Lots of companies make a good living from hardware and software GPS navigation systems. In the US carriers such as Verizon and Sprint and personal navigation device (PND) makers such as TomTom, Garmin, Magellan, among others, earn device and subscription revenues from turn-by-turn routing and directions and points of interest directories. There are a number […]
Google’s co-founder, Sergey Brin, made a surprise visit at the Web 2.0 Summit last week. The video of his 18 minute interview with John Battelle is now available on YouTube. Here it is: In summary, he talked about his thoughts on Twitter’s deal, Google’s Social Search, also a little bit about Bing and even Yahoo […]
The Google AdWords blog announced Google will begin testing a new My Client Center (MCC) this week. The new MCC will look a lot like the new AdWords interface and promises to help you manage your “clients more efficiently.” The two new features include: In-line editing of account descriptions: In-line editing cuts the time it […]
There’s a significant opportunity for marketers who take time to understand markets beyond their home territory and deploy search programs that allow them to connect directly with consumers in their native language. “In their native language” is the make or break part of succeeding in a new market, yet too many companies fail to even […]
It pains me to say it, but local search is a solved consumer problem. I’m in pain admitting this, because I’ve been trying to create better local search mousetraps since 2003. Put simply, major search engines do a good enough job of surfacing local listings and phone numbers to consumers who need a specific product […]
When “activist investor” Carl Icahn forced his way onto Yahoo’s board in the middle of last year the company was resisting a takeover attempt from Microsoft. Icahn wanted to see a deal and was trying with all his might to broker one between the two companies. He initiated a very public bid to oust Yahoo […]
Data driven anticipatory bidding can turn an ordinary holiday bump into something extraordinary. Here are some tips for how to take apart and act on the data.
Every search marketer shares one important goal: get more of the traffic you want and less of the traffic you don’t. One of the best ways to get manage your traffic quality is by focusing on keyword selection. By selecting the right keywords you can reduce the number of untargeted clicks you get, reducing your […]
There are two key factors crucial to assuring the success of any large SEM optimization process: First, tuning the campaign so that it is efficient and second, scaling the account while maintaining the efficiency you've gained. Your key goal should be to identify incremental opportunity without losing profitability.
Too much time is often spent about the new features the various major search engines roll out or the latest deals they cut. Here at Search Engine Land, we can be as guilty of that as anyone. To correct it, I’ll be spending more and more time highlighting poor quality search results that I encounter, […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Gems In The Google SEM Toolbox Already its own specialty of digital marketing and now almost 50% of all online advertising budgets, paid search has fully grown into its own channel. […]
Already its own specialty of digital marketing and now almost 50% of all online advertising budgets, paid search has fully grown into its own channel. A quick bit of research can quickly uncover a multitude of blogs, books, tools, companies, etc. all focused on the topic and within this channel, there’s even more fragmentation and […]
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.
Microsoft announced quarterly revenues of $12.9 billion, a decline of just over 14 percent from the same period a year ago. Adjusted revenue, which accounts for $1.5 billion in deferred Windows 7 receipts put the quarter at $14.4 billion, just 4 percent down vs. a year ago. Profits were also down. Online services (where Bing […]
Try as they might Yahoo is having a tough time convincing people that it’s still “in search.” On Yahoo’s earnings call earlier this week CFO Tim Morse, who led the call because CEO Carol Bartz was ill, used her analogy to describe Yahoo’s new way of positioning itself around search: The next revolution isn’t with […]
The Google Custom Search Blog announced the release of a mobile friendly Google Custom Search engine interface support for devices such as the iPhone, iPod Touch, Android and Palm Pre. Google will now automatically detect the device you are using to access the Google Custom Search Engine and serve up a mobile friendly version, when […]
The AdWords API Blog announced a new version of the v2009 API and also released a date as to when version 13 of the API will sunset. The new version of v2009, known as v200909 has many changes, but the most important include: Asynchronous calls – Asynchronous calls allow you to work with large sets […]
"These are not the droids you're looking for..." Ever wish you had this kind of Obi-Wan, Jedi power to win the resources, funding, and support required for your SEO? Continuing from my last column, here are my three "Jedi Metrics" to effectively overcome organizational resistance towards SEO. Caution: The force is strong. Use it wisely!
Do search engine optimization (SEO) professionals architect websites to match searcher mental models? The answer might surprise you.
