Last Friday a report appeared, citing the usual "anonymous sources," that asserted Logitech asked one of its suppliers to "temporarily suspend shipments of [its Google TV] Revue set-top boxes for the period from December 2010 to January 2011 waiting for Google to complete updates or to launch a new version of its software for Google TV." [caption id="attachment_59772" align="alignleft" width="218" caption="Credit: Logitech"][/caption] This is consistent with a similar article that appeared in the NY Times last weekend reporting an apparent request by Google to several TV OEM partners [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Video | Google: TV | Top News

About a year and a half ago, I had an unfortunate run-in with a San Jose auto repair shop that resulted in a post about my experience that I thought would be a good case study for local businesses about how poor offline behavior can result in a disastrous online reputation. Fast forward to a week ago and someone portraying themselves as a loyal customer of the business posted a couple of comments on my blog impugning my reputation, questioning my motives and suggesting that the business sue me for "wrongful defamation," whatever that is. Whether or not the commenter was in cahoots with the [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Local Search

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. Android Birthday Cake: Yahoo Christmas Tree: Kid Using Chrome OS: Yahoo Van: Google Turkey Mehmet Akif Ersoy Logo: Edith Piaf Google France Logo: Google Carlos Gardel's Birthday Logo: Google Logo For Kenya Independence Day: [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | Search In Pictures

It's Christmas Eve, and you know what that means. Santa Claus is busy delivering toys to boys and girls around the world. Where is Santa Claus right now? Below, our annual round up of ways to find Father Christmas, from tracking Santa on Google Earth to monitoring him from your iPhone. NOTE: For news on the 2011 Santa Tracker, see our post: Where’s Santa Claus? The 2011 Santa Tracker List, From NORAD To Your Phone! NORAD's Santa Tracking Monopoly I've been writing about Santa tracking for five years now. Back in 2005, there were a variety of Santa tracking services out there. Since t [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Search Engines: Santa Tracker

Every content-driven SEO strategy targets a tiny sliver of a giant Venn Diagram, with content that is either a) valuable enough that someone out there will search for it, and b) unique enough that it can rank. There's one company that has turned that from a guideline to a credo: Demand Media. Demand Media's financials may be raising eyebrows, but anyone who has competed with them knows that they have a handle on SEO. Demand Media's goal is right there in the company website's title tag: "Publishing what the world wants to know." They determine "what the world wants" by crunching pub [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Search | Search Marketing Toolbox

Google Woos Local Advertisers from the Wall Street Journal reports Google has added about a hundred sales representatives to focus solely on selling Google Local ads. The products these sales representatives are selling are primarily Google Place Tags and Google Boost. Tags are a $25 per month label or tag appended to your maps listing in the Google search results. The tags can contain special promotions or sales lines to help encourage a searcher to click on your local listing. Google Boost offers a simplified method of setting up Google AdWords ads that target searchers in your local [...]

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

In part one of my interview with Shashi Seth, the Senior VP of Search Products at Yahoo, we looked at what Yahoo’s current thinking is about search since the Yahoo/Bing integration. But the point of this series of columns is not where search is, but where search is going. And that’s where we’ll jump off today. Soon, my conversation with Shashi steered into the area of how search might morph as more searches are done from platforms other than the typical desktop box environment. Obviously, mobile search is a hot topic, but I personally have been amazed at how my connected experience ha [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Content | Search & Usability

Isn't this the time of year we always get a little introspective? What worked this year and what didn't? I suppose New Year's is really the time for that, but go with me here. Let's get introspective about one of the things that drives us crazy all year: reporting. Today, reporting is largely considered a way of conveying the facts and statistics of our web site, search efforts or other endeavors, but the truth is that none of it really means anything, and at its worst, doesn't represent "facts" at all. Here are the types of things we talk about in reporting: How many people came to our [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Analytics | Search & Analytics

As you cross things off your holiday to-do lists and make your New Year’s resolutions, don’t forget to migrate your Yahoo Search Marketing campaigns to Microsoft adCenter. The deadline for U.S. and Canadian advertisers to use the companies’ transition tool is January 5. After that, you’re stuck with exporting and importing, though some search experts suggest the latter method might be more effective anyway. The search alliance companies began asking advertisers to transfer their paid search campaigns as of the end of August. Advertisers who have a Yahoo Search Marketing account b [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Microsoft: Bing Ads | Yahoo: Marketing

3rd Annual SMX Biggest Search Geek Contest sponsored by Marin Software Take the 20-question quiz -- top scorer wins an iPad AND a trip for two to SMX West, March 8-10, 2011. What are you waiting for? Take the quiz now... [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | Sponsor Messages

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Santa Pegman Comes To Google Maps“Pegman” is the little icon in Google Maps that you can drag to enable the Google Street View feature. Tomorrow, he’s getting into the Christmas spirit by becoming “Santa Pegman” and sporting a Santa Claus hat. Google’s sent a few preview pictures of how Santa Pegman will appear beginning tomorrow at 2am Eastern time through [...] The Secret Life Of The Black Hat SEOThe black hat SEO [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SearchCap

