ability
March 4, 2010, 2:13 pmYahoo Mail users should find it considerably more convenient to get in touch with their friends and acquaintances from now on. Today, Yahoo and Facebook made it possible for those users to add their Facebook friends' email addresses to their Yahoo Contacts lists.
The benefits should be obvious. A post on the Yahoo Mail Blog pointed...
Matt Cutts: Google Probably Won't Call PageRank Something Else
March 4, 2010, 2:13 pmUpdate: Matt Cutts says they probably won't rename PageRank. However, he agrees with Peter Norvig that people obsess about it too much.
Original article: Last year, Google quietly got rid of PageRank in Webmaster Tools. Google Webmaster Trends Analyst Susan Moskwa had said, "We've been telling people for a long time that they shouldn't...
T-Mobile Ranks Highest In Customer Satisfaction
March 4, 2010, 1:53 pmAs more wireless users switch to smartphones, many retailers are readjusting their mobile strategies to address the needs of these users, according to a new study by J.D. Power and Associates. The semiannual report analyzed evaluations from customers who recently had an in-store wireless retail sales experience. Overall customer satisfaction with...
"Dancing with the Stars" Cast Unveiled
March 4, 2010, 1:36 pmby Claudine Zap Get out your dancing shoes. The 10th season of " Dancing with the Stars " has named its cast . (And the professionals who they'll be partnered with.) The lineup of luminaries includes hotties like ESPN host Erin Andrews and " Baywatch " babe Pamela Anderson . But one of the buzziest names is our very own namesake, Buzz Aldrin ....
comScore Announces Appointment of Joan FitzGerald as Vice President of Television Sales and Business Development
March 4, 2010, 1:35 pmcomScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today announced that Joan FitzGerald has joined the company as vice president, television sales and business development. Ms. FitzGerald will be responsible for establishing relationships with data providers and clients in the television arena and overseeing the expansion of...
YouTube Expands Auto-Captioning Program
March 4, 2010, 1:30 pmWhether they're used for the benefit of the hard of hearing, people who speak a different language, or just folks who want to watch videos while at work or in a library, captions can be helpful in all sorts of circumstances. And now, captions should become much more common, as all YouTube users will be able to take advantage of an auto-caption...
Tap the Teen/Young Adult Demo with ChaCha Data
March 4, 2010, 1:06 pmClick to read the rest of this post.
Now Use Written Gestures to Search Android Phone
March 4, 2010, 1:04 pm
It’s getting closer to the moment of truth for me and this kind of “news” gets me a little closer to making the move on going with an Android device. I know the days are numbered for my BlackBerry. That’s a foregone conclusion. I guess I am the customer that is being most fought over between Apple and any Android device...
Sarah Palin's Second Book, Funny Or Die Viral Video, Porsche Hybrid: What's the Buzz
March 4, 2010, 12:55 pmby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Sarah Palin (Searches increased by +1,316%). The former Alaska governor plans to pen a sequel to "Going Rogue." Title suggestions welcome. Funny Or Die (+627%). The viral video gathers the "Saturday Night Live" parody presidents for a mock reunion . Crystal Bowersox (+440%). The...
Google Getting Even More Personal–Starred Results
March 4, 2010, 12:37 pm
For once, an advance in Google personalized search I actually like. They’re adding the same stars we’re so used to in Google Reader and Gmail to personalized search results. The starred results let you mark favorite sites to show up at the top of future posts—and it doesn’t appear to affect the rankings of...
Google Replaces SearchWiki with New Starring Feature
March 4, 2010, 12:14 pmClick to read the rest of this post.
YouTube With Auto-Subtitles Option for All English Videos
March 4, 2010, 12:02 pmTechCrunch reports that YouTube announced they will roll out auto-captions to all English videos now, for content creators who want this (before, only a portion of videos received this option). As a disclaimer, Google noted that (quote TechCrunch) ... ... Just like any speech recognition application, auto-captions require a clearly spoken audio...
What do analysts actually do?
March 4, 2010, 11:39 amAs you think about the debate about Forrester's blogging policy, I'd like to share a little more about how the opinions you read from Forrester analysts come about. With 15 years experience in this business, I know it's a collaboration. The analyst needs data and support from the company, and the company needs the analyst's brain and benefits from...
Best of Digg: February Comments
March 4, 2010, 11:39 amBest of Digg: February Comments February is a short month, but there was no shortage of sass in Digg comments last month. Let's get straight to the handful of users who kept us at Digg HQ smiling during an otherwise rainy, gray month in San Francisco. Author: T.J.
The dark side of Facebook fan pages
March 4, 2010, 11:33 amPicture this: I'm working away in a cramped London hotel room. I'm there for SES London, along with many other of my geeky SEO friends. Suddenly, I get a Facebook fan page request from a person who shall remain nameless. And then I got another. And another. All from the same person. At the end of the deluge, this person had sent out about eight...
Introducing New Features for Open Site Explorer
March 4, 2010, 11:22 amPosted by Danny Dover Today I am proud to announce the launch of the second version of Open Site Explorer . Since SEOmoz has officially moved out of consulting , we are now able to put our full resources into building fantastic SEO software. We want to thank all of you who provided feedback on the first version of the tool for your guidance and we...
You Want More? SMX West Search Marketing Boot Camp - Copywriting for Search Success
March 4, 2010, 10:51 amThey claim it's "pretty simple". You can be the judge of that. Personally, I find copywriting almost as painful as my original thoughts of what "boot camp" would entail (see SMX West Search Marketing Boot Camp anyone? Keyword Research Tools and Techniques ). That said, if you are a copywriter, like copywriting or just want to know how to tailor...
SMX West Search Marketing Boot Camp - Paid Search Fundamentals
March 4, 2010, 10:51 amNow that we're on to our third and final boot camp session, we know that 1) keyword research is the first step to getting your message right and 2) content is king and there are several ways to enhance copywriting for success with search marketing. In this last session, we will review some basic information around paid search and important tips...
NCAA Vault Puts March Madness Archives Online
March 4, 2010, 10:23 amThe NCAA has unveiled a new website NCAA Vault, which features video highlights and full games of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament going back to 2000.
The NCAA Vault lets users search for individual plays and highlights from their favorite NCAA men's basketball teams and players from the Sweet Sixteen through the championship...
Google Spills its Secret Sauce (Well . . . Sorta)
March 4, 2010, 10:13 am
So Google’s facing an inquiry from the European Commission after accusations of anti-trust. Naturally, Google’s not taking this lying down. On the European Public Policy blog, Matt Cutts responds to allegations of anti-competitive practices by sharing their secret sauce, PageRank. But are they transparent...
Liveblogging: The State Of The Search Union (Google, Yahoo & Experts)
March 4, 2010, 10:03 amWatch the Keynote live at live.webpronews.com.
At SMX West in Santa Clara, the State of the Search Union keynote is taking place today. It's moderated by Chris Sherman, Executive Editor of Search Engine Land, and features SEL Contributing Editor Vanessa Fox, Google Analytics Evangelist Avinash Kaushik, Yahoo Director of Search Marketing David...
How to Give Yourself a First-Class Online Business Education
March 4, 2010, 8:14 amWhen I first had the insane brilliant idea to start a business and get out of the alleged safety of the corporate world, I started by reading everything I could find. I wish I could remember where the thread started for me. It might have been Dan Kennedy, it might have been Michael Port, it could very well have been the Personal MBA . Each good...
We've Resumed Local Bank Withdrawals in India
March 4, 2010, 8:14 amHi blog readers, it's Anuj from the comms team here. Following on from Farhad's blog post on Monday, I'm pleased to let our customers in India know that we've resumed local bank withdrawals. When you select the 'Withdraw Funds' option on your PayPal account, we will ask you to fill out .
Take Heart! Google’s Own SEO Efforts Suck Just As Badly As Yours!
March 4, 2010, 8:14 am
You’d think that with all the SEO conferences Google sponsors and speaks at, it would have at least some grasp of basic search engine optimization techniques, right?
Yeah….no.
According to a self-examination, Google is about as bad at SEO as any multi-billion company. In fact, you might argue that Google’s SEO...
SEO Wins & Sins: 5 Questions with Industry Leader Joe Laratro
March 4, 2010, 8:12 amEffective search engine optimization is equal parts art, science, and EXPERIENCE, so I sat down with industry veteran Joe Laratro to get the dish on what matters most in SEO.
Google Exec Gives Desktops Three More Years
March 4, 2010, 8:08 amNever mind the associated cubicles, desks, chairs, and monitors that, for many people, have become part of everyday life. A Google exec believes desktop computers will be irrelevant in three years' time. No twisting of words or misinterpretations took place here. John Herlihy, Google's vice president of global ad operations, simply said at...
Microsoft Launches First App for Google's Android
March 4, 2010, 8:06 amAt his keynote at SMX in Santa Clara this week, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer made it pretty clear that the company wants more people using its products regardless of the device they're using. While his focus in that address was mainly on Microsoft's Bing search engine, the company is keeping with this philosophy, as it has now released its first...
24% Of Households Have a TV Connected To The Internet
March 4, 2010, 8:02 amNearly a quarter (24%) of all U.S. households have a television connected to the Internet, according to a new report from the Leichtman Research Group (LRG).
The report found consumers connect to the Internet via variety of devices including a video game console, a Blu-Ray player, or a compatible TV. While Internet connectivity has become a...
How to Put the Kibosh on Content Scrapers & Thieves
March 4, 2010, 7:56 amSome great tips and approperiate actions to take if you catch someone trying to steal your content.
B2B Marketers: 490% Increase in Social Media Spend by 2014?
March 4, 2010, 7:40 am
When we publish pretty charts and report on studies, I’m often asked: “What about the B2B guys?”
Hold on to your inventory, here they come!
Forrester is predicting a significant uptick in internet marketing by those in the B2B space. In fact, it’s predicting spend will almost double over the next five...
Local Marketing with Hyperlocal Blog and News Aggregators
March 4, 2010, 7:34 amLast year I did a short post on building links via local blogs . Looking back at that post I think it is quite limited. Those resources are so much more than just link building tools. Learning to find and build contacts with local journalists and bloggers will benefit you in plenty of ways (yes, it may take quite some time but it is well worth it...
