With Google Alerts coming under fire as being broken, an impressive new service has stepped up to appeal to those seeking an alternative: Talkwalker. Luxembourg-based Talkwalker is a social media monitoring company that has now released its own keyword-based alerts resource. The free service utilizes Google's Web, news, and blog databases and delivers alerts by email or RSS. So, are Talkwalker Alerts the Google Alerts replacement many are looking for? I spent a few hours running several alerts and at this point I'm both optimistic and even impressed. A few initial impressi [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Features: Analysis | Google: Alerts

Search continues to shift away from the desktop toward mobile devices. That's one of the conclusions of the just-released Neustar Localeze/15miles/comScore Local Search Study, which is now in its sixth year. This year's study involves a sample of more than 3,000 U.S. adults that say they use the Internet to search for local businesses. Results aren't available online yet, but we'll add a link here when they are. The total number of U.S. searchers using mobile phones grew 26 percent between March 2012 and December 2012, from 90.1 million to 113.1 million searchers. Search on tablets was u [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Strategy | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Stats: comScore | Stats: General | Stats: Search Behavior | Top News

Last month, an excerpt from Eric Schmidt's forthcoming book came out where he discussed how identity and authorship might be used to better rank search results. Since then, I've seen that widely cited as proof Google is already doing "Author Rank." It's not, nor was Schmidt describing a Google-specific system. But that could come, and Google's existing authorship program may be a part of it. Schmidt On Potential Future Of Profiles & Ranking The excerpt came from the Wall Street Journal, which quoted from The New Digital Age, the book due out next month that Schmidt has coauthored wit [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Features: Analysis | Google: Authorship | Google: Google+ | Google: Rich Snippets | Google: SEO | Top News

As my friends know, in January, I became an in-house SEO. Now that I have a few weeks under my belt, I thought I'd discuss some of the differences between agency SEO and in-house SEO, the type of traits it takes to succeed in-house, and some of the traps you can land in. Agency vs. In-house Let's start with some of the differences between agency SEO and in-house SEO. In-house Has No Hamster Wheel In an agency, it's inevitable. While waiting for clients to implement your recommendations, you hit roadblocks and dead ends. [caption id="attachment_152565" align="aligncenter" wi [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Search | In House Search Marketing

Firstly, as a quick refresher, the terms ‘big data’ and ‘programmatic’ sound more complex than they are! In my last article, Why Do Big Data & Programmatic Marketing Actually Matter?, I described how big data can simply be thought of as ‘more data,' and that having more data makes us smarter marketers. Using more data can be difficult to do, and so, the way to use more data is with an approach called ‘programmatic.’ Removing all the complexity and BS from the term, at its highest level, ‘programmatic’ just means that you are writing some logical rules that combine bits [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Display | Search & Display

I've written about agile marketing several times in this column over the years. First, Agile Marketing For Conversion Optimization in 2010, and then, Have You Adopted Agile Marketing Yet? in 2012. Now it's 2013, and I'm back with this year's edition of my agile marketing stump speech. Why do I keep returning so doggedly to this topic? It's More About Talent Than Technology As far as I'm concerned, adopting agile marketing remains the single most valuable thing marketing teams can do to improve their conversion rates. I can't emphasize that enough. It beats "best practices" hands down. It' [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Analytics | Search & Conversion

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 To Create A Sustainable Link Plan I’ve recently spoken with three business owners who have approached me in a fairly atypical way: instead of asking me for a proposal, they’ve given me theirs. It’s been a fascinating glimpse into the dangers of thinking that just because you read a lot about link building (and by and large, most people who tell [...] CheapAir.com Mobile Voice Search Not Very “Natural” Several sites are touting a new voi [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SearchCap

I've recently spoken with three business owners who have approached me in a fairly atypical way: instead of asking me for a proposal, they've given me theirs. It's been a fascinating glimpse into the dangers of thinking that just because you read a lot about link building (and by and large, most people who tell me what they "know" will work say that they read every link building article that comes out), you're equipped to run a successful campaign. Here's the most common thing that these guys have in common:   They have a link plan that is absolutely and completely unsustainable [...]

Related Topics: Beginner | Channel: SEO | How To | How To: Links | Link Building | Link Building: General | Link Week

Several sites are touting a new voice search feature on the CheapAir.com app. The company says that it uses the iPhone's own speech recognition capability on the front end, but then does some semantic parsing on its side to deliver flight search results. I tried the app and found that its voice search fell quite short of my expectations. You can't speak "naturally" and get good results. For example, you can't say something like, "I need to go to Chicago on April 7 from San Francisco." If you form a query loosely or conversationally -- if you speak to it as you would an "assistant" [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines | Search Engines: Travel Search Engines

"Ungoogleable" won't become an official word in Sweden ... at least, not this year. As Sveriges Radio reports (found via The Verge), the Language Council of Sweden won't be adding ogooglebar, which translates to "ungoogleable," to its official list of new words for 2012. The Council's planned definition for the word, based on common use there, was something "that can not be found on the Web using a search engine." But Google asked for an edit; it wanted the word to only refer to something that can't be found using Google. Rather than change its definition, the Council decided to drop [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Google: Legal | Google: Outside US | Legal: Trademarks | Top News

Join the most accomplished search marketers in the world at SMX Advanced, June 11-12 in Seattle. Check out the agenda, featuring two days of experts-only sessions, keynotes and the highest-level networking anywhere. Six in-depth workshops offered on June 13. SMX Advanced has sold out since its start in 2007. Secure your spot, get the lowest rates available - register now! [...]

