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March 30, 2008 - April 5, 2008


Govt. Funded Health Search Engine Blocks "Abortion"

Now this seems to be a story that would get attention if it weren't for the fact President Bush is a lame duck and soon out of office. The government funded health search engine Popline run by John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health was not returning results when searching for the term abortion Thursday, Wired reported.

Interestingly, I was getting results in Amsterdam that listed the reports mentioned by Wired. So they either changed back to avoid controversy or they are using geoIP recognition and just blocking US traffic.

Either way... bad move George W. and shame on you John Hopkins.... did you sell out to the Republicans when Bloomberg got on board?

Posted by Frank Watson on April 5, 2008, 11:17 PM | Permalink


HackerSafe & The Power of Trust

I am often asked by people what sorts of items I would recommend testing on a landing page. There are no universal truths and your mileage may vary. However, there are common themes that work well across a range of industries. One of these is the use of trust and credibility indicators. These reduce anxiety for your visitors and increase their confidence when interacting with your landing page.


A common type trust and credibility indicator are various safe shopping seals. The leader in this area is McAfee's HackerSafe trustmark. In most cases, adding the trustmark to your website will increase conversion rates by several percentage points. But just adding the trustmark to your page is not enough. You also need to consider which version of the trustmark to use (they come in several shapes and colors), and where on your page it will appear. Many companies mistakenly put their trustmark "below the fold" on their page. By doing this they make the trustmark invisible and practically useless. We always suggest putting the trustmark prominently near the top of the page.


But even this is not enough. The specific location within the page header can result in additional improvements. In a recent test we tested different positions and trustmark versions on the LuggagePoint website and were able to find an 11% increase in revenue per visitor and a 5% increase in conversion rate simply by changing the position of the trustmark in the header.

Read the LuggagePoint case study here.

As a McAfee HackerSafe partner SiteTuners.com will run a free multivariate test on any site with certain minimum traffic levels to determine which placement on the page (out of 4 possible positions) and HackerSafe trustmark image (out of 6 possible versions) results in the best performance.

Posted by Tim Ash on April 4, 2008, 7:46 PM | Permalink


Search Headlines & Links: April 4, 2008

Want a snapshot of the day's search marketing 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:

Headlines & News from Elsewhere:

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on April 4, 2008, 4:48 PM | Permalink


Google Updates Trademark Rules for UK/Ireland Adwords

Beginning on May 5, 2008, the AdWords trademark policy for the UK and Ireland will change. The new policy will be aligned with the current one established in the United States and Canada.

AdWords users in the UK and Ireland will be able to bid on keywords that contain trademarked words, but will not be able to include trademarked names in their ad text. Until now, accounts in those countries could not bid on trademarked terms.

The U.S. policy has sparked controversy in the courts, which can't seem to agree on the use of trademark in PPC bidding. The change comes in the wake of recent reports that clicks on Google paid search results have been declining.

Related Reading:

Will We Pay More For Google's Fewer Clicks
Even for Google, Conversions Matter More Than Clicks
Load Time Impacts Google Quality Score

Posted by Nathania Johnson on April 4, 2008, 11:17 AM | Permalink


Optimization Tips for PDFs: Great Advice for B2B Search Marketers

PDFs are particularly significant in B2B marketing, which makes optimizing them for the web is an important piece of SEO strategy in that sector. Thankfully, Galen de Young of Francis Marketing has a new post on optimizing PDFs on their B2B marketing blog.

Here are the key take away points from Galen's post:

  • Make sure your PDFs are text-based. Creating a PDF from a Microsoft Word document should be ok, but when you get into other programs like InDesign or Quark, then you run into text-based issues. And, as always, optimize the copy to reflect the targeted keywords.

  • Pay attention to Accessibility. The accessibility tools can be found under the advanced options. With them, you can order the priority of text on a page and create alt tags for images.

  • Customize your PDF properties. The title in the properties becomes the title tag, not the title of the file, so be sure to write an optimized title for your PDF properties. This is what searchers will see in the results of their favorite search engine.

  • Don't forget about usability. Optimization of a PDF is only good if web users can read it. Be aware that not everyone has the latest version of Adobe Reader. Save your PDF at a version lower than the most recent update. Also, make sure file sizes are as compressed as possible and use properties to see if you have a "fast web view." If not, go to your General Settings panel under preferences to make it web-friendly.

  • Specify the reading order. This helps search engines know which part of the text is most important on your page. Also, if your first paragraph wouldn't make a great description tag, consider creating a footer and making it number 1 in the reading order.

    • Other quick tips include:

    • Build links into PDFs (and be sure to verify them!)
    • Keep links to PDFs closer to the root level of the site's file structure
    • Use keyword-rich anchor text to link to PDFs
    • Don't do anything in a PDF that you wouldn't do in a web page

    PDFs can be forgotten when developing or redesigning a web site and lost in a greater SEM strategy. But when properly optimized they can be a powerful content tool for your business.

    Related Reading:
    Yahoo to Distribute Contextual Ads on PDFs
    Yahoo Adds Support for Page-Level Exclusion Tags for Non-HTML Docs
    Search Marketing Works for B2B, Too
    Vertical Search: B2B Survey Says ... Blazing Hot

    Posted by Nathania Johnson on April 4, 2008, 10:00 AM | Permalink


    Google Opens Up About Spectrum Auction

    The gag order on details surrounding the recent FCC spectrum auction has been lifted, and Google is revealing some behind-the-scenes information about their participation in the bidding.

    While some had speculated Google only made the minimum $4.6 billion reserve price to force the C block into accepting open applications, Google said that it did bid above the reserve. They also said they were winning for several days, but in the end Verizon won the C block auction.

    All was not lost, however, as the FCC did agree to 2 of the 4 "open" conditions Google was pushing for. And Google is lobbying the FCC to auction off "white spaces" on the TV spectrum to make more options available for mobile users. Plus, they re-affirmed the expectation that the first Android handsets will be released later this year.

    And in case you've ever thought that bidding on a high-ticket item on eBay was nerve-wracking, consider this: Google says, "Bidding took place electronically, and literally billions of dollars were at stake with every mouse click."

    Posted by Nathania Johnson on April 4, 2008, 9:39 AM | Permalink


    Seesmic Acquires Twhirl, Taking Video Chat to a Whole New Level

    Video chat startup Seesmic has acquired Twhirl, an Adobe AIR Twitter client. Twhirl is the most popular Twitter client, boasting over 100,000 downloads and accounting for 7% of daily Tweets. Seesmic does plan on blending video chat into Twhirl, which is a Twitter user's dream come true!

    According to Seesmic founder Loic Le Meur, Marco Kaiser, founder of Twhirl, was already in the process of incorporating Seesmic into Twhirl. Kaiser contacted Seesmic about his plans, and the rest is history. Twhirl and Twitter were, of course, used a great deal during their negotiations.

