Expand Customer Relationships As Search Engines Evolve User Experience

May 30, 2008 at 7:57pm ET by Vanessa Fox

Last week, Microsoft Live Search expanded the description that appears below Wikipedia results and added navigational links to major headings within the Wikipedia article. Google has long been gently mocked by the search marketing community for ranking Wikipedia results highly for a large percentage of queries, but the general searching population tends to find these results useful. Microsoft must have found that their searchers find Wikipedia results particularly valuable for their queries to have implemented special treatment for them. Below is the Wikipedia result for the query breakfast [...]

Filed in: Google: Universal Search, Microsoft: Bing, Search Features: Enhanced Listings, Yahoo: Search Monkey

SearchCap: The Day In Search, May 30, 2008

May 30, 2008 at 3:10pm ET by Barry Schwartz

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Twelve Simple Ways To Write Search-Friendly HTML CodeThis morning I was handing off a project to a developer and found myself ranting about the common mistakes developers make when coding HTML. These boneheaded mistakes can cause search engines to choke when it comes to indexing your websites. And its easy to avoid making these mistakes. Here's how:... Search in Pictures: Condoleezza Rice, Google I/O & Big Purple Buttons In this week's Search In Pictur [...]

Filed in: SearchCap

Twelve Simple Ways To Write Search-Friendly HTML Code

May 30, 2008 at 2:58pm ET by Jonathan Hochman

This morning I was handing off a project to a developer and found myself ranting about the common mistakes developers make when coding HTML. These boneheaded mistakes can cause search engines to choke when it comes to indexing your websites. And its easy to avoid making these mistakes. Here's how: Don't repeat yourself. Use server side includes for headers, footers, menus, and standard <head> items such as links to CSS documents and external JavaScript files. Balance tags in server side includes. If an include file starts with <div> it should end with </div>. This wa [...]

Filed in: SEO: General

Search in Pictures: Condoleezza Rice, Google I/O & Big Purple Buttons

May 30, 2008 at 12:11pm ET by Barry Schwartz

In this week's Search In Pictures, here are the latest images culled from the web, showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have, and more. Via the Google Anita Borg Retreat (Canada) set, this woman is enjoying the view from Google's NYC office: So is this Google's Neyba office? :) This Yodeling Purple Button reminds me of the Staples button: On the diplomatic front, Condoleezza Rice spoke at Google: Tents at Google from WhereCamp: Google I/O beanbags: The DJ at Google I/O: Flight of the Con [...]

Filed in: Search In Pictures

Outing Google Merchant Search

May 30, 2008 at 10:09am ET by Barry Schwartz

A reader sent us an example of the new Google Merchant Search live and in the wild. What's Google Merchant Search? After a little poking around, it appears to be a new but unannounced program in beta where people can comparison shop services like loans. Here are the Google Merchant Search FAQs, and here is a demo page. From the looks of it, you can compare loan providers, you can pick a vendor and then speak with a lender - all through this system. Here are the screen captures: Notice how the ad has been adapted to feature this product: When you click through, you are taken to Google Me [...]

Filed in: Google: Web Search

For Obama The Online Marketer It’s All About Google

May 30, 2008 at 10:07am ET by Greg Sterling

Democratic presidential candidate Barak Obama's online organizing and fundraising successes are perhaps unprecedented. He's also the query volume king, among the candidates. But how does he do as an online marketer? We might not know his CTRs or how his campaigns "convert" but now we know where he spent his money. According to US Federal Election Commission records, examined and parsed by ClickZ and further explored by PaidContent, Google has won the lion's share of the candidate's online spending. Roughly 80 percent of Obama's $3.5 million in online ad spending from January to April went to [...]

Filed in: Google: AdSense, Google: AdWords

Google Updates Browser Favorite Icon

May 30, 2008 at 8:36am ET by Barry Schwartz

I reported that Google has updated their favorite icon on Google.com, from the old multi-colored boxed in "G," to a single blue lowercase g. New Favorite Icon: Old Favorite Icon: Personally, I miss the old one. If you do not see the new icon, you are probably caching the old one. To see the old one in your browser, go to [...]

