July 12, 2009 - July 18, 2009
Thousands Turn Out for NACA's Save the Dream Event in Cleveland
Back on July 3, I posted "Search and Community Track at SES San Jose: NACA's Save The Dream Tour." The story resonated with many of the readers of this Search Marketing News Blog, because it generated 75 tweets over the following 24 hours.
Well, I want to update you on the story as it unfolds. As Jeff Maynor of WKYC-TV, Channel 3 in Cleveland, reports, thousands turned out for NACA's Save the Dream event.
Accordiing to Maynor, "Everywhere you looked in the arena at the CSU Wolstein Center downtown, there were cheers. And there were tears. People facing foreclosure on their homes learned that their mortgages were being modified to something they can afford, and they will not lose their homes."
Check out his news video, which is embedded below.
Cleveland: Thousands turn out for NACA 'Save the Dream' event
So, yes, I plan to feature this case study in my solo presentation at SES San Jose 2009, "How to Optimize for Search & Engage the Community." But, the story doesn't end in Cleveland.
If you go to the NACA home page, which has been updated to make it easier to find information about the nationwide Save the Dream Tour, you'll see there will be more Save the Dream events in Chicago, IL, July 24 - 27, at McCormick Place; St. Louis, MO, July 31 - Aug 3, at Chaifetz Arena; and Atlanta, GA, Aug 7 - 10, at the World Congress Center. And NACA is still working on locations and dates for Save the Dream events in nine more cities around the country.
And there are lessons here for attendees of SES San Jose 2009 as well as attendees of the Social Media & Video Strategies Forum and Local Search Summit:09.
The biggest lesson is that NACA didn't rely on just SEO, or video, or press release optimization, or blog outreach to generate these kind of results. They used a combination of marketing tactics -- in what can be called "an integrated marketing strategy."
Search engine marketers, YouTube directors and entrepreneurs have always demonstrated a talent for out-of-the-box thinking. Well, the top out-of-the-box thinkers may be speaking at one of the other three events being held in San Jose August 10-14, 2009. It won't hurt to look beyond the McEnery Convention Center to check out what's being presented at the San Jose Marriott.
Posted by Greg Jarboe on July 18, 2009, 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Confessions of an SEO Copywriter (You don't need a lot of copy)
One of our very own SEW experts, Tim Ash is featured on the cover of the summer edition of Online Strategy Magazine. In it, he talks about the short attention span of web users and how too much copy or flashy graphics can detract from conversion goals.
These are things Tim has learned as a landing page consultant. And in your gut, you know he's right. You skim web pages. You abandon pages that are difficult to navigate easily. You don't feel like reading a dissertation about a new pair of shoes. Do they look good? Yes. Where's the "Add to Cart" button?
You might think it strange for a copywriter and blogger such as myself to even talk about the idea that there can be such a thing as too much copy. After all, we copywriters often charge by the word. More words = more money. (Even when we charge by the hour, longer copy means more hours = more $.)
But I have a confession to make. I know you have a short attention span. I know you're probably skimming this post right now. Many of you comment without reading the entire post you're commenting on.
I know that I need to bust out 125-250 words to attract the Googlebot while making copy work with the design and also use my magical psychological powers to compel you to click the purchase button.
I like to use bullet points (when clients allow, which is sadly not often enough) and get straight to the point because I assume that readers are smart and don't need every nuanced point explained to them.
Of course, you know what they say about assuming.
That's why landing page testing is so crucial. Don't just assume your assumptions are correct. Test them. Develop pages designed around best practices and then test, test, TEST!
Despite all of the above, there are still some niches where a good deal of copy is necessary. Generally, the higher the price or the commitment involved in a purchasing decision, the more education a consumer will want. They get their desired information through copy. But even then, there could be niches where a busy businessman simply wants someone to call them. He'd rather chat it out and then decide. That's when short copy and a contact form might be needed instead.
The only way you'll know for sure is through landing page testing. I can't emphasize this enough. Yes, analytics are good. Yes, keeping an eye on your campaigns are good. But you won't know if you could squeeze even more money out your ad campaigns until you test.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 17, 2009, 3:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Local Search Summit:09 Joins SES San Jose and Social Media & Video Strategies
Right after I posted Optimized Schedule for SES San Jose Plus Social Media & Video Strategies I discovered that there's going to be another event that week. It's was like hearing Ron Popeil tell me, "But wait! There's more!"
That's right, I just found out that Local Search Summit:09 will be held on Thursday, August 13, 2009, at at the San Jose Marriott. To put this in context, SES San Jose 2009 will be held next door at the McEnery Convention Center from Monday, August 10, to Friday, August 14. Meanwhile, the first Social Media & Video Strategies Forum will be held on Tuesday, August 11, at the San Jose Marriott.
Get it? Got it? Good!
The featured sponsors of Local Search Summit:09 are Localeze, which powers some of the most successful Internet Yellow Page companies on the net, and Citysquares, one of the premier local community sites on web. Other sponsors who made the event happen include:Search Influence, Universal Business Listing, David Mihm, and eLocal Listing.
The speakers at Local Search Summit:09 include: Atif Rafiq from Yahoo! Local, Steve Stukenborg from Google TV, Steve Espinosa from LocalSearchNews, and Jason Calacanis of Mahalo. Other featured speakers include: Greg Sterling, a local search analyst and blogger, Andrew Shotland, former VP of Product of InsiderPages and former head of Showtime.com, and Court Cunningham, CEO of Yodle.
