Written by Scott Van Achte and published at 11:57 AM
How would you like to change the way your site rankings appear within the search engines? I am not talking about the ranking itself, but rather the listings appearance. This idea may soon become a reality, at least at Yahoo, with the introduction of Yahoo Open Search.
“..instead of a simple title, abstract and URL, for the first time users will see rich results that incorporate the massive amount of data buried in websites -- ratings and reviews, images, deep links, and all kinds of other useful data -- directly on the Yahoo! Search results page.”
Rafe Needleman at Cnet reported on the announcement made by Yahoo at SMX West Tuesday noting details on how exactly this program will work have not yet been released. It does appear that both new and small sites will continue to have their listings displayed as they currently are, with the new customized appearances being available to larger sites such as the New York Times.
A formal launch date has also yet to be announced but is expected within the next couple of months. With the ability to make your listing appear more attractive (and to encourage clicks) this is certainly a feature that will be welcomed by webmasters.
Written by Andrew Clough and published at 11:03 AM
Yahoo Search is aiming to show more useful information on its results page. Yahoo state's it will eventually "enable 3rd parties to build and present the next generation of search results". This includes bringing data found within a website like ratings and other useful information into it's Yahoo search results page. Instead of just a website's URL and abstract on its results page Yahoo will include "ratings, images, deep links, and all kinds of other useful data". Although this is still in the works the plan is to let websites "regain some control over how their content is presented without allowing them to actually muck with search result ordering."
Great Q & A from people working with social media (Lee Odden, Shana Albert, Neil Patel, Jane Copland). Topics include good sites to promote content, attracting links, social media as a marketing strategy, and an insiders guide to Social Media.
Google Maps is now including a "refine by user rating and neighborhood system" to its search results of local services (hotels, restaurants). So whether you are downtown or uptown you can find more specific and user rated search results.
Yahoo is changing its minimum bid for PPC. Depending on what keywords you are targeting your minimum bid can now be under the previous .10 cent minimum. Although this will not affect any competitive keywords it will likely help to lower costs of targeting smaller niche markets.
It appears that YouTube is having some serious problems because it has been unreachable for over an hour now. I checked with a fellow Twitterer and there is no question this is a widespread outtage.
What I find the most odd... Is there isn't even a error page provided by Google which is highly irregular and does not bode well.
I hope you are all having a great weekend. Tomorrow I am off to Santa Clara for SMX West... I hope to see some of you there. If you want to hookup drop me a note: Ross at StepForth and that dot com thing.
Virtual gifts may be nice but Facebook is putting actual goodies behind the way to spread cheer on their social platform in the UK. A UK company is behind the application to allow easy purchasing and sharing of Mars related products on Facebook. Once being sent a real chocolate bar on Facebook you can redeem it at local UK grocers.
Business Week explains why Social Media is a great business and market research tool. Social media is essential for advertising and building your on-line presence. New technologies gather and analyse data on products and services from throughout the blogosphere, news media sources, and on-line communities. They stress the importance of monitoring your online presence and the influence of social networks. They point to Google's "growing ability to incorporate blog posts within Web search" to show the influence of social media content on the web.
Here are ten tools that should help any company keep track of whats going on within the social media world in relation to their business. These tools help you find out who's saying what about you and your company.
Google is cashing in on video popularity as it is testing adding video to their search results page. Google is trying to draw your eye towards video images and provide interactive advertising to their search results.
Ever wondered how social media helps already established individuals build their image. NBA all-star Steve Nash is trying his hand at LiveVideo.com, a social networking and video sharing site. It fun to watch celebs like Steve Nash and Will Ferrel build their audience through social media channels.
Today comScore released the search engine rankings for January 2008 and although the leaders of search are still holding strong to their positions Ask.com has experienced 20% growth! By far, ASK has shown the most significant improvement of all search properties. Furthermore when the report included all of the Ask Network the growth still trumped all other networks with 14.7% growth; the network includes other search properties such as MyWebSearch.com, Bloglines.com , etc.
After all was said and done Ask only had 477 million searches in comparison to Google's 6,181, million searches... a substantial difference to put it mildly. That said, it is great to see growth at Ask because I see it as a vastly underrated search engine; it has evolved into a leader of Web 2.0 search. I was so impressed with Ask I determined it was well worth writing an article on How to Optimize for Ask.
Now About those Other Guys In other news, in order of their overall traffic share Google.com increased its search share by 9.4% followed by Yahoo.com's more modest 4.3% growth and Microsoft's Live.com experienced an impressive 10.5% growth.