Filed in: Google: Logos

How Google Tests & Tests Search Interfaces

May 30, 2008 at 8:23am ET by Barry Schwartz

We're all guinea pigs in Google's search experiment from News.com covers Google's Marissa Mayer presentation at the Google I/O conference. In her speech, she discusses the various tests they perform to increase searcher activity and responsiveness. Here is a bullet list of what I found to be the most interesting insights from that presentation: The more search results per page, the less people search The reason? Less search results mean faster returned results 30 results per page would result in 20% less searches when compared to 10 results per page Google cut the bloat out of Google Maps [...]

Filed in: Google: User Interface

Human Hardware: The Subconscious Side of Search

May 30, 2008 at 7:15am ET by Gord Hotchkiss

In the last column, we explored some studies that indicate that conscious will might not be the cause of our actions, but instead might be just one of the effects of a motivator still undefined. Conscious will could simply be a feedback mechanism that helps us keep track of our actions and hides the degree of unconscious activity involved in our day to day activities. Conscious will allows us to keep thinking we’re rational, logical beings. Energy conservation of the brain Today, let’s look at how that might play out in a search interaction and other online behavior. As I said l [...]

Filed in: Just Behave

SearchCap: The Day In Search, May 29, 2008

May 29, 2008 at 4:23pm ET by Barry Schwartz

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Got A Great Organic SEO Tip? Pitch & Go To SMX Advanced!Last week, tickets sold out for our SMX Advanced show happening in Seattle on June 3 & 4. Nada tickets other than for our Developer Day and expo passes. But I have exactly one chance for someone seeking a full access pass to still go. You can take part in... All Things D: The Search EditionThere's a ton of search-related news and intrigue coming out of the Dow Jones "All Things D" conference i [...]

Filed in: SearchCap

Yahoo!’s Frazier Miller To Keynote SMX Local & Mobile In San Francisco July 24-25

May 29, 2008 at 4:13pm ET by Search Engine Land

Driving traffic - and ultimately sales - from local search is an opportunity for marketers who know the tactics, techniques, and players unique to this rapidly growing, specialized internet marketing field. The goal of 1-in-5 searches is to find something locally, according to Yahoo!'s research. SMX Local & Mobile is the only event 100% dedicated to preparing marketers to profit from this opportunity. If your mission is to drive more traffic to location-specific businesses, SMX Local & Mobile provides an intensive crash course of tips, tactics, and techniques for success. SMX Local &a [...]

Filed in: SEM Industry: Conferences, SMX & SMN Alerts

Got A Great Organic SEO Tip? Pitch & Go To SMX Advanced!

May 29, 2008 at 1:00pm ET by Danny Sullivan

Last week, tickets sold out for our SMX Advanced show happening in Seattle on June 3 & 4. There are currently nada tickets left other than for our Developer Day and expo passes. But I have exactly one chance for someone seeking a full access pass to still go. You can take part in the Give It Up session on the last day. Greg Boser is coordinating it and already has five great people participating. But we talked this week and figured we can add a sixth speaker. Want to take part? Send a message to greg AT 3dogmedia.com with what you'll share. It has to be a great tip. Get in touch by today. [...]

Filed in: SMX & SMN Alerts

All Things D: The Search Edition

May 29, 2008 at 9:32am ET by Greg Sterling

There's a ton of search-related news and intrigue coming out of the Dow Jones "All Things D" conference in Southern California. Let's start with the ridiculous remark from IAC's chief Barry Diller that "Google is irrelevant to us." That's only true if Diller doesn't care about search revenue. Google is essentially the source of that revenue for IAC. He also reportedly said, "I believe our product is in most respects better than Google," and that he thinks Google's dominance cannot last indefinitely in search: "At some point Google will not live ever after with 60 or 90 percent of market." A [...]

