Our friends, Loren Baker, David Snyder & Jordan Kasteler have launched a new video site named IM Broadcast. IM Broadcast, as Loren describes it, is "YouTube for Internet Marketers." In short, it is a video sharing site focused around the Internet Marketing industry. The focus is not just to upload videos on Internet marketing topics, but to also create a social networking site around those videos. Why not for our industry? We already have dozens and dozens of discussion forums, we have our own Sphinn site and we have WebmasterRadio.FM as our radio site. IM Broadcast will be liv [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | SEM Industry: Blogs & Forums | SEM Industry: Community

Online marketers have been predicting the death of print yellow pages for years. While that will never happen, print yellow pages are no longer the primary way that people seek local information. In fact, the internet collectively -- through search engines, local search sites, online yellow pages and other venues -- is the top way consumers look for local information. A new study underscores this change and documents with hard numbers why local advertisers have to take the internet into account when trying to reach customers. The study The shift from print to web was captured by advertis [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Features: General | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines | Stats: comScore

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: 7 Recession Strategies For B2B SEO Many people have a “set it and forget it” approach when it comes to SEO. But if you have a good site (in terms of organic search), you should be taking advantage of it—especially during these tough economic times. SEO remains one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies, especially over the long haul. If your site [...] Where Do I Vote? Google Maps Shows The Way I live in a purely Vote-by-Ma [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SearchCap

Many people have a "set it and forget it" approach when it comes to SEO. But if you have a good site (in terms of organic search), you should be taking advantage of it—especially during these tough economic times. SEO remains one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies, especially over the long haul. If your site and the pages on it have historically responded well to desired search terms, you should be tweaking your site to speak to the changing market. Here are seven inexpensive strategies to help you win during these challenging times. Understand the changing landscape [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

I live in a purely Vote-by-Mail county; in fact, most of Washington state is Vote-by-Mail. But in this year of heightened political interest, you can imagine a lot of U.S. citizens wanting to go to the polls ... but not knowing exactly where to go. UPDATE: For 2008 election results, please see Election Results From The Search Engines & Beyond, published on November 4, 2008. Enter Google to help answer the question, "Where do I vote?" The screenshot above shows a new Google shortcut to help people find their polling station on Google Maps. (It also shows up on similar queries like [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Google: Maps & Local

This morning the Android Market formally launched, coinciding with the arrival of the T-Mobile G1, the first Android phone. There's a showcase that features a sampling of the more than 50 existing apps, with many more to come. All the apps are currently free, with paid apps to come in the first quarter of 2009. Developers keep 70 percent of the revenue from paid apps, with carriers taking most of the rest. Unlike Apple, Google isn't taking a chunk of the price. Next Monday all third party developers will be able to start uploading their apps. Very quickly we should see hundreds of Andro [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Google: Mobile

A day after announcing a slight touch up, Google Analytics is rolling out what it calls a "significant upgrade" to its feature set. The new tools include AdSense integration, "Motion Charts," advanced segmentation, an API, custom reports and an updated user interface to highlight these new tools better. Google is calling this an "enterprise class" upgrade, but the new reporting tools will be free and available to all Google Analytics users. "We're taking things that were expensive and difficult, and making them free and easy to use," says Brett Crosby, Group Manager for Google Analytics. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Analytics | Google: AdSense | Google: Analytics | Top News

When it comes to SEO, content is king—most likely, you've said it and heard it a thousand times. But have you ever really thought about how many touch points a well-written and well-optimized piece of content encounters on the web? This week's infographic demonstrates exactly how a well-optimized article can find its way by multiple touch-points to your target audience: Graphic by Elliance, an eMarketing firm specializing in results-driven search engine marketing, web site design, and outbound eMarketing campaigns. The firm is the creator of the ennect online marketing toolkit. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | Infographics | Search Illustrated

Sure, search is an effective marketing channel -- and it is particularly adept at capturing demand -- but the one thing search can't do is generate demand. Given that, marketers need to be mindful that solely relying on search is a mistake, especially if you are launching something new. Instead, you need to first build awareness with content and display campaigns, and then use search to capture the demand. Why It Matters Whether you are launching a new company, product, or service, or entering a new market, you need a marketing strategy that includes awareness building for your new [...]