The agenda for Local Search Summit:09 kicks off at 9:00 a.m. with a keynote by Stukenborg. At 10:30 a.m., there is a session entitled, "Local Search Ranking Factors." At 11:05 a.m., there is a session entitled, "What Kind of Online Products do SMBs Need?" At 12:45, there is a panel discussion entitled, "Q&A: Google Maps, Yahoo! Local, and Bing." At 1:30 p.m., there is a panel discussion entitled, "Using Facebook and Twitter to Drive Local Leads." At 2:15 p.m., there is a session entitled, "LBS and Mobile: What to Realistically Expect." At 2:50 p.m., there will be a conversation entitled "Up Close and Personal with Yelp!" And at 3:45 p.m., the final session is entitled, "Local Search: Where Are We Today?"
Okay, so there's going to be a lot going on in San Jose that week. Earlier this week, I joked about getting a Segway Personal Transporter in order to ride back and forth between the co-located events. Well, now I'm actually looking into renting one!
But, if you think about it for a moment, the multiple events reflect both the growth and segmentation of the market. We've come a long, long way since my first Search Engine Strategies, which was held in Boston in the Spring of 2002.
Back then, everything you needed to learn fit into one keynote and 27 sessions, organized into three conference tracks over two days. Today, SES San Jose 2009 consists of three keynotes, 65 conference sessions, and 12 training workshops organized into five conference tracks over five days. Add to that the Social Media & Video Strategies Forum, which consists of a shared keynote and six conference sessions, plus the Local Search Summit, which consists of one keynote and seven conference sessions.
Yes, this makes optimizing your schedule even harder, but it also reflects the expansion and specialization of our industry. What it really drives home is this message: You can't do it along anymore.
Let me try to put this in human terms: A team of three people could attend Search Engine Strategies 2002 Spring and learn everything an organization needed to know in two days. Now, a team of seven people could attend SES San Jose 2009, the first Social Media & Video Strategies Forum, and Local Search Summit:09 and learn everything an organization needed to know in five days.
Frankly, I think this is a good thing ... even if it means that I have to start looking for a Segway PT.
Posted by Greg Jarboe on July 17, 2009, 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Groundhog Day: Yahoo! and Microsoft Said to Be Nearing a Search Deal
Yahoo! and Microsoft are reportedly at it again. According to Kara Swisher's mole at Yahoo!, a team of Microsoft search execs (some of which used to be Purple People) have flown to Sunnyvale (sans Ballmer) to hash out the finer points of technology involved in the deal.
Now, there's all sorts of speculation flying, from how much Microsoft will dish out to Yahoo! to which roles each company will have in the deal. Apparently, Microsoft will take over Yahoo!'s search advertising while Yahoo! will handle display.
For a few months now, Yahoo!'s new CEO Carol Bartz has been touting the strengths of Yahoo! Search is often left out while the focus is on their portals, which rank #1 in several categories.
Somehow, though, it feels like this deal could just end up handing an even bigger search share over to Google. Microsoft hasn't (yet) proven that they should be taking over an even larger competitor in this niche. I want to trust Bartz's judgement on the matter based on what she did for Autodesk, but I kind of wish she powered up some of that fiery tenacity to stay in the search game.
What do you think? Should Yahoo! keep plugging away in search? Let us know in the comments.
Do you like this post? If so, click "like" in your Google Reader.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 17, 2009, 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
SEW Awards Deadline Extended - Now July 21
My phone has been ringing off the hook today with last-minute submitters to the Search Engine Watch Awards asking for an extension to today's deadline.
In an effort to get all these great submissions included in our awards, we've decided to extend our deadline through Tuesday, July 21. Besides that, it will allow me to get something done today without answering my phone or e-mail about this every few minutes. :)
To make your submission, or for more information, visit the SEW Awards page.
Anyone that rushed their submission to meet today's deadline and would like to add more to theirs can do so by contacting us and letting us know which submission you'd like to revise.
Thanks again for your interest in the SEW Awards. I hope this extension will help you all get your best submissions in for consideration.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb on July 17, 2009, 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Twittergate: Hacked Docs Stir Up Questions of Ethics and Security
Recently a hacker obtained confidential documents containing information about Twitter's business plans as well as user accounts and passwords. The hacker sent the documents to two blogs: Silicon Valley's TechCrunch and Korben, a tech news site in France.
TechCrunch has spent the better part of a week publishing a few of the documents one blog post at a time. (Can we just call them TwitterCrunch at this point?) They claim to be working with Twitter and their legal team to determine which ones to post, but Twitter has denied giving permission for publication of any of the documents. Many comments left on TechCrunch's blog were in opposition to the publication, as well.
Twitter and TechCrunch have agreed on one thing - the documents were not ready for prime time. Many of them were handwritten notes, for example.
I personally haven't read the documents that have been released, though obviously it's been hard not to catch a whim of what was included here and there. They were stolen. They're confidential. I suppose that makes me a bad blogger/journalist, but I've got this "Do unto others" philosophy that I try to live by.
Taking ethics out of the question, I'm primarily more interested in what IS rather than is hoped for. After all, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray." (Have you seen Pirates of Silicon Valley? What were Jobs' and Gates' original plans? Where was Apple in the late 1990s?)
What would you have done if you had received the documents? Publish them? Blackmail Twitter? Let us know your gut reaction in the comments below.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 17, 2009, 12:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Google Reader's New Sharing Options (Plus a Shared Items Twitter Sharing Tip!)
Google Reader unleashed new sharing options this week, continuing the slow but steady trend of turning the newsreader into a social media platform.
Let's say I'm reading the Search Engine Watch expert column feed. I now have the option to "Like" the post. Google Reader tracks the number of people doing so and places the tally under the subject line.
If you click on the number of people liking a post, you'll get a list of those people. Click on a name and you'll be taken to their Google Profile page. From there, you can connect with that person depending on what they have shared. Users can share their Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed accounts and more.
This is a great way to find followers on Twitter. I've started to follow those of you liking SEW posts. And I'm getting return follows as well.
If you want to share your Google Reader shared items with your Twitter followers, I recommend using Twitterfeed.com. Just use the RSS feed from your shared items page.
Do you like Google Reader's new sharing options? Click "Like" to this post in Google Reader if you do.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 16, 2009, 11:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Zobrist Offers Search Friendly URL Service for IBM Websphere Commerce Customers
E-commerce sites are prone to be developed by systems that employ dynamic URLs. You know, those long URLs with numbers and gobbledy gook. Now, Zobrist Consulting is offering a SEO friendly service for customers of IBM Websphere Commerce.
One of their customers is The North Face. An example of how Zobrist's service works can be found on the Jackets & Vests page in the Women's section, on the U.S. site. Check out this short but sweet URL:
http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/women-s-jackets-vests.html
It gets even better. Clicking on the "W Grace Jacket" takes you to this gloriously SEO-friendly URL:
http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/womens-jackets-vests/womens-grace-jacket.html
Now, I know there's debate on whether such "little" things like dynamic URLs really hold that much weight in the SEO game anymore. But if you don't want to take your chances, this service from Zobrist is great for those of you using IBM Websphere.
But, hey, what's YOUR opinion? Leave it in the comments section below.
Like this article? Reading Google Reader? Click the "Like" button and share it with your contacts!
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 16, 2009, 11:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Google Revenues Increase 3% Year-Over-Year in Q2 2009; Paid Clicks Hold Steady
Google released second quarter earnings for 2009 today, and the news was relatively positive. Revenues increased by 3% year-over-year, coming in at $5.52 billion.
Paid clicks were 2% lower than Q1, but 15% higher than the second quarter of 2008. Meanwhile, the average CPC (cost-per-click) increased 5% over Q1 2009 but decreased 13% from Q2 2009.
Revenues shared with partners, primarily Adsense partners, totaled $1.45 billion in the second quarter, which was down ever-so-slightly from Q2 2008's $1.47 billion.
Considering the volatile economy going on around the world, you would think this earnings report was good news. But after hours trading on Wall Street was punishing GOOG:
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 16, 2009, 4:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Google PSA: News Publishers Can Use Robots.txt to Block Us
Google is once again reminding news publishers that they do not have to be indexed by the search engine. All they have to do is slap some simple code on a robots.txt file to block the Googlebot.
News publishers, for whatever reason, can't seem to understand that Google doesn't host their content. Perhaps they think that the web is a system of interpipes that are built high in the clouds where they're burning holes through the ozone layer or something. Sigh.
The truth is that news publishers want to charge for access to their sites, just like they charged for print editions. So, they want Google to pay to index their site. If they were truly concerned about the Googlebot, they would simply block it. But they know how much Google sends traffic to their sites. They're just playing dumb.
Remember when newspapers did charge for access to online content? And that didn't work out? So they offered it free with ads? Because they don't own the news and it's going to spread around the interpipes no matter what they charge?
So here's my PSA to news publishers: The web has largely been built on the path of least resistance. And thou protesteth too much.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 16, 2009, 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Microsoft Steals Tiny Share from Yahoo! in comScore's June 2009 Rankings
comScore has released their June 2009 rankings and the search market share landscape looks the same as it has for a long time. Yahoo! lost 0.5% of share, which Microsoft picked up the majority of, presumably with the launch of Bing.
Another little nugget of hope for Microsoft: while the volume of search queries declined for Google and Yahoo!, Microsoft saw a 3% increase in June.
Here's the raw data:
Search Market Share
Query Volume
YouTube is continuing its trend of surpassing Yahoo! in search query volume:
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 16, 2009, 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Optimized Schedule for SES San Jose Plus Social Media & Video Strategies
One of my Twitter followers, b_young of California, asked me to put together an optimized schedule for both the Search Engine Strategies (SES) San Jose Conference & Expo, which will be held at the McEnery Convention Center August 10-14, 2009, as well as the Social Media & Video Strategies forum, which will be held next door at the San Jose Marriott on August 11.
My first optimization tip is to get a Segway Personal Transporter ("Segway PT") in order to ride back and forth between the two co-located events. If that's not possible, then look closely at the agendas for the two events because it's going to be hard to schedule every session that you will want to attend.
It's also important to understand that an optimized schedule for you may differ significantly than an optimized schedule for b_young. The SES Advisory Board and Search Engine Watch, which organized SES San Jose, as well as ClickZ, Google and YouTube, which organized Social Media & Video Strategies, have tailored different tracks for people with different levels of experience and different search or social media specialties.
So, which sessions would I recommend for b-young, who is interested in advanced-level search engine optimization (SEO)?
On Monday, Aug. 10, I'd recommend checking out a couple of the Partnered Training Workshops. One is a full-day Search Engine Optimization Training workshop taught by Bruce Clay of Bruce Clay, Inc. In addition, I'd recommend the two half-day DMA Certification Training workshops taught by Matt Bailey of SiteLogic and Lee Odden of TopRank Online Marketing.
On Tuesday, Aug. 11, I'd recommend "Search: Where to Next?" at 10:30 a.m. (SES San Jose); "In the Now: Conversational & Real Time Marketing" at 11:45 a.m. (Social Media & Video Strategies); "How to Turn Your Web Analytics into a Money Making Machine" at 1:45 p.m. (SES San Jose); "Meaningful SEO Metrics: Going Beyond the Numbers" at 3:00 p.m. (SES San Jose); and "Launching a Global Website" at 4:30 p.m. (SES San Jose).
On Wednesday, Aug. 12, I'd recommend "Duplicate Content & Multiple Site Issues" at 9:00 a.m.; visit the Expo Hall and take in the added bonus of an Express Site Clinic at 10:45 a.m.; "Google Analytics and Website Optimizer, Secrets Revealed!" at 2:30 p.m.; and "The BuyerSphere Project: Understanding B2B Buyer Patterns" at 4:00 p.m.
On Thursday, Aug. 13, I'd recommend "SEO Through Blogs & Feeds" at 10:30 a.m.; "News Search SEO" at 12:45 p.m.; "Advanced SEO Roundtable: What is it Really? And Where is it Going?" at 2:15 p.m.; and "In-House SEO: Structuring the Organization for Success" at 3:45 p.m.
Finally, on Friday, Aug. 14, I'd recommend two SEM/SEO training workshops. One in the morning is the "Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Workshop" taught by Shari Thurow of Omni Marketing Interactive, and the other in the afternoon is "Managing Complex Search Programs" taught by Bill Hunt, formerly with Global Strategies International.
The conference sessions and workshops should provide the advanced SEO best practices and techniques that b_young needs to remain a top performer in the field.
Remember, your mileage may vary. So, look at the SES San Jose agenda and the Social Media & Video Strategies agenda very closely.
Posted by Greg Jarboe on July 16, 2009, 7:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Scour Incorporates Real-Time Results into Regular Results
Real-time search is all the rage lately, with Twitter fueling the movement via its search of user feeds. Of course, this all really started with universal search and the addition of news results to timely keywords.
Social search engine Scour is getting into the real-time search game with a rather nice approach. Instead of revamping their site or having a separate little section for news-y results, they're simply notifying users of a real-time result with an icon containing an exclamation mark. Otherwise, the results just hang out with the "regular" results.
Check out this search for Tiger Woods. You get the Wikipedia page, his official site, and his PGA tour profile. Then you see the first "real-time" result, a press release on the PGA site for July 14, 2009.
A few links down you see a result for one of many articles talking about how Woods is favored to win this week's British Open.
Despite the pleasantness of the integration, it would be nice to see Twitter results. Perhaps a widget on the sidebar or something.
What do you think of Scour's real-time results? Let us know in the comments.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 16, 2009, 2:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Welcome to Your Google-Branded Life
It's 6:30 am. Your alarm goes off. On your Android phone. You turn it off, roll over and check your GMail before dragging yourself out of bed.
You get ready to leave but learn that your normal bus line is off schedule. You use Google Transit to navigate a different way to work.
Finally, at the office you turn on your Chrome OS-powered notebook, which provides access to company information using Google Apps. Can't find something? No problem. The Google Search Appliance is fueling enterprise-wide search for your entire company.
Getting on with your day, you open up Google Calendar to check your schedule and then it's back to GMail for a look at Tasks you need to tackle.
You open up a Google docs (that is shared with several coworkers) and contribute. Then you check the Google Sites intranet to get updates on your department and the company.
It's lunchtime. Your buddy wants to meet up for lunch so he texts your Google Voice phone number and you arrange to meet at that new Italian restaurant for lunch.
You're not quite sure where it is so you look it up on Google Maps.
In the afternoon, you work on some Google Spreadsheets and upload pictures of the company picnic to Picasa.
A message pops up on Google Talk. It's your wife. She uploaded that cute video of your daughter (recorded on her Google Android phone) to YouTube and then posted it on your family's Blogger blog.
An email arrives from your family care practitioner. Those labs from your doctor's visit the other day are in. You check them in your Google Health records.
After work, you go home. Your son needs help with his homework. You get out the Android-powered netbook and use Google search to look up the information you need to help him out. You explore Google Earth to assist with his geography and help him with SketchUp to complete a social studies project due the next day.
Before settling down for the night, you check Google News, your feeds in Google Reader and Google Finance to stay informed with what's going on in the world and your portfolio. You watch a couple of shows on YouTube and then finally hit the hay.
This all might sound extreme, but it's completely possible - right now. These are all items and offerings that currently exist in the Google product line.
Would it really be farfetched to add a few things like a Google TV, a Google gaming console, or a Google personal media player? No, not really. After all, think about the competition.
Apple has the iPod, iPhone, and Apple TV. Microsoft has the XBox 360. Yahoo! created a Widget Channel to enhance Internet on TV.
Actually, come to think of it, Google has already begun their journey onto TV. Gaming devices, the Apple TV and Vudu offer the ability to access YouTube on your television.
Then there's Google's connection with the government: their close relationship with NASA, Eric Schmidt's appointment to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), and the White House's YouTube channel. There's the support for a national broadband plan and their involvement in spectrum auctions.
For the most part, it makes sense for Google to grow as they do. They're a public company headquartered in a democratic, capitalistic society. It's their duty to their shareholders to generate profit and to preserve their role in the marketplace as best as possible.
But Google now has a lot of power. It's probably more power than any of the first hundred or thousand employees ever anticipated when Google was just a startup. Let's hope that power never becomes absolute.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 15, 2009, 11:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Hunch Adds Shortcuts to Help Users Navigate Topics
Hunch, the decision engine that launched just after that *other* decision engine, has already added an update to their site. They've added "shortcut topics," which aid in navigation.
If you haven't visited Hunch yet, then you need to know that the site serves up a decision by asking you a bunch of questions. Say, for example, you're trying to decide what type of coffee you want to buy. You type in "coffee" to the search box. A list of suggested questions and topics comes up:
As you can tell, if you already know you want to buy organic, you can select the question with ">Organic" in order to skip ahead to that narrowed-down category.
Then you can embark on a series of questions to help Hunch find the right answer for you. Here's the first question:
Conducting a number of searches, I came across few shortcuts. However, there may obviously be more in subject areas I personally am not interested in. The other factor is that Hunch is based on community contributions. So, substantive topics depend upon the users submitting content.
What do you think about Hunch's shortcuts? Tell us your thoughts by leaving a comment.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 15, 2009, 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
BingTweets - integrated twitter search
Microsoft is upping the ante in Twitter search with its new (though still in BETA mode) BingTweets. In cooperation with Federated Media and Twitter, this new Twitter search tool is supposed to herald the beginnings of an integrated Twitter search. Bing's search results are at the center of the site, while a real-time Twitter feed appears in a sidebar on the left. I tried using it but quickly found it limited in scope. When you try searching via bing, the Twitter feed is not updating to reflect the new Bing search you just implemented. Instead, the Twitter feed is updating and featuring the latest tweets on the trendiest twitter topics (in a column up at the top of the page).
But wouldn't it be nice if Bing's search engine tapped directly into Twitter's search engine and gave you real-time Tweets on your specific search request. Too much to ask for at this stage, I guess.
Nevertheless, Microsoft's foray into Twitter search reflects heavily upon the need for, in the words of Gord Hotchkiss, CEO of Enquiro, a need for an "arms race" in search. And if you want to hear more about what Gord has to say on the topic, have a listen to this interview I conducted with him:
Posted by Byron Gordon on July 15, 2009, 7:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Google Voice Launches Mobile Apps for Android, Blackberry
This past March, Google rebranded the acquired GrandCentral as Google Voice with the promise of expanded service and features in the future. They're making good on that promise with the release of mobile apps for Android and Blackberry phones.
The app incorporates contacts and enables phone calls and text messaging directly from the app. It uses Wifi or data capabilities to conduct calls and SMS.
Google Voice touts its major benefit as being able to have one phone number to forward all your phone calls, voice messages and text messages to. The idea is that you don't have to worry about changing phone numbers. But since porting phone numbers is possible among carriers, I'm not sure how much value this really is. It's likely more convenient, but, of course, it will be personal preference if shelling out the moolah for the service is worth it.
Another feature Google Voice highlights is visual voicemail, but this is hardly revolutionary at this point, since the iPhone has been offering it since inception two years ago.
The real value is in the ability to transcribe messages, which of course enables search of messages. And this is where Google's strength really lies, no?
If you don't have an Android or Blackberry, you can access Google Voice via web at http://www.google.com/voice. It's only currently available to U.S. users and is also only available by invite, which you can request.
What do you think of the new Google Voice apps? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 15, 2009, 2:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Facebook Boasts 250 Million Members Worldwide
Facebook just keeps growing and growing and growing.... They've reached the milestone of 250 million members. That's a global number, but it's still very impressive - even more so considering it took just a year to double their numbers.
I was thinking just yesterday about Google Connect versus Facebook Connect and how the latter probably makes more sense. A greater percentage of my friends use Facebook than either Google or Twitter (Google Connect supports Twitter). So many of my friends use non-GMail emails such as Yahoo!, Hotmail or their work account.
With Facebook continuing to grow at skyrocketing numbers, it's funny that they feel the need to compete with Twitter. But it's also a smart thing, doing things like experimenting with search for the live feed. Staying ahead of the game is something that has failed other social networks (er, hmmm, MySpace, cough cough, Friendster). But it looks like for now, Facebook is steady as she goes.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 15, 2009, 2:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Could Twitter Impact On "Bruno" Box Office Numbers Create More Work For Social Media Companies?
Seems the movie industry has seen the impact of the trust Twitter users have in others comments. As Time magazine suggests "Brüno could be the first movie defeated by the Twitter effect. "
Bruno opened Friday with good numbers - $14.4 million - and was predicted to break $50 million, but then came Twitter. Seems the 140 character reviews took a bigger toll on attendance numbers than anyone could have thought. The weekend number was just over $30 million - a $20 million dollar swing is huge. And now shows the type of money that can be lost and what can be saved by a good social media effort.
Will this have the movie studios running to social media agencies to help with other film launches? Hey we already have reputation management, why not audience attendance management.
If I was a studio head I would be looking for a good social media company to help spin the buzz about a movie during opening weekend to the positive. If that happens will be worth watching for.
Posted by Frank Watson on July 14, 2009, 8:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Study Shows Old Media Beat Bloggers To News
While Twitter may break the occasional sensational news story, traditional news sources do not need to feel too threatened by bloggers just yet, according to a Cornell University study, that shows "old media" beat blogs to news by an average of 2.5 hours.
The death knoll of professional journalism and mainstream news providers may not be as close as people seem to think.
"The classic function of journalism to sort out a true and reliable account of the day's events is being undermined. It is being displaced by the continuous news cycle, the growing power of sources over reporters, varying standards of journalism, and a fascination with inexpensive, polarizing argument. The press is also increasingly fixated on finding the 'big story' that will temporarily reassemble the now fragmented
mass audience," according to Warp Speed: America in the Age of Mixed Media.
Interestingly the study found "information mostly propagates from news to blogs, we also found that in only 3.5% of the cases stories first appear dominantly in the blogosphere and subsequently percolate into the mainstream media."
The web may be able to disseminate news quickly, but it seems it is not really out there finding it, except in isolated or extraordinary cases.
Posted by Frank Watson on July 14, 2009, 7:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
BingTweets Mashes Up Trending Tweets with Search Results (UPDATE)
UPDATE: BingTweets was showing old trending topics earlier, but as has been noted in the comments, that has been fixed and now is current.
Ever noticed a trending topic on Twitter and then headed to a search engine to learn more? A new site from the Bing team makes that process even easier.
BingTweets is a new site that pulls in trending topics on Twitter and offers Bing search results right on the same page. BingTweets is not found at Bing.com but rather has its own standalone site at BingTweets.com.
When you click on one of the topics, search results are automatically and immediately triggered with no extra clicks.
However, there's one issue and it's a biggie: The topics seem to be delayed. Under the popular right now tab, Wimbledon was trending despite the finals being almost 10 days ago. Wimbledon is no longer trending on Twitter.
