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October 5, 2008 - October 11, 2008

Beam me up, YouTube!

On Friday, the YouTube Blog announced that the video sharing site was starting to test full-length programming. Apparently, YouTubers have been asking "to be beamed up with Scotty, to devise a world-saving weapon using only gum and paperclips, and to get your grub on at 'The Peach Pit'."

Hey, I'm not making this up. Go to the YouTube Blog and read it yourself.

Through a deal with CBS, YouTube is now offering “Star Trek,” “MacGyver,” and “Beverly Hills, 90210” to the 91 million viewers in the U.S. who watch 5 billion videos a month (54.8 videos per viewer). Yes, yes, comScore Video Metrix reports there are another 19.7 million viewers in the U.K who watch 1.4 billion videos a month on YouTube.com (72.4 videos per viewer). But, I'm sorry, I can't find out how many there are in Canada.

Nevertheless, the YouTube Blog says, "These shows will be available in the new Theater View style we rolled out earlier this week, which provides optimal experience for watching full-length programming on your computer."

Yes, yes, but what does this mean to search engine marketers?

The YouTube Blog adds, "As we test this new format, we also want to ensure that our partners have more options when it comes to advertising on their full-length TV shows. You may see in-stream video ads (including pre-, mid- and post-rolls) embedded in some of these episodes; this advertising format will only appear on premium content where you are most comfortable seeing such ads."

Ah, ha! You knew there was a catch!

Still, in order to make it clear to viewers, YouTube has labeled all full-length videos with a Film Strip symbol so they'll know what kind of content they're choosing to watch and what type of ads they might see.

I can't wait to share this news with Matt Bailey, the founder of SiteLogic. My business partner, Jamie O'Donnell, talked with Matt about Trekkie lore and web analytics at SES San Jose 2008. Matt was the first to analyze "the Red Shirt Phenomenon." (As any die-hard Trekkie knows, if you are wearing a red shirt and beam down to the planet with Captain Kirk, you're gonna die.) But, check out the YouTube video below to hear Matt's analysis for yourself.

Measuring Web 2.0 with Star Trek - & SiteLogic's Matt Bailey

By the way, Matt Baily will be teaching one of the Search Engine Marketing Training Workshops at SES Chicago 2008. It's the Search & Analytics Workshop: Using Analytics to Increase Search Effectiveness, which will be held on Friday, Dec. 12, 2008.

To prepare you for Matt's workshop, here are some basic stats:
The Enterprise had a crew of 430 during its five-year mission (although, the show was only on the air for 3 years). In the 80 episodes that were produced, 59 crewmembers were killed, which represents 13.7% of the crew. So, that's what Matt uses as the overall "conversion rate."

Heck, I can't explain it as well as he does. So, watch the video interview above -- read his article over on the ClickTracks site -- or prepare to be amazed during his workshop at SES Chicago.

Posted by Greg Jarboe on October 11, 2008, 7:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yahoo Stock Plummets to $13, Investor Proposes Microsoft Acquisition at $22

Hindsight is always 20/20, and that Microsoft acquisition offer for Yahoo earlier this year is looking sweeter by the moment looking in the rear view mirror. Too bad Yahoo rejected the $31 per share offer, because their stock has plummeted to $13 a share this week.

To be fair, some of the drop is due to the greater markets. Even Google is down to the mid-$300s after being up around $580 earlier this year. Another major factor is that Google and Yahoo have delayed the implementation of their search advertising deal.

Yesterday, Brian Sullivan at Fox Business was asking "Where's the shareholder outrage?" While the markets are offering plenty of outlets for a variety of shareholder outrage, at least one Yahoo investor, Mithras Capital, is proposing a new Microsoft-Yahoo deal.

The deal would have Microsoft buying Yahoo for $22 a share. We know why the investor wants this: They want to recoup some of their losses.

But at this point, what's in it for Microsoft? Yahoo continues to lose search market share and seems to be more concerned with securing the proving grounds of executives than building a business model based on users.

We know by now that banks, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were structuring their businesses to benefit executive bonuses. We also know that Yahoo did the same thing to throw a wrench into the Microsoft deal.

Is their really any faith left that Yahoo is on the mend? The Google advertising partnership only works if Yahoo starts regaining market share. But without innovation in search, that's not going to happen.

I firmly believe that there are plenty of bright minds at Yahoo, but like far too many companies, management gets in the way.

A merger with AOL still might be a good idea though. Yahoo has strong portal properties, including Sports and Finance. AOL's Platform-A consistently performs as the top ad network. AOL has also been making tiny gains in search. If you put their strengths together, you just might have something worth saving.

For the time being, though, it looks like investors should have sold their stock long ago. Microsoft has to be prepared for tough economic times, and I'm not sure throwing billions away on Yahoo's flailing search product is a wise investment at this point.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 10, 2008, 8:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

MIVA Releases Customizable ALOT Toolbar, Homepage, and Widgets

Digital advertising company MIVA has released an update of their toolbar, enabling customizable features. MIVA is also launching a customizable homepage and a widget site, ALOT Buttons, for their customers.

The ALOT brand launched in the last quarter of 2007 with the theme "Make the Internet Easy." ALOT products aggregate proprietary content and third party content across vertically themed toolbars and homepages.

“We believe that growth of the ALOT brand to date is due largely to our vertical product strategy and believe that today's launch is a natural progression that will enable us to further build on this success,” commented Peter Corrao, President and Chief Executive Officer, MIVA. “With our new personalized products, users can continue to install vertical toolbars and homepages optimized for their specific interests, but can now also personalize their products by adding widgets from our expanding widget library.”

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 10, 2008, 8:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: Search is Not Enough

Search Engine Watch Expert - William Flaiz Marketing has grown fairly sophisticated over the decades, and it would be foolish to view search as anything more than a component of a much more comprehensive marketing plan. Gone are the days of thinking that our only job is to drive customers to a Web site. In today's SEM agency issues column, "Search is Not Enough," William Flaiz advises us to examine the entire marketing funnel, not just the search component, to maximize our marketing dollars.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on October 10, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: Is Your SEM Truly Looking at Search Holistically?

Search Engine Watch Expert - Chris Boggs Search Engine Watch Expert - Frank Watson To achieve SERP nirvana, your search engine optimization and paid search efforts must have the same goal. In today's Search Marketing Crossfire column, "Is Your SEM Truly Looking at Search Holistically?," Chris Boggs and Frank Watson offer five important questions to make sure your potential search vendors view search holistically when updating ongoing strategy and planning considerations.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on October 10, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: The New Era of Travel Affiliate Marketing

Search Engine Watch Expert - Elisabeth Osmeloski As the travel segment gets increasing crowded, and the major online travel agencies continue to build brand identity, the race to leverage new opportunities in search and social media is most definitely on for smaller players. In today's vertical search marketing column, "The New Era of Travel Affiliate Marketing," travel search expert Elisabeth Osmeloski looks at just how important affiliates are to the online travel industry.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on October 10, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Google CEO Calls Internet "Cesspool"

Google CEO Eric Schmidt must love controversy. In a speech to magazine executives Wednesday he called the internet "a cesspool", AdAge reported.

I don't know if that makes Google a sewerage company, but I think Schmidt should realize that many look at Google as their filter to the web. Employees like Matt Cutts spend all their time working on 'purifying' the results, to expect publishers to be the answer may not be the right approach.

Criticizing opponents to the Yahoo-Google ad deal may not be a smart move given the recent drop in value of the once "golden child" of the web. Schmidt challenged "if you are going to criticize us, criticize us properly." Claiming ad prices would not increase under the Google Yahoo ad deal.

Schmidt displayed a certain amount of callous aloofness when he avoided questions about how publishers could improve their ranking with Google.

""We don't actually want you to be successful," he said. The company's algorithms are trying to find the most relevant search results, after all, not the sites that best game the system. "The fundamental way to increase your rank is to increase your relevance," he added" AdAge reported.

If you call the web a cesspool but do not offer insights to quality content providers who pay money to provide professional journalism I don't think you are serious about cleaning it up, so much as taunting an economically challenged industry.