Filed in: Ask: Ask 3D, Business Issues: General, Facebook, Google: Critics, Google: General, Microsoft & Yahoo Search Deal, Microsoft: Business Issues, Yahoo: Business Issues, Yahoo: General, Yahoo: Partnerships, Yahoo: Search Ads

Mythbusting: Why Video Should Be A Core Search Marketing Tool

May 29, 2008 at 8:36am ET by Glenn Pingul

During the past year-plus of working with scores of small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) on testing and then launching online video advertising campaigns, we have compiled a short list of common myths associated with online video advertising, implications for search, and what it means to the SMB sector. Gleaned from our own experiences, as well as a substantial combination of news, discussion and hype surrounding the online video ad sector, we thought it would be useful to identify and dispel the most commonly held myths about online video and SMBs. So, in the spirit of late-night tal [...]

Filed in: Small Is Beautiful

Google Climbs To The Top Of Everest With Special Logo

May 29, 2008 at 8:28am ET by Barry Schwartz

Today, if you visit Google, you may notice a special logo commemorating the anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Everest. As most of you know, Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth. Today, 55 years earlier, on May 29, 1953 at 11:30 a.m. local time, Edmund Hillary from New Zealander and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay from Nepal reached the summit of Everest. The first Google result for the search is a Wikipedia result. That Wikipedia article makes for an interesting read. [...]

Filed in: Google: Logos

Help Search Engine Land Improve — Take Our Fast Reader Survey

May 29, 2008 at 8:26am ET by Danny Sullivan

Search Engine Land ran a reader survey recently to help our advertisers know who comes to the site. Now I have a different one that I'd really encourage everyone to take. This is designed so that we know what readers like in terms of content and how we can improve things going forward. It's fast to do, plus you could win a ticket to our upcoming SMX East show. The survey is here. Please give us your thoughts! [...]

Filed in: About Search Engine Land

Meta-Tag Optimization Tips: A Search Usability Perspective

May 29, 2008 at 7:55am ET by Shari Thurow

I know. I know. Seasoned search engine optimization (SEO) professionals might yawn and roll their eyes when the subject of meta-tag optimization comes up, as they might think, "Meta-tag optimization is SO 1990s." Personally, I think meta-tag content gets a bad rap because, in the past, many SEO professionals and website owners exploited meta-tags to achieve undeserved search engine visibility. As a result, the tags' content was devalued in favor of other criteria. Overall, though, if you look at the big picture, meta-tag abuse contributed to the evolution of better, more accurate [...]

Filed in: 100% Organic, SEO: General, SEO: Titles & Descriptions

Searching The Web For News Video

May 29, 2008 at 6:58am ET by Eric Papczun

Recent data from comScore Video Metrix shows that consumers viewed 11.5 billion online videos in March of 2008, a whopping 64% gain versus March of 2007. This means that 73.7% of the US Internet population is now watching video online. While videos of pandas sneezing on YouTube make up millions of these monthly video views, consumers are also increasingly turning to the Internet to watch news video. But how are consumers finding the wealth of news video content available on the Web? And are search engines playing a major role? DoubleClick Performics, in partnership with ROI Research, rec [...]

Filed in: Search Engines: Video Search Engines, Stats: Popularity, Video Search

Is Your Site Social Media Friendly?

May 28, 2008 at 6:39pm ET by Brent Csutoras

You should consider many factors when getting involved in Social Media Marketing, such as the quality of your content, your domain name, and who is submitting your content. But there is almost always one thing I find myself looking at before any of the above conversations even begin: the design. You need to make sure your site is designed and performs in a way that is suitable for social media. Most social communities are not filled with web novices or beginners. They are filled with internet savvy individuals, who know what a site should look like, and more importantly, which sites are le [...]

Filed in: Let's Get Social, Social Media Marketing

SearchCap: The Day In Search, May 28, 2008

May 28, 2008 at 3:33pm ET by Barry Schwartz

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Why You Need To Know SEO Basics, Even If You Outsource When you outsource SEO, you don't outsource responsibility and accountability for getting the job done and driving more traffic. Even though you may outsource SEO completely, you really should invest the time understand SEO basics to best manage your SEO firm, your strategy and provide greater value to your... Mainstreaming Google Earth By Plugging It Into The BrowserGoogle Earth has always been a [...]

Filed in: SearchCap

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