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

Did you know that the higher a site is listed in search results, the more traffic that site is likely to receive? If you're a search marketer, or anyone with a dose of common sense, you do. But Microsoft had research conducted to yet again prove this point, in an attempt to influence the ongoing EU antitrust review against Google. Microsoft's Hired Gun Does Research In a Microsoft blog post today, Susan Athey, a Microsoft consultant and professor of economics at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, writes about how she worked with those from Microsoft's Bing search engine to c [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Strategy | Features: Analysis | Google: Antitrust | Google: Critics | Microsoft: Business Issues | Stats: Search Behavior | Top News

It’s officially Spring! The time when we all start thinking about websites. No, I’m lying, you’re probably thinking about getting outside instead of reading this article. But, on the subject of website redesign, we’re leading several of our clients through this right now. As they’re all at various stages and have various requirements for the finished project, I thought it might be beneficial to write up a content strategy process you can use when you do redesign your website. Hire The Right People You need: A Website Developer: one who is open to a variety of platforms and c [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | How To: SEO | Keywords & Content

Recently, I was asked to run an estimate of traffic opportunity for a multinational sports franchise in which I modeled their current global traffic against brand visibility growth opportunities. However, I also identified that to make the estimate relevant, I needed to quantify the traffic more than they had suggested. So, like all good Web marketers do, I got revenue involved in the equation. Want to know how to understand the revenue opportunity available to your brand globally? Read on... Calculating The Size Of The Pie First up: what's the current global reach of my client? To und [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Analytics | How To | How To: Analytics | How To: PPC | Intermediate | Multinational Search

Bing has announced support for HTML5 pushState as a way to implement AJAX on a site in a way that enables Bing to crawl and index the URLs and content. As Google has supported this implementation since early 2012, site owners finally have an AJAX option that can be crawled and indexed by both major search engines in the United States. (The ease of implementing is another story altogether.) Bing tells me that while they still support the #! version of crawlable AJAX originally launched by Google, they're finding it's not implemented correctly much of the time, and they strongly recommend pus [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Features: Analysis | Microsoft: Bing SEO | SEO - Search Engine Optimization | SEO: Domain Names & URLs | Top News

Don't want your content to be included in many of Google's vertical search services, such as Google Shopping or Google+ Local? Google's got a new tool for that, a result of its agreement earlier this year with the US Federal Trade Commission over anti-trust charges. Announced on the Google Webmaster Central Blog, the new tool is located within Google Webmaster Central and allows publishers to keep their content out of: Google Shopping Google+ Local Google Flights Google Hotels Google Advisor (financial product search) Oddly, several of these services only allow you to be inc [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Google: Advisor | Google: Antitrust | Google: Flight Search | Google: Maps & Local | Google: Place Pages | Google: Product Search | Google: SEO | Google: Travel Search | Google: Webmaster Central | 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: SEO Opportunities Begin Well Before New Website Development Launching a new site, or any major site update, for a large enterprise comes with some unique challenges. A short summary of some of the most common include those listed below. SEO Challenges: New Site Launch Or Major Updates Too many decision makers. This is one of the more basic headaches. Product marketing, engineering, PR [...] Google Streamlines AdWords Rules On Using Trademark Keywords [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SearchCap

Launching a new site, or any major site update, for a large enterprise comes with some unique challenges. A short summary of some of the most common include those listed below. SEO Challenges: New Site Launch Or Major Updates Too many decision makers. This is one of the more basic headaches. Product marketing, engineering, PR and the executive branch can all weigh-in in ways that can have you ripping your hair out. Many development priorities. This is often the most frustrating challenge, because it is the hardest one to combat. Other priorities may well be more important in the short [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Enterprise SEO

Google has announced an update to its AdWords trademark policy that streamlines the rules on using third-party trademark keywords in campaigns. With the update, Google now has a consistent global policy that allows advertisers to bid on competitor third-party trademark keywords. The update states: "Starting on 23 April 2013, keywords that were restricted as a result of a trademark investigation will no longer be restricted in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Brazil. While we will not prevent the use of trademarks as keywords in the affected regions, [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Google: AdWords | Google: Legal | Legal: Trademarks

Starting today, LinkedIn members will begin seeing a number of enhancements to the professional networking site, including a new unified search feature and a smarter query intent algorithm that continuously serve up more relevant results. With over 5.7 billion searches performed on LinkedIn last year, the new unified search experience is one of the most anticipated upgrades to the site. During a product overview last week, LinkedIn's Brad Mauney, Product Lead, and Asif Makhani, Engineering Lead, demonstrated how the new unified search feature serves up a list of people, companies, jobs and [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | LinkedIn | Top News