Here's a new one on me. I just got an email telling me that I've won nearly $1 million from a "drawing" randomly selected from those searching on Google. Suffice to say, it's a scam. I can assure you that Google's done no drawing like this. Add the spam to those about missing fortunes in Nigeria or government grants. I did some looking around, and the Google scam seems relatively recent. Apparently there was a Google "anniversary" scam in April 2008. For this latest "give-away" one, I spotted talk of it from April of this year. But since this particular spam made it past the filters in Gmai [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Google: Security

An extraordinary day of breaking news on Thursday led to record-breaking traffic spikes as people searched online for information about the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and, especially, Michael Jackson. And just like their counterparts in traditional media, the news divisions of Google, Yahoo, and Bing responded with sometimes extraordinary measures to ensure they were giving searchers the most accurate and current news available. Below, a look not only at the extreme traffic spikes that took place, but also an insider's look at what happened as each search engine -- and Wikipedia -- grappled w [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Facebook | Features: Analysis | Google: Web Search | Microsoft: Bing | Search Engines: News Search Engines | Search Engines: Wikipedia | Stats: Search Behavior | Top News | Twitter | Yahoo: News | Yahoo: Search

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: AdWords Conversion Tracking: How To Optimize Your Account 10x QuickerWouldn’t it be wonderful if you could get data 10 times faster so you could make your bid & ad decisions in days instead of weeks or months? If you are presently only tracking sales conversions in AdWords, there may be a better way. One Week Left To Pitch Sessions Ideas For SMX EastWant to speak at our SMX East SEM conference, happening Oct. 5 to 7 in New York? The very [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SearchCap

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could get data 10 times faster so you could make your bid & ad decisions in days instead of weeks or months? If you are presently only tracking sales conversions in AdWords, there may be a better way.

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Google: AdWords | How To: PPC

Want to speak at our SMX East SEM conference, happening Oct. 5 to 7 in New York? The very best way is to pitch a great session idea, and you have through the end of next week to do it. Use our Session Pitch Form to send in your ideas. The form will stay open through June 30, and then we'll go through the ideas received as part of making the final agenda. After the agenda is live, we'll also have some additional spots available (Want To Speak At SMX East? Here’s How) explains more. But the best way to be at the front of the line is to have suggested a great session. Don't wan [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | SEM Industry: Conferences

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. Yahoo Bike Girls: King Albert II Visits Google Data Center: Max Morgan performs @ Yahoo: Yahoo Police Women?: Happy Birthday Pamela Fox from Google Maps API team: [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | Search In Pictures

TechCrunch yesterday reported on the results of a focus group conducted by NY design firm Catalyst Group comparing usability on Bing and Google. The study showed that in many instances Bing was preferred but that users already familiar and comfortable with Google would likely stay with Google. What's partly interesting about this is that the results can be read either as confirming the challenge Microsoft faces in gaining adoption for Bing or to argue that for the first time Microsoft has a "real contender" on its hands and that Google should be concerned. The focus group consisted of 12 pe [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | Features: Analysis | Google: General | Microsoft: Bing | Top News

In this continuing series (part 1, part 2), I've shared some tips and tricks specifically for the search marketing professional using Microsoft Excel. The feedback has been great (thank you!), so I'm going to expand these posts to not just include tasks associated with SEM, but into a mini-Excel training course for search marketers using the software. By the end of this series of posts, I hope that it will become a reference point providing a good overview of efficiencies, tips/tricks, shortcuts, etc. for any search marketer in the trenches. I won't be covering everything you can do in Ex [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Search | Search Marketing Toolbox

I can't believe I'm writing this post. But on a day when both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson have died, people are clearly ready to believe anything. And a rumor that Jeff Goldblum has passed away is making the rounds, unable to be squashed because all the sites talking about it keep crashing under the load. Here's the scoop as best I understand. Apparently there's some spoof site that allows you to generate a story about anyone's death. As @copyblogger writes: Don't be suckered people... Jeff Goldblum is not dead. The site is an autogenerated spoof that's been around for years. A [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Google: News | Google: SEO | Top News | Twitter

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: 26 People Who Mislead You On TwitterEarlier this month, I covered various ways people are spamming Twitter in my Twitter’s Real Time Spam Problem article. Since then, I’ve been diligently reporting some of the more annoying spam I see. Despite this, none of the reported accounts have been closed. So, it’s time for a public spam report [...] Kayak Says Bing Isn’t Playing Air Fair, Hakia Sees Near Mirror ImageKayak travel searc [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SearchCap