Combining marketing with social networks can be a great way to spread your message through word of mouth and viral marketing campaigns. If they become popular they will drive exponential traffic to your website. In " What makes a Successful Marketing Campaign on Social Networks?" 9 key attributes are given that are shared by the social media campaigns.
I enjoyed this great interview of Jeff Quipp of Search Engine People as he gave his secrets of the SEO business. He placed SEO as part of your overall marketing strategy. He gave his views on linkbuilding, linkbaiting, an insiders guide for new bloggers,and how he became head of his own SEO company. He also looked into the crystal ball for the future of SEO and what search engines will be crawling some time soon.
Written by Scott Van Achte and published at 3:03 PM
Over the past few days there seems to be a lot of action with Google and Mobile search. As the advancement in mobile technology continues, the major search engines are finding their place in this infant marketplace to seek out as many advertiser dollars as possible.
Google Searches Abundant on iPhones On Wednesday, Google reported that it has seen more mobile searches by users using Apple iPhones by 50 times that of any other mobile handset, according to the Financial Times. This shows that the increasing use of mobile search will prove to be a significant source of revenue for Google and others involved in mobile search into the future, but the statistic had Google second guessing.
"'We thought it was a mistake and made our engineers check the logs again,' Vic Gundotra, head of Google's mobile operations told the Financial Times at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona."
Gundotra went on to note that the number of mobile searches could outnumber that of fixed internet searches "within the next several years" if other manufactures improve the ease of web access as Apple has.
Google Loses T-Mobile in Europe to Yahoo The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Google has lost its contract with T-Mobile (Europe) as they signed Yahoo as their preferred mobile search provider. Yahoo's growing mobile presence is also one that Microsoft is undoubtedly eyeing in their multi-billion dollar take-over attempt.
Yahoo signing with T-Mobile is a significant move given that Google's partnership with the mobile operator was one of the first of its kind. Starting in March Yahoo's mobile oneSearch will be used by default by T-Mobile customers in 11 European countries.
This may not be as big of a hit against Google as Gundotra notes "Users want an internet without fences. They know how to type in Google.com if they want to get to it. Two years ago the operators were still playing the role of gatekeepers but that is no longer the role for them."
Google Search Offered on Nokia Handsets Tuesday, Nokia announced a deal to offer Google Search to customers worldwide.
Google will now be the default search integrated into new select Nokia handsets. The deal will offer users faster, easier access to online information from their mobile devices as well as the ability to search the handset itself for any content they have stored within it.
Nokia offers easy searching only one click away from the active standby screen. By increasing the ease of use, ultimately it will increase the number of users taking advantage of the feature.
"Providing choices for our consumers is an important driver in Nokia's Internet service strategy," said Ilkka Raiskinen, vice-president, software and services at Nokia. "This integration allows our consumers the ability to use the innovative search technologies, which have made Google almost synonymous with Internet search.
Nokia and Google have had a previous relationship. Last year the Nokia N95 became the first mobile device to support YouTube, and Google Search has been available on Nokia Internet tablets for some time now.
Written by Scott Van Achte and published at 3:01 PM
The policy at Google may not be changing regarding how they treat Display URL's within AdWords accounts, but they are cracking down on those abusing the system. Effective April 1st of this year the display URL policy will be strictly enforced.
While the policy is relatively simple, some advertisers have found ways to abuse the system and in the light of some advertiser complaints, Google has decided to put its foot down in the act of fairness.
Barry Schwartz over at Search Engine Land has written on this in more detail and has given a few examples of acceptable and unacceptable Display URL's, but in short, if your Display URL's coincide with your landing page, you should have nothing to worry about.
Over the past week I have been keeping the StepForth SEO Blog updated on the events focused on Microsoft's attempted acquisition of Yahoo and the fall out since. This is becoming quite a debacle so I thought a little chronological update on how all this went down might be useful.
From 2006 to Now
2006: Rumors abounded that Yahoo and Microsoft were in talks about working together and that an acquisition was possible. However, nothing substantial was revealed at the time but we later learned that Yahoo refused to work with Microsoft.
May 4th, 2007: The rumor mill was working overtime that Microsoft was quietly trying to acquire Yahoo for $50 billion. I was elated :-)
Jan 22, 2008: The New York Times reports that Yahoo is expected to layoff hundreds of staff in order to boost profitability and share prices. The quarterly earnings report is eagerly anticipated on Jan 29th.