Posted by Frank Watson on October 9, 2008, 6:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

Google Stock Downgraded to Hold; Local.com Authorizes Stock Repurchase Program

Soleil Securities has downgraded Google stock (GOOG) from "buy" to "hold." Their reasoning is that ad-driven companies will see a slowdown to the weak economy and that Google is already experiencing a slowdown in growth of their ad revenues. Soleil analyst Laura Martin downgraded the price target for GOOG from $580 to $350. GOOG was at $334 at the time of this post.

Google will hold its 2008 third quarter earnings call and webcast next week.

Meanwhile, Local.com has announced a stock repurchase program. The program will last 18 months and the company may buy up to $2 million of outstanding common stock.

“The board of directors has confidence in our company,” said Heath Clarke, Local.com chairman and chief executive officer. “Local.com is a leader in the rapidly growing local search market with both patented and patent-pending technologies. We are gaining significant market share, increasing our organic traffic, growing our direct advertiser base and, as a result, projecting continued high growth.”

LOCM was at 1.89 at the time of this post. Its high is 2.36 and its low is 1.78.

Both GOOG and LOCM trade on the Nasdaq which was up 4.40 points at the time of this post.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 9, 2008, 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

New Toolbar Makes Searching Content Easier

ChunkIt is a new search toolbar that bills itself as an x-ray for search. What it does is search your choice of the "big five" search engines, and then displays results on the right and the textual content of the results on the left.

Once the results are loaded, users can click on a paragraph in the left hand side, and it will highlight the paragraph - and then load the full page in the right side.

Highlighted paragraph

Page loaded in the right hand side

I personally find this to be a great tool for search. But one issue for ChunkIt might be copyright. Google has come under fire from newspapers for the issue of copyright when it comes to indexing their pages. Their argument, which has won over some in Europe, is a poor one since Google primarily provides just links to articles.

So, I contacted Brian Cheek at TigerLogic Corporation, the company behind ChunkIt, and here's what he had to say:

"ChunkIt! is a user-driven device that resides on the client-computer and is not a web service. All processing is handled by and all logic resides on the user's local computer. ChunkIt! does not persist, store or cache information and does not use a back-end server to perform any of its functionality."

Smart companies will see the value in ChunkIt's search tool and not make a fuss over copyright. But expect a few to ignore a good thing when they see it and challenge ChunkIt, but only if and when the tool gets wildly popular.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 9, 2008, 9:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Search Engines Top Source for Local Search

When it comes to conducting a local search, where do people begin their searches? This is the topic of a recent survey conducted by TMP Directional Marketing. They found that search engines top the list of sources used first in local search. Here's the breakdown:

Search Engines (31%)
Print Yellow Pages or White Pages (30%)
Internet Yellow Pages Sites (19%)
Local Search Sites (11%)

People searching for local businesses online has increased from 26% in 2007 to 30% in 2008.

90 percent of those surveyed find Yellow Pages directories a valuable source for business information, however, Yellow Pages usage experienced a 3 percent decline from 2007 to 2008.

20% of shoppers with standard cell phones have conduct a local search on their mobile device, while 60% of shoppers with Wi-Fi enabled phones have conducted local mobile searches.

What do you think of this data? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 9, 2008, 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

AdWords Editor Version 6.5 Released

The new AdWords Editor Version 6.5 has been released and it includes the following updates:

A new Keyword Opportunities tool
Horizontal scrolling in the data view
Auto-sizing columns
The column chooser stays open until you click away or hit the Escape key
A calendar added to date picker
Improved HTML export

Existing AdWords Editor users will be prompted to upgrade, while new users will automatically get the new version.

Have you tried version 6.5? Any new features stand out to you? Let us know in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 9, 2008, 8:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yahoo Rebrands IndexTools as Web Analytics; Launches Limited Release

Last April, Yahoo acquired web analytics company IndexTools and indicated that the enterprise version would be made available for free.

This week, Yahoo is rebranding the tool as Yahoo Web Analytics and beginning to roll it out to more users. The tool is already available for advertisers who use Yahoo to build micro-sites as well as third party developers of mini-apps and widgets. The next to get access are Yahoo's 13,000 hosted e-commerce customers.

For more information on Yahoo Web Analytics, click here.

Have you tried Yahoo Web Analytics? Let us know your experience by leaving a comment.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 9, 2008, 8:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: My Wife, the Editor

Search Engine Watch Expert - Sage Lewis Editor of any kind of publication -- machining, food, scientific equipment -- is an underground ruling class that very few average people know about. In today's link building column, "My Wife, the Editor," Sage Lewis reminds us that, when approaching an editor of a newspaper, trade publication, or a major publication, if you want the quote, if you want the link, treat these people with the respect they've come to know and love.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on October 9, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: MySpace for Online Learning and Marketing Tools

Search Engine Watch Expert - Ron Jones While some schools eschew the idea of MySpace in the classroom, other curricula embrace social media. In today's SEM.edu column, "MySpace for Online Learning and Marketing Tools," Ron Jones explains that if you can pull the aptitude and savvy of students from what they like to do outside class into the classroom, it makes for a more interactive environment.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on October 9, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

YouTube, Now with Click-to-Buy

YouTube has begun placing click-to-buy links beneath videos. This is the beginning of a greater plan to offer YouTube as an e-commerce platform to interested companies.

Amazon, iTunes, EMI Music and Electronic Arts are among the first to get a crack at the new feature, which is currently only available in the United States.

Memo to Viacom: Instead of suing Google and YouTube, which is costing you undoubtedly large sums of money in legal fees, you might try advertising on the wildly popular online video network instead.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 8, 2008, 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Live Search now Live on Facebook

In July, Microsoft and Facebook announced an expansion of their existing partnership to include Live Search on the social network. Today, that plan has been implemented. AdCenter ads are being served up along with the results.

Here's what they're saying about it:

On the Live Search blog, Angus Norton, Senior Director, Live Search Product Management, wrote "This is a great first step in our partnership. As we evaluate user feedback and results we'll explore additional ways to integrate Live Search more deeply into the Facebook experience."

Over at Facebook's blog, Leah Pearlman wrote, "By integrating web search into Facebook, you can increase the information available to share with your friends, family and coworkers on the site. For example, your friend may invite you to an event at a new restaurant. Without leaving Facebook, you can check out the details of the restaurant on the web. Or, say you see photos in your News Feed about a friend's recent trip to Dubai. Inspired, you can search the web for more information about travel without having to leave Facebook. Along with your search results, you may also begin to see ads for products, services or other things that are relevant to your query."

Have you tried out Live Search on Facebook? Let us know your first impressions in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 8, 2008, 8:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Federated Media Revamps Self-Service Ad Platform

Federated Media has unveiled and launched a revamped version of their self-service advertising platform. Here's what to expect with the update:

Transparent site lists
Real-time inventory availability
An ad creative upload tool
The flexibility to buy on a site-specific, categorical, or demographic basis
Purchasing on either a CPM basis or on a flat rate basis

“With the new functionality available in the self-service ad platform, marketers with smaller budgets have the same access to our sites that Fortune 500 brand advertisers enjoy,” said John Battelle, founder, chairman and CEO of Federated Media. “Conversational media is where consumers congregate, form opinions and make purchasing decisions. It's not just major brands that need to be here; it's everybody.”

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 8, 2008, 8:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

SEW Experts: SEO Link Building Fundamentals

Search Engine Watch Expert - Eric Enge Link building is often a slow and arduous process that unfolds over a long period of time. But the rewards are large and it's a fundamental requirement for marketing any Web site, regardless of how established it may be. In today's Web analytics and ROI column, "SEO Link Building Fundamentals," Eric Enge shows you how creative link research can provide you with some real advantages.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on October 8, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

SEW Experts: Stop In-House SEO Disasters Now!

Search Engine Watch Expert - Kevin Ryan Whether you're in the house or outside it, fighting the good fight is never easy. Though we don't do it enough, hat's off to the in-house SEO practitioners everywhere. In today's Searching for Meaning column, "Stop In-House SEO Disasters Now!," Kevin Ryan identifies a few best practices and identify problematic personalities that in-house search marketers should understand.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on October 8, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Internet Advertising Up 15.2% for the First Half of 2008

The Interactive Adverising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers have released internet advertising data for the first six months of 2008. The six month period saw $11.5 billion in revenues, up 15.2% over the same period in 2007.