Earlier this month, I covered various ways people are spamming Twitter in my Twitter’s Real Time Spam Problem article. Since then, I've been diligently reporting some of the more annoying spam I see. Despite this, none of the reported accounts have been closed. So, it's time for a public spam report -- and some education along the way. Public spam reports suck because often they just bring traffic to the company or individuals who were spamming in the first place. Nevertheless, I figure it's worthwhile to do in this case to properly illustrate the problem. Let's do the name and [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Features: Analysis | Top News | Twitter

Kayak travel search launched a formal attack on Microsoft's Bing Travel yesterday in an article that appeared on Wired, Kayak to Bing: Stop Copying Us!. Apparently, Kayak's executives are more than a little steamed by the eerily similar look and feel, and even went so far as to put Microsoft on legal notice (presumably a cease & desist) to knock it off. Wired implies that Kayak is concerned about the similarities causing brand confusion with its users, and even noted an "uncomfortable" comparison in their own review of Bing, and points out that others have noticed as well. You can see f [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Microsoft: Bing Travel | Search Engines: Hakia | Search Engines: Travel Search Engines | Top News

According to comScore the average watcher of online video in the US took in 385 minutes-worth in April. And according to Nielsen, in May, "year-over-year, unique viewers, total streams, streams per viewer and time per viewer were up, led by a 49 percent growth in time per viewer." The leading video site is Google/YouTube by a large margin with almost double the unique users of Fox Interactive Media, the next ranking US online video provider. After that it becomes much more competitive. Against that backdrop of intense competition and increasing consumer demand for online video, AOL's video [...]

Related Topics: AOL: Video | Channel: Video | Search Engines: Video Search Engines

Google has released a new tool for AdWords advertisers, focused on international (not US based) advertising. The tool is named Google Export Advisor and aims at helping businesses "reach new markets and grow internationally." The tool combines the Google Keyword Tool, Google Translator and Google Traffic Estimator to come up with a neat way of giving advertisers unique insight into the global market. Search Laboratory has a nice write up on the various features of the tool. My personal favorite feature is the profitability calculator. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Google: AdWords | SEM Tools

The Google Grants Blog posted that they have given a presentation in their D.C. office on search engine optimization. The presentation was to help educate a group of "issue campaign managers" on the principles of SEO. Galen Panger from the Google for Non-Profits team posted the 31 slides they presented to this group. Here they are: As Galen said, you can learn more about SEO directly from Google by reading Google's SEO Guide (PDF) and by watching Matt's videos, amongst other methods. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Google: SEO

The Google Webmaster Central blog is asking SEOs and Webmasters to submit and vote on feedback at the Product Ideas for Webmaster Central. When you go to the products idea page, you will be asked to sign in to submit or vote on submissions. The more votes a submission receives, the more likely Google will take that product idea more seriously. So if you have a great idea on how to improve Google Webmaster Tools or how to improve Matt's videos or the discussion forums, go to Product Ideas for Webmaster Central and submit them. You have until Friday, July 24, 2009 to submit and vote on sug [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Google: Webmaster Central

It didn't take long for commerce to move online when the WWW was invented in the early '90s, and it hasn't taken long for the same migration to happen as new social networks become important parts of our everyday lives. Don't be surprised if, in the not too distant future, you find yourself using social networking sites to shop, or at least to start the buying process. Twitter as a shopping search engine? You bet. And not only that, but there are also several sites that aim to dig through the clutter and uncover the best deals and coupons that people are talking about and recommending. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Search Engines: Shopping Search Engines | Twitter

City Tours is a new addition to Google Labs that puts Google squarely in the tourism business: Give it a city name, and Google not only suggests sites to see, but it also maps out a multi-day itinerary and proposes a minute-by-minute travel schedule for you to follow. And what's really impressive is that City Tours doesn't only cover the standard travel hot spots like New York, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. You've probably never heard of Kennewick, Washington, but Google has a three-day tour in mind if you ever want to visit my neck of the woods. Whoa. That noise you hear is the soun [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Google: Labs | Google: Maps & Local | Top News

Cuil has announced an interesting new map-based tool called Maplines. On some queries, the Mapline shows in the right column of Cuil's search results above the Timeline feature. What's a Mapline. Here's Cuil's explanation: "Just as our Timelines show a concept across time, our Maplines show a concept across a map." It's an interesting idea, but seems to be poorly executed. The Mapline on a search for John Legend, for example, shows a random assortment of places that the singer has performed in the past -- certainly not a complete list. The Mapline on a search for Seattle Mariners include [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Search Engines: Cuil

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: How Twitter Might Send Far More Traffic Than You ThinkOver the past year, I’ve seen many people report that Twitter can send tons of traffic to a web site. Certainly I’ve seen first-hand how Twitter has become one of the top non-search referrer sources for Search Engine Land and for some other sites I oversee. But as much as you think [...] Google AdSense for Mobile Applications Goes Into Public BetaGoogle had been testing AdSense on [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SearchCap