Related Topics: Brand Aid | Channel: Strategy

During uncertain economic times like these, our advice is to always stick with the fundamentals to maintain business efficiency and progress. No matter what your business model, performing the fundamentals will keep you on-track and in-line for leveraging future success. If the C-level executives in your company are having any doubts about the value of SEO and are hesitating to release more funding, it's time to perform a cost-benefit exercise. It's your job as an in-house SEO manager to reestablish their confidence in the value of SEO as well as your value and the value of your team. Wh [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Search | In House Search Marketing

What exactly is landing page optimization? For most search marketers, optimizing landing pages means A/B testing and multivariate testing (MVT). It means using tools such as Google Website Optimizer to experiment with different arrangements of a page - or different variations in the content of a page - to maximize its conversion rate. We may ask questions about many different elements of a page. Which headline works best? Is the offer button better with "complimentary shipping" or "free shipping"? Does a picture of the product compel more people than an image of a friendly customer service [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Analytics | How To: PPC | Search Marketing: Landing Pages

Yahoo announced (pdf) Q3 revenues this afternoon. Search revenues and performance-based display ads were up. However, "premium display" (CPM) was down. Revenues were $1.786 billion, a (tiny) one percent increase, vs. $1.768 billion in the same period last year. The company stressed that consumer page views and engagement were up. Yet Yahoo confirmed that it would cut 10 percent of its headcount to gain more control over costs. The company also said that future hiring would emphasize developing countries where salaries are lower. Here are the Q3 financial highlights: United States revenu [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Yahoo: Business Issues | Yahoo: General

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: What Is Search Engine Spam? The Video Edition Search engines tell marketers not to spam them. Many search marketers also advise newcomers not to spam. Spamming issues get debated online. But what is search engine spam? What’s it look like? How’s it smell? And why do search engines (not to mention users) hate it? At our recent SMX East search marketing conference, representatives [...] Google Getting More Political: CEO Endorses Obama G [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SearchCap

Search engines tell marketers not to spam them. Many search marketers also advise newcomers not to spam. Spamming issues get debated online. But what is search engine spam? What's it look like? How's it smell? And why do search engines (not to mention users) hate it? At our recent SMX East search marketing conference, representatives from Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo tackled the topic. Below you can learn more about search spam, as well as reinclusion tips for each search engine. I've divided the formal presentations into three parts posted via YouTube, so that you can watch what each parti [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Google: SEO | Google: Webmaster Central | How To: SEO | Microsoft: Bing | Microsoft: Bing SEO | SEO: Spamming | Top News | Yahoo: SEO

Google is getting more political these days. Yesterday I wrote about the company's lobbying efforts on behalf of its paid search deal with Yahoo, which isn't necessarily "political," but arguably a political necessary. Also yesterday, Google CEO Eric Schmidt decided to endorse (and later campaign with) Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. The company issued a statement that it, as an entity, remains neutral and that this is a personal decision on the part of private citizen Schmidt. Yet the world will probably see this as a Google endorsement because it's being made by Google's [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Google: Business Issues | Google: Employees

Last week during SMX East, the Link Building Boot Camp was a 75-minute overview of everything you ever wanted to know about link building and then some. This session was offered to anyone who wanted to learn the basics, get a solid understanding of links and prepare for the rest of the linking panels throughout the week. I was one of two speakers (I shared the podium with Eric) and covered the history behind link building, how links work, the concept of link popularity and how to get them. The Q&A period drew a lot of raised hands, some of the questions were a reflection of current tr [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Link Week

Google UK recently shared a list of 52 Things to Do on a variety of Google properties (found via Phil Bradley). It's a collection of tools and tips about using Google products and services for some everyday functions. If you're a search power user, you probably know most of them already. But Google's message seems to be, "Did you know you could do all this stuff on Google?" It got us thinking about non-Google search tools that might have slipped notice altogether, or just fallen off your radar. With that in mind, here's a list of seven search tools you may not know about ... but should. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Search | Search Engines: Meta Search Engines | Search Engines: Other Search Engines | Search Engines: Photo & Image Search | Search Resources | SEM Tools

Yahoo Sponsored Search advertisers can now target ads down to individual ZIP codes, according to an announcement today on the Yahoo Search Marketing blog. Yahoo joins Ask.com as the only major search engine to offer specific ZIP code-based targeting to advertisers. While Google AdWords doesn't offer exact ZIP code targeting, it does allow advertisers to use ZIP codes as the basis for ad targeting (i.e., "ads will show 20 miles around 99352") and lets advertisers draw custom target areas to show their ads (which could be drawn to match ZIP codes). The new geo-targeting option is availabl [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Google: AdWords | Yahoo: Search Ads

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/1995545[/vimeo] It was a real pleasure to have Bill Tancer, author of the new book "Click: What Search Activity Tells Us About Society," give a keynote presentation at our SMX East search marketing conference earlier this month. His keynote is now available online here and can be watched above. Best part: when Bill explains how he altered search behavior relating to "hot photos" of Sarah Palin just by writing about it. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Search & Society: General

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Local Business Marketing Tip: Turn Economic Lemons Into Sales Lemonade For The HolidaysThe chain-reaction of foreclosures, mortgage company failures, banking sector woes, and see-sawing stock market are making for a very scary-looking retail season here in the fourth quarter. The U.S. Department of Commerce recently said that business sales have dropped the largest amount in two years, further fueling speculation that the holiday shopping season migh [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SearchCap