June 1, 2007
AdWords Bolding Synonyms
David Szetela spotted this today and contacted Google for confirmation. AdWords is now bolding the expanded match terms in the ads.
The example he used saw handbag being bolded when the search contained purse. This should be interesting. I will have to delve a little deeper into this. Can you turn it off, like expanded match etc.
I am starting a thread on this here. Keep track of developments there.
Posted by Frank Watson on June 1, 2007, 11:47 PM | Permalink
Search Headlines & Links: June 1, 2007
Want a snapshot of the day's SEM and SEO news? Here we've collected today's top news stories posted to the Search Engine Watch Blog, along with search-related headlines from around the Web:
From the SEW Blog:
- Google Acquires Feedburner
As expected, Google announced today that it has acquired Feedburner. - Mike Grehan Joins Bruce Clay Inc.
Mike Grehan has joined Bruce Clay Inc. as its VP of international business development. - Check Your Blog Deletions
Six Apart attempted to block what they genuinely believed were inappropriate blogs and it backfired. - SEW Experts: Nobody Likes to Hear Their Baby is Ugly
Jessica Bowman tells you how to make an SEO presentation that won't ruffle any feathers by gaining prior buy-in along the way. - SEW Experts: The Local Video Revolution
Video is a perfect venue for small businesses to advertise and for local search destinations like Citysearch, Superpages.com and YellowPages.com to integrate video with existing forms of local search advertising.
Headlines & News from Elsewhere:
- Search Engine Strategies Mythbusting, Traffick
- Five Reasons Mahalo Might Work, Marketing Pilgrim
- Google's Internal Company Goals Revisited, Google Blogoscoped
- Best of Google Street View, Google Blogoscoped
- Are SEM Conferences Still Worth Attending?, Search Marketing Gurus
- Startup Search Exposes the People Behind Web Startups, Read/Write Web
- Internet Marketing is Mostly Perseverance, Biznology
- Jason Calacanis & Mahalo: Hypocrites to the End, Eric Lander
- Flashback: Bill Gates, in 1987, forecasts 2007, Todd Bishop's Microsoft Blog
- Jump off now! The CPM advertising model ship is sinking, John W. Ellis
- Know Your Fish, SEO Chicks
- ValueClick Names Vadnais CEO, ClickZ
- RFP Do's and Don'ts, ClickZ
- U.S. Search Engine Rankings, April 2007, ClickZ
- Sproose: Human Powered Search Meets Digg, TechCrunch
- Google's dominance 'will not last forever', Information World Review
- Dogpile: Search Results On Major Engines Diverging, Search Engine Land
- Hey Jason, Search Results are Never "Done", Search Engine Guide
Posted by Kevin Newcomb on June 1, 2007, 5:11 PM | Permalink
Google Acquires Feedburner
As expected, Google announced today that it has acquired Feedburner. The move brings feed distribution and management tools, as well as potential RSS distribution of AdWords ads.
Feedburner CEO Dick Costolo shares his thoughts on the Feedburner blog.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb on June 1, 2007, 2:28 PM | Permalink
Mike Grehan Joins Bruce Clay Inc.
Mike Grehan has joined Bruce Clay Inc. as its VP of international business development. According to Lisa Barone, his role will include strategy, servicing key accounts, and international training:
In his new role as VP of International Business Development, Mike will routinely be let out of the storage closet, but only if he promises to help us further develop and implement the company's global growth strategy, and help with client services on key accounts. We're also going to make him assist Bruce in teaching our international SEO training class in Australia, South Africa, the UK and Europe to train search marketers world-wide. Mike has a lot of knowledge and we think he should share it.
Many SEW readers will recognize Mike from his frequent speaking appearances at SES and other industry events (he'll be in Toronto and Miami), or from his long-running ClickZ column on search.
Mike shares his thoughts on his Mike Grehan Says... blog:
Bruce Clay already has a presence in the UK as well as South Africa and Australia. I'll be supporting him in strengthening the brand and training in those territories, as well as opening in at least three new geographical territories this year. So, it looks like my office, once again, will be mainly on a Boeing 777!
Congratulations to both Mike and the Bruce Clay team.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb on June 1, 2007, 12:41 PM | Permalink
Check Your Blog Deletions
This week, Six Apart attempted to block what they genuinely believed were inappropriate blogs and it backfired. Given the proliferation of blogs, it's time to examine your own approaches to deleting user-generated content from your sites.
In the case of Six Apart, they took action on their own Live Journal site. After discovering what they believed was sex-themed content, entire communities "took the hit" and everyone was blocked. Then Six Apart went back and unblocked individuals who were not violating their terms and conditions. (See CNET coverage here and here. )
Before blogs, the original free web-hosted services also wanted to prevent dirty or potentially illegal materials from appearing. When I was general manager at Freeservers.com, we literally had someone assigned to the task full-time. We monitored spikes in traffic and blocked the offending web site. Alternatively if someone registered a complaint, regardless of our opinion or judgment, we also blocked sites that offended him/her. We thought that worked pretty well.
Currently, it is possible to do more with internal searching mechanisms. Blog suppliers could search for inappropriate terms and content within blogs. They might block particular blogs, bloggers or perhaps postings. All these actions are acceptable, as anyone who creates a blog is subject to the terms and conditions of the supplier.
If you're a publisher, then take a look at how you're handling bloggers who have signed up and are posting on your domain. Check your Terms of Service, and either adjust them or otherwise create policies that are appropriate for your site. Beyond the policies, decide how you want to handle bloggers and posters in general. How do you want to monitor them? How to you want to respond to complaints? Are you comfortable with an "anything goes" approach?
In the user generated era, you should encourage free speech and open dialog. It's just 99.9% rather than 100% free-for-all.
Posted by on June 1, 2007, 9:31 AM | Permalink
SEW Experts: Nobody Likes to Hear Their Baby is Ugly
In today's In-House column, Nobody Likes to Hear Their Baby is Ugly, Jessica Bowman tells you how to make an SEO presentation that won't ruffle any feathers by gaining prior buy-in along the way.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb on June 1, 2007, 5:53 AM | Permalink
SEW Experts: The Local Video Revolution
In today's Vertical Challenge column, The Local Video Revolution, Michael Boland addresses the latest trends in local online video. He points out that video is a perfect venue for small businesses to advertise and for local search destinations like Citysearch, Superpages.com and YellowPages.com to integrate video with existing forms of local search advertising.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb on June 1, 2007, 5:51 AM | Permalink