Feb 3, 2008:Google's David Drummond weighs in on the hostile bid by Microsoft citing concerns that a potential purchase of Yahoo by Microsoft "raises troubling questions". He goes on to ask "Could the acquisition of Yahoo! allow Microsoft -- despite its legacy of serious legal and regulatory offenses -- to extend unfair practices from browsers and operating systems to the Internet?" Check out this hilarious interpretation of Mr. Drummond's blog posting by Kara Swisher.
Feb 11, 2008:Microsoft promptly responds to Yahoo's rebuff with a 'gloves are off' tone. In the letter Microsoft says it will "ensure that Yahoo!'s shareholders are provided with the opportunity to realize the value inherent in our proposal."
Feb 12, 2008: Yahoo exec Bradley Horowitz leaves Yahoo and moves to Google. Bradley was head of Yahoo's Advanced Technology Division and his departure is only the beginning of a long list of talent that is likely to leave Yahoo over the coming months. See Bradley's bio and you will see why this respected man's departure will hurt. To his credit, however, Bradley insists his departure was not directly due to recent events.
Feb 13, 2008:Yahoo announces an acquisition of online video company Maven Networks. Why? "Video is projected to be the fastest growing segment of the online ad market, and Maven will significantly help advance Yahoo's strategy, expanding the video opportunity for publishers and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness for advertisers."
Sniff... sniff... I smell desperation! This is yet another rallying cry from Jerry Yang to help keep Yahoo from the slobbering jaws of Microsoft... unless of course Microsoft offers $35 or $36 a share at which point OKAY.
So What Now? First of all, forget about Google saving the day. I would put money on Google being out of the picture for any possible partnership with Yahoo; Google is just not interested in the certain SEC ramifications of such a partnership.
With that potential path closed Yahoo has had to look elsewhere. As a result there are rumours that News Corp and Yahoo are talking in an attempt to forge a deal that could counter Microsoft's.
Meanwhile Yahoo is facing pressure from all sides to make a move that appeases the company's particularly distressed shareholders and they had better do something soon. Otherwise, (this is hard to believe) matters could actually get uglier.
Feel free to republish this article under the following conditions: the posting must credit the author (Ross Dunn) before it begins and it should include a permalink back to this original posting (without a nofollow). Thank you.
Andrew Goodman shows us the makeup of a good web site in relation to how the Google's "adsbot" views it.
Want to know why Social Media is so important to advertisers? It is because Social Networks have the information that allows "behavioral targeting" of us as the consumer. Being able to target the individual creates a "trusted environment for reaching high-value, frequent purchasers."
Microsoft released the following official statement today in response to Yahoo's denial of the $44 bn dollar offer and I highlighted Microsoft's fully-expected overture towards a hostile takeover:
It is unfortunate that Yahoo! has not embraced our full and fair proposal to combine our companies. Based on conversations with stakeholders of both companies, we are confident that moving forward promptly to consummate a transaction is in the best interests of all parties.
We are offering shareholders superior value and the opportunity to participate in the upside of the combined company. The combination also offers an increasingly exciting set of solutions for consumers, publishers and advertisers while becoming better positioned to compete in the online services market.
A Microsoft-Yahoo! combination will create a more effective company that would provide greater value and service to our customers. Furthermore, the combination will create a more competitive marketplace by establishing a compelling number two competitor for Internet search and online advertising.
The Yahoo! response does not change our belief in the strategic and financial merits of our proposal. As we have said previously, Microsoft reserves the right to pursue all necessary steps to ensure that Yahoo!’s shareholders are provided with the opportunity to realize the value inherent in our proposal.
The nastiness is about to begin as Microsoft is likely to launch its first publicly hostile takeover of another company.
Over the weekend Bloomberg reports that Yahoo's board decided to reject Microsoft's offer of $44 bn because they felt their stock was substantially undervalued but they hinted they could be drawn back to the table with a more alluring offer.
"The board spent a week reviewing the $31-per-share offer before deciding it was too low. The statement didn't give a counter-proposal for the price. Yahoo wants at least $40, the Wall Street Journal reported this weekend." (source Bloomberg exclusive)
Yahoo appears to be trying to save face since the offer Microsoft provided was given during a slump in their stock. It all smelled like a quasi-hostile takeover... after all, Yahoo shareholder's could not have been too happy with the web giant's declining value. That said, Yahoo CEO and Founder Jerry Yang is very protective of his baby and if he is going to sell out I am sure it will have to be for a price that he knows he can't say no to.
Unfortunately Jerry Yang may not have a choice. According to a follow up article from Bloomberg, Microsoft may take the straight and undeniably hostile route and contact shareholders directly in order to influence the decision. According to Bloomber the letter of offer to Yahoo threatened the following:
"Microsoft reserves the right to pursue all necessary steps to ensure that Yahoo's shareholders are provided with the opportunity to realize the value inherent in our proposal.''
Now that is considered a subtle threat... right? Haha, I think not. I expect Jerry Yang is not a happy camper right now and I can't say I would either in his position. He obviously does not want to sell his baby but that is the sad catch-22 of having a public company; you may have a lot of money to play with but it isn't all yours and the shareholders have power.
I am very intrigued to see how this pans out. Will Microsoft make it's first ever public hostile takeover? How long will Jerry Yang hang on and how far will he go to keep it?
Below I have posted a graph from Alexa.com showing the past 5 years of "REACH" that the top search engines have experienced: Yahoo.com (in Blue), Google.com, Live.com (Microsoft), MSN.com (Microsoft), Ask.com. The chart serves to illustrate one very important fact that is easy to forget; Yahoo is still ahead of Google when calculating sheer reach. Yahoo simply isn't performing as well as the markets expect which is why stocks are plummeting and layoffs are occuring. This is partially why I think Jerry Yang is so resistant to the buyout - he still sees so much potential (real or imagined).
Yesterday I had the good fortune to be invited to speak on the Webcology Webmasterradio.FM radio show with Jim Hedger and Dave Davies about my experience with competitor analysis. The show was a part of a 10 part SEO series where experts in their select field of SEO are invited to discuss their artform. In my case I discussed some of the most interesting tactics involved in competitor analysis and some of the other tactics I didn't have space to cover in the companion article on competitor analysis in the WebProNews Expert's column.
Near the end of the interview, as a final touch, I asked a website analytics analyst by the name of Andres Galdames to come onto the show to discuss the other side of improving website visibility; using website analytics to improve performance of your site instead of focusing on a competitor. In addition, Andres and I touched on how analytics plays a major role in tracking the success of web promotion strategies implemented on a website as a result of a competitor analysis. We had more to discuss at this point but unfortunately Andres lost his connection to the radio show and Jim and Dave wrapped up the show.
All-in-all it was an exciting experience and I look forward to being invited again onto Webcology. A big thanks goes out to Jim Hedger and Dave Davies for the opportunity to discuss competitor analysis - a field I am so passionate about.
Written by Scott Van Achte and published at 10:28 AM
Google local search has been integrated into the top of their results pages, for geographic specific searches, for some time now. However, Google recently made an adjustment expanding the number of results displayed in the OneBox / Universal Search results.
Previously when a local based search, such as "Seattle Hotels" was performed, Google would return the top 3 results, followed by the regular top 10 organic listings. With this update, now the top 10 Local results are returned to the searcher.
While this change can have a noticeable positive impact for those local businesses listed for high traffic phrases, it will likely have a negative impact on those relying on organic rankings who will now find themselves pushed beneath the fold should they not rank in the top 4, (based on a 1024 pixel resolution). Daniel Bower (Search Engine Land) notes that if your resolution is set to 768, or even 600 pixels, you will find all organic results pushed beneath the fold, which combined, accounts for more than 50% of web users)
By pushing the majority of organic results below the fold, this can potentially damage the traffic gained through those organic listings, and at the same time, assist the paid listings by making them slightly more prominent - and, potentially putting a few extra dollars in Google's pocket. This change however, will definitely benefit the local businesses listed in the new, enlarged OneBox.
So how can you get your business listed? To start you will need to use your Google Account and log into the Local Business Center. Submission is free, but verification is sent by snail-mail, so it is certainly not instant. Along with adding your site and local information, if your business name also happens to contains a target phrase, this may help you out a little. Once approved however, the rest is up to Google. Google displays these top 10 businesses largely based around the geographic center of the location at hand. If your physical location is on the outskirts of Seattle, you have little to no chance of seeing your business listed in the above example.
Written by Scott Van Achte and published at 10:18 AM
Last week Google introduced the Google Social Graph API, a new application programming interface to allow wed developers to make better use of relationship data for social networking sites.
"If Google's vision proves appealing and social data loses its linkage to a specific social site, Facebook and MySpace may find their ability to retain users substantially diminished. Without the added value of social graph exclusivity, Facebook and MySpace become merely providers of Web hosting for the HTML averse. It's doubtful Facebook could sustain a valuation of $15 billion were it pitched as 'Geocities, but with widgets.' "
With the ever expanding social networking scene, it becomes more and more difficult to decide which websites to join, and where your time should be invested. The new API only has access to public information, but will allow developers to create services which will utilize these public connections to make information more easily accessible and useful.
Blink
Del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Google
Simpy
Spurl
Y! MyWeb
Over the weekend 
