July 2, 2009
Friday Recap - Happy Birthday USA Edition
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Good Friday to you! Okay, it's not really Friday, but for us lucky ones tomorrow is a holiday. No work means no post on Friday, so you're getting your recap early. Break out the barbecue and beach towels, and then enjoy this slightly random slice of Internet-romping, weekend-welcoming bliss.
Tomorrow morning most of us will have a chance to skip the alarm and sleep in. I'll admit I'm a little bugged by my buzzing alarm clock at six in the morning, but what if noise wasn't the only thing buggy about your clock? What if your clock actually ate bugs?! One prototype traps insects and then uses their chemically ravaged remains to keep itself ticking. Great, we've given machines a taste for flesh. This can't possibly go wrong.
In the search engine optimization industry, client communication can be the source of relationships gone wrong. SEO Todd Friesen writes about his tips for effective client communication, including how to handle bad news and how to deal with your mistakes.
How do you think Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg delivered the news to his shareholders that Twitter was a threat to be reckoned with? Maybe he didn't. Maybe he just said, "Oh Twitter? Don't you worry about Twitter. We'll just roll public microblogging into Facebook and, voila!" Yes, Facebook is looking more like Twitter these days. Meanwhile, Bing looks more like Twitter, too. Searching for some famous people's names will bring up Twitter accounts. [You know what's innovative? Being a Me Too kinda company. --Susan]
Not to turn this into the Twitter channel, but I should probably mention that Twitter changed their user interface this week. When you check out your list of followers, you can see that things look a little different. I appreciate that I can see some of a person's bio and their last tweet because it helps the vetting process go faster. Will this change -- or any change, for that matter -- squelch the fears of those who haven't yet joined the social media parade? Understandably, social media is a little creepy, you know? Like punk music.
In the video above, a comparison is made between the birth and evolution of punk music and the birth and evolution of social media. It ends with a call to action for corporate executives to get over their fear of the new medium and to listen and engage online. For some actionable recommendations on using social media for enterprise businesses, check out Mashable's how-to guide.
Remember a few years back (whoa, maybe it's more like 13 years back) when Independence Day was synonymous with Will Smith and aliens? Now that was a summer blockbuster that packed a punch. Some of that power can be traced back to the awesome visual effects -- specifically the explosions! If you're in the mood to blow up more than fireworks this weekend, check out Hollywood's best sci-fi explosions.
A number of search engines would love to shake things up online, and Wired has wrangled up a number of cool search engines that aren't Google. Most of these engines are working to fill a niche, and are handy tools in their respective specialties. The specialty of McDonald's former CMO is breathing new life into brands, and he shares his six rules for brand revitalization over at AdAge.
In light of the media frenzy following Michael Jackson's passing, it's becoming clear that the standards of journalism are changing. On-the-record attribution is no longer required to break a story, and breaking news is as likely to come from a regular citizen as from the mainstream media. So what does it take to be a citizen journalist? It really doesn't take much more than a camera, an Internet connection and good timing. YouTube Reporters Center has been launched to support citizen reporters everywhere.
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Before we call it a day, there are happy birthday wishes that need sending. It's the 125th anniversary of the Swiss Army Knife, the 30th anniversary of portable music (via the Walkman) and, now that July's here, we can start celebrating the 25th year of me! [You make me feel so old. --Susan] But Susan, really good things just get better with age!
Things I learned from Boing Boing this week:
- In an effort to prevent bribes at a Kathmandu airport, authorities have banned pockets from employee uniforms. Way to get to the root of the problem. [Makes sense. Can't take the money if you have nowhere to put the money. --Susan]
- A new species of bat has been discovered in Africa, and it's only as big as a moth! Bitty baby bats!
- One disappearing waterfall in Minnesota remains a mystery. I vote black hole.
- If it's not robots or zombies taking over, it's probably cats.
- Gotta love this video montage of moonwalk-inspiring dance masters.
Happy Independence Day!
Posted on 07/ 2/09 at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)
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July 1, 2009
Affordable SEO Education Coming Your Way
 Photo by Caitlinator |
If the sour economy has brought one good thing to fruition, it's that prices for high-quality goods and services have fallen within reach of the average Internet marketer. With the increase in free and discounted search engine optimization reports, webinars and conferences, there's also a decrease in excuses for not taking advantage of such deals.
Search Engine Land is one of the premier news sites of the search marketing industry. Search Marketing Expo - SMX is one of the must-attend conference series of the search marketing industry. Exclusive content from this power-duo of education and information could elevate your learning to another level. So what if you could get VIP access to Search Engine Land newsletters and archives, exclusive videos and podcasts from every SMX show and discounts to SMX conferences? It turns out you can, and for a price that will fit almost any budget. Now at the special offer of $149 per year, you can become a Search Engine Land Premium Member.
There are two exciting benefits that deserve a quick highlight. First, there's the video sessions from Search Marketing Expo. Video and podcast coverage of SMX conferences bring expert speakers and their presentations right to your computer screen. Premium members will also get special profiles on Search Engine Land, which come with the exclusive ability to put live hyperlinks in your comments. Not too shabby, and it can't hurt your SEO either.
You can also jump on special deals from the folks at Search Engine Strategies. Held near the home of many major players in search and technology, SES San Jose is one of the most anticipated search engine marketing conferences of the year. Coming up in August, the conference is fast approaching! Luckily, it's never been so affordable to attend. Registering to attend sessions is easy on the pocketbook when you register with the 20 percent discount code BC20. Sign up before July 24 and you'll get a $200 savings for registering early. By the way, Bruce Clay's SEO training will take place the Monday before SES San Jose. Talk about extending your conference value.
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At the end of the day, wouldn't it be nice to multiply all that dough you saved? The IM Charity Party has been a regular event at search marketing conferences, raising money for causes like Ronald McDonald House and giving marketers a noble reason to rally. The party is in need of sponsors for the San Jose shindig, and with the event having raised more than $100,000 for charities since 2007, you can be sure your donation will help out and spread the love. Because pinching pennies and sharing the wealth are both causes worth your time.
Posted on 07/ 1/09 at 12:25 PM | Comments (1)
See more entries in SEM Events, SEM Industry, Search Engine Optimization
June 30, 2009
Five Ways the Moonwalk is Like SEO
Michael Jackson's sudden passing last week catalyzed fans around the world to remember the King of Pop's awesome legacy. World's greatest entertainer, most talented performer, best-known celebrity -- these grand titles pale when compared to the outpouring of passion and love being shown by his fans. And the devotion is much-deserved; Jackson is indisputably a talent for the ages. His artful dedication to music and dance will live on through memories and, thankfully, video footage.
Memorabilia will be collected and preserved by those with deep pockets, but the rest of the world will hold on to his memory through his unique dance moves. The most-adored and most-imitated of Jackson's moves is undoubtedly the moonwalk. Through Jackson's signature moonwalk, fans may be able to forge a lasting connection with music's brightest star.
And there are other connections worth making, too. In thinking about how the moonwalk revolutionized performance art, I was struck by how, in many ways, the infamous dance move is similar to search engine optimization. