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Wikia Search, the “open source” search engine that launched to great fanfare earlier in the year, has introduced a new platform (Wikia Intelligent Search Extensions or “WISE”) that allows third parties to provide an enhanced search result—known as a “WISEApp”—for specific keywords. WISEApps allow publishers or searchers to enhance search results, in a similar way […]
We’re wrapping up SMX China in Nanjing this afternoon. By all measures, the show was a success, with about 300 attendees and a dozen exhibitors, with people from China as well as many other Asian countries, India, Israel and even Africa in attendance. Search in China is thriving, seemingly impervious to the economic turbulence that’s […]
Our second SMX China event kicks off tomorrow in Nanjing, China, and there’s definitely some Olympic spirit that’s rubbed off on this show. The conference, together with the 4th China International Software Product Expo, is the inaugural event in the brand spanking new Nanjing International Expo Center, a world-class event complex that’s kin to Beijing […]
Powerset, the semantic search engine that Microsoft purchased in July, has been collaborating with Microsoft’s Live Search team on several projects designed to be released within 30 days. Microsoft is currently testing them on a small, randomly selected audience. The projects include:
I’m generally not given to hyperbole or breathless enthusiasm when writing about a new search service. Quite the opposite, in fact—over the decade I’ve covered search I’ve seen so many so-called “radically new” approaches that are simply updates or spins on existing technologies that I’ve grown a bit jaded. But not after seeing a demo […]
We’re now accepting speaking proposals for SMX London, taking place at the New Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden on November 4 and 5, 2008. We’ve got an all-new agenda for the show. Please note that the agenda is final for the show, and we will only consider pitches for specific panels. There are a limited […]
Our newest Search Engine Land column, Industrial Strength, launches today. Industrial Strength is written by search marketers responsible for managing SEO for huge websites and running massive search advertising campaigns. Topics range from handling technical challenges to working with multiple key stakeholders and getting everyone to play nice together. The Industrial Strength column appears weekly […]
Did you miss our SMX Local & Mobile show in San Francisco last week? If so, no worries, as David Mihm has an excellent roundup of the highlights of the conference. Even though I’m obviously biased, I have to say the event was one of the best I’ve had the privilege and honor to be […]
I’m in the process of finalizing the agenda for our SMX London conference, which will be posted in early August. If you’ve got a unique, compelling idea for a session you think we should consider for the conference, I’d like to hear about it. And don’t delay—tomorrow is the last day we’ll be accepting session […]
We’re now accepting speaking proposals for SMX Local & Mobile, taking place in San Francisco on July 24-25, 2008. We’ve got an all new agenda for the show. Please note that the agenda is final for the show, and we will only consider pitches for specific panels. There are a limited number of openings, and […]
Last week we kicked off our inaugural SMX Munich event, and by all accounts it was a big success. Attendee turnout exceeded expectations, and exhibitors reported robust (and well-qualified) traffic throughout both days in the exhibit hall (and, of course, the food was a highlight, with an absolutely mouthwatering spread of local Bavarian dishes and […]
Do you have a topic you’d like to see covered in a session at SMX Local & Mobile in San Francisco on July 24-25, 2008? Something you’d like to see covered in depth, or a discussion of advanced strategies and tactics for getting the most out your local and mobile search marketing campaigns? If so, […]
Our newest Search Engine Land column, In The Trenches, launches today. In The Trenches is a weekly spotlight of tips, tricks, and news about the tools search engine marketing professionals use to give them a leg up on the competition. In today’s debut article, Josh Dreller comments on news from the search engines, offers an […]
A privacy law taking shape in the New York legislature will make it a crime for internet companies to use personal information about consumers for advertising without their consent. And because of the generally boundary-free nature of the internet, it would effectively set a national precedent for companies collecting data about internet use. The New […]
SEMPO is undertaking a salary survey of agency search engine marketing professionals, similar to its in-house SEM salary survey that we reported on in January. If you’re an agency SEM pro, SEMPO would like to hear from you, whether you’re a SEMPO member or not. To qualify for the survey, you must: Work at an […]
Today, at the inaugural Search Marketing Expo West conference, Yahoo plans to unveil a project code-named “Search Monkey,” a set of open-source tools that allow users and publishers to annotate and enhance search results associated with specific web sites. The new enhancements differ from Yahoo’s “Shortcuts” that sometimes appear at the top of search result […]
Many cases can be made for different types of effective advertising. But what makes search engine marketing stand out from the rest? Today’s inforgraphic demonstrates the mindset of the buyer and their ability to easily convert while in the medium:
Yahoo’s board has officially rejected Microsoft’s bid for the company, but that’s likely just a gambit to either pressure Microsoft to sweeten its bid or stall for time while Yahoo explores other alternatives. What’s the likelihood of Microsoft actually succeeding in its takeover attempt? There are many possible scenarios. Will Microsoft have to increase its […]
“Think global, act local” has long been a mantra for anyone marketing on an international scale, and it’s good advice for search marketers. While the worldwide reach of search engines offers incredible opportunities for marketers, there are plenty of issues to consider when you’re running a multi-national search campaign. What are the leading search engines […]
As Vanessa noted, Ask.com has revamped its news aggregation service, adding lots of bells and whistles and a few useful features. Most notably, Ask has embraced the social media tenet that you need others to tell you how important a news story is, with its new “BigFactor” ratings. Like Google News, Yahoo News, and other […]
As a publicly traded company, Google is required to disclose certain types of information related to its employment and compensation practices to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which then makes the documents public. Google today submitted screenshots of a compensation tool available to Google staffing employees and certain employment candidates. The tool models the […]
Our newest Search Engine Land column, Video Search, launches today. Video Search looks at how search engines index videos, and explores the unique search engine optimization techniques that can make videos visible in search results. Our video search columnists are: Grant Crowell, CEO and Creative Director, Granttastic Designs Bob Heyman, Chief Search Officer, Mediasmith Eric […]
Click Forensics, the company that maintains the Click Fraud Index, a network that monitors and reports on data gathered from more than 4,000 online advertisers and their agencies, has released its most recent quarterly report on click fraud. The company found that the overall industry average click fraud rate rose to 16.6 percent for Q4 […]
Heads-up to all of you faithful Link Week and Paid Search column readers: Today we’re swapping days for the columns. Paid Search will now appear on Mondays and Link Week on Tuesdays. No worries if you’ve subscribed to the feed for either column—you’ll still get the content you’ve asked for.
You know that aggravating feeling you get when you’ve done a search and your results are OK, but you’re sure there’s something better if only the “obvious” results weren’t totally dominant? Or if you could somehow come up with a cleverer way of expressing your query without wasting a bunch of time diddling with variants […]
Americans are increasingly turning to the web for video, averaging 3.25 hours of video per person during the month of November, according to new data released by comScore today. Americans viewed nearly 9.5 billion online videos during the month and Google was the leading destination, with 3 billion videos viewed (31.3 percent share of all […]
On Thursday, January 17, Christine Churchill, president of KeyRelevance, will discuss “How to Select a Paid Search Management Application.” As paid search continues to be the largest segment of online advertising, it’s also become more complex and competitive—and difficult to manage. If you’re still trying to manage paid search using spreadsheets, you might want to […]
In-house search marketers are doing quite well financially, according to salary survey results released by SEMPO today. Respondents reported a wide range of salaries, from virtually minimum wage to those exceeding several hundred thousand dollars per year, with the average falling in the $60-70,000 range. And not surprisingly, experience was a factor in how much […]
Our sister site, Search Marketing Now, is hosting its first webcast for 2008: “Paid Search for Big Sites, Big Brands,” tomorrow, Thursday, January 10 at 1 PM Eastern Standard Time, sponsored by iProspect. In this webcast, I’ll take a look at how large organizations with complex websites and important brands can effectively implement paid search […]
We’ve just finalized the third keynote panel for SMX West, and it’s going to be a fascinating session. Gord Hotchkiss and I will be talking about the future of search with Ask.com CEO Jim Lanzone, Brad Goldberg, Microsoft’s General Manager, Search Business Group, and Google’s Director of Research, Peter Norvig. This ‘Generation Next’ keynote discussion […]
Search Wikia, the open source search engine from Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales’ Wikia, Inc. organization, launched today in an alpha version. Widely hyped, typically portrayed as a heroic David vs. Goliath struggle, it’s really just yet another crappy search service that may, potentially, if all goes well, eventually turn into something useful. For now, though, […]
SEO, SEM, PPC, keywords, AdWords, analytics — what does it all mean for you as a marketer when you’re just starting out with search? You know you need to incorporate search into your marketing mix, but where do you begin? We’ll help you get started with this introductory webcast about search engine marketing. Industry veteran […]
Want to speak at our upcoming SMX West conference? We’re now taking submissions through the Speaker Pitch Form that was updated today, with all open sessions listed on the form and in more detail here. Please use this form even if we know you and you have spoken before. We’re moving to a centralized conference […]
Last week’s inaugural SMX Sweden was a great success—excellent speakers and great buzz made for a worthwhile couple of days (don’t just take my word for it—check out a Cracking start for SMX Stockholm, SMX Stockholm, having a blast!, and this great collection of photos from the event). If you missed the show, never fear—our […]
How does your search marketing campaign measure up? Is your SEO strategy aligned with your paid search strategy? Are you taking advantage of shopping feeds? Are you expanding into global and mobile search? Are you coordinating and optimizing your efforts across these different areas to generate the greatest return? Please join me on Thursday, October […]
SEMPO is conducting a salary survey of in-house search marketing professionals. The survey is open to all in-house SEM professionals, whether or not they are currently SEMPO members. Organic and/or paid-search, in-house professionals are all invited to take the survey. SEMPO plans to compile and publish the results of the survey in November. The data […]
I’m delighted to announce that Michael T. Jones, Chief Technologist of Google Earth, Google Maps, and Google Local Search, will be delivering the keynote address on Monday at our inaugural SMX Local & Mobile Conference in Denver. Michael will be offering an inside look at Google’s various local and mapping services, and will also talk […]
I’m now accepting speaking proposals for these two shows: SMX Stockholm 31 October-1 November, 2007 Sheraton Stockholm Hotel SMX London 15-16 November, 2007 Hilton London Metropole Please note that the agendas are final for both shows, and I will only consider pitches for specific panels (Stockholm agenda; London agenda). There are a limited number of […]
Next week we kick off our inaugural SMX Local & Mobile conference in Denver, and it promises to be a killer show. I’ve programmed dozens of search conferences over the years, and yet this one, which I co-organized with the able and expert help of Greg Sterling, is special. To be sure, I’ve got a […]
Hot on the heels of last week’s acquisition of the Grub open source crawler technology, Wikia announced today that Intellisophic has agreed to make its categorization software available via open source in conjunction with the Search Wikia project. From the press release: