August 17, 2008 - August 23, 2008

August 22, 2008

Implications of Google's AdWord Changes

Google quietly announced the changes to AdWords on Thursday through their blog. Last day of Search Engine Strategies conference may have been a strategy in itself.

I had not heard of this during the conference - though it was a hectic one to say the least.

But from what I have read, Google is about to turn back on all inactive keywords - that is a lot of accounts that will suddenly see a spike in spend. So long as the bids are low enough it may not be too big of an impact - but if the rest of the words in the account have a high default bid it could be creating some major spends.

Add to that that we are now seeing bids required to occupy front page positions, it sounds like a push to the former Overture bidding system - is being attempted.

Google has become a lot more aggressive in its promoting of its products. The new Ad Placement tab was a major effort to reignite interest in the content network. Is this an attempt to ignite bidding on the main paid search listings?

We need to make sure we are not going through another let the customers paying for our tweaking of minimum bids. Now that many people leave terms that have gone inactive still in their groups, this turn on could net Google a nice spike in income.

Add that to the spike in CPCs when bidding for front page takes off and I think the shares I have in Google will be going up a little in the near future.

Posted by Frank Watson at 6:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Yahoo! Launches oneSearch Shortcut on Nokia Devices

Yahoo! is rolling out a new mobile search feature for Nokia devices. The feature is a shortcut that allows users to access oneSearch via one click on the downloadable mobile search client.

The feature is available on Series 60 Nokia devices North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and South America.

Yahoo says a key integration of the shortcut is Search Assist, which is search suggestion technology for oneSearch. Search Assist was launched last October and made its mobile debut this past April at CTIA.

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Women More Likely Than Men to Begin Real Estate Search Online

41% of women are likely to begin their search for a new home online, compared with just 25% of men, according to a survey released by Obeo. 52.6% of women and 45% of men research 21 or more homes online at some point during the process.

95% of women said photos of a home are very helpful in searching for a home and 70% of them said 360-degree panoramas are useful.

Obeo is a provider of interactive online marketing tools for the real estate industry.

"We know that today's home buyers are more knowledgeable about the process in general and have higher expectations of information provided regarding the homes in which they are interested," said Obeo CEO Glade Jones. "What this survey provides with its in-depth demographic analysis is a map to better serving that end consumer."

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Google to Roll Out AdWords Quality Score Improvements

The team at Google AdWords has announced that they will be rolling out improvements to Quality Score in the coming weeks. There are three major improvements to expect:

Quality Score will now be more accurate because it will be calculated at the time of each search query
Keywords will no longer be marked 'inactive for search'
'First page bid' will replace 'minimum bid' in your account

Google gave an example of how the improvements all work together:

Nancy's Dairy advertises on the keyword 'milk.' Nancy's ads perform better on the keyword 'milk' in the U.S. than in Canada. Her ads also perform better on the query 'milk delivery' than on 'milk,' and better on certain search network sites than on others. Instead of one static Quality Score and minimum bid that determines whether the keyword 'milk' is eligible to trigger an ad for all search queries, we will now determine eligibility dynamically, based on factors such as location, the specific query, and other relevance factors. For that reason, Nancy's keyword 'milk' will be able to trigger an ad for search queries where it's likely to perform better, i.e., in the U.S., on 'milk delivery' and on certain search network sites.

The updates will be rolled out to a few users in the coming days before they're rolled out to everyone. Also, Google is hoping to update AdWords Editor and the AdWords API to support first page bidding, but for now, it still just supports minimum bidding.

What do you think of the announced improvements? Give us your reaction in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 9:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yahoo Releases New Version of Site Explorer

Yahoo has released a new look for Site Explorer. Currently, the new version can be found at https://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/new, but will be made default in the future.

The new look also comes with an update that increases the number of rules for Dynamic URL Rewriting from 3 to 10. Here are some screenshots of the new look:

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

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 9:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Google Tops comScore Search Engine Rankings for July 2008

Google increased their market share of searches by 0.4% in July, coming in at 61.9%, according to comScore. That gain came at Yahoo's expense, who dropped 0.4% to 21.5%. Microsoft also dropped 0.3% to 8.9%. Both Ask and AOL picked up that gain. Here's the data:

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 9:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: 6 Tips for Aligning Your National, Local SEM Efforts

Search Engine Watch Expert - Gregg Stewart With local search on the rise, it's important to keep your local campaigns in tune with your national efforts. In today's Vertical Search column, "6 Tips for Aligning Your National, Local SEM Efforts," Gregg Stewart discusses how to go after the local long tail, including customization, keyword lists, and tracking.

» Full story

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 8:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 21, 2008

57% of Ad and Marketing Executives are Okay With Web Surfing at Work

The idea that surfing the web at work is taboo might largely be a myth. 57% of executives say it's alright that their employees browse non-work related websites during the work day, according to a survey by The Creative Group. 41% say it's not okay and 2% aren't sure.

Just how long can you surf before turning that yes into a no? The mean average is 32 minutes.

The survey was conducted among advertising and marketing executives, traditionally a field with more creative types.

"In the creative field, surfing non-work sites may be considered part of the job because it allows professionals to keep up with trends and seek new sources of inspiration," said Megan Slabinski, executive director of The Creative Group. "Also, many employers recognize that making appointments and attending to personal tasks online might actually improve productivity, since professionals can quickly take care of needs while in the office instead of stepping out."

What do you think about web use at work? Is that a completely ridiculous question to ask a bunch of SEOs? And just what is up the butt of the 41% who say no? Tell us in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Google News Enables Cross-Language Search

Lately, Google has had a global focus. Recently, they gave tips on developing a multi-lingual site. Now, they're enabling cross-language search in Google News.

Users most likely to notice the change reside in countries where there are few online news resources or where multiple languages are traditionally spoken. Despite the heavy influx of people from Spanish-speaking countries, Google says US users will primarily see English. So will users from the UK. However, if you sort your results by date, you may see sources from a foreign language.

If you type your query in another language, then your results will be from that language no matter where you're typing from.

In June, Google announced that it was testing new features in Google News, as "part of the evolving state of online journalism."

What do you think of enabling cross-language search in Google News?

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CitySquares.com is Fastest Growing Search Site

Hyper-local search site CitySquares.com is the fastest growing search site, according to Quantcast. Launched in 2005, focusing on Boston, CitySquares opened up to more locations this past June. Now the site features 1.5 million businesses in New York City, eastern New York State and all of New England.

Since the switch, traffic has increased by 1500%. If you're an SEO or SEM in the New England/New York area, you'll be happy to know that businesses are able to fully customize their CitySquares.com advertising campaign with SEO tools, content management, content syndication tools, email newsletters, video, etc and so on.

CitySquares also incorporates social media, with user reviews and ratings and other user-generated content.

Ben Saren, CEO of CitySquares.com, says this growth proves that consumers are finding the value of using a true hyper-local search site. “This kind of organic growth demonstrates that our model works and that we’re addressing a shortcoming in the marketplace. Consumers are finding what they want and businesses are seeing excellent results. We are proud so many businesses refer to us as a trusted online resource.”

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

IAC Completes Spinoff of Four Companies

IAC, the parent company of Ask.com, has completed the spinoff of four companies: HSN, Inc. (HSNi), Interval Leisure Group, Inc. (ILG), Ticketmaster and Tree.com. For every one share of IAC common stock held on August 11, 2008, the record date for the spin-off, or bought in the due bill period, holders received one-fifth of a share of common stock of each of HSNi, ILG and Ticketmaster, and one-thirtieth of a share of common stock of Tree.com. Immediately following the spin-off on August 20, 2008, IAC also effected a one-for-two reverse stock split.

Here are the new symbols for the companies being traded on the NASDAQ:

HSNi - HSNI
ILG - IILG
Ticketmaster - TKTM
Tree.com - TREE

Shares of IAC common stock will trade under the symbol "IACID" until September 19, 2008 in compliance with NASDAQ rules. Afterwards, IAC will trade again under its current symbol, IACI.

"Armed with outstanding management teams, appropriate capital structures and their own currencies, HSNi, Ticketmaster, Interval and Tree.com are now ready for independent futures ... while the Internet businesses that make up new IAC can operate with a collective purpose and common goals," said Barry Diller, Chairman and CEO of IAC. "The work is done and our focus now is moving forward."

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 9:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yahoo Wins Gold Medal for Online Olympic Traffic

As U.S. workers continue to check out the Olympics online during the work week, Yahoo is beating the competition in drawing eyes to its Olympic content. But if your in management, don't freak out. Peak time for your employees' daily Olympic fix is lunch time. Check out this data from Nielsen Online.

Now, if you'll excuse me, the gold medal match for women's soccer is about to begin - US versus Brazil. Should be a good one!

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: NBC's Olympic Fool's Gold; Google Comes Home Empty-Handed

Search Engine Watch Expert - Erik Qualman In the last days of the Olympics, many are taking stock of the unprecedented online coverage. In today's Brand Equity column, "NBC's Olympic Fool's Gold; Google Comes Home Empty-Handed ," Erik Qualman explains why NBC left a lot to be desired, and why Google was left in the dust.

» Full story

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 1:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SES San Jose 2008: Top stories for Day 3 of SEM Conference & Expo

So much was taking place on Day 3 of SES San Jose 2008, even attendees needed to use news and blog search engines to keep up with more than 75 articles and posts coming out of the SEM conference & expo. Here are the top stories that represent just the tip of the iceberg:

Report: Bill Gates Remains Tied To Search
Doug Caverly of WebProNews reports, “The latest Nielsen stats put Microsoft's share of the search market at an unimpressive 11.9 percent. What's more (or to be accurate, less), its year-over-year growth is negative. But Microsoft's search team has an interesting ally in its corner, as it turns out Bill Gates may still be lending some sort of hand.”

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Google Dance 2008 (Photo by Byron Gordon)

SES roundtable: Search shouldn't take all the credit
Ellen Keohane of DM News reports, “Search marketing often gets credit for the final sale or conversion, even when it shouldn't, according to a roundtable discussion today at Search Engine Strategies in San Jose.”

Tools teach owners about Web site traffic
Deborah Gage of the San Francisco Chronicle reports, “Most people who search the Web are really stumbling in the dark. So said a couple of Google evangelists who spoke Tuesday to a packed audience, all looking for advice on how to light the path to their Web site's door.”

SEO Through Blogs and Feeds SES San Jose
Darrell Long of Search Engine Journal reports, “I am here at the first session of the day, yes I am up on time after the Google Dance! We have Rebecca Lieb, Contributing Editor, ClickZ moderating this morning.”

SES San Jose: News Search SEO
Jessica of TopRank’s Online Marketing Blog writes, “News search engines offer a great way to receive targeted traffic related to breaking topics or to help with a public relations launch. In this session, industry experts Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Online Marketing, Lisa Buyer, President & CEO of The Buyer Group and Greg Jarboe, President and Co-Founder, SEO-PR look at how to make use of press releases and news content to tap into the power of news search.”

Getting Vertical Search Right
Susan Esparza of the BruceClay.com SEO Blog writes, “Day 3 of SES San Jose and everyone looks a little tired from partying at the Googleplex last night. The coffee shop was out of bagels. That's a crime. I'm going to starve. My kingdom for some scrambled eggs. But enough about me. Moderator Lauren Vaccerello (FXCM) and panelists Philip James (Snooth, Inc), Jonathan Dingman (Digitally Imported, Inc) and Paul Forster (Indeed) are ready to go. On with the show!”

Measuring Web 2.0 with Star Trek - & SiteLogic's Matt Bailey
Matt Bailey of SiteLogic Marketing talks Trekkie lore and web analytics with Jamie O'Donnell of SEO-PR about his SES San Jose 2008 panel on Web 2.0 measurement. Matt's famous Star Trek/Web Analytics mashup played well at the show as he explained the increasing likelihood of Enterprise ensigns' chances of survival given various circumstances, including the color of their shirts, shuttlecraft landings, and the captain's amorous liaisons.

Blended Search Demands Blended Marketing and PR
Sally Falkow writes in her Website Content Strategy Blog, “At the session on Universal and blended search at SES San Jose we heard from all the search engines. Johanna Wright of Google, Cris Pierry of Yahoo! Erik collier of Ask and Todd Schwartz of LIve search all gave their insights and predictions about how search is displayed and how searchers view a results page.”

SEO Sucks at SES San Jose & The Google Dance
Jeremy Schoemaker of ShoeMoney writes, “I thought I would spice it up a bit and wear my ‘Seo Sucks’ t-shirt as a bit of a social experiment to see what kind of reaction it would get. Being at the largest and most respected SEO gathering/conference I was curious to (see) the reaction.”

Search Marketing Agencies: Why Can’t They Sell Themselves?
Julia Hyde of Creative Search Media reports, “If I was a prospect looking for an agency to represent my company, I’d throw my hands up in the air and make the decision to handle search marketing in house.”

AdGooroo Debuts Online Competitor Keyword Report
MarketingVOX reports, “Online keyword intelligence firm AdGooroo announced the release of the "Top Ad Copy Report," part of its SEM Insight offering. The report went live at the SES conference in San Jose this week.”

Posted by Greg Jarboe at 12:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

August 20, 2008

SEW Experts: The Beginning of the End? Or the End of the Beginning?

Search Engine Watch Expert - Kevin Ryan The state of the search marketing industry is almost always in flux. In today's Searching for Meaning column, "The Beginning of the End? Or the End of the Beginning?," Kevin Ryan takes a look at decline in CTRs and what it means for the future of search advertising.

» Full story

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SES San Jose 2008: Top Stories from Day 2

There were more than 70 news articles and blog posts on Day 2 of SES San Jose 2008. And that doesn’t include the video interviews from Day 1 which are being posted as we speak. Here are the some of top stories for those of those of you trying to glimpse the highlights -- when you really need to be here to get the full impact of the conference.

Is Microsoft's Vision of Search Enough to Catch Google?
Rob Hof of BusinessWeek writes, “It would be dangerous for anyone to write off Microsoft. Its determination was on display today at the Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose, Satya Nardella, Microsoft’s senior VP of search, portal, and advertising platform group, told the crowd that he sees searchers moving from merely typing keywords into Google to getting tasks done.

Matt%20Cutts%20at%20SES%20San%20Jose%202008.jpg
Matt Cutts, Software Engineer Guru, Google, draws a crowd following the Orion Keynote Panel: Technical & Information Giants at SES San Jose 2008 (Photo by Kelsey Jarboe)

Microsoft sees tailored search as way to pierce Google's armor
Stephen Shankland of CNET reports, “Microsoft believes it's found a way to gain an edge against Google's dominant search engine: a deeper understanding of what people are searching for and what's on Web pages. Specifically, the company believes examining a full sequence of user queries can lead to more useful results. Today, the company only keeps track of the immediately prior search, but often users use search engines to explore subject areas broadly, said Satya Nadella, senior vice president of Microsoft's search, portal and advertising platform group, at the Search Engine Strategies conference here."

Search engines under the spotlight this week
Sam Diaz of ZDNet writes, “I’m spending most of this week at the Intel Developer’s Forum but also wanted to give some time to another show happening in the Bay Area this week: Search Engine Strategies, being held at the San Jose Convention Center in Silicon Valley. Monday was one of those unofficial days of the show - a handful of sessions and an opening keynote but no expo yet - so it was hard to gauge the sort of impact the show will have. But based on a few hours of hanging around and popping in and out of sessions, it’s clear that search remains a hot sector with a lot of moving parts.”

Search Is No Longer an Afterthought for Brands
Anna Maria Virzi of The ClickZ Network, reports, “Unlike eight years ago, paid search campaigns are no longer a hard sell. Still, search marketers say they are haven't reached the equivalent of marketing nirvana -- ensuring that search is always part of an integrated campaign. However, search marketers and others speaking at the Search Engine Strategies conference this week in San Jose, CA, pointed to inroads being made.”

SES San Jose: Microsoft dedicated to investment in search
Ellen Keohane of DMNews reports, “Delivering the best results is the key to growing Microsoft's search marketing business, said Satya Nadella, SVP of Microsoft's search, portal and advertising group. In his keynote speech this morning at the Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose, CA, Nadella said that Microsoft has to ‘build a search experience that's great. We've made decent progress but have a long way to go.’”

SES: Thumbnails, Thumbnails, Thumbnails!
Optimizing video content isn’t really much different from optimizing textual content. In fact, as YuMe.com vice president Bob Bahramipour told Mike McDonald at SES San Jose, most video content is still found the old-fashioned way: via textual search engines.

Small Business Viral Marketing Tips, SES San Jose 2008
Jennifer Laycock and Andrew Goodman of Page Zero Media follow up their SES San Jose 2008 ""Igniting Viral Campaigns"" session with a discussion of the best tips on viral campaigns and social media marketing, especially for small business who want to make the most of their business online without spending too much money. The two talk about using social media sites like Linkedin and Twitter to communicate one's marketing message to a dedicated and enthusiastic audience.

5 Things No One Will Tell You About SEM
Sheara Wilensky of Promediacorp is blogging for Search Engine Roundtable. She writes, “Finding keywords, trying different ad copy, testing landing pages, bid managing – blah blah blah. You already know what managing SEM is about. But if you crave the new SEM tactic, the unknown search story, the changing market dynamics of SEM that few understand and even fewer talk about, come to this session, where Omniture and an SEM "dream team" panel will push the conference envelope and make you — yes, even you— all-stars: better, more knowledgeable, and aware of what's really going on in search.”

SES San Jose Expo Hall Photos
Dana Larson of the TopRank Online Marketing Blog writes, “Today the Expo Hall at SES San Jose opened. Time to collect astronomical amounts of swag and drop your business card to win a free iPhone! The expo hall every year is full of some of the best products and services available for any online marketing team, and this year was absolutely no different.”

SES San Jose Photos - Day 2
Andy Beal of Marketing Pilgrim captures Day 2 of SES San Jose 2008 in photos.

Quote Of Day 2 - SES San Jose 2008
Mel Carson’s Internet Marketing Blog captures the quote of the day from SES San Jose 2008, which is a quotation from Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784), “The trade of advertising is now so near perfection that it is not easy to propose any improvement.”

Posted by Greg Jarboe at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

American Airlines Launches In-Flight Internet Access Service

American Airlines today began offering in-flight internet access on select flights. For $12.95, passengers flying Boeing 767-200 aircraft on non-stop flights between New York and San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, and New York and Miami can browse to their heart's desire.

The mobile broadband service is called Gogo and is provided by Aircell. Passengers can access the internet once the plane has reached 10,000 feet. Cell phone and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services are not included.

“We are pleased to provide our customers with the unprecedented ability to stay connected to their family, friends and business associates on the ground via the Internet while traveling at 30,000 feet above the United States,” said Dan Garton, American’s Executive Vice President – Marketing. “With today’s launch, American Airlines makes history as the first and only U.S. airline to offer customers full inflight Internet connectivity, demonstrating once again our industry leadership and focus on our customers.”

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Local Online Advertising Does Best on Local Media Sites

When it comes to local advertising, the best conversions come from local media sites, such as newspaper and tv station sites, according to a new report from the Online Publishers Association (OPA). Local media sites see a higher percentage of visitors taking actions on local ads compared to a user review site or a portal.

Local Newspaper Site: 46%
Local Television Site: 44%
Local Magazine Site: 42%
User Review Site: 39%
Portal: 37%

2,069 local online content consumers were selected randomly for the study conducted by Jupiter Research for OPA.

“With strong brands and trusted environments, local media sites deliver concrete results for local advertisers,” said OPA president Pam Horan. “Our analysis of the Jupiter data finds that consumers are more likely to act on the ads they see on local TV, newspaper and magazine sites. Just as we see on a national scale, media sites outpace portals and all other online media at delivering meaningful advertising results.”

What do you think of the data? Does it change the way you think about local advertising? Give us your perspective in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

SearchIgnite Releases Version 3.0 of Media Optimization Platform

SearchIgnite has announced the release of the next generation of its media optimization tool. The updates featured in Version 3.0 are:

Full multi-channel media tracking and reporting: Track and report on paid search, display, paid inclusion, organic search, e-mail and more to better understand the consumer sales funnel and properly attribute online media channels that lead to a sale.
Assist keyword reporting: Run assist reports to view which keywords play a role in the customer search cycle - from generating interest up to a conversion.
Custom KPIs: Input specific metrics or formulas to generate custom metrics in standard SearchIgnite reports.
44 new reports available: 44 new reports that can be run with the push of button, including creative and landing page testing reports.
One page access to all reporting functionality: All reports and reporting functionality accessible through a central dashboard, with everything available in one click in both a graphical and “data only” view to make reporting on campaign performance faster and more efficient.

“We are pleased to release what we believe is simply the most advanced optimization and reporting technology currently offered for sophisticated marketers,” said Roger Barnette, President of SearchIgnite. “For marketers with large or complex search campaigns, SearchIgnite offers unmatched algorithmic, manual and rules based optimization to save time and improve ROI. The latest platform now provides the most comprehensive and actionable reporting available within the industry for measuring campaign performance across all major online media.”

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Website Optimizer Enables Pruning and Offline Validation

Google has released a major update to Website Optimizer, which contains new features that will have users breathing a sigh of relief.

First up, you can now disable combinations that just aren't working out for you. Dubbed "Experiment Pruning," the feature allows users to eliminate combinations that are poorly performing or just don't make sense for your campaign. This can help you achieve faster results as well as set up a reasonable number of combinations relative to the traffic you expect to receive.

Next, offline validation is now available for pages that aren't accessible to Website Optimizer. Simply upload a copy of the tagged page and Website Optimizer says everything will be tagged properly.

Finally, reporting has been updated to better show which combinations are performing well and which ones aren't. Google hopes this will prevent false conclusions and prematurely ended campaigns.

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

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: What Are You Converting?

Search Engine Watch Expert - Tim Ash Think a sale is the only conversion worth measuring? You might want to think again. In today's By The Numbers column, "What Are You Converting?," Tim Ash goes through the various events worth measuring, showing that reaching a customer can take on many forms.

» Full story

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 1:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 19, 2008

AdGooroo Founder Authors Search Advertising Book

Richard Stokes, the founder of search marketing firm AdGooroo, has announced the publication of his new book, Mastering Search Advertising – How the Top 3% of Search Advertisers Dominate Google AdWords. In the book, Stokes walks through the basics of setting up a PPC campaign and uses graphs and case studies to demonstrate successful marketing strategies. Stokes bases his information on 15 years of search marketing experience as well as competitive intelligence data from AdGooroo.

"Readily available marketing tips and tutorials, accessible on the Internet and other public forums, tend to be outdated or incorrect, while the techniques that really deliver results are kept close to the chest of those in the dominating minority,” explains Stokes. “This doesn’t have to be the case, and the book provides the majority of search marketers with the tools and insights they need to improve their performance and level the playing field.”

The book is available through major retailers. You can read samples from the book here.

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 1:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Introducing Google Without All the Google

Want to search Google for results that don't include sites under the Google umbrella? Try Google Minus Google. The site shows YouTube-less, Knol-less, and Blogger-less results.

The site was started by Finnish blogger Timo Paloheimo, who was inspired by an article in the New York Times asking the question, Is Google a Media Company? Paloheimo claims he received 3,000 visits the very first day.

via NYT

Related Reading:
Is Google Becoming a Portal?

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Microsoft adCenter Updates Credit Card Options

Over the weekend, Microsoft rolled out an update to adCenter. The update released new credit card options for users.

One of the changes has to do with paying your adCenter bill. Now you can pay an outstanding balance anytime - not just during the regular monthly payment.

Another change has to do unused credit cards. You're now able to remove credit cards that you're not using for adCenter payments.

Last but not least, Microsoft says the process for adding a new credit card has been streamlined.

What do you think about these updates? Tell us your perspective in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yahoo Buzz Now Open to All Publishers

Earlier this year, Yahoo launched a content discovery and voting site that it dubbed Yahoo Buzz. The content was only collected from select publishers.

Now, that all has changed.

Last night, Yahoo opened up Buzz to all publishers. Kind of like Technorati, you can now submit your site content as well as place Buzz buttons on your site.

Yahoo says sites saw their traffic soar as a result of being Buzzed. The site has already seed 5 million members, and now it's your turn to get their attention.

What do you think of this announcement? Will you get your site Buzzed? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Friendster Deploys OpenSocial API

Friendster has today announced the deployment of the OpenSocial API. Friendster is encouraging developers to make use of the API to reach its 75 million members. Google launched OpenSocial, a set of APIs, last fall. Earlier this month, Friendster named Richard Kimber, former regional managing director of South Asia for Google, as its new CEO.

"With widespread support throughout the industry, OpenSocial has become a de facto standard for developers of social applications. OpenSocial makes it easier than ever for developers to build and distribute their applications across multiple destination sites like Friendster. Developers can spend less of their time on integrating and more of their time on building interesting, useful, fun, and/or compelling features," said David Jones, vice president of global marketing for Friendster. "Everybody wins - users gain access to new features, developers can introduce their innovations to the massive user bases of social networks, and social networks gain third-party features to continue to drive up user engagement on social networks."

"We are pleased that Friendster has deployed OpenSocial APIs for the benefit of users and developers alike," said David Glazer, director of engineering at Google. "Friendster's launch is another major milestone in the adoption and deployment of OpenSocial throughout the social web and around the world. We're particularly excited that OpenSocial is helping Friendster bring new social applications to users in Asia, and we look forward to seeing users embrace these apps."

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WebTrends Launches New Service to Reduce Wasted Ad Dollars

WebTrends estimates that $4.5 million will be wasted in search advertising this year. That's why they're launching a new service: Ad Director. Debuting at SES San Jose, Ad Director uses self-learning technology to optimize millions of combinations of keywords, landing pages and ads across the major search networks. WebTrends says that companies using the solution have seen their return on ad spend increase an average of 44 percent.

“We have customers that are realizing over 1,500 percent return on ad spend after switching from their old bid management tools,” said Alex Yoder, the newly minted WebTrends CEO. “But more importantly, all WebTrends Ad Director customers have seen substantial gains over bid management, while reducing the manual overhead associated with these outdated solutions. With WebTrends Ad Director, we have struck the optimal balance between what machines can do best — repetitive analysis, testing and updates on a massive scale — and the insight and perspective humans bring to search marketing decisions.”