    Related Posts:

    Is Twitter the New Google Alternative?
    Twitter: Welcome to My Google Nightmare
    Twitter and Search

    Posted by Nathania Johnson on April 4, 2008, 9:15 AM | Permalink


    Microhoo's Second Date Doesn't Go Very Well

    Executives from Microsoft and Yahoo reportedly met this week, but both sides came to the much anticipated second date with stubborn stances. Microsoft wouldn't raise their original bid price of $31 per share and Yahoo wouldn't delve into details of the acquisition unless the bid was raised, according to published reports.

    This should come as no surprise to anyone who has been following the negotiations since Microsoft made the unsolicited offer for the Sunnyvale search engine on February 1. Yahoo recently tried to show the world just how much its worth by releasing positive revenue projections for the next three years. Meanwhile, this week Microsoft already said it wasn't interested in raising its original bid price.

    Posted by Nathania Johnson on April 4, 2008, 7:47 AM | Permalink


    SEW Experts: SEO Standards Signal the Maturing of Our Industry

    Call them standards, rules, advice, best practices, or whatever you want, but they're a necessary step in the evolution of the search industry. In today's SEM Crossfire column, "SEO Standards Signal the Maturing of Our Industry," Chris Boggs advocates a move toward creating a document outlining the majority of the methods used in SEO, and providing a risk assessment so marketers can make informed decisions.

    Join the discussion in the Search Engine Watch Forums.

    Posted by Kevin Newcomb on April 4, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink


    SEW Experts: Recruiting the Right People for Your SEM Business

    If you've been a one-man operation until now, hiring your first employee is a major milestone. However, making the wrong choice can seriously impact your business. In today's Business of Search column, "Recruiting the Right People for Your SEM Business - Part 1," Fionn Downhill warns that the success of your search marketing business depends on the quality of the staff you hire. Getting the right people will largely depend on how you go about the recruitment process.

    Posted by Kevin Newcomb on April 4, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink


    SEW Experts: Leveraging Traditional Media Placements in an Online World

    Online media and Internet-based search continue to grow at the expense of their offline counterparts, newspapers and magazines. Because media placement options are continuously growing, smart local marketers need to leverage this major transformation of how people consume media in some creative ways. In today's Vertical Search column, "Leveraging Traditional Media Placements in an Online World," local search expert Gregg Stewart explains that fragmenting media options will continue to force smart marketers to stitch together sales opportunities from an ever-increasing number of sources.

    Posted by Kevin Newcomb on April 4, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink


    Search Headlines & Links: April 3, 2008

    Want a snapshot of the day's search marketing 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:

    Headlines & News from Elsewhere:

    Posted by Kevin Newcomb on April 3, 2008, 4:48 PM | Permalink


    Google LookingTo Kill Affiliate Marketing?

    Okay we know that Google is divesting itself of Performics.... well the search arm anyway. They are keeping the affiliate marketing arm.

    Google had started their version of affiliate marketing some time ago with their CPA ads. Sign up through AdSense and you could use the creatives and get paid on conversions, while advertisers could offer amounts for conversions and Google tracked to see if it was a better financial deal for them.... this has not taken off.

    But grabbing experienced affiliate marketing consultants could turn this into the hope they once saw in it.

    Unfortunately it is a move similar to the push into analytics and ad serving - if it works Google will provide some serious competition to all other affiliate programs. They have the ability to be the nexus between a lot of publishers and a lot of advertisers and to really make an impact in the space.

    I am at the Casino Affiliate Conference right now in Amsterdam and plan on asking the large vendors here how they see the possibility of Google competing in their space. Will keep you posted.

    On the other side, ValueClick has shown an interest, according to ClickZ.. Now ValueClick pumps up its already global services. They offer ad serving management, SEO, affiliate marketing (maybe do a trade), display advertising, behavioral.... well equipped and adding an additional search force possibly ....

    Posted by Frank Watson on April 3, 2008, 2:21 PM | Permalink


    Recent Google Updates Have SEO Scrambling

    Google recently made a change to their algorithm, and SEOs are seeing significant changes in their SERPs. On a check of the Search Engine Watch forums, it seems that some are seeing the algorithm changes affecting their sites.

    smulligan writes:

    "We have been in the top 3 results for 'charlotte web design' for a long time. This week I've noticed we have dropped tremendously. The sites that are being listed above ours are:
    1. Much newer
    2. Have a lower PR
    3. Don't have as much relevant content"

    WarrantiesForLess saw similar changes:

    "I have seen the same thing in last couple weeks. What is more strange is my other sites which were not on top have rotated up replacing the ones with better rank, content, etc., so this has me real confused."

    Meanwhile, SEOENG hypothesized as to what Google changed:

    "If you view a list of non editorial links and compare that with editorial links, you'll likely notice a drastic difference. This is in an effort from G to eliminate paid links. Even though you may not be paying for links, all those non editorial links at the bottom of pages are not providing the link flow they were a month ago and that is not likely to change."

    Jazajay reminded forum participants that before you blame SERP changes on algorithm changes, to pass your sites through his 12 point inspection:

    "Well lets just cover the basis.

    When you say a big drop, how big exactly?

    1. Have you changed anything recently - css files on page etc...
    2. Linking - recips, one way or a combination? What's the percentage of recips to one way linking?
    3. Whats you anchor text like? All simliar?
    4. Do you use JavaScript redirects for good purposes?
    5. Spammy titles or alt text?
    6. Any link building recently?
    7. Any onpage linking done recently?
    8. Been hacked recently?
    9. Content? Do you have any?
    10. Nesercary directories blocked?
    11. Any redirects gone up?
    12. Any URL rewritting done in the last few weeks?"

    If you've noticed any big changes, head over to the Search Engine Watch forums and chat with other SEOs about the recent Google update.

    Posted by Nathania Johnson on April 3, 2008, 11:30 AM | Permalink


    Google News Truths and Myths

    Like a celebrity sitting down with Barbara Walters, Google News has decided to clear up rumors surrounding how articles are included and ranked. In a post on the official Google News blog, software engineer Andy Golding addressed some assumptions floating around about how articles are indexed.

    Here are the Myths:

    * Having an image next to your article improves your ranking
    * Timing the publication of your article improves your article ranking
    * There's no way to see why my articles weren't included in Google News
    * Publishing a sitemap helps my rankings
    * If I put AdSense on my site, my article rankings will improve


    And now the Truths:

    * Redesigning my site may affect my coverage in Google News
    * Articles that are just images or video won't be included
    * Updating an article after posting it will create problems with Google News

    Things to keep in mind:

    * Google News only visits each URL once. If you make updates, it won't be reflected in Google News results. This could change in the future, however.
    * If you try to game the system with duplicate content or constantly rewriting stories, you might get flagged in the system as spam.
    * Use Webmaster Tools to help analyze your coverage
    * A sitemap helps Google News find your content, but not rank it


    Other Google News, um, News you might be interested in:

    Google News Unveils Two Updates to Comments Feature
    Newsknife finds dramatic changes in Google News ratings
    What Do Users Get on Google News Local Search? Zip.

    Posted by Nathania Johnson on April 3, 2008, 9:59 AM | Permalink


    Former Citysearch CEO Heads to Idearc

    Former Citysearch CEO Briggs Ferguson has been tapped to become President of Internet/Web products and pay-for-performance advertising at Idearc. Prior to his five year stint at CitySearch (which he left a year ago), Ferguson held executive level positions at Yahoo, Launch Media, and EMI Music Group.

    "I am excited about the opportunity to lead Idearc's Internet business," said Mr. Ferguson. "The local search landscape is evolving, and we can continue shaping that evolution with cutting-edge products and services and industry-leading strategies."

    Idearc owns several online advertising platforms including Superpages.com, Superpages Mobile, Switchboard.com, LocalSearch.com, Verizon Yellow Pages, and Verizon White Pages.

    Posted by Nathania Johnson on April 3, 2008, 9:24 AM | Permalink


    Yahoo Unveils Upgrades to Mobile Search Platform

    Yahoo has announced upgrades to its mobile search platform, oneSearch. The 2.0 version of the service includes brand spankin new features to make searching on the go a little easier.

    A major new update is the addition of voice search. Yahoo is partnering with vLingo, a speech recognition company, to provide the service. The more a searcher uses the voice search, the more the technology recognizes an individual's voice and can adapt to it. Initially, the voice search will only be available for select Blackberry devices, including the Curve and the Pearl. In coming months, the service is expected to expand to include more devices.

    Other new features to oneSearch include predictive type completion and contextual recommendations as you type in a search query. For example, as you start to type in "apple," oneSearch will guess what you're trying to type as you enter the first few letters. And users also may get suggestions to search for "apple iphone," "apple stock price," or "apple stock price."

    Yahoo is also opening up the platform to publishers and developers. By doing so, the company hopes to:

    -- Turn web search results into answers - the usefulness of the results increase as more actual content is returned versus traditional web links

    -- Unlock the power of the Semantic Web - results integrate more helpful content, much that otherwise is not usually surfaced in search results

    -- Provide more relevant content - consumers receive richer information, into which they can dive deeply
    Marco Boerries, executive vice president, Connected Life, Yahoo! said about the updates, "With Yahoo! oneSearch 2.0, we are fundamentally changing the way consumers use the Internet on their mobile phones."

    Posted by Nathania Johnson on April 3, 2008, 9:20 AM | Permalink


    Yahoo! also Loses Rock Star; Music VP Ian Rogers Moves to Start-up

    Two months after acquiring FoxyTunes, and setting in place a bold new plan for Yahoo! Music, Vice President Ian Rogers has resigned from Yahoo! Music yahoomusic.jpgto join stealth start-up TopSpin Media, which aims to use software to help artists earn money from their music. Rogers had some serious plans in mind for Yahoo! Music and it's sad we won't see them come to fruition. Yahoo! has had some great success in the media market--pictures at Flickr, the new web-based Yahoo! Media Player--while continuing to fall behind Google in search share. Yahoo! needs to start looking for a replacement ASAP if they want to stay relevant.

    Posted by on April 3, 2008, 3:47 AM | Permalink


    SEW Experts: Afraid to Link Out? Think Again

    Both people and search engines place more value on information that cites multiple sources. By refusing to link to other sites you are harming your site's relevance and ability to gain links. In today's Link Building column, "Afraid to Link Out? Think Again," Justilien Gaspard outlines the benefits of linking out, for both humans and machines.

    Posted by Kevin Newcomb on April 3, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink


    SEW Experts: Don't Be Afraid of Social Media -- Your Customers Aren't

    Savvy big brand marketers know that the junction of social media and e-commerce, or "Socialommerce," is the next big thing. But many are wary, and want to sit back and see how it plays out. In today's Building Brand Equity column, "Don't Be Afraid of Social Media -- Your Customers Aren't," Erik Qualman explains that while waiting is a good idea, waiting too long is not.

    Posted by Kevin Newcomb on April 3, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink


    Search Headlines & Links: April 2, 2008

    Want a snapshot of the day's search marketing 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 Gets Out of the SEO Business
      Google is getting itself out of a somewhat sticky situation by deciding to sell Performics Search Marketing, which it acquired as part of the DoubleClick deal.
    • Work With Your IT Staff, Not Against Them
      By equipping IT with SEO knowledge, they can truly understand the problems that search engines face with your site, and then come up with their own solutions that are technically feasible (and they are willing to implement).
    • Title Tag Copywriting Tips for Newbie SEOs
      The title tag is one of the most important pieces of content when it comes to search engine optimization.
    • Medio to Add Mobile Content Partners
      Mobile search and advertising company Medio Systems has announced the launch of a new content partnership. The Medio Mobile Content Partner Program will add high-quality content to the over 300 existing feeds on Medio by signing companies who are strong in a given niche.
    • Reinstalling My PC, Part 1: Top Timesavers
      Since I'm rebuilding my home PC, I've come up with a list of about 15 programs I really need on my computer to be good at my job.
    • Google Loses Rock Star CIO to EMI Music
      Douglas Merrill, Google CIO and VP of engineering, has accepted a new gig: president of digital at struggling EMI Music, home of the Beatles and former home of Radiohead.
    • SEW Experts: How to Survive a Recession In Search
      If you listen to the media, you'd know that a recession is nigh, and you should be locking yourself up in an underground bunker and hiding out for the next year. If you're a bit more selective in what you choose to believe, you may be thinking it would be wise to be prepared, in case an economic downturn does come.

    Headlines & News from Elsewhere:

    Posted by Kevin Newcomb on April 2, 2008, 9:43 PM | Permalink


    Google Gets Out of the SEO Business

    Google is getting itself out of a somewhat sticky situation by deciding to sell Performics Search Marketing, which it acquired as part of the DoubleClick deal. It will retain the affiliate marketing portion of the DoubleClick Performics business.

    Since Google announced its intention to acquire DoubleClick last year, Google had faced criticism of the potential conflict of interest that would be created by Google owning a search marketing firm. After all, why wouldn't customers assume, even if it weren't the case, that a Google-owned agency would have inside information?

    According to Tom Phillips, director of the DoubleClick integration at Google:

    It's clear to us that we do not want to be in the search engine marketing business. Maintaining objectivity in both search and advertising is paramount to Google's mission and core to the trust we ask from our users. For this reason, we plan to sell the Performics search marketing business to a third party. We believe this will allow us to maintain objectivity and the search marketing business to continue to grow and innovate and serve its customers. While we have not yet identified a buyer, we've received preliminary interest from a number of our current partners. Search Marketing will continue to run as a separate entity until the division is sold.

    So that only leaves one major search engine who's also in the SEO business: Microsoft, which acquired Avenue A | Razorfish and its SEO business with the aQuantive acquisition.

    In the meantime, the New York Times is reporting that Google will lay off 300 at DoubleClick. This comes as no surprise, since CEO Eric Schmidt hinted at cuts when the acquisition closed last month.

    Posted by Kevin Newcomb on April 2, 2008, 8:46 PM | Permalink


    Work With Your IT Staff, Not Against Them

    If you're like most in-house or agency SEOs, you've had your share of challenges with convincing the IT department to implement your SEO-related changes. The traditional approach is for an SEO to make a very specific request to IT, then IT meets, discusses it and rejects it for various reasons. Then the SEO grumbles in frustration.

    In today's SearchDay, "IT Roadblocks? Try Some In-house SEO Training," Jessica Bowman outlines a better plan: in-house SEO training for IT staff. By equipping IT with SEO knowledge, they can truly understand the problems that search engines face with your site, and then come up with their own solutions that are technically feasible (and they are willing to implement).

    Posted by Kevin Newcomb on April 2, 2008, 6:21 PM | Permalink


    Title Tag Copywriting Tips for Newbie SEOs

    The title tag is one of the most important pieces of content when it comes to search engine optimization. There are two reasons why:

    1. It's the first thing searchers will see when they scour results on a search engine
    2. Search engine spiders tend to give some weight to title tags for indexing purposes

    Title tags might be difficult for some copywriters to embrace because there's such a short amount of space to work with. But there's tremendous opportunity here to drive visitors to the web site you're optimizing and here are some tricks to get the job done.

    Blend Keywords

    Let's say you need to cram "boys bedding" and "baseball bedding" into the same title tag, as well as include the company name. You can combine the two keyword phrases into one phrase. Try "boys' baseball bedding" or "Baseball bedding for boys."

    Company Name Placement

    Unless you're keyword is the company name, the brand name should always go at the end. If a searcher is looking for "baseball bedding" – then you want that term to come as close to the beginning of the title tag as possible. The first words of the title tag should match the searchers words as much as possible. Companies resist this tactic, but it's good for usability and some would argue it's good for search engine placement as well. So, now our title tag looks like "Boys' baseball bedding at Company Name."

    Calls to Action

    Incorporating a call to action into your title tag is a great way to help searchers know what to do next. You know this because you place calls to action in your copy. Now, use this tried and true tactic in your title tags.

    Following along our bedding theme, possible title tags could be:

    1. "Boys' baseball bedding now 15% off at Company Name."
    2. "Great deals on boys' baseball bedding at Company Name."
    3. "Durable boys baseball bedding at Company Name."

    As you can see, incorporating a call to action with blended keywords can help your title tag stand out from all the other search results, which is especially useful in a competitive niche.

    If you're just starting out, or only have limited time to devote to on-page SEO, then writing good title tags is a great place to start. Don't overlook this opportunity to both tell search engines what your page is about, and to communicate directly to searchers as they scan the search results page.

    For more on Title Tags, check out:

    HTML Title Tag Defines Your SEO Strategy
    Meta Tags As Persuasive Content

    Posted by Nathania Johnson on April 2, 2008, 11:48 AM | Permalink


    Medio to Add Mobile Content Partners

    Mobile search and advertising company Medio Systems has announced the launch of a new content partnership. The Medio Mobile Content Partner Program will add high-quality content to the over 300 existing feeds on Medio by signing companies who are strong in a given niche.

    The content program will complement Medio uSearch, the company's universal search offering, available later this year. Medio says uSearch will simplify mobile search by enabling users to quickly find the on- and off-deck content from a single search box. Personalization and analytics technologies will power this new mobile search service.

    "The Medio Mobile Content Partner Program is the first step in creating the most intuitive, user-friendly universal search experience available," said Brian Lent, CEO of Medio Systems. "We have enlisted category leaders to provide the information that mobile users want. The caliber of these partners is a strong indication that our universal search will provide the best content experience in mobile."

    Medio has been making significant headway into the mobile content industry. Last October, CBS chose Medio for mobile search and advertising capabilities on its mobile sites. And in March 2007, Medio launched a mobile PPC text ad platform.

    Posted by Nathania Johnson on April 2, 2008, 10:07 AM | Permalink


    Reinstalling My PC, Part 1: Top Timesavers

    My home PC has started running, to paraphrase an Election Night Dan Rather, slower than a lame horse in molasses on a January morning. So I need to reinstall, prompting quite a bit of soul searching on my part: what operating system (OS) do I install; what programs do I really need; what do I need on my computer to be good at my job?

    I've come up with a list of about 15 programs I really need, but so as not to make this post go on forever, I've divided the list into categories. Let's start with those programs that save you time.

    Top 5 Timesavers

    1. Launchy - If you have Launchy, you understand why I can't live without it. If you don't have it, prepare for your life to change. Launchy is a keystroke launcher, which basically means it's a better way of doing everything on your computer: launching programs, finding files on your desktop, performing web searches; visiting web sites. It can even give you local weather and perform calculations. All you need to is press whatever shortcut key you've assigned to Launchy, start typing, and whatever program or file you want comes up. Forget the Start Menu; forget Windows Explorer; forget your browser. Launchy will change all that--and save you a considerable amount of while doing it.

    Like this screenshot? I used two of the tools on this list to do it!

    2. X1 - A few of these tools, like Launchy above and Ergo below, perform desktop search. But none of them do it as well as X1, which includes live searching abilities, numerous advanced search options, extensive previewing tools, and active email abilities. I'm organized (on the computer at least), but with hundreds of emails daily, along with reports for numerous clients, desktop search is a must-have time saver. No one does it better than X1. And, believe it or not, X1 is still free! You may not know that going to their site, as they only offer a preview of the newest version, but you can download older versions, which still work better than any other option, in the X1 Forums.

    3. Ergo - The last search tool I use is Ergo. It's a cool visual search engine that combines a bunch of web search options with desktop search. What I really use it for is the annotation tools it has to mark up and share websites, and the cool grouping options it has to parse or organize search results. Truly smart search may still be a dream (especially for us SEOs, as it would mean the end of keyword research), but visual search tools like Ergo and SearchMe and clustering tools like Vivisimo's Clusty provide the next best thing: the ability to find what you are actually looking for before you go through results. Trust me; when you can search without browsing, you'll find the site you need in half the time.

    4. Snag-it - Last but not least, Snag-it has proved invaluable for me when it comes to reporting. If you take as many screenshots as I do--of great search results, YouTube honors, social bookmarking and networking standings and occasional snafus--you know the hassle of trimming shots in Word or PhotoShop. And if you need to blur something out or add any effects, a 1-minute task blooms into a 10-minute endeavor. If you work with more than one monitor, double those estimates. Snag-it solves all that; copy only what you want from the screen and add effects on the fly. It's the only piece of software on this list that isn't free, but it's worth it.

    Posted by on April 2, 2008, 4:24 AM | Permalink


    Google Loses Rock Star CIO to EMI Music

    douglas%20merrill.jpg

    Douglas Merrill, Google CIO and VP of engineering, has accepted a new gig: president of digital at struggling EMI Music, home of the Beatles and former home of Radiohead.

    So who's Douglas Merrill?

    As Caroline McCarthy of The Social noted in this very funny exhange: "Doug Merrill is leaving Google." "Doug who?" "The Google exec who looks liike Ethan from Lost." "Ohhhh."

    As only the second senior executive to leave Google, Merrill and his departure won't cause a panic in the Googleplex Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg was the first senior exec to leave Google. As the former VP global sales and operations, Sandberg, who left last month, is tackling a major problem that Google's largest social search competitor hasn't solved: monetization.

    Not that EMI doesn't have problems of its own. Widespread piracy has taken its toll on sales and the company's future appears to hinge on offering free music downloads supported by ad revenue with all-you-can-eat iTunes.

    Will EMI be able to retain its top talent? That may be a tougher challenge than Google faces.

    When Ms. Sandberg left, we noted that Google has a deep bench:

    While Ms. Sandberg will be missed at Google, the company boasts a strong executive bench.

    Today in The New York Times, Miguel Helft reports Google told him:

    “We have a deep bench and work hard to grow leaders within the company,” Google said in a statement to The New York Times. “We are attracting immensely talented people around the world, every day.”

    Google has long been hiring at a fast and furious pace with its pick of rising stars in a range of industries.

    The supposition that Google faces attacks on the mothership by former employees is considered by many in the industry as absurd at best. If anything, the strong relationships and ex-Googler ties with current Google executives make alliances more likely than the forging of an axis of "Do No Evil" enemies.

    Posted by Kevin Heisler on April 2, 2008, 2:08 AM | Permalink


    SEW Experts: How to Survive a Recession In Search

    If you listen to the media, you'd know that a recession is nigh, and you should be locking yourself up in an underground bunker and hiding out for the next year. If you're a bit more selective in what you choose to believe, you may be thinking it would be wise to be prepared, in case an economic downturn does come. In today's Searching for Meaning column, "How to Survive a Recession ... In Search," Kevin Ryan offers five steps to help you improve the chances of your business surviving, and thriving, during hard times.

    Posted by Kevin Newcomb on April 2, 2008, 12:03 AM | Permalink


    YouTube Crime Scam Solved on April Fool's Day

    A 24 year-old woman who used a YouTube video to accuse 3 male youths of raping her has been arrested by Scotland Yard after it was determined the video was a scam and the woman is now charged with suspicion of underage sex and perverting the course of justice.

    YouTube had been criticized for allowing the video to be published and how long it took them to get it down.

    Two of the boys accused were 16 and one was 14, their arrest for rape had been dismissed and no further action will be taken, according to the UK Sun.

    In the video the woman looked like she was drugged and then assaulted, the Sun stated.

    Posted by Frank Watson on April 1, 2008, 11:17 PM | Permalink


    Search Headlines & Links: April 1, 2008

    Want a snapshot of the day's search marketing 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:

    Headlines & News from Elsewhere:

    Posted by Kevin Newcomb on April 1, 2008, 4:43 PM | Permalink


    Dana Todd and Sarah Holoubek on SEMPO at SES NY 2008

    Anne Kennedy, Manager and Managing Partner of Beyond Ink, interviewed Dana Todd, the CMO of Newsforce, and Sara Holoubek, a Free Agent Consultant, about The SEMPO Survey: 2007 State of the Market. Kevin Newcomb also covered the results of the survey in a post entitled, “Search Spend Seems Healthy Despite Slowing Economy.” And ClickZ Expert Kevin Lee added his two cents in a column entitled, “It's the PPC Search Economy, Stupid!”

    This year marks the fourth year of SEMPO's “State of the Market” survey and subsequent report – a bellwether of search market trends. The Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) released these findings of the latest survey at SES NY and Dana and Sara presented the top-level findings from the 2007 report during a session at the Search Engine Strategies conference.

    They highlighted key market indicators such as budget growth, search engine optimization (SEO) versus advertising allocations, price elasticity and market mix tactics. SEMPO also outlined recent implications of market contraction versus marketers' opinions and key differences between the 2006 and 2007 data.


    Dana Todd and Sarah Holoubek on SEMPO at SES NY 2008

    Dana Todd is one of the most passionate and entertaining voices of the search marketing industry today. A highly sought-after speaker for international conferences such as Search Engine Strategies, DMA, Ad:tech, OMMA, and the Online Marketing Summit, Dana regularly takes on the industry's hottest topics and goes head to head with search heavyweights.

    With more than 10 years of experience building brands online, Dana is considered an SEM pioneer. A search evangelist, she helped found the industry's largest trade organization, SEMPO. She served two terms as president of SEMPO starting in 2005 and currently is chairperson of the board of directors. She also serves on the board of advisors for YPA and Ad:tech. As a co-founder of SiteLab International, a full-service interactive agency, Dana's extensive knowledge of search engine marketing has helped grow the company into a top U.S. interactive agency.

    Sara Holoubek is a free agent consultant, advising growth firms and investors in the interactive technology and advertising sector for the past 2 years. She is also contributing editor of the DM News' SearchBuzz column and a general contributor to Marketingprofs: Daily Fix. In 2008, Sara was elected to the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization (SEMPO) board of directors for a third term where she co-chairs the Marketing Committee.

    From 2003-2005, Sara served as iCrossing's Chief Strategy Officer, building the firm's New York office, repositioning the iCrossing brand and critical to raising a VC round of $13 million. Prior to this experience, Sara held posts in client strategy with interactive agencies Organic and Blue Dingo. Her vertical expertise covers over 10 sectors and includes names such as Levi Strauss & Co, Bloomingdales, LexisNexis, Texas Instruments, Colgate-Palmolive, Century 21 Real Estate, Martha Stewart Omnimedia, Symantec and Genworth Financial.

    SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization) is a non-profit association with over 780 members in 30 countries, representing thousands globally, working to increase awareness and promote the value of search engine marketing worldwide. Member benefits include research, SEMPO Institute and event discounts, job board, networking opportunities, webinars, membership committees and regional working groups, and more.

    You can watch dozens of other YouTube videos from SES NY 2008 at the Search Engine Strategies conference and expo channel.

    Posted by Greg Jarboe on April 1, 2008, 11:41 AM | Permalink


    Yahoo! Open Search Platform Recap with Andrew Tomkins

    At last month's SES New York, Kevin Newcomb covered the Thursday morning keynote by Andrew Tomkins in an article entitled, “Chief Scientist at Yahoo! Search, Where's Search Heading? Ask Yahoo's Chief Scientist.” In addition, John Mulligan of SEO-PR interviewed Tomkins right after his keynote speech on Day 4 of the event.


    Yahoo! Open Search Platform Recap with Andrew Tomkins

    Andrew Tomkins joined Yahoo Research in 2005 from IBM. His research over the last eight years has focused on measurement, modeling, and analysis of content, communities, and users on the World Wide Web.

    Prior to joining Yahoo Research, he managed the "Information Management Principles" group at IBM's Almaden Research Center, and served as chief scientist on the WebFountain project. Andrew received bachelor's degrees in mathematics and computer science from MIT, and a Ph.D. in CS from Carnegie Mellon University.

    Check out scores of other YouTube videos from SES New York at the Search Engine Strategies conference and expo channel.

    Posted by Greg Jarboe on April 1, 2008, 11:37 AM | Permalink


    New gDay algorithm threatens future of search marketing

    There's very few questions Google has not been able to answer and, equally, there have been very few loopholes that SEOs have not been able to exploit. However, hot on the heels of techcrunch, I have discovered that the latest update from developers in Australia threatens to change all that.

    Google's new MATE technology is designed to view relevancy as an entirely self consistent timeline, rendering link building a thing of the past. It simply wont be possible to exploit the rate of change of inbound links pointing to a site as it's relevancy will have already been historically determined.

    So what is an SEO to do? The only possible way around this will be to implant 'site suggestions' within cache of sites linking to you. Archive.org would do well to be on hacker watch.

    Posted by Jonathan Allen on April 1, 2008, 10:26 AM | Permalink


    ChaCha Refocuses Business Model on Mobile Text Search

    Almost two years ago, ChaCha launched a service that enabled users to conduct a live chat with a "search guide" to aid in search engine queries. That service flopped, but they believe that their mobile text service can still be a hit. Now, ChaCha is refocusing its business to center around its mobile business.

    Users can conduct a search query using text or voice. A few minutes later, a text arrives with the answer. I decided to give it a try myself this morning. I texted to ask what ingredients are in a Java Chip Frappuccino. (I didn't state that the coffee drink comes from Starucks.) Six minutes later, I got my text with the answer, though it did leave out the optional whipped cream and chocolate syrup.

    At first, it might seem like a long time. But keep in mind that during those six minutes, I was able to get work done, instead of conducting the search, checking out the results, and finding the answer myself.

    ChaCha is making a play for what search users are increasingly demonstrating they want, which is answers, not search results.

    Posted by Nathania Johnson on April 1, 2008, 10:21 AM | Permalink


    Facebook and CareerBuilder Team Up to Target College Grads

    Graduation is on the horizon, and Facebook is making the most of its college-heavy demographic by teaming up with CareerBuilder. The partnership will primarily target college grads in an attempt to assist them during their job search. Recruiters have traditionally experience difficulty in reaching this particular market, despite the various channels for job listings available.

    Users will be able to place a CareerBuilder app on their profile page. If successful, this could be a great first step in Facebook building trust with users again. Last year, the social network blew it when its Beacon platform accessed user preferences for advertising - without user permission. The CareerBuilder app will require user permission first.

    Posted by Nathania Johnson on April 1, 2008, 9:58 AM | Permalink


    Microsoft to Stay Firm in Original Yahoo Offer


    According to published reports, Microsoft is unlikely to raise its bid for Yahoo. It seems that Microsoft doesn't think Yahoo's recent projected revenues provide any reason to raise purchase price from the original $31 per share offer. The bid included cash as well as stock and the original $44.6 billion buyout price is now valued around $42 billion.

    In early March, reports surfaced that the two search players had met to discuss generalities of the proposed acquisition. So far, there has been no second date, and some moves by the two companies have shown potential incompatibilities for the pair. Yahoo joined Google's OpenSocial initiative and Microsoft is engaged in a data portability partnership with 5 social networks.But Microsoft is showing a strong hand as a patient suitor.


    Upcoming Q1 revenue reports could provide fodder for either side to defend its stance. But many analysts point to a forthcoming Yahoo shareholders meeting as a pressure point for Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang and the board of directors. The meeting must occur within 13 months of the last meeting, which was held June 12, 2007.

    Posted by Nathania Johnson on April 1, 2008, 9:33 AM | Permalink


    Risk Astley and More April Fools Day Goodness

    Happy April Fool's Day everyone, or, as we call it in Israel, Monday! But it does give me the opportunity to be awake (hopefully) before everyone else and report on how the various search engines and websites you generally trust are messing with you today.

    YouTube is rickrolling everyone today. If you've never been rickroll'd, buy a computer and exit the safety bunker you've been living in for the past ten years. Go to YouTube today and just try not to get rickroll'ed.

    LiveJournal is following suite by adding Rick Astley to their Advisory Board. They even gave him an LJ page!

    Google is partnering with Richard Branson to create Virgle, which will aim to populate Mars.

    WikiAnswers is answering a series of ridiculous questions today, like "Why Did The Chicken Cross the Road?"

    Wikipedia may actually be the funniest destination this April Fool's Day, with their entire Main Page dedicated to jokes and nonsense. All the links lead to real articles, but don't take anything else serious today, except for news.

    Gmail just added CustomTime, which allows to send (10) emails up to 6 hours earlier. Never be late again (again meaning 10 times). Take advantage of Google's e-flux capacitor, which I'm guessing was developed with Doc Brown.

    As more happens, I'll keep you updated.

    Posted by on April 1, 2008, 5:36 AM | Permalink


    SEW Experts: Should Your SEO Strategy Target the Head or the Long Tail?

    If you're focused on ranking for that one major keyword, having a deep Web site full of great content is necessary to achieve authority in the eyes of the search engine. In today's Organic Search Engine Optimization column, "Should Your SEO Strategy Target the Head or the Long Tail?," Mark Jackson shows that, whether or not you intended to do it, you'll be optimizing for the long tail in order to achieve your goals.

    Posted by Kevin Newcomb on April 1, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink


    SEW Experts: Small Business SEM Takeaways from SES NY

    Search Engine Strategies New York had something for everyone, including tips for small business marketers. In today's Small Business Search Marketing column, "Small Business SEM Takeaways from SES NY," Carrie Hill shares some of the pointers she found for SMBs.

    Posted by Kevin Newcomb on April 1, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink


    Search Headlines & Links: March 31, 2008

    Want a snapshot of the day's search marketing 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:

    Headlines & News from Elsewhere:

    Posted by Kevin Newcomb on March 31, 2008, 5:43 PM | Permalink


    Will We Pay More For Google's Fewer Clicks

    The drop in AdWord clicks over the past two months has created a bump Google's ongoing success. But not to worry, CEO Eric Schmidt told Business Week, people will eventually pay more for the better quality clicks.

    There has been a lot of press about this lately. I think "Google's Gamble" as Business Week called it may be expecting too much. If the cost of their clicks continues to increase through their minimum bid and Quality Score push people may start using Yahoo and Microsoft first.

    While their popularity will continue to give them the high volume of traffic, if Yahoo and Microsoft offer lower CPA (cost per acquisition) then the strategy of starting with Google because of that could be changed to get the lower costing conversions first and then test the successful ones over at Google.

    If this happens then the edge Google has could drop. It is one thing to be the popular search engine for users, but if they lose their position as the popular engine for advertisers then they are almost back to the days when they had no idea how to monetize their engine.

    Obviously in some cases where there is a big enough margin in what is being marketed advertisers will buy the more expensive clicks. But in the case of companies selling small margin items such a move will make it difficult.

    Apart from the Quality Score influence, this move suggests Google is using information they are getting from Google Analytics to determine if people will pay more. This is a dangerous step for a number of reasons - one, the privacy issues could be a problems and stop this and two, many people using GA may not be doing so effectively, measuring the wrong thing and thus giving Google information that they use but is not real.

    We will all have to wait and see if their hopes are founded.

    Posted by Frank Watson on March 31, 2008, 4:59 PM | Permalink


    Standards Is A Dirty Word For Search Marketers

    For the past two weeks our industry has been debating the need for standards, many of the regular blogs have weighed in as have most of the major players in our space. The discussion has been heated at times and while the idea has gotten the attention there definitely has not been any accord.

    At the end of February, Chris Boggs and I started an exchange on the topic. We had suggested prior to this that there was a need for standard definitions of the various measurement terms and while this may be a peripheral part of the discussion is could have been a good starting point.

    In the past week Jill Whalen of High Rankings outlined why we should not or cannot standardize search marketing, stating "Industry market forces and the search engines themselves will eventually dictate what best practices are and are not."

    Jill I have to disagree with the statement - never let the fox guard the hen house. The search engines should not dictate our standards - they set their rules and we work with and around them. We work for the client not the engines. You mention that but use it to say no standards... that last point supports not letting the engines set them more than there is no need.

    Lisa Barone of Bruce Clay makes the argument that there is a "need to outline what SEO is and what it means to optimize a Web site. We need to establish best practices, what the risk is for abandoning them, and what all these different terms that we throw around actually mean."

    From these two articles we have seen many people weigh in with some interesting comments.

    Kalena Jordan, a fellow Aussie and founder of Search Engine College, has been very vocal recently on anything about standards. Her blog Ask Kalena came out against the recently launched SEMCompare that gathers user reviews of search firms - "trouble with a capital T" - but she does offer an alternative. "Creating standards is not going to get rid of shoddy SEOs or make them switch hats. Education and publicity has always been the solution".

    Kalena while I agree that education is important for maturing our industry, I think your response encompasses where we are right now. We see the issue differently. There are really many parallel areas and some of the discussion has been about definitions which do need to be standardized and then behaviors which may not need a standard given the creativity of our industry.

    The ever controversial Michael Martinez of SEO Theory suggests we need to drop the term search engine optimization altogether. Come on Mike we know we are not optimizing search engines but rather the sites the engines rank and include in their databases.

    But I do agree with your opinion that "skepticism is important while laying the groundwork for further study by all."

    Kim Krause of Cre8asite Forum brings up an interesting question for the topic. "Just out of curiosity, who would enforce standards? How would they be enforced? Are they intended to be?"

    Kim I don't think there is a need to police standards, more to outline them so customers can have an idea of what to look for as well as new people in our space have an idea of where to start.

    Okay I left many comments and commentators out but hopefully this brings the major views together. Without some guidelines we leave our industry in the "Wild Web" stage that has been there from the beginning when porn and spam was the major effective marketing areas.

    We have come a long way... in my opinion it is time to become more structured and accessible.

    Posted by Frank Watson on March 31, 2008, 3:56 PM | Permalink


    Google + DoubleClick = 69% of Online Advertising Market

    When Google raised concerns over a possible Microsoft-Yahoo merger, it may have just been the pot calling the kettle black. According to new stats released by Attributor, Google's acquisition of DoubleClick gives them a whopping 69% of the online advertising market share. This comes in the wake of news that Google saw 59.2 percent of all US searches in February.

    Furthermore, DoubleClick has 48% share of sites with 1 million unique visitors per month, while Google enjoys a whopping 71.38% share of sites with less than 100,000 unique visitors per month.

    MSN has a lot of work to do if it wants to catch Google, as Steve Ballmer has declared in recent months. Currently, they only have 9.86% of the total market share. Even adding Yahoo, with an 11.54% market share, they will only come in at 21.4%.

    Attributor also shared telling statistics for content distribution. For every article Attributor tracks, there are an average of 20 copies published. 57% of copies do not contain links back to the author, and 64% of copies have ads on them. Most copies are published on sites with less than 1 million unique visitors.

    Attributor analyzed 68 million domains for their ad-server crawls and compared it with unique user data from Compete.com.

    Posted by Nathania Johnson on March 31, 2008, 1:00 PM | Permalink


    Even for Google, Conversions Matter More Than Clicks

    Wall Street is acting with caution when it comes to Google based on months of reporting that the search engine giant's paid search clicks are declining. But Google insists that the click reductions are due to improvement in the quality of the ads, not because Google is somehow losing its luster.

    The timing for this move may be poor, however. A Business Week article points out that some advertisers may be cutting their ad spend due to a slower economy.

    Still, Google is smart to perform quality assurance. As any good search engine marketer knows, the answer lies in revenues, not clicks. Everyone wants their conversion ratio to be as low as possible, and Google is smart to keep their eye on providing quality for the user (both buyers and clickers). A temporary slowdown in growth is far better than ignoring a quality issue and seeing sustained declines down the road.

    Q4 2007 revenues showed growth but came in just under Wall Street's expectations. This coincided with news of a slowdown in clicks. We won't see Q1 revenues until sometime next month, but that will give some insight into whether or not Google is on the right track.

    Posted by Nathania Johnson on March 31, 2008, 11:28 AM | Permalink


    Geary Interactive Acquires Fathom Online

    Full-service digital marketing agency Geary Interactive has acquired Fathom Online, a search engine marketing firm. Though Geary already offered search marketing services, the company says it will expand it demographic reach as a result of the merger.

    Geary CEO Andreas Roell said, "The combination of Geary and Fathom Online provides a compelling platform for today's digital marketing landscape. Together, we offer powerful capabilities and deep relationships with publishers and engines, expanded end-to-end customized marketing solutions, a national presence and extensive industry category experience."