Google Gesture Search Lets Android Users Draw Searches
March 4, 2010, 7:28 amGoogle has a new way for Android users (2.0 and up) to search on their mobile devices. The company has introduced a new Google Labs application that lets users search for apps, bookmarks, music tracks, etc. by drawing alphabet gestures on their touch screen. "Say you want to call your friend Anne," explains Google Research Scientist Yang Li. "Just...
SEO Wins & Sins: 5 Questions with Industry Leader Joe Laratro
March 4, 2010, 7:10 amEffective search engine optimization is equal parts art, science, and EXPERIENCE, so I sat down with industry veteran Joe Laratro to get the dish on what matters most in SEO. Joe is a recognized and leading expert in the Search Engine Marketing industry, and regularly speaks at industry events like Webmaster World, SMX, and Search Engine...
Google Cans SearchWiki For Starred Items
March 4, 2010, 7:04 amGoogle SearchWiki, we hardly used ye. Google March 3 said it was replacing its little-used SearchWiki feature with stars, little star-shaped buttons next to search results that users can click to favorite Web pages. SearchWiki, which you can see demoed here in its November 2008 launch , let users add, remove or reorder Web pages, as well edit and...
How a Small New York City Hotel Put Itself on the Map through Social Media
March 4, 2010, 6:53 amDid you know that New York City offers more opportunities than the standard tourist attractions? Did you know that there are other hotels beyond the Hyatts, the Hiltons, the Omnis, the Sheratons, and the Marriotts of the world in NYC? I know when my parents come to NYC, they go to what's familiar. When you go to a conference in Manhattan, you...
The Expert's Guide to Keyword Research for Social Media
March 4, 2010, 6:48 amKen wrote up a really in-depth article on identifying popular keywords on a variety of social media sites, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr.
Interview with Geno Prussakov, Outstanding Affiliate Marketing Expert
March 4, 2010, 6:47 amI love Twitter for putting me into contact with really outstanding people (well, since I don't have time for conferences, Twitter is my major source of valuable contacts). Today I am happy to feature the interview with one of the marketers who has always been someone I've looked up to. Geno Prussakov is a well-known affiliate marketing expert,
3 Ways to Find Tweets Around Any Domain
March 4, 2010, 6:29 amI have once shared a few ways to check Twitter comments about any page but what if we need to keep an eye on all Tweets around some domain? All the three tools listed here have three things in common: (1) They will list all the aggregated Twitter updates related to the domain (home page + all Tweeted subpages); (2) They support multiple URL...
Microsoft: Bot Infected PCs Should Be Quarantined
March 4, 2010, 6:00 am"The theory is if a machine is known to be infected do you want it to connect to the network and infect everyone else?"
Goog Continues to Insist the Desktop is a Deadend Platform
March 4, 2010, 5:28 am"Herlihy [Google] told a baffled audience, echoing comments by Google CEO Eric Schmidt at the recent GSM Association Mobile World Congress 2010 that everything the company will do going forward will be via a mobile lens..."
Google Tests Related Commercial Ad Push on SERP's
March 4, 2010, 1:54 amGoogles SERP's have long been lamented as commercial top heavy. Google drops all pretense with it's latest live testing with a format that openly suggests commercial searches.
Disruptive Innovation: How To Facilitate, Identify And Enable Bottom-Up Creativity Inside The Organization
March 4, 2010, 1:30 amDoes your online business use a disruptive innovation approach? In other words: have you ever considered getting a huge advantage over your competition by developing a business strategy that is a completely different way from what everyone else in your field does?
Photo credit: Kheng Guan Toh
Disruptive innovation is a term used in business...
Google Gives Self a Failing Grade at SEO
March 4, 2010, 1:22 am"...one of the biggest areas of failure for the company [Google] is in "search result presentation," where the company scored a 33/100 or lower in three different categories, the lowest being "title tag format and length.""
When Knuckleballers Collide
March 3, 2010, 11:38 pmby Mike Krumboltz Everyone has an idol, someone they look up to and long to be like. For Eri Yoshida , the 18-year-old baseball star from Japan, idols don't get much bigger than Tim Wakefield . That's because, as ESPN puts it, the two belong to a very exclusive fraternity: Phi Knucka Balla. Yoshida was the first female baseball star to be drafted...
Landing Page Optimization
March 3, 2010, 11:24 pm
A landing page is the page that comes up when a potential customer clicks on an advertisement or on a search engine result. The landing page displays content that naturally follows that of the advertisement or the link. It is organized around a few keywords or phrases for search engine indexing purposes. In a pay per (PPC) click campaign the...
Internet Marketing Interview with Joanna Lord
March 3, 2010, 10:25 pmThis is a great chock-full-of-goodness interview with Joanna on Twitter, social media, PPC, SEO, and more. Worth a read.
How to Write Meta Tags and Descriptions
March 3, 2010, 10:18 pmHave you ever visited a website and seen the home page meta tag just jammed with keywords that runs the entire length of the top of your computer monitor? If you have that is a great example of how you don't want to construct your meta tags and descriptions. There is a lot of argument in the industry on the importance of meta tags and how valuable...
Lead Your Audience Down the Right Road!
March 3, 2010, 10:18 pmWhenever you start to put together a marketing plan for your website you really need to take a step back and start by asking yourself if your website is ready for more traffic. What good is all that new SEO traffic if your audience doesn't have a clue what to do when they make it to your website? Conversion aspects and search engine optimization...
Search advertisers quiz the paid search reps at SMX West
March 3, 2010, 8:18 pmWhat's new in mobile ads? How can advertisers exclude ads from displaying in legacy browsers? What improvements are planned to make international advertising easier? When will Microsoft allow more negative keywords? When will adCenter provide a longer.
Google Launches Gesture Search for Android 2.0 Phones
March 3, 2010, 8:12 pmGoogle announced a pretty cool feature that most of us Android phone users would surely find useful and innovative - gesture search . Basically, what this does is to free you of the task of typing your search terms. With gesture search, all you have to do is to draw alphabet gestures on your Android phones homescreen. Gesture search will...
Search and Display at SMX West - 1+1=3 (or 4, or even 5)
March 3, 2010, 8:00 pmMuch research has been done to demonstrate the combined power of search and display. Here are some links to ClearSaleing , Eyeblaster and Microsoft research, for example. What made this panel at SMX West 2010 interesting is the best practices and advice shared by the speakers - Dax Hamman of iCrossing, Brian Kaminski of iProspect, Justin Merickel...
Staying in Touch with Applications
March 3, 2010, 6:06 pmEvery month more than 70 percent of you interact with applications on Facebook, and we want to ensure that you have the best possible experience with them. We recently added a number of features to make it easier for you to use applications, such as the Applications and Games dashboards which are linked to on the home page, and the ability to...
Google Search Results Get the Star Treatment
March 3, 2010, 5:24 pmGoogle's long-standing effort on making its search engine results pages more personalized continue with the roll out of a new feature - marking search results with cutesy, yellow star icons. Actually, Stars are replacing the SearchWiki, which according to the Official Google blog didn't get to be appreciated by users especially since it changes...
How to Reach and Close Your Ultimate Customer - from SMX West
March 3, 2010, 5:13 pmThis is my first time attending SMX West and my first search conference ever. The Paid Search session from this morning focused on customer segmentation and brought together diverse, yet very experienced and interesting speakers. It was insightful to hear some of the stats about reaching specific customer segments - Youth, Gay and Lesbians,...
Video: Carol Bartz on Science, Art and Scale
March 3, 2010, 5:02 pm"No one can do this as well as we can." In an informal conversation at the 4A's conference, Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz says that only Yahoo! can offer everything advertisers need for successful digital advertising: science, art and scale.
Yahoos at SMX West
March 3, 2010, 5:02 pmAttending the SMX confab in Santa Clara next week? Check out our line-up of speakers and panelists It's no secret that we Yahoos are big fans of Danny Sullivan"the smooth jazz of SEO"and his Search Marketing Expo conference series. Next week, March 2 to 4, SMX West convenes at the Santa Clara Convention Center in (where else?) Santa Clara, Calif....
Putting the Hurt on "The Hurt Locker"
March 3, 2010, 4:50 pmby Vera H-C Chan One positive spin to " The Hurt Locker " lawsuitâ"it could up the movie's street cred. For a while there, the film about Iraqi war bomb technicians had been the underdog. Despite American involvement in significant overseas conflicts, war movies haven't done well at the domestic box office (and truth be told, neither has "The...
How Does a Recall Work?
March 3, 2010, 4:33 pmby Mike Krumboltz Millions of cars have been recalled over the past several months. Toyota has bared the brunt of the bad publicity, but rivals Honda , GM , and Nissan have recalled many of their cars as well. This sudden surge has spurred an interesting trend in the Yahoo! Search box: Web lookups on " how does a recall work " are roaring. What's...
Ads Can Provide The "Best Answer" For a Search Query, according to Google
March 3, 2010, 4:27 pmSiteLinks are now appearing in Google's Sponsored Links. An AdWords SiteLinks unit consists of a regular text ad with four additional links. These ad units were sighted in August 2009, and trialled in November 2009 in conjunction with some of Google's Agency Partners, including Gillissa in the UK. Each link can be up to 35 characters. Up to 10...
Facebook To Position Public Policy Experts In D.C.
March 3, 2010, 3:57 pmIt looks like Facebook will soon begin trying harder to bend the ears of our nation's leaders. Listings for a public policy manager and public policy associate have both been posted on the social network's "Open Positions" page, and Facebook's decided that these people will work in Washington, D.C. This isn't a simple matter of having a couple of...
Peter Norvig offers an insider's look at Google Research during SMX West
March 3, 2010, 3:55 pmAt SMX West 2010 in Santa Clara, California, Peter Norvig, who spearheads Google's wide-ranging research efforts, offered a behind-the-scenes look at the cool technology projects Google is developing for future products and services.Click to read the rest of this post...
Facebook And Twitter See Big Mobile Gains
March 3, 2010, 3:34 pmFacebook and Twitter access via mobile browsers has grown by triple-digits in the past year, according to the latest research from comScore. More than a quarter (30.8%) of smartphone users accessed social networking sites via their mobile browser in January, up 8.3 points from 22.5 percent one year ago. Access to Facebook via mobile browser...
Bing Cashback program and customer success stories from SMX West
March 3, 2010, 3:22 pmThe Bing Cashback program now has 1,200 active merchants, 44 million offers, and has distributed over $100 million in earned rewards for consumers. Meagan Rochelle, search solutions specialist for Cashback, offered those statistics to the audience at.
Ballmer, Sitelines & Other Favorites from SMX West Day 1
March 3, 2010, 3:11 pmPosted by jennita SMX West 2010 kicked off with quite a bang (or was that a yell?). Since Microsoft's CEO, Steve Ballmer was the keynote, people arrived early to ensure good seats. The music playing before it started was amazing, it helped to create an excitement in the room that I really had never felt before a keynote before. I had attempted to...
Google Pesonalizes Search Results More with Star Feature
March 3, 2010, 3:11 pmGoogle today introduced yet another way it is personalizing search results (we talked about social search with the company at SMX). Now Google is letting users "star" search results that they like, just like the star feature in other Google products like Gmail, Reader, and Google News. This almost seems like an obvious move for SERPs now that it...
SEO, Usability and Trust Issues Even the Best SEO Blogs Face
March 3, 2010, 3:04 pmOne of the things I love about SEO the most is that even after years of optimization there is still room for improvement. Even the best among us still have potential to improve their websites and blogs. While reading the leading SEO blogs I sometimes encounter basic SEO , usability and trust issues . They're not big enough to write them an email...
Attention, Bloggers: We Have Arrived
March 3, 2010, 2:57 pm
Okay, it’s not the first time, but it does seem like a rather momentous one: bloggers are now being granted press passes from the City of New York. These passes allow qualified journalists to and even sometimes within police and fire lines (within reason, of course)—and everything from bloggers to other online-only...
Plenty of Reasons Email is as Relevant as Ever
March 3, 2010, 2:29 pmEvery now and then, there is a discussion about where email stands as social network use becomes the "it" thing. We've all heard mutterings like, "email is dead" and "social media is killing email," but it's just not the case, and there are plenty of reasons why (even if Google thinks it's time to start over ). Last year, we ran a piece titled 10...
My Top iPhone Apps for Social Media Marketing
March 3, 2010, 2:15 pmIt's a little ironic that I'm writing this post about iPhone apps using WordPress on a Motorola Droid (Devour actually), but it allows me a chance to experience how hard it is to blog, using a tiny tiny tactile keyboard and also finally get this post started. Ah, back to a full sized Logitech keyboard and mouse. Much better. Popularized by...
Facebook and Twitter Access via Mobile Browser Grows by Triple-Digits in the Past Year
March 3, 2010, 2:15 pmcomScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a study on social networking access via mobile browser. The study found that 30.8 percent of smartphone users accessed social networking sites via their mobile browser in January 2010, up 8.3 points from 22.5 percent one year ago. Access to Facebook via mobile...
New TiVo Box Offers Access To Online Content
March 3, 2010, 2:04 pmTiVo said today it will begin offering two new set-top boxes starting in April. TiVo Premiere will sell for $300 and will have the ability to hold up to 45 hours of HD content or up to 400 hours of standard definition content. TiVo Premiere XL will retail for $500 and hold up to 150 of HD content or 1,350 hours of standard definition. Premiere's...
Google May Start Calling PageRank Something Else
March 3, 2010, 1:46 pmLast year, Google quietly got rid of PageRank in Webmaster Tools . Google Webmaster Trends Analyst Susan Moskwa had said , "We've been telling people for a long time that they shouldn't focus on PageRank so much; many site owners seem to think it's the most important metric for them to track, which is simply not true. We removed it because we felt...
Idol Talk: Manning Up
March 3, 2010, 1:40 pmby Vera H-C Chan So what do the boys need? A night at the sweat lodge? Buddhist chants? A marathon viewing of "The Hurt Locker" on a loop? While the painful jitters have eased up, the boys to men on " American Idol " aren't putting on the best reality show on earth. EW finds the week's improvement a case of going " from woeful to middling ." VH1...
Get Some Creative Inspiration
March 3, 2010, 1:18 pmWeve been blogging a lot about digital creativity , and we cant get enough of some of the great online execution opportunities that brands present us in the display field everyday. On our advertising site, we have an Ad Gallery which showcases some innovative advertising campaigns and includes some demos of what the ads looked like in situ. My...
Google kills SearchWiki, Debuts Stars to Personalize Searches
March 3, 2010, 12:51 pm"The stars feature essentially takes the best of Googles ill-fated SearchWiki service, and leaves the rest. SearchWiki was simply too complex, allowing users to not only re-rank results, but also delete, add and comment on them. This seemed to undermine what the search engine claims to do best: serve you what you want to know before you know what...
Start an embedded YouTube video at a certain timestamp
March 3, 2010, 12:48 pmIn a previous post I covered how to link to a specific timestamp in a YouTube video . The short version looks like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjDw3azfZWI #t=31m08s The "#t=31m08s" takes you to 31 minutes and 8 seconds in a video. I just found out that you can also start embedded videos at a certain timestamp . To do it on an embedded...
Calling for link spam reports
March 3, 2010, 12:30 pmGoogle has been working on some new algorithms and tools to tackle linkspam and we'd like to ask for linkspam reports from you. If you'd like to tell us about web sites that appear to be using spammy links (e.g. paid links that pass PageRank, blog spammers, guestbook spammers, etc.), here's how to send us more info. Go to...
Jerry Brown's Quest, Kim Yun-Jin's Cover, Texas Primary Race: What's the Buzz
March 3, 2010, 12:06 pmby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. "Sex and the City 2" (Searches increased by +4,407%). Kim Cattrall talks the pain of riding a camel for the upcoming movie. What you do for art. Kim Yun-Jin (+4,402%). The "Lost" star will be the first Korean actor on the cover of Entertainment Weekly . Jerry Brown (+1,169%). The...
10 Useful git commands
March 3, 2010, 12:01 pmWe have been using git for months now and I still learn something new about it almost every week. Here are some of the more useful commands that I have come across. Have some good ones yourself? Add them to the comments on the digg story .
Countdown to the Oscars with Yahoo! Search
March 3, 2010, 11:37 amContinuing our celebration of the Academy Awards, we are rolling out a series of features that make it easier for you to follow coverage of the Oscars on Yahoo! Search. On Yahoo! Image Search, just search for " Oscars 2010 " and you'll see our Oscars image carousel, with the latest image search results of the nominees and photos of the event....
Open Identity Exchange (OIX) Launches
March 3, 2010, 10:57 amI'm Andrew Nash, PayPal's Senior Director of Identity Services. There was an announcement made today here at the annual RSA Conference that PayPal is excited to be a part of â" the launch of the Open Identity Exchange (OIX). We are working with Google, VeriSign, Verizon, CA, Equifax and Booz .
Omniture to Provide Analytics on Facebook, Mobile
March 3, 2010, 10:52 am
A little over a month ago, Facebook revealed a planned conversion tracker tool to help marketers track the value of Facebook Pages and fans. Today, analytics firm Omniture announces “A new solution . . . to buy media on Facebook and measure its influence across digital marketing channels.” Any relation?
Facebook...
Onion: "Google Responds To Privacy Concerns With Unsettlingly Specific Apology"
March 3, 2010, 10:51 amFake news site Onion has a piece titled Google Responds To Privacy Concerns With Unsettlingly Specific Apology . [Thanks Scjm] [By Philipp Lenssen | Origin: Onion: "Google Responds To Privacy Concerns W ... | Comments ] [Advertisement] Want to make money with your website? AllPosters.
Live: Google Keynote at SMX West in Santa Clara
March 3, 2010, 10:28 amGoogle’s director of research Peter Norvig is talking at SMX West at 9:15 AM PST / 12:15 PM EST, and I will be liveblogging it below. Watch the video live at our new site live.webpronews.com (it will also be available there archived later if you don't have time to watch it as it happens).
Liveblogging begins...
12:09 : Should...
Omniture And Facebook Partner On Add Data
March 3, 2010, 10:27 amOnline analytics firm Omniture and Facebook said today they have partnered to offer marketers tools to improve Facebook as a marketing channel.
Initially the two companies will focus on the ability to automate Facebook media buying and access analytics that measure customer engagement on Facebook. The partnership builds on Facebook analytics the...
Omniture And Facebook Partner On Ad Data
March 3, 2010, 10:27 amOnline analytics firm Omniture and Facebook said today they have partnered to offer marketers tools to improve Facebook as a marketing channel.
Initially the two companies will focus on the ability to automate Facebook media buying and access analytics that measure customer engagement on Facebook. The partnership builds on Facebook analytics the...
Topeka, Kansas Is Now Google, Kansas
March 3, 2010, 10:10 amBill Bunten, the Mayor of Topeka (the capital city of Kansas, USA) has signed a proclamation declaring that during March the city will be known as Google, Kansas. This is being spun by the press as a name change, but that's not the case. The city's official name remains Topeka, even though during March it will be (also) known as Google. The...
Yahoo Mobile Europe Manager Quits
March 3, 2010, 10:10 amAlmost exactly one month ago, the Yahoo Mobile Blog launched, and nine new posts have been made since, signaling that the company really is interested in mobile tech. Unfortunately, one of Yahoo's mobile execs has decided to part ways with it at this juncture. Mitch Lazar, Managing Director and General Manager of Yahoo Mobile Europe, is leaving...
Google Talks Marketing Implications of Social Search
March 3, 2010, 9:46 amIt's no secret that Google delivers personalized search results on a user-by-user basis. In fact, software engineer Bryan Horling reportedly said at SMX West in Santa Clara that Google personalizes as much as 20 percent of any user's web searches, which would be one in five searches. One way that Google personalizes search results is with its...
Top 5 mobile search engines
March 3, 2010, 9:12 amSearch is going mobile. The number of people accessing the web on their mobile phones is skyrocketing. Searching on your mobile or cell phone is different than searching on your computer: The screen is smaller and typing can be a hassle. To make your mobile searching fun and easy we present five great tools for mobile web search. If you have an...
Apple Couldn't Sue Google For Open Source Android
March 3, 2010, 9:06 amOne of the prevailing theories behind why Apple is targeting HTC in a patent infringement suit that largely targets phones running Google's Android operating system is that, well, HTC made the phones. We can pontificate to our hearts' content about how the real target here is Android. If Android is life's blood of the smartphones that challenge...
How Much Is Mobile Going to Change the Search Market?
March 3, 2010, 8:43 amMore people have the web in the palm of their hands than ever before. Smartphone usage isn't exactly slowing down, and for that reason, the search market might get shaken up considerably in the coming months. Google has long dominated the search market, and to this day continues to do so. There is nothing indicating that will change in the near...
Yahoo CEO Asks, “Facebook, what’s their revenue?”–Er, About $1 Billion Carol
March 3, 2010, 8:23 am
Yahoo celebrated its 15 year anniversary yesterday and Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz decided that it would be the perfect time to take a swipe Facebook.
When asked why Yahoo wasn’t as hot as Facebook, she replied: "Facebook? What’s their revenue?"
Oh no she didn’t!
Well, as if on cue, Inside Facebook comes up...
Hulu To Lose Comedy Central's Stewart, Colbert
March 3, 2010, 8:21 amTwo of the most popular shows on Hulu will be pulled off the site after March 9th. Hulu announced late yesterday that it and Comedy Central have been unable to reach an agreement concerning the distribution of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report . This doesn't seem to signal a complete estrangement between the two companies; in fact, Hulu's...
Nokia Brings Skype To Ovi Store
March 3, 2010, 8:21 amMobile device maker Nokia said today it has made Skype available as a free download in its online Ovi Store. The new Skype for Symbian software will allow more than 200 million Nokia smartphone users globally access Skype over a WiFi or mobile data connection. Skype for Symbian will allow Nokia smartphone users to make free Skype-to-Skype calls to...
Google SEO Report Card Scores Company's Own SEO Efforts
March 3, 2010, 8:03 amGoogle is looking to improve upon its own internal SEO efforts. The company has created what it calls an "SEO Report Card," designed to improve the user experience and visibility of some of its own properties. The company says it aims to identify potential areas for improvement in Google's product pages, which could help users find them more...
Penalties, Bans, and Paid Search
March 3, 2010, 7:45 amThere are numerous posts on PPC vs SEO , who gets more money, and all that mumbo jumbo. To me, it's right up there with "SEO is dead" type posts, good for attention, but there should not be any versus in that relationship. (Note: Most of the more recent posts point out that both are beneficial) The two have more in common than both sides would...
Penalties, Bans, and Paid Search
March 3, 2010, 7:45 amYes, if you haven’t heard yet, you can get penalties and banned from AdWords. Kate Morris explains how NOT to get banned in Adwords...
Bing Talks Local Business Listings
March 3, 2010, 7:39 amIn case you missed it, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer spoke at SMX West in Santa Clara yesterday, addressing the search marketing industry for the first time (you can watch that at our new site live.webpronews.com ). Obviously, much of the conversation was centered around Bing. A little bit later in the day, WebProNews caught up with Miiko Ollila,...
Toyota Turns to Twitter for ORM Issues
March 3, 2010, 7:23 am
Toyota is now turning to Twitter to help stem the tide of negativity that has been heaped upon it during the “Recall Free For All” (that one’s mine). I guess someone at Toyota HQ has been studying up on this Twitter thing and decided that it was the way to go. Of course, just going headlong into a potentially hostile...
Effective Blog Design Part 1
March 3, 2010, 7:23 amBlogs have almost become as ubiquitous as the internet itsself. With powerful CMS tools like Wordpress and Blogger it's never been easier to start a blog. In past articles I've spoken about the need to hire a professional web designer to get a great design or to rely on one of the thousands of free themes. However,
Give and Grow Rich: The Power of Focused Generosity
March 3, 2010, 7:05 amThere are two kinds of people on the Internet: the greedy and the generous. The greedy want you to pay for everything. Every link is an affiliate link. Every recommendation has a profit motive. The really good content is locked away until you fork over some money. The generous want to give you everything free. It never occurs to them that their...
Test and Analyze On-Page Links with LinkSidebar
March 3, 2010, 7:05 amLinkSidebar is a useful FireFox addon that allows to view, search and test hyperlinks in a web page. Let's give it a test drive, shall we? It took me a few minutes to figure out how to actually open the sidebar after the installation. It turned out I should have used the shortcut key [Ctrl+Shift+L] or the view menu (View->Sidebar->Links)....
Apple Takes HTC to Court, At Least That’s What the Documents Say
March 3, 2010, 6:48 am
The battle between Google and Apple is heating up and how it shakes out is likely to influence how a lot of online business is done both now and in the future. You know things are serious when one of the partners, in this case Google’s partner HTC, gets hauled into court by Apple for alleged patent infringement and Google, who...
Facebook: "Promote your Post" Just a Test
March 3, 2010, 6:37 amUpdate: I finally got word back from Facebook, who confirmed that the feature is indeed only a test. "The "Promote" feature is just a test and is unrelated to our Promotions Guidelines," the company says. They did not give any specifics about a possible full launch.
Original Article: Facebook appears to either...
Spain Arrests Alleged Owners of a 13 Million Computer Botnet
March 3, 2010, 5:43 amPolice gave a news conference on Wednesday, a day after they arrested three people for what they believe to have been one of the biggest computer crimes ever detected.
WordPress Turns On PuSH Support With Plugin
March 3, 2010, 5:39 am"PuSH is a way for services that subscribe to updates from your blog to get updates even faster."
Facebook to Automate Ad Buying Through Omniture
March 3, 2010, 5:38 am"Omniture division announced this morning that the companys widely used analytics software for online marketing campaigns will be extended to automate the process of buying advertising spots on Facebook, and then tracking the results."
What's Next for SEO?
March 3, 2010, 5:08 amI caught up with Lisa Myers after the "SEO: Where to Next?" keynote panel at SES London 2010. She had a lot to say about Google Local, calling them to up their game.Click to read the rest of this post...
Knol: The State of Play
March 3, 2010, 4:51 amKnol is a Google service that allows anyone to publish an article about almost anything. When Google's VP of Engineering, Udi Manber, announced Knol in December 2007 it was widely regarded as a "Wikipedia killer". If Knol's users could replicate the success of Wikipedia, the pundits proclaimed, then Google would gain an enormous commercial benefit.
Open Identity Exchange Launched
March 3, 2010, 4:40 am"...a non-profit organization dedicated to building trust in the exchange of online identity credentials across public and private sectors."
Travel sites show improvement in the latest IMRG-HITWISE HOT SHOPS LIST
March 3, 2010, 3:25 amYesterday saw the release of the sixteenth quarterly edition of the IMRG-HITWISE HOT SHOPS LIST, which ranks by popularity, as indicated by visits, the top 50 UK e-retailers selling goods and services within the IMRG Index Classification. Click here to see the press release and to download the full report Experian Hitwise's Director of Research,...
Google Updates and SERP Changes - March 2010
March 3, 2010, 2:56 am"WebmasterWorld Members discuss the latest changes to Google's SERPs."
Weirdchina With Thousands of Followers on Buzz
March 3, 2010, 2:27 amAt Gmail Buzz I've been subscribing to Robert "Weirdchina" Kong Hai and noticed that some of his buzz posts received tons of comments. I've asked Robert about this, and here's his reply: Your right, my posts do get a lot of attention, I'm having a fun time on buzz! I think the social media community is very surprised that my 19 posts have received...
Women More Likely to Get Social on Mobile
March 2, 2010, 11:41 pmSocial mom is the new soccer mom.Click to read the rest of this post...
Choosing a Domain – Age, Keywords, Hyphens, Etc.
March 2, 2010, 11:30 pm
Some people have the idea that the best domain name is the most generic, but that’s not always the case. In most cases, a domain name tied to your brand is better. Think about it. If you’re searching for a certain brand of organic pet food, a domain name matching that brand is going to be more intuitive to you than simply...
SMX West Search Marketing Boot Camp anyone? Keyword Research Tools and Techniques
March 2, 2010, 11:10 pmWhen you hear "Boot Camp", what comes to mind? For me, it's the thought of physical torment . For some, perhaps an exhilarating test of physical endurance. For others, maybe something in between? Today, I participated in the SMX Boot Camp and it opened up my mind to a whole new meaning..Fundamentals! In this case, search marketing fundamentals. If...
OK, Go Watch This
March 2, 2010, 11:05 pmby Mike Krumboltz The band OK Go is probably more famous for their videos than their songs. That's more a testament to the greatness of their videos than anything else. When these guys put out a video, you can be sure it'll make your jaw drop at least once or twice. "How did they do that," is a typical reaction. Their video for their breakthrough...
Yahoo CEO Bartz Says Would Have Sold Yahoo, Mocks Facebook
March 2, 2010, 10:18 pmIn an interview on CNBC, Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz stated she would have sold Yahoo at $36 when Microsoft was offering, includes a dig at Facebook and admits Yahoo "is really not a Google". During the interview, shown below, Bartz asks "what is Facebook's revenue model" while explaining why the company is not Google - "concentrated on search" . Guess...
The Conference You Have to Attend: SearchFest
March 2, 2010, 10:18 pmOn Tuesday March 9, SearchFest is going to take place in Portland. If you own a business, here are the top 5 reasons you should attend and if you don't one one... well there are still some good reasons for you to attend it. And if you still aren't sure, here is an example of the content you'll see at SearchFest. So go register for SearchFest now....
Marketing and Technicalities Go Hand in Hand
March 2, 2010, 10:07 pmIf you are making website changes or launching a new website you want to make sure the technical redirects and webmaster related pages are being used correctly, things like when to use a 301 redirect or when to use a 302 redirect. It might sound like not a big deal but the reality is if you get it wrong and the search engines assume you are trying...
One Dead Simple Tactic for Better Rankings in Google Local
March 2, 2010, 10:07 pmPosted by randfish This post is short and easy to follow, just like the tactic it recommends. Most everyone who optimizes for Google Local (aka Google Maps) is familar with David Mihm's excellent and oft-referenced Local Search Ranking Factors . In that document, and in many places where local results are analyzed, it's clear that getting your...
Yahoo Turned 15 Today
March 2, 2010, 10:01 pmYahoo was born 15 years ago - seems longer but then internet years are sort of like dog years. The company incorporated March 1, 1995. Jerry Yang and David Filo posted about their start: "We've had the unique opportunity to help create an industry and shape the online world, and will continue to focus on the values that brought us here -working...
Video: Microsoft Advertising Discusses Behavioral Targeting and CPG at OMMA
March 2, 2010, 7:37 pmLast Thursday (February 25 th ), the Marriott Marquis in New York City's Times Square played host to the 2010 Online Media, Marketing and Advertising (OMMA) Behavioral Targeting Conference. The event was attended by a mix of direct advertisers, interactive agencies, publishers, networks and data/analytics vendors. Overall, the event proved to be a...
Local Search and the Importance of Customer Reviews Panel at #SMX
March 2, 2010, 7:08 pmAs local customer reviews become a more important element of local search result algorithms, how can the search engines, the review sites, and the businesses prevent the spam reviews or otherwise maintain the quality of the content? That's a key question.
Delicious Search Gets Even Faster and More Powerful
March 2, 2010, 6:22 pmLast year's Delicious redesign made Search infinitely snappier and more usable. And after a year of solid use, we've thought hard about how we wanted to see the service grow to accommodate user needs and our own wish-list of features. On Tuesday, we launched numerous improvements to Delicious and we are going to review in further detail the search...
Google's SEO Report Card
March 2, 2010, 5:23 pmWebmaster Level: All How many of Google's web pages use a descriptive title tag? Do we use description meta tags? Heading tags? While we always try to focus on the user, could our products use an SEO tune up? These are just some of the questions we set out to answer with Google's SEO Report Card. Google's SEO Report Card is an effort to provide...
The Buzz on Babies in Bars
March 2, 2010, 4:37 pmby Claudine Zap Babies. So cute. In their diapers with their bottles in a'bar? The hipster scene in Brooklyn seems to start at a very early age. According to CNN , babies in bars are a regular occurrence . Oh, and their parents come, too. See what else Brooklyn parents are up to . In dense New York neighborhoods packed with local watering holes...
BBB Warns About Online Payday Lenders
March 2, 2010, 3:52 pmThe Better Business Bureau is warning people about the practices and claims of some online payday lenders. "Desperate times are leading people to the Internet to apply for payday loans and many are falling deeper into debt after getting tangled up with a lender who has zero regard for the law," said Stephen A. Cox, President and CEO of the Council...
What Happens to Twitter Ad Networks When Twitter Launches Ads?
March 2, 2010, 3:52 pmTwitter is expected to launch an ad platform this month (some have speculated this will happen at SXSW). While this hasn't been confirmed, the industry has been waiting for quite some time to Twitter to launch such a monetization model. That's not to say the industry has been sitting on its hands as it's waited. Third-parties have taken it upon...
Google Reiterates Support For Uncensored Results In China
March 2, 2010, 3:52 pmWhen Google made its dramatic "new approach to China" announcement in January, it sounded as if the company might leave the country within the month. Obviously, that didn't happen. But according to testimony given today before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, Google hasn't forgotten its ultimatum....
AlikeList Points Customers to Local Businesses Their Friends Like
March 2, 2010, 3:06 pmAs we've written about a lot lately, local search is continuing to evolve, and that evolution is not just coming from the biggest names in search. We recently had a discussion with RateItAll President Lawrence Coburn about user location-sharing as new kind of query that can yield local business results. ChaCha is bringing in Q&A to local search ....
Day 2 of 4A Transformation 2010: Partners in Transformation with Microsoft's Darren Huston
March 2, 2010, 3:00 pmContinuing with the conference's theme of transformation, Darren Huston, CVP of Consumer and Online, Microsoft shared his thoughts what agencies and advertisers can do to stay ahead of the transformation. He compared it to the much needed forest fire that clears the old trees to give room for the new growth. Creating the movie " Avatar ", which...
Gender Bending Frogs, Killer Snakes, and Fat Mammoths
March 2, 2010, 2:42 pmby Mike Krumboltz Gender-bending frogs? 67-million-year-old snakes? Perfectly preserved wooly mammoths? These tale tales might sound like they come out of a comic book, but they're totally true. Frogs go from male to female When exposed to weed-killer chemicals, some male frogs develop female reproductive systems and the ability to lay eggs. Huh?...
Google Improves Click-To-Call Ads With Phone Extensions
March 2, 2010, 2:24 pmA little more than a month ago, Google introduced click-to-call phone numbers in local ads on smartphones. Now, the popular program's undergoing an expansion as Google's made it easier for large companies to take advantage of the offering. A post on the Inside AdWords blog explained today, "[W]e're bringing the same click-to-call benefits to...
Online Gaming Growth Up 10%
March 2, 2010, 1:43 pmThe average number of hours spent each week on online gaming has climbed 10 percent since 2009, while an average of 20 percent of all games purchased were digitally downloaded up from 19 percent in 2009, according to a new report from The NPD Group. Among those reporting they personally play video games on at least one type of console, 54 percent...
Google's Special Oscars Result
March 2, 2010, 1:25 pmCaleb writes, "There's a strange snippet for the query [2010 academy awards]. It's longer and more carefully constructed". TomHTML in the forum wonders "if there is any partnership between the Oscars and Google". (I asked Google for a comment and will post an update if there's more info.) [Thanks Caleb and Tom !
Mobile and Local Search Ad Opportunities with Microsoft Advertising's Raj Kapoor
March 2, 2010, 1:13 pmRaj Kapoor, Global Director of Product Planning & Marketing for Mobile Advertising at Microsoft , offered research and predicted some compelling scenarios in the next 18 months with mobile search combined with display and PPC search campaigns. Raj.
Interview With Google's Norvig
March 2, 2010, 1:07 pmGoogle's director of research Peter Norvig has video-answered some questions from Reddit (Reddit has an overview of the questions that lets you jump straight to the specific bit).
Parlez-vous Chrome? Sí, sí, ¿cómo no?
March 2, 2010, 1:05 pm
If you were using Chrome, you’d already know what that headline means. (Okay, probably not.) Chrome is integrating a translation tool in its latest beta version. If you browse across a site that’s not in your default language, it’ll offer to translate it for you. Which may or may not help you understand it ....
Searching for gold during the Games
March 2, 2010, 12:44 pmDuring the past two weeks, athletes from around the world competed at the Games in Vancouver. While these thousands strove for gold, millions around the world searched for 2010 Winter Olympics , ë°´ì¿ ë² ëê³ì¬ë¦¼í"½ (Korean for "Vancouver Winter Olympics"), and Juegos Olimpicos de Invierno 2010 (Spanish for "2010...
Buying Time
March 2, 2010, 12:27 pmCase Study: Digital media agency Sitewire wields the Yahoo! Search Marketing Desktop Tool to cut its campaign management workload by a factor of ten In the decade or so since its invention, untold numbers of businesses large and small have taken advantage of pay-per click advertising to generate more website visits and sales. Unfortunately, these...
David Paterson Under Fire, Carly Simon's Mystery, JFK Airport Headaches: What's the Buzz
March 2, 2010, 11:58 amby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Large billed reed warbler (Searches increased by +2,335%). Afghanistan moves to protect the newly discovered, least-known bird . Dancing With the Stars (+1,060%). The new lineup includes mother of eight reality star Kate Gosselin . David Paterson (+717%). The National Organization of...
Coremetrics Latest to Add Facebook Analytics
March 2, 2010, 11:47 amMeasuring the world's most popular social network is taking the web analytics industry by storm. Click to read the rest of this post.
AdWords Extends Mobile Click-to-Call to National Advertisers
March 2, 2010, 11:29 amExpansion of feature allows national phone numbers irregardless of user location. Click to read the rest of this post.
Live: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Addresses Search Marketing Community
March 2, 2010, 10:50 amUpdate: I'm going to go ahead an liveblog the keynote here as well. To watch it live, go to live.webpronews.com.
Begin Live Blogging
11:46EST: I hear Eddie Vedder's voice playing somewhere while everyone finds their seats and waits patiently for the event to begin.
11:49: A little surprised there aren't more seats taken up by...
European Windows Users Get Browser Choice
March 2, 2010, 10:49 amMicrosoft Windows users in Europe who have Internet Explorer as their default browser are now being offered a variety of choices. Windows users in Europe will now see a browser " Choice Screen, " designed to give them an effective and unbiased choice between their default and competing web browsers. The European Commission said it welcomes...
What To Do When Reviewers Lie About You
March 2, 2010, 10:48 amby Mike Moran
When my friend called me, there was a little panic in his voice. He owned a successful, customer-friendly small business, and was generally an easygoing person. But he didn't know what to do. A long-time and loyal customer alerted him to a savage review of his business on an Internet Yellow Pages site. And so now he was turning...
Is Microsoft Waging a Proxy War on Google for Antitrust?
March 2, 2010, 10:42 am
Well, if the shoe isn’t on the other foot. Once upon a time, Microsoft seemed to be the biggest threat to free trade in the computer world, facing suits across the world. And now it’s Google’s turn—and coincidentally, Microsoft certainly looks like the man behind the curtain. In fact, two thirds of voters...
Why The Google Nexus One Triggered Apple's Suit Vs. HTC
March 2, 2010, 10:31 amCould the multitude of reviews comparing the Google Android-based Nexus One smartphone have prompted Apple to sue HTC for infringing 20 patents related to its popular iPhone smartphone? That's the first thing I though when Apple announced its suit, which covers patents related to "iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware."...
Steve Ballmer Discusses Search Alliance with Yahoo! at SMX West
March 2, 2010, 10:26 amWhen a keynote speech for a search marketing conference is expected to be so popular that the organizers, at every opportunity in the last 24 hours, urge attendees to Get There Early, you know it'll be special. Described as CEO Steve Ballmer's first conversation.
Encourage Customer Reviews: 4 Tips to Get People Talking About Your Small Business
March 2, 2010, 10:12 amSome very useful and actionable advice here on why you should encourage customer reviews. Soliciting customer feedback can play a crucial role in building this reputation.
Google To Offer Street View Opt-Out In Germany
March 2, 2010, 10:09 amThe back-and-forth over Street View in Germany has been fierce at times, with one Google representative recently hinting that the company intended to move forward as long as German authorities didn't draft laws against the program. But now Google's given in a bit, offering people a way to keep their properties out of Street View from the start....
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Adwords Quality Score - The Ultimate Advertisers Guide
March 2, 2010, 9:56 amWarning... extremely long post about Google AdWords quality score, how it came about, how it is calculared and on what levels, what it determines on different networks and detailed instructions on how to improve overall quality score.
SEO without the SEO
March 2, 2010, 9:44 amRachel discusses how to improve organic CTR through on-site optimization that does not necessarily boost rankings
Apple vs Google : Apple Sues Android Phone Manufacture HTC
March 2, 2010, 9:12 am"...By going after the biggest Android manufacturer, Apple is putting all Android cell phone makersand by extension Google on notice. The battle lines are now drawn."
Final Lessons Learned from One of the World's Highest-Paid Copywriters
March 2, 2010, 8:48 amThis is the final installment of a three-part series on how to translate advice from marketing guru Dan Kennedy to a new online environment. One of the smartest thing any online marketer can do is to study the "old school" guys who wrote direct mail, magazine ads, and other artifacts of advertising history. Why? Because it took a tremendous...
Google Awarded Location Based Ad Patent
March 2, 2010, 8:40 am
When you read headlines like this it sometimes feels like the rich just keep getting richer. That is until you learn that it was a trek that started six years ago and it’s serendipitous timing is a bonus. One would think that Google is rubbing their hands together and giving their best “Boo ha ha ha ha!” mad...
Google: “What’s Your Name?” Topeka, Kansas: “What Do You Want It to Be?”
March 2, 2010, 8:32 am
Apparently Google’s promise to bring ultra-fast broadband to select communities has small towns in a tizzy.
I was pleasantly surprised to see neighboring Durham, North Carolina step up to the plate:
After Google put out an RFI, or request for information, on the company’s blog on Feb. 10, about 50 people gathered at the...
Our Mobile Advertising Resources
March 2, 2010, 8:30 amIs this the year of mobile? Thats a question Ive been asked every year since I joined Microsoft in 2005. And while Im not a medium, what I will say is that the increasing use of mobile phones for everyday tasks like surfing the web, social networking, reading the news, watching video and searching has created a new vigour amongst marketers keen to...
Anatomy of a Hands-on SEO Audit â" Part 2
March 2, 2010, 8:30 amWith SMX West this week, I was going to hold off on the 2nd part of my hands-on SEO Audit series. Then I remembered that heck - I'm not going to be there so I bet enough other people in our industry won't either that it will be a great way to give all the non-attendees a leg-up on the competition, as they all run around the conference hoping to...
Kansas Capital Adopts "Google" Name
March 2, 2010, 8:25 amThe capital city of Kansas really, really wants Google to build it a high-speed broadband network. Indeed, rather than stick to the standard email campaigns and Facebook groups, its efforts to catch the search giant's attention have extended to the mayor renaming Topeka "Google." At least temporarily. This is no joke or repaint-the-town-sign...
FDA Asked To Investigate Online Marketing By Drug Companies
March 2, 2010, 8:25 amThe Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) has asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate the online marketing and behavioral targeting practices of pharmaceutical companies. The CDD says few U.S. health consumers are aware they are being identified, labeled, profiled, and tracked on the Internet while they search or access...
SEO without the SEO
March 2, 2010, 8:07 amCompetition is stiff these days. It's getting harder and harder to achieve optimal search engine rankings, at least without professional help. So how to compete in a space where it might not be feasible to increase rankings for your most competitive keywords? Believe it or not , there are actually plenty of ways to leverage existing visibility to...
Weekly Search & Social News: 03/02/2010
March 2, 2010, 8:07 amWelcome to another edition of ' 7 Days of Search and Social ' - Hey gang' I am going to keep this short and sweet today as it's me B-day and I am trying to keep a low profile. Of note, it was on my birthday last year when I started this newsletter'So a happy anniversary to all those great writers out there that keep the SEO space vibrant. This...
Warning: Your Google Indexed Site Has Been Hacked!
March 2, 2010, 8:06 am
Don’t panic! Don’t panic!
There’s a good chance that your site has not been hacked. However, if in the future, your web site were to suffer at the hands of some malicious hacker, Google Webmaster Central will alert you to that fact.
Starting this month, we will notify more webmasters of more potential issues...
Small Business Starting to Use Social Media Successfully
March 2, 2010, 7:55 am
I talk about small business Internet marketing more than anything else since a lot of people that I know are small business people. That’s why I blog about their experiences and their issues because these people are often viewed as the backbone of any true economic recovery that might take place. While big business still use the...
How to Work with & Shop for a SEO Services Firm
March 2, 2010, 7:44 amIf you are a small business owner or an in house marketer looking to hire an outside SEO firm to outsource all your search engine marketing efforts, this article might be right for you. If you have never really ventured out to find the right SEO company to partner with you might be in for a very bumpy ride or you can be prepared before you get out...
Facebook Testing Status Update Ads?
March 2, 2010, 7:39 amFacebook appears to either be rolling out or testing a feature that lets Facebook Page owners promote specific posts. When you make an update, a link that says, "Promote" can be found by the links for "Comment" and "Like". Once you click that Promote link, it brings up a dialogue box, which asks you to create an ad, with targeting descriptions,...
Is your website exploited by proxy hijackers?
March 2, 2010, 7:36 amProxy hijacking still seems to be an issue on Google. Other websites might steal your website content and they can outrank your web pages on Google with the stolen content. Is your website affected? What can you do against these hijackers?
How Breaking Business News Stories Migrate To Mainstream Mass Media
March 2, 2010, 7:22 amBusinss News Moves From Blogs to Mainstream News Sites. Over the past several years, the cause and direction of news stories have changed the direction of news flow. Slowly news is migrating from a publicist pitching increasingly scarce news editorial staff at newspapers, radio and TV to blog posts migrating to other blogs and then mainstream...
How to Generate Massive Passive Inbound Links
March 2, 2010, 7:17 amDebra Mastaler wrote a great piece on some techniques that can be leveraged to generate one-way links on an ongoing basis without resorting to the typical "link begging" routine.Really worth a read, even for Fortune 1000 types (it can be leveraged at the level too).
Facebook Launches "Promote your Post"
March 2, 2010, 7:16 amFacebook appears to either be rolling out or testing a feature that lets Facebook Page owners promote specific posts. When you make an update, a link that says, "Promote" can be found by the links for "Comment" and "Like".
Once you click that Promote link, it brings up a dialogue box, which asks you to create an ad,...
Is 'Conversion Optimisation' The Next Big Thing In International Online Marketing? #SES
March 2, 2010, 7:10 amBryan Eisenberg certainly thinks that 'Conversion Optimisation' is the best thing since sliced bread. In fact he's just left his company to focus on being a marketing speaker covering this 'critical' aspect of marketing and recently demonstrated his thinking through his excellent Search Engine Strategies keynote "21 Secrets of Top Converting...
7 Ways to Add Keywords to the SERP Tracker â" SEJ Tools
March 2, 2010, 7:04 amOne of the most useful features of the SEJ toolset is its SERP tracker (which will be reviewed in a more detail in the upcoming posts). Plenty of built-in and third-party tools are interconnected with the SERP tracker to make sure you can easily add and monitor words. So this post looks at multiple ways to add keywords to the tracker to monitor...
Franchisees Lose In The Internet Marketing Arena
March 2, 2010, 6:30 amI have been speaking to several owners of local franchises recently about Internet marketing and it has opened my eyes considerably. Purchasing a franchise has long been a way for people to get away from having a “regular” job and live the American Dream of owning a business. In this day and age with people having the worst job security in...
Top 24 Things I Learned at Online Marketing Summit 2010
March 2, 2010, 6:15 amWhile I don't get to conferences much, and generally don't read many posts covering them that have anything of interest, the gang at Vertical Measures at least had a few goodies of interest from OMS.... worthy addition.
Google Wins Patent For Location-Based Advertising
March 2, 2010, 6:00 am"It covers using location for targeting, setting a minimum price bid for an ad, offering performance analytics, and modifying the content of an ad."
Customer & Influencer Research in Social Media
March 2, 2010, 5:25 am"If you don't eat your meat you can't have any pudding. How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat!" Pink Floyd, The Wall. That quote from Another Brick in the Wall reminds me of the cart horse situation with social media marketing: If you don't know your customers you can't engage them. How can you ever hope to engage your...
Twitter Starts To Open Its Firehose To Drive Innovation
March 2, 2010, 4:11 am"With access to the full Firehose of data, it is possible to move far beyond the Twitter experiences we know today."
AT&T Selects Yahoo to Replace Google on Android Phones
March 2, 2010, 4:01 am"... AT&T went out of their way to replace Google search with Yahoo."
Google Chrome (Beta) Gets Translations and Privacy Management Options
March 2, 2010, 3:07 am".. instant machine translation of webpages, without the need for any browser extensions or plug-ins.. ..greater choice and control over your privacy as you browse the web."
Google Acquires Picnik: Cloud Photo Editing
March 2, 2010, 2:08 am"Google has acquired Picnik, one of the first sites to bring photo editing to the cloud."
Pagination: Best Practices for SEO & User Experience
March 2, 2010, 1:46 amPosted by randfish We've been getting a lot of questions in Q+A and on the road at events like last week's Miva Merchant conference , Online Marketing Summit and the YCombinator conference about how to properly paginate results for search engines. In this post, we'll cover the dangers, opportunities and optimization tactics that can best ensure...
Google Chrome Goes Multilingual with Translate Feature
March 2, 2010, 12:03 amGoogle has just released a new beta feature for Chrome browser - a translation prompt that automatically appears whenever you are visiting a site which is in a language different from your preferred language setting. This is an instant feature that don't require you to download any plug-ins or extensions. Previously, you need to go to...
Google Acquires Online Photo Editor, Picnik
March 1, 2010, 11:40 pmThe spending spree continues. Click to read the rest of this post.
How to Check If Google China Still Self-Censors
March 1, 2010, 11:28 pmOn January 12th, Google said they "are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all." To check whether Google China really stopped censoring, you can try...
An SEO Recipe is a Recipe for Disaster
March 1, 2010, 10:14 pmI saw a funny forum post this morning about a person asking the community in a an online marketing for the best SEO recipe. That person is already dead in the water right from the start. Let's take a step back and emphasize how important taking a marketing approach really is when conducting a search engine optimization campaign for your business...
How to Learn from your Competitors
March 1, 2010, 9:22 pm
If you’re looking to work your way up the search engine rankings, and who isn’t? Then one way to get some good insights into what works and what doesn’t is to see what your competitors are up to. What does that top ranking site have that your site doesn’t? It is surprisingly easy to find out these things, or some of them...
Did 4A Transformation 2010 Understand Social Media?
March 1, 2010, 8:48 pmIt seems that there is not a conference nowadays that does not include a social media track or session. And that's great - many marketers are realizing that social media is just as important as TV, radio, web or other forms of media. This year the organizers of 4A Transformation 2010 brought a great speaker, Jeff Hayzlett, CMO and VP, Eastman...
Day 1 of 4A's Transformation 2010 - Is it a Marketing Renaissance?
March 1, 2010, 8:48 pmTransformation. What images does it bring to your mind? Change, excitement, new things, improvement over the current state, a little bit of anxiety about the unknown, growing pains, a Chevy Camaro from the movie "Transformers". After listening to a few sessions and talking to several folks in the crowd, my impression of the conference so far is...
Study Assesses Sales Lift From Display Ads: Zero
March 1, 2010, 8:24 pmGiven the prevalence of studies that prove a certain lift in sales from costly display ad campaigns - often showing indirect impacts of sales increases in populations "exposed to" the ads - it's refreshing to have someone report an instance where the campaign had zero effect. I've always been wary of the flaws in these studies. In general, you'd...
Opera 10.50 final released
March 1, 2010, 8:16 pmClaims to be 'The fastest browser on Earth'
28 Resources from My Internet Marketing Toolbox
March 1, 2010, 7:26 pmGreat post by Glen Allsopp on the tools he uses in the daily grind.
Web Fluid Doesn't Grow on Trees!
March 1, 2010, 6:01 pmby Mike Krumboltz Laid off? You've got some "super" company: Spider-Man . In a comic hitting newsstands this week, Spidey's alter-ego, Peter Parker , will be let go from his job at the Daily Bugle newspaper. The real life recession is what inspired the writers. CNN reports that the lack of income will have a very real impact on how Spider-Man...
The Searches for Dr. Seuss
March 1, 2010, 6:01 pmby Claudine Zap What a kick. Dr. Seuss is 106. The "doctor" was only honorary, but fans of the children's book author who gave us " Green Eggs and Ham ," and " One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish " knew that Dr. Seuss was one prescription for fun. Which is probably why it makes sense that the man whose books taught so many to read is honored...
Bing Adds Search History to Search Autosuggest
March 1, 2010, 5:26 pmThe Bing Search Blog has just announced that starting today, your query history will now be part of its search autosuggest feature. Meaning, Bing does not only analyze your usual search behavior based on previous searches but now will use your actual previous searches to suggest search terms for your current search. This could be a helpful search...
More Email Marketers Using Video
March 1, 2010, 3:31 pmSmall and medium-sized business (SMB) marketers are becoming increasingly convinced of the positive results of video email, social media and personalization, according to a new report from GetResponse. Over 80 percent of respondents plan to use video emails in 2010 and over 90 percent of SMB marketers who use video emails report it delivers...
SEO and Quality Key to Competing in the Long Tail
March 1, 2010, 3:31 pmA while back, WebProNews had a conversation with RateItAll President Lawrence Coburn about how the long tail of search is getting more competitive. Companies like AOL and Demand Media are working on dominating long tail searches with content across a broad scope of article subject matter. We had another conversation with another company that is...
Google's CFO: "It's Been A Great Time For Us"
March 1, 2010, 3:31 pmPatrick Pichette joined Google as its CFO on August 12, 2008, and since then, he's seen the company through both good times (a stock price of $620 per share) and bad (try $262). So Google fans should find it comforting that Pichette, with his range of experience, has said the company's doing quite well again. Pichette spoke during the Morgan...
Where Is Adam Rich?
March 1, 2010, 2:22 pmby Mike Krumboltz It's "Great TV Families Reunited" week on NBC's " Today Show ." On Monday, the cast of " Eight Is Enough " stopped by 30 Rock. However one of the cast members was notably absent. Web searchers want to know: Where was Adam Rich ? Adam Rich played Nicolas, the youngest child of the Bradford clan. Mr. Rich's character was the cute...
Google Acquires Photo Editor Picnik
March 1, 2010, 2:17 pmOnline photo editor Picnik has been acquired by Google, as the Picnik blog announces . The Picnik team is excited, writing that "It means we can think BIG. Google processes petabytes of data every day, and with their worldwide infrastructure and world-class team, it is truly the best home we could have found." TechCrunch comments that...
Bing's Autosuggest Integrates Query History
March 1, 2010, 2:11 pmPersonalized search suggestions now available from historical search clues. Click to read the rest of this post.
Google Buys Online Image Editor Picnik
March 1, 2010, 2:11 pmGoogle has just acquired another company as announced by the company's official blog . It's Picnik, a fun, online image editor that was founded in 2005 and since then become one of the most feature-rich online image editor partnering with various photo uploading sites including Flickr. Picnik offers some easy-to-use tool that you can use to...
Google Announces Winners Of Street View Trike Contest
March 1, 2010, 2:09 pmAbout five months ago, Google started a contest to determine where its Street View trike would take pictures in the U.S. Today, Google released some impressive stats concerning participation, and also announced the winning locations.
Let's start by establishing how many people took an interest in where Google will send its trike. A...
Google Buys Cloud Photo Editing Service
March 1, 2010, 2:07 pmGoogle announced today it has acquired Picnik, a cloud-based photo editing service. The company consists of about 20 employees.
"Google processes petabytes of data every day, and with their worldwide infrastructure and world-class team, it is truly the best home we could have found. Under the Google roof we’ll reach more people than...
Exploring DMOZ: World of Warcraft
March 1, 2010, 2:05 pmHi Everyone, Today we're starting a new series called Exploring DMOZ. These posts will give individual editors the opportunity to highlight categories where they work. We hope that this will help demonstrate the depth and breadth of editor knowledge and highlight the richness of the directory itself. Editor crowbar has prepared the first one....
SMX West 2010, Steve Ballmer Edition
March 1, 2010, 2:05 pmStarting tomorrow, Bing will be participating in full force at whats shaping up to be another stellar SMX West (March 2-4, Santa Clara CA). Every SMX show is a special one for Bing. But this one is super-duper special for one reason were bringing Steve Ballmer! This will be Steves first ever conversation with the search community at an...
New Twitterers and Tweets Slow in February
March 1, 2010, 2:05 pmEach month, we look at Twitter's growth based on total tweets and new user registrations. This data is supplied by Matthew Daines, the lead developer for our own Twitter app Twellow . In February, the number of new registrations fell, compared to the previous month, and tweeting in general rose, but the growth in the amount of tweeting slowed....
CBS Upgrades March Madness Video Player
March 1, 2010, 2:05 pmCBSSports.com said today it has upgraded its NCAA March Madness on Demand (MMOD) video player. CBS said it will again offer a standard video player in addition to providing viewers with the ability to upgrade to a high-quality player delivering an improved video stream. Upgrades to the player include the ability of viewers of the high-quality...
Life’s No Picnik for Yahoo as Google Acquires Flickr Partner
March 1, 2010, 1:54 pm
Yahoo partnered with photo editing company Picnik way back in 2007. It was an important partnership for Yahoo’s Flickr, leading to senior executives to proclaim:
“Providing the ability to edit directly within Flickr is an important step in offering our 20 million members around the globe a complete photo...
Suite101.com Intensifies Focus on SEO
March 1, 2010, 1:30 pmNew hire to aid writers and editors in attracting traffic to articles. Click to read the rest of this post.
Free SEJ News iPhone Application Available
March 1, 2010, 1:07 pmAttention all Search Engine Journal lovers and avid readers out there: we have good news! The new SEJ News iPhone application is now available in the app store. The even better news? It's completely free. The format of this application is very easy on the eyes. The newest content is located on top, followed by the older posts. Simply scroll...
Found In Sergey Brin's Old Resume
March 1, 2010, 1:01 pmSergey Brin's resume before he co-founded Google contains some interesting bits, including two comments hidden in the HTML (this looks authentic, but if you know more please comment). The first one reads: Objective: A large office, good pay, and very little work. Frequent expense-account trips to exotic lands would be a plus.-> The second one:
Google Chrome Translator
March 1, 2010, 1:01 pmFive years ago it was mentioned here that if Google would ever release their own browser, they could built translation into it seamlessly. Two years ago , Google did indeed release a browser, and now that browser includes a translation feature*. When visiting the German blog Spreeblick, for instance, a header note will expand reading: "This page...
Why Blog Controversy is a Good Thing
March 1, 2010, 12:56 pm“Oh my goodness. Can you believe the nerve of that blogger who dared to disagree with that thing that you said? I know what it is. They just wanted more traffic, so they’re leeching off your popularity. By criticizing what you said, they must be trying to rank in the search engines for your name, because you’re just so popular. They ...
Coming to an Ad Near You: Visit Us on Facebook
March 1, 2010, 12:56 pm
Maybe you’ve already seen them: the ads that end with “Visit us on Facebook,” instead of a URL. Reminiscent of ads a few years ago that encouraged us to search on a specific search engine with a specific keyword (or use AOL) instead of visiting a website, the latest rash of CTAs scream “look at us,...
JLo's Spoof, Olympics Finale, "Marriage Ref" Debut: What's the Buzz
March 1, 2010, 12:13 pmby Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Olympics closing ceremonies (Searches increased by +9,192%). Goodbye, Winter Olympics . Michelle Bachelet (+2,979%). The president of earthquake-ravaged Chile is open to international aid . Jennifer Lopez (+672%). The "Saturday Night Live" host spoofed Rihanna in a sendup of "We Are...
4A Transformation 2010 'Magazines are thriving' - What do you think?
March 1, 2010, 12:13 pmGreetings from the 4A Transformation 2010 conference in San Francisco. One of the first presentations of the conference was a joint presentation by representatives of the magazine industry - Time Inc., Hearst Corporation, Meredith Corporation, Wenner Media, and Conde Nast. The speakers aimed to dispel several myths about the industry, the value...
