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November 23, 2008 - November 29, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving, from All of Us at Search Engine Watch

We will not be publishing on Thursday, November 27, or Friday, November 28, in observation of Thanksgiving Day. I hope those of you that are celebrating the holiday can stay off the Internet and spend some time with those you love.

For those of you that aren't celebrating Thanksgiving, or have had enough quality time with your family, here are a few things you might find interesting:

* If you haven't checked it out lately, I suggest looking over the articles in our Search 101 section. It's been updated with articles covering the basics of search engine optimization, search advertising, and several other topics. Keep an eye on that section, as it will continue to be updated on a regular basis.

* We've been collecting quite the archive of Search Engine Marketing Webcasts. We've got one-hour presentations with Q&A available on demand on topics from Holiday PPC campaigns to search trends, to Profitable PPC fundamentals. You can also sign up for upcoming webcasts, including one next week on Advanced Keyword Research.

* Catch up with other Thanksgiving refugees on the Search Engine Watch Forums, or browse the archives to find the best advice on a range of search marketing topics.

* Head on over to Facebook to join the SearchEngineWatch Facebook Group or the Search Engine Strategies Facebook Group. Or check out our LinkedIn Groups for Search Engine Watch, SearchEngineWatch.com Forums, or Search Engine Strategies Conference & Expo.

We'll be back on Monday with plenty of new Experts columns, blog posts, and more. Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on November 27, 2008, 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Google's Gains Continue in comScore's October 2008 Rankings

The year-over-year gains for Google that we saw in Nielsen Online's October 2008 search engine rankings were mirrored in comScore's rankings for the same month.

Google enjoyed a nice 63.1% share, up from 58.5% during the same time last year. Yahoo was at 20.5% down from 22.9%> Microsoft was at 8.5%, down from 9.7%.

There was one major difference between Nielsen and comScore. Nielsen said the number of searches declined, while comparing comScore's October 2008 data to its 2007 data shows that the number of searches increased to 12.6 ~~million~~ billion up from 10.5 ~~million~~ billion.

Check out the rest of the data here:

Posted by Nathania Johnson on November 26, 2008, 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Preparing for the Worst: Bad Online Economic Data Just in Time for Black Friday

It's the day before Thanksgiving, where you show up at the office, but you're really thinking about tomorrow's good meal. You've worked hard to set up those search marketing campaigns to run strong on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

So, I really hate to bring you the bad news, but keeping it from you would be a disservice.

Let's just rip off the bandaid.

First up, eMarketer has lowered its projections for online advertising spending for 2009. The new growth number is 8.9%, down from 14.5% projected in August. They're also expecting a long recovery, projecting 2010 growth to be just 10.9%. In five years, things will still be slower on the uptake (than in recent years). Projections for 2013 growth are at 13.5%. Silver lining: some of the tapering off is likely due to market saturation and not just the economy.

Next, eBay's traffic is declining. In January of 2007, eBay saw 62 million unique visitors. Last month, they saw just 49 million. Sure, not all of that was due to the economy, but dipping below 50 million can't be good for eBay.

I saved the worst for last. comScore has released data showing that online consumer spending for the first 23 days of November was down 4% from last year. That's not a slow down in growth people, that's flat out shrinkage.

But I'm not a total Scrooge. Unemployment numbers were better than expected this week. And at least one Slate columnist explains why fears of another Great Depression could be overblown (let's hope he's right!).

As we overdose on turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, let us not forget the ultimate strategy for marketing, business and life in general: Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on November 26, 2008, 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Is Your Site Browser-Ready for the Holidays?

Does your site maintain its usability across many browsers? If not, you could end up leaving money on the table this holiday season. Browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, and Safari (which comes standard on Macs) now make up about 30% of the browser market. Firefox alone enjoys 20% of the overall market share.

Matt Poepsel, vice president of Gomez, Inc., whose services test and monitor the performance of websites says that the increase of non-Internet Explorer browsers could cause some e-tailers grief.

"This year more than ever, websites can look and function differently from one browser to another. Online retailers can no longer assume that all shoppers are using Internet Explorer. They must ensure their sites look good and work well across a wide range of browsers - or risk frustrating customers and losing the sale."

Posted by Nathania Johnson on November 26, 2008, 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Only 11% of Social Network Users Will Make a Purchase Based on Advertising

It's no secret that social networks have had a difficult time integrating advertising that has a bang for its buck. IDC has released some data showing what social networks - and advertisers - are faced with.