    The acquisition also highlights the need for integrating SEM campaigns with a larger online marketing strategy.

    "Search engine tactics are the most popular element of a digital marketing campaign. In order to effectively generate search demand and convert customers' search clicks, the campaign must also include a strong integration with web development, paid and organic digital media planning and data analytics," said Roell.

    Posted by Nathania Johnson on March 31, 2008, 10:58 AM | Permalink


    Yahoo Wants Women Now

    Yahoo just announced Shine, and is hopping on the bandwagon that says women are a great target. Why now?

    Just like iVillage, Glam and others, Yahoo knows that getting inventory in home, garden, health and other categories can translate into higher effective CPMs. They developed nine separate content areas and 38 sub-topics that appeal to visitors and advertisers.

    What's Been Launched?

    Yahoo has licensed decent article content for Shine, from major publishers who already cover this desired content in print and online. Then they hired both editors and bloggers to fill in the rest. There's no focus on video content yet.

    Like any respectable Web 2.0 community, Yahoo also encourages contributions by visitors. If you have Yahoo email, then you automatically have access to your own blog. Of course, Yahoo also encourages you to buzz articles shown at Shine.

    You can search content across Shine only, which should equate to site search on competitor sites. Given the sparse content so far, the results are fairly limited. So Yahoo isn't trying to create a vertical or women's search engine -- or directly respond to Ask.com, which recently claimed that position.

    At launch, the ad inventory seems limited to Crest Whitestrip banners. Some text ads are also shown on article pages. I wonder if this ad mix will be replaced by higher effective CPM units, when Yahoo actively sells them later.

    Will Shine Draw Traffic?

    I'm not sure which women will be attracted to using Shine. Will visitors stumble here from Yahoo promotional efforts on their email and portal pages? Will visitors switch from other women's sites, due to convenience?

    Shine isn't literally a destination, and the Shine domain happens to be an unrelated job site. Instead, this new offering is simply on Yahoo (shine.yahoo.com) and has various channels (shine.yahoo.com/channel/health) to draw more search traffic to the portal overall.

    Yahoo is worth paying attention too -- because they can access so many women already. It will be interesting to see how they do here, even if the offering feels a bit "me too" in the implementation.

    Posted by on March 31, 2008, 4:12 AM | Permalink


    SEW Experts: Content Ad Campaign Keyword Strategy Revisited

    The keywords you choose for a content ad campaign should play a different role than they do for search ads. That's a point that's often tough for search advertisers to grasp. In today's Content Advertising column, "Content Ad Campaign Keyword Strategy Revisited," David Szetela outlines a new method for building content keyword lists, that will enable you to gain ultimate control over the destinations for your ads.

    Posted by Kevin Newcomb on March 31, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink


    Constructive feedback on online reputation management

    Three weeks ago, I wrote an article entitled, “Online Reputation Management Requires Cabinet War Rooms,” that reported on the Brand & Reputation Management session at last month's Search Engine Strategies conference in London.

    LeslieGaines-Ross.jpg

    Last week, I got some feedback from Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross, the chief reputation strategist at Weber Shandwick and author of Corporate Reputation: 12 Steps to Safeguarding and Recovering Reputation.

    She said: “Thanks for the roundup regarding the panel discussion. I would add that companies probably do not need 'War Rooms' today and instead incorporate reputation monitoring as a regular course of business. Not just when in the throes of crisis. In addition, reputation recovery does not end in six months or when the negative comments leave the first page of Google. From the work we have done at Weber Shandwick on reputation, it takes nearly four years to recover reputation once it has been tarnished. Reputation recovery and management (online and offline) are never-ending. Thanks again for your thought-provoking comments.”

    Now, I agree that companies should incorporate reputation monitoring as a regular course of business. But, they often don't – until they are in the throes of crisis.

    And, I agree that reputation recovery shouldn't end when the negative comments leave the first page of Google. But, that's often the first sign that a crisis has passed.

    So, how do you convince your CEO to include offline and online reputation management as a line item in the marketing budget before it's too late? And, if it takes nearly four years to repair a bad reputation, then how can you earn credibility for yourself and your SEO or PR firm by showing early signs of progress?

    As I conducted a few news searches to find some recent information for this post, I was impressed to discover an optimized press release entitled, “Global CEO Turnover Rises 10 Percent in Past 12 Months According to New Weber Shandwick Study.”

    “Given stagnant markets, fierce competition and a complex business environment, it is not surprising that CEO turnover has risen sharply,” said Weber Shandwick's Chief Reputation Strategist Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross in the release.

    Wow. Talk about writing a press release that will get found by your target audience for relevant news search terms. And just what should CEOs do to hang on to their jobs?

    “In today's uncertain economic environment when information and news are at a premium, CEOs would be wise to actively over communicate and regularly meet employees and customers face-to-face,” said Weber Shandwick President Andy Polansky in the release.

    Okay. So, I know several SEO firms that "get" online reputation management, But, here's a PR firm that has gone beyond spouting empty platitudes about the topic and has conducted an ongoing analysis of “CEO Departures” to put “leadership communications” on the agenda.

    But wait! There's more!

    I conducted another news search and found an interactive case study in BusinessWeek entitled, “The Analysis: Restoring Reputation.” Written by Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross, it tells the story of how Xerox's reputation has enjoyed a successful turnaround since 2001, with CEO Anne Mulcahy pulling the strings.

    Okay. Now, I'm really impressed. Leslie provided constructive feedback on my article about online reputation management. She was quoted in a press release that should catch the attention of CEOs in Fortune 500 companies. And she's written a case study about how Xerox's CEO has turned around that company's reputation – for BusinessWeek.

    Online reputation management shouldn't require a crisis to become a line item in the budget. And it can enhance your corporate reputation as well as help you recover from a tarnished one, which can help your SEO or PR firm earn credibility with the CEO.

    And, don't just take my word for it. If you need a second opinion, check out what they're doing over at Weber Shandwick.

    Posted by Greg Jarboe on March 30, 2008, 1:03 PM | Permalink


    China Antimonopoly Law Could Derail Microsoft/Yahoo Deal, Google

    As the New York Times detailed yesterday the Chinese government is activating legislation that may give problems to the possible Microsoft Yahoo purchase. The new Chinese law would "give Chinese regulators authority to examine foreign mergers when they involve acquisitions of Chinese companies or foreign businesses investing in Chinese companies' operations. Beijing could also consider national security issues, according to a report by the official news agency Xinhua.," NYT reported.

    Given that China now has the world's most internet users and all three of the major search engines are involved in the country there could be impact for all of them.

    Apart from the Alibaba ownership that Yahoo has, Google also has invested money in Baidu. These economic influences on the engine could impact censorship decisions and other actions.

    Posted by Frank Watson on March 30, 2008, 2:13 AM | Permalink

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