SEO and Social Media Matter for Press Coverage
March 1, 2010, 11:44 amWhen businesses think about search and social media, a great deal of the time, they are thinking about traffic, customer engagement, and brand awareness. While these are all good things to consider, there may be more to that last one that you have spent much time thinking about.
Brand awareness goes beyond just having a random customer find your...
New Bank Withdrawal Instructions for Our Customers in India
March 1, 2010, 11:38 amAs promised on Friday, Farhad Irani here with more details for our customers in India on how to withdraw your funds from your PayPal account to a local bank account in India. As I indicated in my earlier blog post, we are making changes to comply with Indian regulations for settlements .
A New Decade of SMX West
March 1, 2010, 11:14 amThe 2010 SMX West conference kicks off this week in Santa Clara, Calif., and we're excited to be there! Yahoos will be sitting on a handful of panels , so stop by and learn what we're up to. Tuesday, March 2, 2010 Time: 9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Panel: Real Time Search & The Major Search Engines Speaker: Ivan Davtchev, Senior Product Manager, Yahoo!...
EU Caps Mobile Roaming Fees
March 1, 2010, 11:08 amEuropean mobile phone operators are now required by the European Union to offer their customers limits on roaming fees. Under the new regulation, mobile operators must offer their customers a monthly cut-off limit of 50 euros ($65) while they are surfing the Internet in other European nations. They can also offer their customers any other limit....
Google Maps Integrates Flickr Photos
March 1, 2010, 11:07 am
Google Maps added user photos from Panaramio to Street View last year. They started with photos around major landmarks and added user photos for all their Street Views as well as maps without Street View. Now geo-tagged, user-submitted Flickr photos as well as other location-specific photos from Google’s own Picasa are more...
Google CEO Eric Schmidt During Sun's Halcyon Days
March 1, 2010, 10:44 amMy, how the years change us. Several Web sites unearthed this 1986 clip of an April's Fool's Day prank on Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who was then a less-than-studly vice president of Sun Microsystems: The prank, in which Schmidt's office furniture was removed and replaced by a Volkswagen Beetle, is something out of an '80s movie glorifying teen and...
Chrome Gains More Market Share
March 1, 2010, 10:26 amMost major browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Opera, didn't fare well in February, losing market share. Net Applications found that Chrome managed to attract more than a few new users, however, increasing its market share by 0.39 percent on a month-over-month basis. The fact that Chrome beat all of its competitors (at...
adCenter Conversion Tracking: Helping advertisers improve their campaigns
March 1, 2010, 10:21 amSomeone recently asked me why adCenter conversion tracking should matter to advertisers. Could it help advertisers get better results at a lower cost? I was intrigued, so I did some digging. We found some pretty exciting results: Not only did advertisers utilizing adCenter conversion tracking data have higher click-through rates (CTRs) than their...
Where in the UK are financial aggregator websites most popular?
March 1, 2010, 10:20 amAnother guest blog from Richard Seymour, Experian Hitwise Client Intelligence Analyst. In the table below we can see where in the UK financial aggregators are most used. The representation shows the areas which over-index compared to the UK population. In this case we can see that residents of Sunderland are most over-represented in visits to...
Google Names Street View Trike Contest Winners
March 1, 2010, 10:07 amBike fitted with street level imagery cameras to visit five locations in the U.S. Click to read the rest of this post.
Bing Suggests Queries Based on Search History
March 1, 2010, 9:20 amMicrosoft announced today that Bing is just now supporting query history in its Autosuggest feature. In other words, if you have your search history enabled, Bing will incorporate past queries you've made into the suggestions. "You are in full control of your query history," the Bing Team stresses . "We know your privacy is very important to you.
News in the Age of Participation
March 1, 2010, 8:49 am
We all know that news is changing. How we get news, where we get news, how we react to news, what we do with news when we get it and on and on. It’s one of those factors that are known to all but hard to quantify as to the true impact of our news habit both for now and into the future.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project...
Bing Autosuggest â" History Repeats Itself â" and That is a Good Thing
March 1, 2010, 8:46 amWeve been working hard to help your complete your search tasks more quickly. Were happy to announce support for query history in Autosuggest today to help make that vision a reality. Autosuggest now supports suggestions from your query history. Many users search for a set of topics again and again. It could be you searching on your favorite...
Despite Being Sick of the Term, 72% of Marketers to Invest in “Social Media”
March 1, 2010, 8:24 am
Apparently marketers have forgotten their own mantra.
Just when you become sick of an ad campaign, is exactly when the message is just starting to stick with your target audience.
You see, 51.4% of those polled by the Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG) say they are tired of hearing the buzz words social media, Twitter,...
Americans Favor Online News Over Newspapers
March 1, 2010, 8:17 amThe Internet is now the third most-popular news platform, behind local and national television news and ahead of national print newspapers, local print newspapers and radio, according to a new survey out today. The survey of 2,259 U.S. adults, conducted jointly by the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the Project for Excellence in...
Look for Ways to Manage Your Social Media Time Better
March 1, 2010, 8:13 amTime is a valuable resource, and that's why it is more important than ever to manage your time wisely.
"Typically in the SMB space, people have very little resource[s], so you see people trying to get a lot done with a very small staff - maybe one person in their marketing department trying to do it all," Kim Albee, CEO of Genoo told...
Facebook Users Prefer Broadcast Media
March 1, 2010, 8:05 amA couple of weeks ago, I posted an entry about Facebook becoming the largest news reader . Facebook does send more traffic to News and Media sites than Google News but looking more closely at the data, I noticed that the two sites send traffic to a very different list of News and Media websites. The following table starts to tell the story,...
The Critical Mistake that Keeps Bloggers Broke
March 1, 2010, 7:59 amHow I used a blog to attract thousands of subscribers my first week. Why I make six figures and you don't. How I quit my day job and now I work all day in my robe and slippers while my wife brings me lattes. Ever seen headlines like these before? Find them at least a little compelling? Like every good headline , they exist to attract attention and...
Report: Rupert Murdoch "Ready To Sue" Google
March 1, 2010, 7:59 amAlthough a few months have passed since the last big flareup, News Corp. may still be willing to go to war with Google. A fresh report indicates that Rupert Murdoch is indeed prepared to take the search giant to court, and has been talking to Microsoft about an exclusive deal, too. Gabriel Sherman recently published a long profile of Murdoch for...
Twitter to Get More Useful in Time for Monetization?
March 1, 2010, 7:59 amTwitter engineer Alex Payne tweeted over the weekend, "If you had some of the nifty site features that we Twitter employees have, you might not want to use a desktop client. (You will soon.)" Some took that to mean that Twitter was working on some new features for its own site, that would essentially render some popular third-party clients all but...
Do’s & Don’ts of Social Media Marketing
March 1, 2010, 7:50 amSome great insights into SMM. 8 Key Do's and Don'ts of Social Media Marketing.
Facebook Serves 37.4 Trillion Page Views Per Year! (And Other Fun Stats)
March 1, 2010, 7:44 am
Manoj Jasra discovered this entertaining video that takes recent research and puts it into a format that is actually enjoyable to consume.
Some of my favorite statistics:
90 Trillion emails sent in 2009, 81% of which were spam
4 billion photos hosted on Flickr
148,000 zombie (think botnets/click fraud) programs created each...
Do's & Don'ts of Social Media Marketing
March 1, 2010, 7:42 amOkay, I admit that at first light, social media marketing (SMM) may appear like child's play. After all, what is there to it? Create a bunch of profiles, Digg a little, Stumble a bit and you are set, right? Wrong! That is the exact attitude that can kill your social media campaign (and dreams) before it can begin. I don't mean to suggest that it...
Get Wordpress Posts Indexed in Minutes
March 1, 2010, 7:40 amThe first step in getting your pages to rank is to get them indexed. And the fastest way to get them indexed is through mega ping lists and the right ping plugins.
Twitter Engineer Deletes Tweet to Avoid Developer Backlash?
March 1, 2010, 7:35 am
Twitter Engineer, Alex Payne, has inserted his foot in his mouth. Actually he inserted a big chirping bird in his mouth and ended up with a fail whale of backlash. This tweet started it:
That apparently caused all kinds of angst among Twitter developers, concerned that third-party apps–such as Seesmic and Twhirl–would...
Google Helps You Find Things Nearby
March 1, 2010, 7:26 am
Google recently made search improvements as your roam around by adding the My Location option to mobile search. The idea is to help everyone find things that can be visited, used or accessed right then and there based on your location. While there is plenty of concentration on the mobile side of search they have not let the local...
Creative Writing Tips for LinkBait Production
March 1, 2010, 7:01 amHave you ever sold a client linkbaiting content and when it came time to produce the bait, you've thought "oh dear, there's not much to write about _" (copper pipe manufacturing, hermit crab pet insurance, massage distance learning, etc)? Writers block. Brain freeze. Call it what you will - the inspiration behind link bait doesn't come easy to...
Get More Productive with 'StayFocusd' Google Chrome Plugin
March 1, 2010, 6:37 amSaying hello to all Google Chrome users out there: today's post is right for you. I am sharing a new (fun!) productivity addon for Google Chrome: "StayFocusd" . Now an introduction which I loved first of all: You sit down at the computer, and you swear you'll be productive. Next thing you know, it's twelve hours later. You've checked your email,...
Website's Bank Account On Hold Over Content
March 1, 2010, 5:46 am"The nature of the business could be embarrassing to the bank, the manager explained."
Managing SEO Campaigns in Declining Industries
March 1, 2010, 3:39 amPosted by RobOusbey This is a graph of organic traffic for a theoretical site - they might be in an industry such as print advertising, construction equipment or VHS rental. The decline in traffic is pronounced and serious. A critical distinction when looking at a graph like this is whether the site's performance is increasingly worse than the...
How To Create A Widget: Guide To The Best Web Widgets Creation Tools and Services
March 1, 2010, 1:35 amWeb widgets are tiny applications that allow you to easily distribute your content across other blogs and web sites, free of charge. Web widgets work just like YouTube videos: you can place a widget on your web site and let readers grab the embed code and redistribute your content with a few clicks. In this MasterNewMedia guide you will find the...
Hulu Takes Shot at YouTube via SNL
March 1, 2010, 1:21 amNBC takes to the airwaves to poke fun at the web's largest video site. Click to read the rest of this post.