Only 57% of social network users have clicked on an ad in the last year versus 79% of all users in the rest of the web.

When it comes to purchasing, only 11% of social network users will actually make one compared to 23% of the rest of the internet.

"The thinking has been that the popularity of SNS will attract a big audience and generate a lot of traffic, which in turn will produce enormous amounts of user-generated content (UGC) and therefore advertising inventory – without any expenses for editorial staff or content distribution deals," said Karsten Weide, program director, Digital Marketplace: Media and Advertising. "All of the above has proven true – except that almost invariably, SNS have had a hard time selling this inventory."

Posted by Nathania Johnson on November 26, 2008, 8:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: Assembling Your Landing Page Optimization Dream Team, Part 2

Search Engine Watch Expert - Tim Ash The success of your testing program relies heavily on the cooperation of many people in your organization. In today's By the Numbers column, "Assembling Your Landing Page Optimization Dream Team, Part 2," Tim Ash continues with a look at more key roles needed for a successful landing page optimization program.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on November 26, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Microsoft, Yahoo Take Major Hits in Nielsen Online Search Share Rankings for October 2008

Microsoft and Yahoo took a tumble in their year-over-year search share in October 2008, according to Nielsen Online. All searches were down 2%, which is quite surprising considering the election and the economy. Yahoo was down 12% and Microsoft was down 19%. Ask.com took a hit as well with a decrease of 22.9%

The news was much brighter for Google and AOL. Both saw sizeable increases at 8.1% and 14.5% respectively.

Google continues to dominate the search engine industry at a 61.2% market share.

Here's the full chart:

Posted by Nathania Johnson on November 25, 2008, 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

WebTrends Taps Microsoft, Yahoo Vet as VP of Marketing

Former Microsoft and Yahoo employee, Jascha Kaykas-Wolff, is heading to WebTrends to become their Vice President of Marketing. Kaykas-Wolff comes to WebTrends directly from a business consulting firm, but previously held senior management roles at Microsoft and a management role at Yahoo.

WebTrends CEO Alex Yoder said, “Jascha is a veteran digital marketer, and brings a successful track record of developing and executing strategies that enhance customer experience and deliver meaningful results. His background with Internet and software companies, along with his first-hand experience with WebTrends, has ideally prepared him to lead the delivery of WebTrends' vision and solutions to the marketplace.”

Posted by Nathania Johnson on November 25, 2008, 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Christmas Gifts Ideas from Lycos Before Thanksgiving Day

Okay, I understand that we're all trying to "give a jolt" to the economy. But I was still surprised today when Lycos provided a list of Christmas gift ideas two days before Thanksgiving Day. Aren't we all supposed to wait until Black Friday?

Nevertheless, for shoppers who like planning ahead -- or for online retailers and etailers looking for what will be hot this holiday season -- Lycos just announced its ninth annual list of the most popular toys and video games, based on web search activity.

(For a complete list and commentary of the Lycos Top Toys and Video Games of 2008, go to the Lycos 50. You can also voice your opinion on this year's list, and weigh in on weekly Internet trends and pop culture on the Lycos 50 Blog or follow the Lycos 50 on Twitter.)

It shouldn't come as a shock that Apple's iPod holds the top spot as the #1 most-searched for toy this holiday season. But this year, the Apple frenzy includes hot-searched items like the iTouch and iPod Nano.

Harry Potter, at #11, makes a fifth consecutive appearance in 2008, with Harry Potter games, books and DVDs dominating Harry Potter-themed searches.

New in 2008 is KOTA, the Triceratops Dinosaur (#15), generating more search interest than Fisher Price's New Elmo Live (#19). Meanwhile, not so hot in 2008 are Hannah Montana-related toy items, which made a big splash in 2007, but fail to make this year's list.

Spongebob Squarepants (#14) takes over as the top licensed character-themed toy of 2008. Spongebob was last seen on the Lycos Top Toy list in 2005. And when it comes to dolls, Barbie (#6) continues to reign, extending her run on the annual Lycos list of Top Toys and Video Games to nine consecutive years of appearing in the Top 10. But there's not enough data on Caribou Barbie to see if that will be a big hit this year -- let alone in 2012.

Gaming consoles see a big resurgence in search popularity in 2008, with the Nintendo Wii (#10) capturing the most search interest, generating 25% more search activity than the Xbox 360 (#12) and Playstation 3 (#13). Also seeing a resurgence in 2008 are old school classics like Monopoly (#17), despite the current housing market.