In case you didn’t see it there was an article in the Wall Street Journal this morning that seeks to capture a kind of shift or broadening of advertisers’ attitudes toward search marketing. Formerly search was something of an island and not well integrated into wider marketing campaigns. Many search + display studies and several […]
Can you apply the spirit of social media to other marketing channels? At this year’s SMX East, after my presentation on Landing Page Usefulness—emphasizing a “usefulness” mission over “usability” tactics—it struck me: great landing pages can bring many of the ideals of social media to paid search marketing campaigns. Here are five principles of social […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Can Search Marketing Generate Emails To Local Businesses? Local businesses typically use search marketing to achieve two main objectives: getting customer calls and walk-ins. They do this by publishing their address […]
Local businesses typically use search marketing to achieve two main objectives: getting customer calls and walk-ins. They do this by publishing their address and phone number in search engines and local directories so that an interested customer can take action one way or another – by walking into a restaurant or calling a plumber for […]
Flickr, the popular photo sharing site, has added Facebook-like people tagging. The purpose behind people tagging is to easily tell people when you upload a picture that includes them. In short, it is a fun way to make your pictures more social and have discussions around your photos. Let me show you how it works. […]
Already widely reported from yesterday the Pew Internet & American Life almost 20 percent of US Internet users are on Twitter or updating their status with another social network: LinkedIn, MySpace or Facebook. According to the report: Some 19% of internet users now say they use Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves, […]
Google’s Marissa Mayer has announced at the Web 2.0 Summit that Google Social Search will be launching in the coming weeks. I’ve seen an early release of it. It’s way cool. Below, what details we have now about this plus some follow up on today’s Google-Twitter search deal that was announced. NOTE: Google Social Search […]
Matt Cutts, known as Google’s search spam tsar, recently had a hair cut. Many people from the search industry noticed Matt’s new hair cut at recent search conferences. In short, Matt lost a bet about a release date of one of Google’s products and as a consequence, had to shave the hair off his head. […]
Marissa Mayer, Google’s VP of Search Products and User Experience, is speaking today at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco. The following is a live blog of her appearance, which is scheduled less than an hour after she announced a Google/Twitter partnership to include real-time tweets in Google’s search results. This is a four-person […]
Following hot on the heels of the Bing / Twitter partnership announced earlier today, Google has now also announced that it, too, has struck a deal with Twitter to include real-time tweets in Google’s search results. “We believe that our search results and user experience will greatly benefit from the inclusion of this up-to-the-minute data, […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Live Blog: Qi Lu Speaking At Web 2.0 Microsoft’s Qi Lu announced two new partnerships today at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco. Here’s a transcript of his chat with […]
Microsoft’s Qi Lu announced two new partnerships today at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco. Here’s a transcript of his chat with Tim O’Reilly. Qi Lu I was at Yahoo for 10 years, and I always told Jerry, after 10 years I’m going to try something new. I went to Microsoft because I wanted […]
Bing new Bing Twitter Search has gone live today, made possible through a new deal cut with Twitter. Below, a close-up look at features in the new service. Bing Twitter? Bing Facebook? Bing Social Search? “Bing Twitter Search” is my name for the new service. Bing tells me officially, it’s called “Bing Twitter.” That sounds […]
AllThingsD has reported that Microsoft will announce a deal with Twitter today to gather its real time data. We’re able to confirm that from a source as well and provide some additional details. The deal will make Bing the first major search engine to have access to Twitter’s “Firehose” of tweets. It’s not exclusive, however. […]
Google is reportedly about to launch a new music service in partnership with LaLa and iLike (MySpace). — Update, October 28, 2009: This is now live. See our story, Google Music Search 2.0 Launches With Musical “OneBox” for more. — According to TechCrunch, users will access the Google music service through search: Users will be […]
By bringing search marketing in-house, a company has already made the determination that their SEO efforts are better managed internally than externally. Whatever the specific thought processes behind that decision, there are many realms where in-house SEO may offer an advantage over outsourcing of those same activities. In this sense, in-house SEO may be thought […]
As explained in my last article -- search engines can tell you a lot about your customers. Specifically I shared a few tools that enable marketers to identify buyer needs, emerging market trends, and competitive threats. Today I’ll cover another (free) tool that can help you understand your customers’ entire search process, and the best ways to capitalize on this data to improve marketing results.
If you’re not already tapping into social media, you should, as the channel offers brands tremendous opportunities to foster community and engagement. But many marketers jump into social media efforts with little more than a “cool” idea. This is a mistake. Not only could it pose serious implications for a brand, but it could also […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Yahoo Revenues Down YoY, Flat From Q2, Sees 19 Percent Decline In Search Revenues Yahoo just announced quarterly revenues of $1.575 million, which represents a 12 percent decline from the third […]
Yahoo just announced quarterly revenues of $1.575 million, which represents a 12 percent decline from the third quarter of 2008 and is basically flat vs last quarter. However the company saw a 19 percent decline in search ad revenue YoY but flat sequentially. Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz characterized Q3 as “solid” in the press release […]
Is Twitter allowing search engines access to protected tweets or not? Not, Twitter tells me, though the company probably needs to do a bit more to prevent this type of confusion in the future. The LA Times reported yesterday about a “Twitter hole” that it believed allowed Google special access to protected tweets, tweets made […]