BingTweets trending topics July 14, 2009
Twitter trending topics July 14, 2009
Overall, though the UI is nice.
Another thing I would adjust is the Twitter stream down the left side. When I selected "Andy Murray," the Tweet stream brought up Tweets that had the word murray but not andy. If I'm interested in Tweets about Andy Murray, then Tweets about Bill Murray are largely irrelevant.
What do you think about BingTweets? Give us your first impressions in the comments below.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 14, 2009, 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Google Friend Connect Adds Support for 47 More Languages
Google Friend Connect has announced support for 47 new languages. (It's already supported in English.) The new languages are......(drum roll please).....
- Arabic
- Bengali
- Bulgarian
- Catalan
- Chinese
- Croatian
- Czech
- Danish
- Dutch
- Filipino
- Finnish
- French
- German
- Greek
- Gujarati
- Hebrew
- Hindi
- Hungarian
- Indonesian
- Italian
- Japanese
- Kannada
- Korean
- Latvian
- Lingala
- Lithuanian
- Malay
- Malayalam
- Marathi
- Norwegian
- Oriya
- Persian
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Romanian
- Russian
- Serbian
- Slovak
- Slovenian
- Spanish
- Swedish
- Tamil
- Telugu
- Thai
- Turkish
- Ukrainian
- Vietnamese
Google Friend Connect launched last year and is a tool for web developers to add social networking to websites. It simply allows people to log into the network via their Google account. Then they can connect with others using the site.
If you come across comments in another language, no problem. This past May, Google Friend Connect added a Translation Widget to help you connect with users speaking a language foreign to your own.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 14, 2009, 4:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Branding, Online Reviews, and Word-of-Mouth Most Trusted Forms of Advertising, According to Nielsen
Nielsen is releasing data showing that recommendations from friends and family top the list of most trusted forms of advertising, with online reviews and branding topping the list as well.
Here's how ad trust has changed over the past two years:
But what is the reason for the change?
"The explosion in Consumer Generated Media over the last couple of years - we are now tracking over 100 million CGM sources - means consumers' reliance on word of mouth in the decision-making process, either from people they know or online consumers they don't, has increased significantly," says Jonathan Carson, President of Online, International, for the Nielsen Company."
You can read the entire report here (PDF).
What do you think is the cause for the shifts in ad trust? Share your opinion in the comments below?
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 14, 2009, 4:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Google Site Publishers Can Now Display AdSense
Google Sites is a free product that makes it easy to create websites. It's pretty basic, and it's designed primarily to be a group site or intranet, where you can share documents, calendars, etc.
Now, Google is allowing AdSense to be displayed on these Sites. Publishers have the option to place AdSense in the sidebar as well as the main content of each page.
Check out this video for more details:
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 14, 2009, 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Dictionary.com Reaches 2.3 Million iPhone App Downloads
Dictionary.com is experiencing great success with their iPhone app. It has been downloaded 2.3 million times and has now been listed as one of Apple's 30 favorite apps. Plus, they're the #2 app in the reference category.
With over 60,000 apps in the iTunes App Store, it's certainly difficult to stand out. That makes Dictionary.com's accomplishments with their app all the more meaningful.
The App Store turns one year old this month. Over 1.5 billion downloads of apps have been recorded and reported by Apple.
Dictionary.com is owned by search engine Ask.com, which acquired the site in May of 2008.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 14, 2009, 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Google Adds Creative Commons Filter to Image Search
Google has added a Creative Commons filter to Image Search. In order to use the filter, you'll need to use the Advanced Search option in Google Image Search.
Once on the Advanced Search page, look for the "Usage Rights" option, which is the second from the bottom. You won't see "Creative Commons" listed as an option. Instead, you'll see options for:
- labeled for reuse
- labeled for commercial reuse
- labeled for reuse with modification
- labeled for commercial reuse with modification
Google's not the first to do this. Of course, Flickr has had Creative Commons search for a long time. Yahoo! added a Creative Commons filter to its Image Search last May.
For its part, Google added Creative Commons filtering options to Custom Search plus YouTube began offering Creative Commons licensing this past February. However, YouTube doesn't yet offer Creative Commons search in its Advanced Search yet.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 14, 2009, 12:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Adgooroo Q2 2009 Search Ad Report Shows Market Stability, Despite Bing
Adgooroo has released their quarterly search engine advertising report, and despite the launch of Bing in June, things have remained pretty much the same.
Keep in mind that quarter two includes April and May, during which Microsoft's search was still Live Search. However, the report lobs them all under the title of Bing, and is comparing past data to Live Search. Let's dive in.
For the year ending June 2009, Microsoft grew advertiser base by 35%, but Google still outpaced them by growing theirs by 52%. Yahoo! fared worse than both by only growing their base by 14%.
The share of advertisers among Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft has remained largely unchanged.
The number of first page ads on Microsoft search products dropped by 24%. Meanwhile, the number of ads per keyword are still on the rise for Google and Yahoo! internationally. In the U.S., Microsoft and Yahoo! are seeing declines in the average number of ads per keyword while Google remains on the rise.
Keep in mind that a reduction in ads per keyword could indicate better ad quality.
Below is a list of the top 25 advertisers per search engine for June 2009, according to Adgooroo. The list is in alphabetical order and is calculated on impressions and not ad spend.
What do you think of the Adgooroo Q2 2009 report? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 13, 2009, 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
One Month Old Bing Brags About Success
Over at the Bing Search Blog, they're sharing a few nuggets of success that Microsoft's new search product has seen in the first month since launch.
- Bing Shopping has seen amost 3x increase in site visits
- Bing Cashback has experienced a 5.42% increase in transactions
- Bing Travel traffic has increased by 90% month over month since launch. (Remember, it was formerly Live Search Farecast.)