Five of the top 25 toys in 2008 originate from the popular world of anime including Naruto (#3), Pokemon (#4), Dragonball (#5), Inuyasha (#7) and Gundam (#16). Meanwhile, one new toy making the 2008 list may be unfamiliar to most adults, but if search activity is any indication, expect the Bakugan Battle Brawlers (#24) to be flying off the shelves this holiday season.

On the video game front, the massive multi-player game RuneScape (#1) scores big with web users for the fourth consecutive year as the most-searched video game of 2008, while Final Fantasy makes its first appearance on the list since 2005, with Final Fantasy XIII (#3). Also racking up points online, making first-ever appearances on the top video games list, are war-themed games including Call of Duty: World at War (#9) and Gears of War 2 (#14), while Guitar Hero World Tour (#8) and Wii Fit (#15) are the most popular Wii-themed games based on web searches in 2008.

Also new in 2008 are Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games Fable 2 (#17), Fallout 3 (#18), Street Fighter IV (#10), Dead Space (#19), Far Cry 2 (#22) and BioShock (#25). This also marks the fourth consecutive year the Madden football-themed games fail to make Lycos's Top Toys and Video Games list.

As for me, I don't do any Christmas shopping until the very last minute. That way, I don't have to figure where to hide presents where my three kids (or wife) can find them before December 24th. Yep, when I say "last minute Christmas shopping" I mean last minute shopping. You'd be surprised how simple decisions are on Christmas eve.

Posted by Greg Jarboe on November 25, 2008, 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Google 'Layoffs' Are Actually Cuts to Contractor Workforce

On Sunday, Web Guild spread fear around the internet by 'exposing' Google's quiet layoffs, which were said to be upwards of 10,000 employees. And Google was supposedly getting away with it through secretive loopholes that only corporate lawyers know about. They were hiring workers and not paying them benefits.

Actually, those people are called independent contractors and they knowingly enter into those agreements.

Google is reducing its contractor workforce, but it's something they've had planned for a long time. Of course, the timing of implementation couldn't be worse. Especially since contractors generally don't get unemployment benefits once terminated. Independent contractors are essentially self-employed.

Related Reading:
Google Q3 Revenue Increases 31% Year-Over-Year, Up 3% Over Q2 2008
Google Pulls the Plug on Lively

Posted by Nathania Johnson on November 25, 2008, 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

LinkedIn's New Search Platform Goes Live

A month ago, LinkedIn unveiled its new search platform. Now they're rolling it out to their 31 million users.

Here's what you can look forward to in the new search platform:

Suggestive Search - When you type into the search box, a list of suggested names from your contacts pops up. You can select one of the names without having to type in the whole thing. I think this might come in handy when you're having a hard time remembering a name. Maybe you remember the first letter or the first name, but the rest of it just isn't coming to you - this can help.

Streamlined Search Results - LinkedIn changed the design to make it easier to scan the results. They also added photos. Results can be sorted by relevance, which includes the social graph, or by relationship, relationship + recommendations, and keyword.

Customizable Views Users can determine what info they want returned in their search results. Just click the "Views" drop down menu (next to the "Sort" drop down menu at the top of the results). You can decide whether you want to view headlines, photos, locations and more of the people returned in a search.

Take Action Straight from the Search Results When you mouse over a result, you'll notice links that let you take action. You can send InMail, get introduced (through a common contact), or add that person to your network.

Modify Your Search On the right hand side of the results, you'll notice a form where you can type in additional information to narrow your search down and pinpoint it to more exact specifications. You can search by name, job title, company location, and school.

Save Your Search If you want to return to the results, you can save your search. This is a good idea if you've modified your search or customized your view.

Check out this video to get a good visual for all of the above:

Of course, you'll need to be signed in to LinkedIn to take advantage of all the features in the new platform. Not LinkedIn yet? Our own Carrie Hill explained why you need to be in her article, Small Business Owners Need Twitter and LinkedIn.

Head over to LinkedIn and give the new search a test drive. Then come back and let us know what you think in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on November 25, 2008, 8:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: 25 Design Best Practices for Your Small Business Web Site

Search Engine Watch Expert - Carrie Hill Whether you plan to hire a designer or figure it out for yourself, there are definitely some best practices you should follow when designing your Web site. In today's small business search engine marketing column, "25 Design Best Practices for Your Small Business Web Site," Carrie Hill offers a list to get a good start on finding the best Web site platform and design elements for your businesses audience.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on November 25, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: Keyword Research for Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Watch Expert - Mark Jackson All your SEO efforts will be in vain if you haven't spent enough time focused on which keywords you want to target, don't understand their worth, and don't understand the competitive landscape associated with trying to rank/get traffic from these keywords. In today's organic search engine optimization column, "Keyword Research for Search Engine Optimization," Mark Jackson shares some keyword research advice.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on November 25, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Is Live Search Renaming A Miva Move?