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 9:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Web Analytics Association Adds Yahoo's Mortenson to Board of Directors

The Web Analytics Association has announced the addition of Yahoo's Dennis Mortensen to their board of directors. Mortensen is Director of Data for the Sunnyvale search engine, arriving there from IndexTools, which was acquired by Yahoo earlier this year. He will serve through 2010.

WAA Chairman Jim Sterne said, "Dennis Mortensen is a pioneer and expert in the Web Analytics industry, having worked in the field of internet analysis and statistics since 1996. He is a thought leader in web analytics and online marketing, and we are delighted to have him on board. I know that he will be a tremendous asset to the Board as we work, lead and support the online marketing analytics profession in the years ahead."

"I believe the WAA is in a position to become a much larger and more prominent voice in the industry on such items as privacy, standards, member qualification and certifications," Dennis Mortensen noted. "I look forward to working with Jim and fellow Board members to move these issues forward."

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: Search Engine Optimization: Back To Basics

Search Engine Watch Expert - Mark Jackson With students everywhere preparing to go back to school, now is a good time to (re)visit SEO's foundational principles. In today's Au Natural column, "Search Engine Optimization: Back to Basics," Mark Jackson is teaching SEO 101, and class is now in session.

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Posted by Nathania Johnson at 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: SEM Success In 10 Minutes A Day

Search Engine Watch Expert - Carrie Hill If you're a small business owner, it can be difficult to juggle your responsibilities. In today's small business SEM column, "SEM Success In 10 Minutes A Day," Carrie Hill gives you 10 search marketing tips that take just 10 minutes a day or less.

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Posted by Nathania Johnson at 8:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SES San Jose 2008: Top Stories from Day 1 of Conference

There have already been more than 65 news articles and blog posts from SES San Jose 2008 – and it’s just Day 1 of the conference. Looking through the event coverage, here are the top stories for those of you who are trying to keep up with the latest news and developments.

SES San Jose: Kevin Ryan
WebProNews spoke with Kevin Ryan at SES San Jose 2008! Watch the first video of the conference.

Opening Keynote Presentation: Lee Siegel
According to Virginia Nussey of the Bruceclay.com Blog, “The programmers decided to wrap up day one with a bang. Author and critic Lee Siegel will present on the fascinating topic of his latest book, a critique of current Web culture called “Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob”. I'm intrigued...”

Lee%20Siegel.jpg
Lee Siegel, author of Against the Machine, was the opening keynote speaker at SES San Jose

Orion Keynote Panel: How Much Search Is Enough?
Dana Larson of the Online Marketing Blog writes, “Right after lunch today (which was pretty darn good ) was the first of the Orion Keynote presentations - a panel entitled “How Much Search is Enough?” Moderated by Kevin Ryan, this keynote panel discussed issues facing marketing budgets for search and traditional media, and how to make each piece of the marketing pie come together.”

Universal and Blended Search Panel at SES San Jose
Darrell Long of Search Engine Journal writes, “Hey everyone, I am here at Search Engine Strategies San Jose, sitting here in the universal and blended search panel. Mr Tawadros talks about how universal search is only a year and a half old and is still a baby.”

Search Industry Update - SES San Jose 2008 Coverage
Over at the adCenter Blog for Advertisers, Mel Carson reports on the Search Industry Update session. According to Mel, “There's no better way to kick off a convention than with an industry update from experts in the know, so we’re in the ballroom at the Marriott and are promised an in-depth dive into the latest research and trends in the search engine marketing industry.”

Video Search Engine Optimization (VSEO)
Blogging for Search Engine Roundtable, Avi Wilensky of Promediacorp writes, “According to comScore, nearly 139 million U.S. Internet users watched an average of 83 videos per viewer in March 2008, viewing a total of 11.5 billion online videos during the month. However, the average YouTube video receives only 100 views a year. This makes optimizing video for YouTube one of the biggest opportunities in the fast-changing and complex world of search.”

43 Killer Viral Tips from Top Marketers: SES Day 1
Jennifer Osborne of the aimClear Search Marketing Blog writes, “‘Tis budget season and marketing people are all a flutter trying to decide how to spend their 2009 dollars. As the American Economy gives more and more recession indicators, marketing budgets are going to hold even at best and most likely will shrink this year. Smart marketers know that Viral Marketing aka Word of Mouth Marketing (WOM) can be an inexpensive yet HUGELY effective means of getting your message out.”

Everything But Google - SES San Jose 2008
Jason McElweenie of The SEM Blog writes, “Last panel of day 1 before the closing keynote is dedicated to other forms of search out there besides the big three. Moderated by Andrew Goodman of Page Zero Media and featuring Sage Lewis of SageRock.com, Jay Sears of ContextWeb Inc, Jonathon Ewert of LookSmart, Dustin Kwan of Ask Sponsored Listings and Mary Berk of Microsoft.”