"Pegman" is the little icon in Google Maps that you can drag to enable the Google Street View feature. Tomorrow, he's getting into the Christmas spirit by becoming "Santa Pegman" and sporting a Santa Claus hat. Google's sent a few preview pictures of how Santa Pegman will appear beginning tomorrow at 2am Eastern time through December 25. Here's a shot at Rockefeller Center: Santa Pegman is down there in the lower right-hand corner. Here he is again at San Francisco's Union Square: And one more, from Santa Claus, Indiana: Google's also put out a blog post reminding peopl [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Search Engines: Santa Tracker

The black hat SEO flies under the radar. He doesn't want to attract too much attention -- he knows attention brings bad things. Essentially he lives in the shadows. He doesn't speak at conferences. He doesn't publish articles. He hangs out with other black hats at conferences and road trips. In my opinion, an affiliate-oriented conference like Pubcon or Affiliate Summit is much more up his alley than traditional search marketing conferences like SMX West. Regardless of the conference, the real intel is obtained via networking -- especially when booze is involved. No black hat is stupid enou [...]

Related Topics: All Things SEO | Channel: SEO

Google has posted its 2010 Christmas holiday logo. It may be the best yet! A Holiday Card From Google by the Wall Street Journal has a detailed article on what went into the logo. Google reportedly started working on this logo back in July, spending 250 man hours between five different "doodle" designers to create the 17 interactive images that make up this year's Google holiday logo. The 17 portraits lead to the following search queries on Google: St. Basil's Cathedral Acropolis Buche de Noel pierogi Great Wall of China Mt. Fuji Indian dance styles Sahara desert [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Google: Logos

Here we are. I hope your time here at PPC Academy was productive and you learned a lot because it’s now time for your final exam. Were you paying attention? Have you bloomed into a search marketing pro with the knowledge and skills to kick major PPC butt, or do you still have things to learn? Below are 35 questions that test the most important concepts you should have learned from this one-year PPC course. If you missed any posts, here’s the course guide. Answers follow the questions. How good are you? 0-5 correct answers: Novice. Go back and read all of these posts again. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | PPC Academy

Google TV has taken its share of lumps since it launched in October, but it shines bright in one particular aspect, making it simple for Dish Network subscribers to find shows and program their DVRs. Below, a look at Dish integration, as well as some hands-on with the Logitech Revue version of Google TV. Background On Google TV If you're not familiar with Google TV, it's a system that allows you to search for video content across the web and across broadcast television at the same time. Currently, it's integrated into some Sony televisions, into a standalone Sony Blu-ray player and in a stan [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Video | Features: Life With Google TV | Google: TV | Internet-To-TV

The number of advertisers using click-to-call features on Google ads has grown an average of 28 percent month-over-month over the last few months, the company confirmed. The 28 percent stat represents all of Google’s advertisers, in both search and display, around the globe. As first reported by GigaOm and confirmed by Search Engine Land, Google says hundreds of thousands of its advertisers are currently using phone extensions, which has led to the initiation of millions of calls a month. The company shared that campaigns with the click-to-call feature are experiencing 6 to 8 percent [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Google: AdWords | Google: Android | Google: Mobile

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Ten Search Marketing Hot Spots To Watch In 2011As you shift your focus from frantically optimizing holiday campaigns to methodically (hah!) executing 2011 plans, here are ten areas worth thinking about: 1. Local. With all the buzz over Google’s near-acquisition of Groupon, it’s clear the Big G is ready to make a big move in the local space. While it may not be [...] Video: 12 Days Of Googlemas Carol From Google & Search Engine LandS [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SearchCap

As you shift your focus from frantically optimizing holiday campaigns to methodically (hah!) executing 2011 plans, here are ten areas worth thinking about: 1. Local. With all the buzz over Google's near-acquisition of Groupon, it's clear the Big G is ready to make a big move in the local space. While it may not be a pure SEM play, finding ways to customize offers to niche audiences and tap the long tail should be on every marketer's to-do list. 2. Social ads. As Facebook beefs up its Marketplace Ads offering and ads API, social advertising campaigns will begin to look an awful lot like [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Search | Features: General | Search Marketing: General | Top News

Some of the members of the Search Engine Land team spent some time at Google last week. They put together a 12 Days of Googlemas Carol for all to listen and watch on YouTube. Sitting in front with the laptop and yellow shirt is Google's Matt Cutts. In the blue shirt in front is Danny Sullivan, Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Land. In the back row, from left to right is Michelle Robbins, Director of Technology; Matt McGee, Executive News Editor; and Elisabeth Osmeloski, Executive Features Editor. Here are the lyrics of the carol: On the 12th day of Googlemas my Googlebot gave [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | SEM Industry: Community | SEM Industry: General