The Delicious Blog announced the release of a new beta version of the del.icio.us bookmarks extension for Internet Explorer. The new version helps the IE version catch up with the Firefox version, which was released on April 30th.
Google’s John Hanke keynoted the Where 2.0 conference this morning and discussed the development and evolution of the “geoweb.” But he also announced that KML files (now a public standard) and GeoRSS data (I believe) being indexed by Google are now going to be available to third parties via the Google API. That means things […]
Google and Microsoft have invested huge sums in their competitive mapping platforms. Yahoo, for its part, opted out of that arms race some time ago. But independent EveryScape is building an interesting alternative platform and destination. Today at the Where 2.0 conference, the company announced upgraded site features and a new “Ambassadors” program that augments […]
Sometimes link building is more difficult and painful than a root canal, and sometimes it’s so easy it happens in spite of us. It can be especially frustrating when you are trying to build links for a site that is perfectly deserving of the links you are requesting, yet your link requests are not answered […]
Efficient Frontier is out with new research looking at how the major search engines get search traffic outside their own search engines, including the remarkable stat that less than half of Yahoo’s paid search clicks happen on its own search sites.
There’s a famous B.B. King blues tune called “The Thrill Is Gone.” I was recently on the phone with a Google employee (director level) who was expressing that very sentiment about his experience there. I was surprised to hear that from this particular individual. However, Google has seen some high profile departures and, dare I […]
Microsoft has launched (an appropriate metaphor this time) its Worldwide Telescope desktop application. You must download the software, but then you’re treated to a beautiful array of images and “guided tours” of the cosmos (see screenshots below). Intended for science education, “Worldwide Telescope stitches together terabytes of high-resolution images of celestial bodies, and displays them […]
With so much good content on the web, it’s inevitable that the same information will be displayed many times over. Whether it’s a blog post pointing to good statistics, an RSS feed pulled into a complementary site, or blatantly copied material, duplicate content can be an issue. This week’s infographic shows how search engines make […]
Two weeks ago, I attended a Microsoft event in London to talk about its progress in search. One of the highlights were these fake, hokey TV ads they showed us in between breaks. I loved them. They’re especially funny if you know Britain, but anyone should get a chuckle out of them. Videos are below, […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web
The BrandVerity Blog noticed that Yahoo started displaying the business’s location under the search ads. For example, a search on lawyers in Yahoo returns several ads that display New York under them. Why New York? Because I am based in New York. If you are located in California, you might see California labeled under the […]
Hey, I like Twitter, but this entire thing Robert Scoble started about how Twitter had news of the Chinese earthquake before the US Geological Survey seemed absurd. Did it really? As it turns out, probably so — by about three minutes. Reading some of the accounts, you’d get the impression Twitter seemed to alert the […]
The economic downturn is a reality, but the specific ways that it affects businesses run the gamut based on the size and type of business. During these times, small, local businesses often feel the pinch more quickly and sharply, causing some to take evasive maneuvers to keep afloat. Based on the Yellow Pages industry’s experience, […]
Contrary to some earlier reports, Google’s new Friend Connect, launching today, is not focused on data portability or a direct answer to MySpace “Data Availability” or the new Facebook Connect. While there’s a data portability dimension, it’s focused on the flip side of the equation: site owners who want to make their sites more “social.” […]
The Search Engine Roundtable reports that it seems to be no longer possible to sign up for the Ambassador Program. Although there is no specific confirmation from Yahoo on the Ambassador program page, when one tries to sign up via an affiliate site, we get a notice that reads: Yahoo will no longer be accepting […]
You can now cast your vote for the Doodle 4 Google competition at google.com/doodle4google/vote.html. Again, the winning doodle will be showcased on the Google home page on May 22, 2008 and the winner also gets a $10,000 college scholarship and a $25,000 technology grant for his/her school. To vote, go here and click on the […]
Google Is A Malware Site (Says Yahoo) from TechCrunch reports a funny bug at Yahoo that accidentally made it look like Google’s home page had Malware on it, based on the Yahoo SearchScan feature that was recently launched. A search for Astalavista at Yahoo returned what appeared to be a Google.com result in the 10th […]
After nearly two years in the making — and plenty of hype — Powerset has finally rolled out a "natural language" search engine. It’s not a Google killer. It’s barely a business model right now. But at least it’s something the world can finally play with, and under the hood, there’s lots of potential. By […]
Imagine TiVo on steroids combined with a search engine like Google. It exists today, but for the enterprise market. That product is called SnapStream TV and it allows thousands of hours of programming to be recorded – up to 10 shows simultaneously – and then, using closed caption transcripts, brings keyword search and related capabilities […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web
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 has acquired my favorite search browser plugin for Apple Safari, Inquisitor. Inquisitor is an extremely useful search refinement and search aid tool for the Apple browser market. Inquisitor offers autocomplete, refinements, suggestions, and also allows you to add any search engine you like, plus create your own personalized and advanced query operators, much like […]
Yesterday before Google’s annual meeting of shareholders, Google CEO Eric Schmidt and co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page fielded questions from reporters on a range of subjects, including a potential paid search deal with Yahoo and its anti-trust implications. Their argument was that a future paid search deal could be set up in a way […]
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. Today: News from the search engines, today’s in-depth look, “Google’s Tools Section, Part 1 – Intro,” and this week’s free tips and tools.
Some users like Mathew Ingram noticed that Google has now added images from Picasa and Panoramio into the bar beside their maps.
As expected, Google has announced that landing page load time will become a quality score factor in Google AdWords starting mid-June. In preparation for that launch, Google has started showing advertisers their metrics for the landing page load time for each keyword’s landing page. Here is a picture of what an okay landing page load […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web
I’m happy to formally announce that Search Engine Land has joined John Battelle’s Federated Media advertising network. Yes, we’re still selling our own advertising directly (and our team is more than happy to help!). Yes, we’re still doing our own thing editorially and are owned by our parent, Third Door Media. Partnering with FM allows […]
Wondering why Microsoft’s search isn’t being promoted on Facebook? Greg Sterling has noted this odd absence a couple of times, such as in his article today on a possible Microsoft purchase of Facebook. Others have as well. The answer is simple. Last year’s big Microsoft-Facebook ad deal didn’t include search. I asked Facebook about the […]
At one point or another, most of the big online media companies have talked about buying Facebook. Yahoo is rumored to have made an early offer of almost $1 billion for the company, which was (obviously) turned down. But as the MicroHoo discussions appeared to be deteriorating, Microsoft apparently made some formal inquiries about Facebook’s […]
The most important thing you can do when talking to an SEO client (be it your boss in your company, or a different company you consult for) is to learn how to explain SEO in the simplest terms possible. When you are dealing with a non-SEO type, use the 30 second rule: explain it clearly […]
There’s a battle going on in the floral industry, and many small, independent florists are losing. Like other small businesses, they don’t have the time or knowledge to keep up with the latest marketing trends and tactics. But there are other challenges, too. Way back in 1998, the FTC warned consumers about phony marketers pretending […]
Check this out, a search on jennifer convertibles in Google shows for Embassy of the Republic of Croatia to the USA sporting a Jennifer Convertibles stock quote feature. Yes, Google thinks that Convertibles & Croatia are the same thing, in a sense. Both the main Jennifer Convertibles result and the Croatia site have a stock […]
When it comes to search privacy, one of the biggest worries in my book has been the US government’s ability under the Patriot Act to make secret requests for information that no one can know about. Last year this was ruled unconstitutional by one judge. Today, news is out about the Internet Archive winning against […]
Yahoo has launched Glue Pages Beta in Yahoo India. Glue Pages are specialized pages that contain an enhanced visual search result page for select search queries. The search results that trigger the special “Glue Pages” run across searches in health, sports, entertainment, travel, technology, and finance categories. The Glue Pages combine classic search results on […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web
Most search marketers focus on Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. But B2B search marketers also have a growing number of vertical search options. Clicks and leads from these vertical search sites may not yield the same traffic as general search engines, but the percentage of qualified traffic and conversions can increase dramatically with leads from these […]
After Yahoo-Microsoft madness, there’s been a bit of a lull so I’m cleaning out my inbox and wanted to mention a few items that might be of interest. Below, a way to quickly search blogs & social media sites all at once, a new video search tool, a study into automatic search queries, an awesome […]
My last Search Engine Land post, In-house SEO Functionality resonated with many in-house SEOs. “Eletitor” commented on the necessity of getting the entire management team on board for in-house SEO success. Kevin Cheng mentioned the need for preparations prior to hiring any in-house SEO, as well as the bureaucratic red tape that can hinder its […]
Sprint, the troubled, third largest US wireless carrier, has been mulling a spin off or sale of Nextel and has been the subject of takeover rumors itself. It had ambitious plans to roll out a national WiMax network that had seemingly been placed on the back burner. However, today the company announced a major deal […]