The second quarter of 2008 was up 12.8% over Q2 of 2007, but showed a slight decline, 0.3%, from the first quarter.

Search revenues neared $5.1 billion, up 24% year-over-year. Display neared $3.8 billion, up 19%.

“Interactive advertising continues to demonstrate year over year growth as marketers and consumers increase their embrace of digital media,” said Randall Rothenberg, president and CEO of the IAB. “The essentially flat performance we see quarter to quarter reflects in part cyclical advertising trends. Compared to the trajectory in other media and in the general economy, interactive has outperformed because it delivers a level of accountability unmatched by any other advertising medium.”

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 7, 2008, 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

AdBuyer Launches Free Online Media Buying Platform

AdBuyer.com has launched a free online media buying platform. The platform was designed to help advertisers create, manage, and optimize online ad campaigns across search, display, and content venues.

The tool integrates with Google, Yahoo and MSN. Paid search campaigns can be edited and new keyword suggestions can be generated via the platform.

“Our platform eliminates grunt work, saves time and improves ROI,” stated Tim Ogilvie, Co-Founder & CEO of AdBuyer.com. “AdBuyer.com is ideal for advertisers and agencies focused on reaching and exceeding their direct-response objectives.”

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 7, 2008, 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Gmail Offers Extra Level of Protection for Late Night and Weekend Emails

Ok, this is isn't search related, but it's too much fun not to cover. Gmail has released another Labs feature. This one is called Mail Goggles and it's intended to help you avoid sending those late night or weekend emails that you'll regret later.

When the feature is enabled, you have to answer simple math problems before an email will send during those most vulnerable emails-I-will-later-regret times.

Of course, if you're having a perfectly sane moment but math isn't your strong suit, you'll need to break out your trusty calculator (or enter that math problem into Google search).

But at least now there's technology that has your back in those weak moments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 7, 2008, 8:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

SEW Experts: Google's Algorithm is Shifting

Search Engine Watch Expert - Aaron Shear Google seems to be moving toward an algorithm based more on "site quality" and user behavior. Links are still key, but there are many other factors to consider. In today's enterprise search marketing column, "Google's Algorithm is Shifting," Aaron Shear asks if your site is ready to rank using the new factors?

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on October 7, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: What You Need to Know Before Committing to SEO

Search Engine Watch Expert - Mark Jackson Rushing into a search engine optimization initiative without properly planning your SEO strategy is setting yourself up for failure. In today's natural search column, "What You Need to Know Before Committing to SEO," Mark Jackson explains that to enjoy the fruits that SEO can provide your site, you need to be well organized and develop a plan.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on October 7, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Google to Hold 2008 Q3 Earnings Call Next Thursday

Q3 earnings season is on its way and along with it are announcements about earnings calls and webcasts. Google will hold its call next Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time.

You can access the live webcast here.

Of course, with the economy in the state it is, investors and marketers alike will be watching earnings calls very closely for any indication of where things might be headed.

Q2 earnings disappointed the easily-disappointed Wall Street despite gains quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year.

What do you expect from Google's third quarter? Give your predictions in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 6, 2008, 11:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEO, Site Search, and Email Marketing Ranked as Most Important to Online Retailers

E-tailers rate SEO, site search, and email marketing as the most important e-commerce technologies when it comes to promoting their businesses, according to new survey data released by SLI Systems.

91% of the retail companies surveyed cited site search as critical, very important or important to their online businesses.
Of the retailers that have measured the impact site search has had on their businesses, 87% reported positive results.
54% saw an increase in sales as a direct result of adding new site search capabilities, while 44% experienced greater conversion rates and 40% cited better customer satisfaction.
Of the retailers polled, close to 60% said they would be likely to consider a hosted (SaaS) site search solution over a traditional installed application to reduce costs, lessen the strain on IT resources and make for more rapid deployment.

SLI Systems' CEO Shaun Ryan shares why this data is important to understand in view of the upcoming holiday retail season: "Adopting proven technologies that can guide shoppers to a merchant's site in the bustling world of e-commerce will enable retailers to deliver a better customer experience and ensure the holidays are fruitful."

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 6, 2008, 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Keynote speakers posted for Search Engine Strategies Chicago

The keynote speakers for Search Engine Strategies Chicago have just been posted to the website for the SEM conference. And check out the heavy hitters:
• Lawrence Lessig, the Professor of Law at Stanford Law School, is giving the opening keynote on Monday, Dec. 8;
• Bill Tancer, the General Manager of Global Research at Hitwise, is giving the morning keynote on Tuesday, Dec. 9; and
• Josh James, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Omniture, is giving the morning keynote on Wednesday, Dec. 10.

Anne%20Kennedy.jpg That's quite a line up. Or, as my good friend Anne Kennedy, the Managing Partner of Beyond Ink and a member of the SES Advisory Board, says, whether you're a “seasoned search maven or hopeful newbie, you'll find speakers who share expertise, new research, horizon's edge views and knuckles-in-the code tactics” at SES Chicago.

Take Professor Lessig, for example. For much of his career, he has focused on law and technology, especially as it affects copyright. He is the author of Code v2 (2007), Free Culture (2004), The Future of Ideas (2001) and Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace (1999). He was also a columnist for Wired, Red Herring, and the Industry Standard.

According to a recent article by Kim Heart in The Washington Post, Professor Lessig is among the signers of a letter that went to the Barack Obama and John McCain campaigns. The letter was also signed by Craigslist founder Craig Newmark and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales.

The letter asked the candidates to insist on using a new method to choose debate questions. While that job is usually left to the media host, the members of the “Open Debate Coalition” say they aren't “hard-hitting enough.”

Instead, they want to let people submit questions, then vote on their favorites, over the Internet. The top 25 questions would have the potential of getting asked during the debates.

“This cycle's YouTube debates were a milestone for Internet participation in presidential debates,” the letter said. “But they put too much discretion in the hands of gatekeepers. Many of the questions chosen by TV producers were considered gimmicky... and never would have bubbled up on their own.”

So, do you think what Professor Lessig says at SES Chicago will be on the mid-term? All I know is that I can't wait for the Q&A following his keynote.

The following day, Bill Tancer takes the stage. He's the author of “Click: What Millions of People Are Doing Online and Why It Matters.”

Bill, who I've known for years, is the author of a weekly online column for TIME, “The Science of Search.” He is a frequent guest on CNBC, and has been quoted extensively in the press, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today and Business Week.

Bill recently had a “naked lunch” with Andy Greenberg of Forbes.com. Hey, I didn't make this up. Click on “We Are What We Google” and read the article for yourself.

In the article, Bill is quoted as saying, “What I find really fascinating is how much we tell search engines – more than we tell surveys, more than our family members, more even than our priests or rabbis.”

Are you skeptical of this claim? Bill backs it up with his analysis of searches beginning with “fear of.” It reveals search engine users are afraid of flying, heights, clowns, intimacy and death, in that order.

Looking at searches beginning with “how to,” he observes that the phrase “how to tie a tie” edges out “how to have sex” and “how to kiss” for the top spot.

And Bill's analysis of searches beginning with “why” shows that most queries are related to school projects. But these fall sharply during the summer and Christmas holidays. During those periods, more existential questions like “Why did she leave me?” and “Why did God do this to me?” pop to the surface.

But wait! There's more! The following day, Josh James is the keynoter.

James co-founded Omniture in 1996 and, under his leadership, it has evolved into one of the fastest-growing publicly traded software companies with more than 4,700 customers across 75 countries and over 1,100 employees. His market vision, leadership and entrepreneurial philosophy have enabled Omniture to achieve greater than 75% growth for more than five consecutive years, as well as to maintain customer retention rates of greater than 95%.

James is also the founder of Silicon Slopes – a private sector initiative whose mission is to promote the interests of high-tech in Utah. A recent article by Tom Harvey in The Salt Lake Tribune said that the Omniture CEO was motivated to found Silicon Slopes in 2007 to change the misperception that Utah is “A quirky state at the edge of the desert dominated by a single religion and defined by its far-right politics and weird liquor laws.”

For example, Siliconslopes.com is sending out thousands of promotional posters this year that depict the Silicon Slopes running along the Wasatch Mountains from Logan to Provo, listing an array of high-tech companies with operations here, as well as ski resorts and signs pointing to Moab and other attractions.

While I haven't met Josh James yet, I did interview Huw Roberts of Omniture earlier this year at SES London. Roberts talked about the importance of web analytics to effective search engine marketing for businesses of any size.

Huw Roberts, Omniture, at SES London 2008

There you have it: The keynote speakers for Search Engine Strategies Chicago.

And I've got to agree with Anne. Whether you're a “seasoned search maven or hopeful newbie, you'll find speakers who share expertise, new research, horizon's edge views and knuckles-in-the code tactics” at SES Chicago.

Posted by Greg Jarboe on October 6, 2008, 2:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Simple Text Ads are Still Most Popular Online Ads

iPerceptions has released data showing which online advertising methods are most popular with consumers.

25% are likely to click on simple text ads
20% are likely to click on display ads follow
20% are likely to click on right banners
12% are likely to click on top banners

Video ads remain unpopular, with only 11% of consumers likely to click on them. But if you do use video ads, the audience segment most likely to click on them is the under 25 set, which account for 1/3 of the video ad watching audience

Jonathan Levitt, vice president of marketing at iPerceptions. “Our research shows that inexpensive banner and text ads are still preferred among web consumers. By having a direct dialog with consumers, we are able to know – with certainty – what consumers want and expect from their online experience.”

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 6, 2008, 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Click Forensics Releases New Trademark Tracking Tool

Click Forensics has announced a new feature for its solution for advertisers. The feature enables brands to identify and track campaigns that are unlawfully using their trademarked terms. Click Forensics says the trend of trademark infringement in pay-per-click advertising and growing, and marketers need the ability to address the problem more quickly.

“The impact of trademark infringement in search advertising goes beyond consumer annoyance,” said Paul Pellman, CEO of Click Forensics. “It's affecting the advertising budgets of major brands as they're forced to spend more money to get the high-quality search traffic that is rightly theirs. We're helping to change that by giving brands a tool they can use to fight back.”

What do you think of the new feature? Let us know in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 6, 2008, 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Meet the New hakia

It must be redesign your search engine day. hakia has a new look and it's reminiscent of Yahoo's recent glue pages test with a hint of the old Ask.com.

Of course, hakia already distinguishes itself from the "big" search engines by saying that sites with a bunch of inbound links are not always credible. hakia attempts, through partnerships with experts, to produce more credible results.

Now, it's adding images and user-generated content to those results.

"We have been working hard for some time now to make the search experience better for users than what they are used to with today's popular search engines," said Riza Berkan, CEO, hakia.com. "hakia's new look bolsters this promise even further, by making credible sources available to all in a more well-focused way - quality over popularity."

Take a look, and then let us know what you think of the changes:

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 6, 2008, 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Meet the New Ask.com (Again)

After a year of slow but steady growth, Ask.com has redesigned, incorporating Google, Yahoo and Microsoft design elements along with it. Changing things up has helped Ask in the past, so we'll have to keep an eye on whether this gives Ask.com a nice little boost.

The first noticeable change is the front page. It's minimalist in nature, but you can change the skin to create a different background.

In the results, the dualing sidebars are gone, and only one on the right remains. The organic results are flush with the left, similar to Google and Yahoo. And there are related searches similar to what you'll find on Microsoft.

An interesting feature is the AskEraser. It addresses privacy concerns that people have about search.

What do you think of the changes? Give us your first impressions in the comments.

h/t Rafe Needleman @ CNET

Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 6, 2008, 9:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

SEW Experts: Judging PPC Performance: Focus on Conversions, Part 2

Search Engine Watch Expert - David Szetela Should you delete or pause under-performing keywords - or simply adjust their bid prices? In today's search advertising column, "Judging PPC Performance: Focus on Conversions, Part 2," David Szetela notes that the answer will vary by advertiser, but one thing is constant: decisions about keyword and ad performance should mainly depend on conversion performance.

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Posted by Kevin Newcomb on October 6, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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