As search engines continue on the path of rapid evolution, marketing is evolving in tandem as people search in different places at various times across different screens. We are in the midst of a paradigm shift where push messaging and mass consumption are evolving into a new paradigm of Relevance, Findability and Trust. It is an amazing time to be in search marketing as our ability to leverage the channel continues to advance, and our opportunities expand to become better marketers to the modern customer. Fine Tuning The Optics Of Search As search marketers, shifting dimensions of comple [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Analytics | Search & Conversion

Google is introducing some new geographical targeting options and tweaking others within AdWords, including making the switch to Nielsen DMAs for US metro areas and releasing postal code targeting for Canada. The changes come as the company rolls out city-level targeting and location extensions to new countries. In the US, the change means goodbye to metro area targeting and hello to designated marketing area (DMA) targeting, a means of delineating media markets trademarked by Nielsen. The switch means marketers advertising both online and on television will be able to reach the same people [...]

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

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Study: Bing And Yahoo Search Share Largest On Internet Explorer BrowserInternet Explorer (IE) is the browser where the most “non-Google” searches happen, according to data from ad network Chitika. The company analyzed “hundreds of millions of ad impressions [in the US and Canada] from within the Chitika Ad network” earlier this month. Chitika was seeking to determine search engine usage on each browser. Overall Chitika [...] [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SearchCap

Internet Explorer (IE) is the browser where the most "non-Google" searches happen, according to data from ad network Chitika. The company analyzed "hundreds of millions of ad impressions [in the US and Canada] from within the Chitika Ad network" earlier this month. Chitika was seeking to determine search engine usage on each browser. Overall Chitika found that Google generated 74.7 percent of search traffic across all five browsers examined. Yahoo was second with 12.3 percent and Bing third with a 9.74 percent share across browsers. By comparison the most recent comScore data show Google [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Strategy | Google: Web Search | Microsoft: Bing | Stats: Popularity | Stats: Search Behavior | Top News | Yahoo: Search

Search Week is an exclusive weekly newsletter for Search Engine Land premium members that recaps stories covered on Search Engine Land over the past week. Below are top stories organized by topic that happened over the past week. Each topic (or Search Engine Land column) is also a link, where you can click through and drill into the Search Engine Land members library to find other stories in that area. Because some stories are listed in more than one category, you may see them repeated. Top News 7 Is The New 10? Google Showing Fewer Results & More From Same Domain Industry S [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | Search Week

Often when I complete a keyword research project for a client, they ask me about keywords I may not have included, or they want to know what the relative competition on the keywords looks like. This happens often enough that I thought I would remind everyone that while research for SEO and PPC can go hand in hand, they’re actually very different. First, think about what your goals are with each medium. What are you trying to do, and what constitutes success in that area? Next, think about how the keywords will be used. Where, when, how often? Finally, consider what your margin for erro [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Google: SEO | How To: PPC | How To: SEO | Keywords & Content | Microsoft: Bing SEO | Search Marketing: Search Term Research | SEO: Writing & Body Copy | Yahoo: SEO

There have been a number of articles lately on keyword expansion and management but most of them seemed to skip over the basics especially at the global level. It is critical to make sure you include the brand and product sets for each of the local markets. As we have been importing data into our keyword management suite for global companies, we immediately notice that few companies can even find a list of their products and categories let along be actively monitoring it. Andy Atkins-Krüger's article last week to CMO’s suggesting they Can’t Manage Search Through Translation must have [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Multinational Search

The SEO community has been buzzing about a newly discovered Google Patent document named Ranking documents. The patent describes how Google may detect certain "rank modifying" techniques and then adjust the ranking of those documents using those techniques in a manner that will confuse the webmaster into thinking that technique did not work. The purpose is to observe how the webmaster (or spammer) reacts to the change and then make more observations based off the next set of changes the webmaster applies. Here is the specific clause that addresses this in the patent document: When a [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Google: Patents | Google: SEO | SEO: Spamming

Matt Cutts, Google's lead of search spam, wrote a blog post named "Why did our PageRank go down?" The post is a reminder to webmasters that selling links that pass PageRank can lead to a Google penalty. Back in October 2007, Google officially came out saying selling paid links can hurt your PageRank and then shortly after, Google dished out the PageRank penalties to many web sites, including some major newspaper web sites. Since then, Google added the terms to their webmaster guidelines and has done videos on the topic. Matt shared the email he sent to the publisher about why their [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Google: SEO | Link Building: Paid Links | Top News

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Is Google’s Synonym Matching Increasing? How Searchers & Brands Can Be Both Helped & Hurt By Evolving Understanding Of IntentIn the beginning, Google matched the words in a searcher’s query to the words on a web page and ranks those pages (roughly) based on how many external links each had. Over the years, Google’s algorithms have evolved in numerous ways, including with how Google figures out what the searcher is really l [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SearchCap

Our sister site, Digital Marketing Depot, will host two webcasts next week: On Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 1 PM, Matt Booth of BIA/Kelsey and John Busby of the Marchex Institute will present "Uncover More Revenue with Mobile Advertising Using Call Tracking and Analytics," a webcast that will help you generate more business (and revenue) from mobile advertising. Then on Thursday, September 6, Jon Ball of Page One Power will share his expertise in the webcast "How to Build Links, Get Rankings and Stay Out of Trouble." Jon's presentation will include tips and tactics to build an effective link-build [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SMX & DMD Alerts

In the beginning, Google matched the words in a searcher's query to the words on a web page and ranks those pages (roughly) based on how many external links each had. Over the years, Google's algorithms have evolved  in numerous ways, including with how Google figures out what the searcher is really looking for. Now, for instance, when you search for [U2], not only does Search Engine Land Executive News Editor Matt McGee's site appear at the top of the results (go Matt!), but so do images and video from the band even though the words "images" or "videos" weren't in the query. Searcher In [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Features: Analysis | Google: SEO | Search Features: Spelling Correction | Top News

Have you ever typed a company name into Google and been instantly greeted with words like ‘scam’ or ‘complaints’ by Google Autocomplete? That can’t be good for business, and it is a situation that more and more organizations are finding themselves in. Being part of a firm that is heavily involved in Online Reputation Management (ORM), we take on a wide range of tasks. There is a bit of everything, from helping individuals clean up search results for their names to partnering with corporations to identify and fix reputation problems. One of the most common issues we get now, fro [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Enterprise SEO | Google: APIs | Google: Instant | Google: Suggest | Google: Toolbar

In the last few months, there's increasing evidence that mobile search activity for restaurants is growing by leaps and bounds. Consider the following: Yelp recently shared that mobile usage now accounts for 40% of their activity, up from 27% in 2010. According Groupon's CEO, 30% of all transactions on Groupon’s platform are now attributed to mobile device use, and those usage levels have tripled in just one year. Given these trends, it's very likely that we'll see restaurant search hit the tipping point in the next 12 months, with more mobile-based activity than desktop-based. Key [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Mobile Search | Search Marketing: Mobile | SEO: Mobile Search

One of the seminal moments in George Orwell’s 1984 occurs when the hero – Winston Smith – is finally convinced by his torturers that 2+2=5. The point of the scene is to show how Oceania (the totalitarian regime in which 1984 is based) has so much control over the mind of its citizens that it can even convince them to reject the fundamental rules of mathematics! Another of my favorite moments from 1984 occurs when the ironically named "Ministry of Truth" retroactively changes an old newspaper article regarding chocolate rations so that a new change in rations looks like an incre [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Google: General | Paid Search | SEM Industry: General

Early Bird rates for Search Marketing Expo – SMX East expire Friday. Register now and get three days of exceptional content and invaluable industry connections for only $1545. Join us October 2-4 in New York City for expert tactics, best practices and strategies to help you adapt and succeed in the ever-changing world of digital marketing. The multi-track, 50+ session SMX East agenda allows you to customize the program to best fit your needs and maximize your investment. Sessions are organized by skill level and thematically on topics including SEO, paid search, social media marketin [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SEM Industry: Conferences | SEM Industry: Search Marketing Expo - SMX | SMX & DMD Alerts | Top News

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Search In Pics: Android Noogler, Google Paper Towels & Big Yahoo BallIn 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 Noogler Statue: Source: Google+ Big Purple Yahoo Ball: Source: Flickr Google Paper Towels: Source: Google+ [...] How Facebook “Sponsored R [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SearchCap

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 Noogler Statue: Source: Google+ Big Purple Yahoo Ball: Source: Flickr Google Paper Towels: Source: Google+ Android Running Shirt: Source: Google+ Plane Caught Mid-Flight On Google Maps: Source: Google+ [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | Search In Pictures

Search marketer ears likely perked up to hear that Facebook launched search advertising this week. But anyone who's expecting it to be similar to AdWords or adCenter is going to be disappointed. Actually, it's more akin to other forms of Facebook advertising, despite appearing in search results. Consider these typical AdWords ads: They appear above or to the right of search results. In contrast, the new Facebook Sponsored Results appear within the search box, as suggestions when you type: Beyond placement, Facebook's search ads can't be targeted to keywords, as can Google's ads, nor c [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Facebook | Features: Analysis | Google: AdWords | Social Media Marketing | Top News

Remarketing has been around for quite a while as part of the Google AdWords suite of tools. Remarketing works by creating a "list" or "audience" within Google AdWords. The pages that are pertinent to that audience are tagged with special code that allows Google to place a cookie in the browser of anyone who visits that page. It's a great way for you to get your brand out there in front of your website visitors, even when they're not thinking about shopping and buying from your site. There are tons of ways for you to segment your website to serve remarketing ads; you can even get as granular [...]

Related Topics: Beginner | Channel: Analytics | Google: AdWords | Google: Analytics | How To | How To: Analytics | Intermediate | Search & Analytics