Some advertisers are seeing great things since Bing's launch:
- TigerDirect's sales and order volume has tripled. Both the conversion rate and average order size has increased significantly. Because of this, TigerDirect increased its search marketing spend with Bing by twofold.
- An IT provider reported 36% higher click volume, 43% lower cost-per-click and 400% higher click-through rates in June.
- A large wireless communications company received 28% more clicks compared to previous weeks.
- One PC manufacturer's (hmmmm) impressions have gone up 46%
The Bing API has been getting some action too. The number of developers using the API has doubled (over the LIve Search API) to more than 11,000.
What do you think about these stats from Bing? Do you have Bing stats to report? Share in the comments below.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 13, 2009, 3:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Eye Tracking Study Shows Sponsored Ads Attract Social Media Searchers
A new eye tracking study from Oneupweb shows that search is a core element of social media sites. They did studies on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, arguably three of the most popular social networking sites right now.
The study is especially relevant when you consider that search queries on Facebook grew 5% in May of 2009.
Search marketers will want to take note: Despite the prevailing idea that social media ads are worthless, the Oneupweb study found that 65% of participants engaged with sponsored ads within the first 10 seconds of their search.
Participants in the study were asked to navigate the social networks as they normally would. Check out where the red spots are, indicating heavy attention areas. The search box on all three sites is red. (Note that the images for Facebook and Twitter show live feed pages, which users see once they've already signed in.)
Facebook - search box is in the top right corner
Twitter - search box is on the right sidebar, a quarter of the way down.
YouTube - search box is at the top, just left of center
The participants were then asked to conduct some search tasks. Twitter was not included since the objective was to compare organic to sponsored ads and Twitter does not have sponsored ads (hello, monetization opportunity!).
Here's what happened when they arrived on search results for Pepsi on Facebook. Notice that the first result and the sponsored ad gets attention while the other results are left in the dust.
Here's a search for Pepsi on YouTube. Notice how the top 6 organic results get attention while the first sponsored ad gets attention, with the second sponsored ad sneaking in there as well.
Oneupweb also determined areas of interest (AOI) within the eye tracking data.
Notice how the sponsored ad gets the primary AOI in the search for Pepsi on both Facebook and YouTube.
What do you think of this eye tracking study? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 13, 2009, 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Is TechCrunch Calling For Search Regulations or Running Test of Social Media, Link Building?
Okay, TechCrunch publishes an anonymous article calling for the regulation of SEO and SEM aimed squarely at the monopoly that is Google.
The hue and cry is being heard around the world, mainly through comments being posted on Twitter. But is the article really just a way for TechCrunch to do a test of Twitter traffic and its impact on link building, and ultimately on Google's search algorithm?
Our industry has weighed in on this article as if it were another installment of Dave Pasternak's annual controversial traffic generators. But what is it saying and what will this article achieve?
As many of the comments on the article have stated, an anonymous post about transparency is an oxymoron -- you can't tell the search engines to be open when writing without accrediting the author. This is not some revolutionary tract aimed at overthrowing the British, written anonymously for fear of being shot. Even Google does not retaliate against those that criticize them -- I have not been shot, and I give them grief all the time.
There are two paths to look at involving this article: the information it contains, and the motivation behind TechCrunch publishing it.
Let's look at the information first. Using anecdotes of countries and companies controlling access is really distracting -- at first I did not know if this was discussing Google's different country based search or the company as a whole. Google is a multinational conglomerate -- a huge corporation that operates in every country on the planet because of its internet existence.
Google is not the only search engine -- but they are the big dog when it comes to being a gatekeeper of where and how people find information online. We recommended them, we helped make them the most popular source of information on the web. And now we are bitching about it because they were smart enough to monetize it and we are now at the mercy of any change they decide to make.
Yes, we really can't go anywhere else -- they have the searchers we're trying to reach. But you can't complain when a company does its job too well. Asking for someone to come in and regulate it now is like wanting to take your ball back because you are not getting everyone to pass it to you during a game.
Funny how I do not see the industry shouting from the roof tops that Bing or Wolfram/Alpha is a great search engine that makes searching easier or more accurate. The only way the market share will shift is if people evangelize other search engines -- and that means a lot of people.
I have suffered through the changes just like everyone else, and could add several to the list in the article. But sadly, yet realistically, we have to adapt to these changes.
Countries can stop you from entering based on any rules they want. Companies have the right to refuse service, change their prices, the layout of their stores, what products they offer and promote etc. etc. etc. At least that is the case in democratic, free countries.
Getting the government to force Google to show everything will -- as the comments to the article express in the majority -- allow the people with deep pockets to just grab even more of the prime positions.
Do the big spenders at AdWords get preferential treatment? Yes -- and I know that from personal experience. When I was spending over a million dollars a month with AdWords, I got all kinds of help -- including advice on SEO.
Mr. Anonymous, you really lost me at this statement. "It's now conventional wisdom that search engine optimization, representing the organic result sets on any search query, is more voodoo than science."
Sounds exactly like Dave Pasternak. And when it was bandied about two years ago there were some great replies. Barry Schwartz's counter was good, as was Aaron Shear's reply about C execs thinking SEO was voodoo.
So beyond the basic complaint that many of us have about Google's position as gatekeeper of information, let's look at the second point.
What has motivated this article's publication at TechCrunch?
Apart from the huge amount of traffic it is now getting through Twitter and everywhere else, could it be a test of social media traffic? Or is it a clever way to grab links?
TechCrunch has lost a lot of its traffic from search engines, if you can believe Alexa numbers.
Since 2008, it appears TechCrunch has lost almost 50% of its search traffic numbers. Have the algorithm changes finally impacted them, and this is a case of sour grapes? (I am sure that will get some reaction).
Interestingly, TechCrunch does not seem to have been impacted if you look at pageviews. Quite the contrary: they have increased even while getting less search traffic.
So where is all this new traffic coming from? I wonder why this was not added to the post? How to grow numbers despite dropping search traffic would be a much more interesting piece. But that one may not get the huge spike in traffic this one is getting right now.
Michael Arrington is a sharp guy. Like Guy Kawasaki and Jason Calacanis, he recognizes the power of Twitter and has jumped on it as a new source of large amounts of traffic.
So what are we to infer from all this? I don't have a definitive answer, but I'm hoping TechCrunch is running a test of social media, and Twitter in particular. I hope that I will soon see the definitive article on the power of retweets and the global wave of viral social marketing.
I really am hoping this was not a ploy to garner a huge number of links. Either way, you are getting them Michael, and I will watch closely how those search numbers over at Alexa are influenced. Could there be a huge jump in the next few months and get you back where you were a year ago?
Now that would be a clever play. Increased traffic from Twitter -- no doubt getting huge followers today -- and a return to the larger numbers from search would be one hell of a trick. Almost worthy of a Voodoo priest!
Posted by Frank Watson on July 13, 2009, 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Sign Up for Chance to Win Extreme Site Makeover at SES San Jose
You know you need it. So, what are you waiting for?
SES San Jose, which will take place at the McEnery Convention Center on August 10-14, 2009, is offering extreme makeovers for the sites of three contest winners. The drawing will be held prior to the event and entries must be received by this Friday, July 17.
Now, the winners will be featured at a session entitled, Extreme Makeover: Conversion Edition. Maybe that's why you are hesitant to enter. You are afraid people will see what you site looked like "before" it had an extreme makeover. But, image what people will see "after" the experts -- Bryan Eisenberg, the Co-Founder of Future Now, and Ethan Giffin, CEO of Groove Commerce -- have analyzed your metrics, usability, and persuasion ability.
If anyone laughs at the "before" pictures of your site, remember, living well is the best revenge.
The conversion experts will work with three companies pre-selected for the session to redesign a key page and then set up that redesign in an A/B test. Session attendees will learn how to identify the crucial barriers to success on the sites selected and how Eisenberg and Giffin would remedy them in less than 48 hours.
So, who will look "wicked smart" to be featured in one of these rags to riches stories? That's right, you will.
So, enter the drawing for a free site makeover by visiting the SES San Jose website and filling in the extreme makeover form by July 17. All paid conference attendees are eligible to become one of three lucky companies whose sites will be optimizing right there during the presentation. Winners of the drawing will be notified prior to the event.
Get it? Got it? Good.
Posted by Greg Jarboe on July 13, 2009, 7:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition Interviews on Webmaster Radio
Brandy Shapiro-Babin, the co-founder of Webmaster Radio, and Jorge Hermida (aka Brasco), the director of programming and production, asked me to cover the Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition (IRCE) in Boston last month.
Now, I'm more comfortable with a video crew in tow behind me. But, once upon a time, I was a radio reporter and newscaster. So, I figured that I could figure out how to use the digital audio recorder that Brasco shipped me before the event. Wrong!
Nevertheless, with apologies for my tendency to blink at the dawn of the digital media era, the folks at WebmasterRadio.FM just posted my eight interviews from IRCE. You can check them out by clicking on Internet Retailer.
In you scroll to the bottom of the list, you'll find Keynote Overview Part 1 and Part 2. I interviewed Nacho Hernandez, CEO and Founder of iHispanic Marketing Group, to do color commentary and analysis of the keynote presentations. This included opening remarks by Kurt Peters, Editor in Chief of Internet Retailer, plus keynotes by Patrick Byrne, CEO of Overstock.com, Gian Fulgoni, Executive Chairman and co-founder of comScore, as well as Jeff and Bobby Beaver, co-founders of Zazzle.
In Part 2, Nacho and I discuss Fulgoni's presentation, which included data that showed unemployment-related searches spiked in March 2009 compared to the same month in 2008. He added that consumers feel it will take more than a year before the unemployment rate will begin to show signs of improvement.
Fulgoni also presented data that showed older mid-to-upper income households are showing softness in online spending, presumably reflecting an increased savings rate. However, younger households continue to spend incrementally. This means internet retailers should segment their audience and target those 18-44 years old.
Finally, Fulgoni said search engines remain the most important sites when shopping, but online coupon sites and jumped into second place ahead of comparison shopping sites.
You will also hear my interview with Hernandez about MexGrocer.com at the end in Part 2. MexGrocer.com is the largest online grocery store for authentic Mexican food. Nacho, who is a regular speaker at Search Engine Strategies conferences, talks about the family business founded by his father.
But wait, there's more!
I interviewed Bizresearch President Laura Thieme, who discusses her new web-based search analytics platform called Bizwatch.
I asked Angela Nguyen of Microsoft to give a verbal demonstration for WebmasterRadio.fm listeners about the four things to "look for" in Bing.
Abe Mezrich, Communications Manager for Didit, discusses display search retargeting, why he recommends you do it, and how it works for considered purchases and/or impulse buys.
Stephan Spencer of NetConcepts, tells us about GravityStream 2.0, search engine optimization software for online retailers.
Matt Pace, managing director of retail and consumer products for Compete discusses the latest retail trends coming out of the IRCE 2009 conference.
And Michael Briggs, VP Search Strategy at @WebsitePublicity, discusses pay-per-click trends, and his background of PPC going back to the sale of Overture.
Now that I've listened to it, I did do as bad a job as I had feared. Who knows, maybe I "look good" on radio ... in my blue shirt. (Now, that's a funny story that I'll save for another time and another place.)
Posted by Greg Jarboe on July 12, 2009, 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