Yahoo! at SES San Jose
Yahoo! Search Blog team writes, “With Search Engine Strategies starting this week, we get a sneak peek from Vice President Larry Cornett on his panel on how searchers interact with search engines on Wednesday at 1 - 2:15 p.m. Also you'll find a glimpse of where the entire Yahoo! Search team will be throughout the show.”

Left Behind For SES: Top 10 Things To Do Back In The Office
Frank of the SEOMFG blog writes, “Everyone on the Internet is talking about SES. Everyone at my office is at SES. But I am here at my desk. As I eye the list of seminars that I will not be going to I started thinking; I have to get in on the show somehow. Luckily, some people I know just created this crazy blog and made the horrible mistake of handing me a login. So, for all of you out there who are in the same boat as me, here are some things to pass the time while you are NOT at SES.”

Posted by Greg Jarboe at 1:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 18, 2008

Carmax.com Launches Miles Per Gallon Search Feature

After a summer of high gas prices, Carmax.com is helping consumers find used cars that are easier on the wallet. They've launched a new search feature that allows car shoppers to search their inventory by MPG or miles per gallon.

They've also added an MPG "quick link" feature, enabling site visitors to click on available cars that reach over 30 mpg.

“Since gas prices remain high, people are looking for vehicles that offer better fuel efficiency,” said Ann Yauger, director of carmax.com. “The new mpg search feature on carmax.com makes shopping for fuel-efficient vehicles as fast and easy as a few simple clicks from our homepage.”

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HelloMetro Wins Trademark for 'Hyperlocal'

HelloMetro has also won trademark approval for the term Hyperlocal. HelloMetro now uses the term to describe their search results on HelloLocal.com and hopes to maximize the term in the internet advertising space.

If the industry isn't careful, even more of these widely used terms could also become trademarked. Earlier this year, we learned that Jason Gambert applied to trademark 'SEO.' Many marketers took the opportunity to address the U.S. Patent office in order to derail the effort.

Do you think HelloMetro should have been awarded this trademark? Sound off in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

ConnectU Co-Founders Place 6th in Olympics Rowing

Facebook competitor ConnectU's co-founder twins, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, placed 6th in men's pair rowing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Their time was 7:05.58 on a 2,000-meter course. Australia won the gold with a time of 6:37.44.

How they find time to train and run a startup is beyond me.

The Winklevoss twins along with co-founder Divya Narendra are suing Facebook for stealing their idea. The three recruited Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg during their time at Harvard.

via CNET

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Rosetta Translation Launches Website Localization Service

If you want to go global or develop your content in other languages, you're likely in need of a good translator. But just copying and pasting text into an online translation page isn't going to do the job. You need human intelligence that knows the culture of the audience you're aiming to reach.

Rosetta Translation is looking to serve that need by launching website localization services. Rosetta defines this service as "process that makes a website accessible, functional and culturally suited to a specific market."

Rosetta's website localization services aren't just about language translation. They will help site owners understand what is offensive in a certain culture or what the typical speed of internet access is in an area.

"The Internet is now being used as a medium for everything from accommodation bookings to research on zymology," says Luke Blackwell, Head of Information Technology at Rosetta's London headquarters, who is also responsible for developing Rosetta's website localisation services. "New uses are added daily and it makes sense for companies to have website visibility and function at the heart of their international marketing strategy."

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

VeriSign Now Supports International Domain Names

VeriSign has announced that their SSL certificates will now support International Domain Names (IDN). These domain names display website addresses in local language characters such as Kanji symbols in Japan. This will come as welcome news to those who are looking to globalization marketing efforts or developing a multi-lingual site.

"Internationalized domain names are gaining traction with the introduction of IDN-enabled browsers like Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox," said Michael Lin, vice president of SSL product management at VeriSign. "Providing the latest security protection is a key step toward achieving a globally interconnected Internet that serves linguistically diverse populations. For its part in this effort, VeriSign is pleased to extend the protection of VeriSign SSL Certificates to sites using IDNs."

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 9:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: Tightly-Themed Ad Groups: The PPC Pro Advantage

Search Engine Watch Expert - David Szetela Any serious collector of keywords chooses to display their valuables in Ad Groups. In today's Profitable PPC column, "Tightly-Themed Ad Groups: The PPC Pro Advantage," David Szetela continues his series of posts on keyword lists and how to organize them.

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Posted by Nathania Johnson at 1:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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