Seems Microsoft is moving to finalize the renaming of Live Search to Kumo, according to LiveSide.net. The possibility has been discussed at various times this year.

Renaming and branding moves by search engines have not had much luck. Ask.coms removal of Jeeves seemed to hurt them, FindWhat and eSpotting merger and rename to Miva definitely impacted the companies, so there is data for not making the changes.

True GoClick to Overture went okay - but then they had a great product in a growing market - just like BackRub and Google.... but that was really prepublic launch.

If the move goes through will be well worth tracking.

Posted by Frank Watson on November 24, 2008, 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

adCenter Offers $1000 in Free Clicks for SEMPO Members

Microsoft's adCenter is launching a new offer for Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) members: $1000 in free clicks. Campaigns created through the promotion will be placed on Live Search and the MSN portal. Those who wish to become SEMPO members to take advantage of the offer must join the organization by December 31, 2008.

"SEMPO members, both agency and corporate search marketers, represent some of the most knowledgeable and innovative search marketing leaders in the industry," said Valerie Bolduc, senior global product marketing manager, Advertiser and Publisher Solutions, Microsoft. "Working with SEMPO provides Microsoft with the opportunity to engage and learn from the search marketing community, which enables us to enhance our products and offerings to better serve our mutual customers."

SEMPO President Jeffrey Pruitt noted, "SEMPO's continued growth is tied to the strong support of its sponsors. Microsoft has long been our lead sponsor and advocate on several fronts including the SEMPO Training Institute, as well as for special programs like the adCenter search advertising promotion. Our industry association greatly appreciates Microsoft's strong commitment and ongoing participation."

Posted by Nathania Johnson on November 24, 2008, 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Retail Search Ad Spend Up 33% So Far in Q4 2008

SearchIgnite has released data showing that the search ad spend for retailers is up 33% so far in the fourth quarter of 2008. The reason appears to be that multi-channel marketers are funneling more money to search, which has strong data on ROI.

“With the current economic climate leading up to the holidays, retailers are looking for ways to capture consumer spend and drive revenue in efficient ways,” said Roger Barnette, President of SearchIgnite.

Q4 spending is also up 58% over Q3 2008. Last year's Q4 was up 40% over Q3 2007. And last year's Q3 didn't have an election to boost it's numbers.

However, consumers are spending less per transaction. Still, the good news is that they are spending online at a steady rate of growth.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on November 24, 2008, 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

AdBrite Adds CPC Option for Banner Ads

Advertising network AdBrite is now offering CPC (click per cost) for banner ads. Customers were already able to bid via CPC on search placements and text ads. Previously, graphical ads were restricted to CPM (cost per impression).

"AdBrite is committed to our advertisers' success," said AdBrite CEO, Ignacio Fanlo. "Allowing them to pay for performance makes sense. More than 90 million consumers visit AdBrite's sites every month, and our new CPC auction provides an effective and low-risk way for advertisers to engage them."

Posted by Nathania Johnson on November 24, 2008, 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Live Search Adds Shopping and Flight Instant Answers

Microsoft's Live Search is adding more instant answers to the main search page. There are two new areas of instant answers being featured: Shopping and Flights.

For shopping, if you type in a keyword or phrase for the model of consumer product you're interested in, you'll get results for that product containing images with a price comparison and a links to the different e-tailers carrying that product. There's also a link to review and use Cashback to enhance your search.

For flights, simply type in Flights from (point A) to (point B) and, in conjunction with this year's acquired Farecast, you'll get a result for a flight with those destinations.

What do you think of these Instant Answer additions? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on November 24, 2008, 8:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: Great Expectations: How to Communicate SEO Value

Search Engine Watch Expert - William Flaiz Even after you've won the client's business and run a successful program, you still have to show the client what you did for their money. In today's SEM agency issues column, "Great Expectations: How to Communicate SEO Value," William Flaiz points out that communicating the value your search program provided is not to be taken lightly. It could mean the difference between a renewal and a one-off client project.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on November 24, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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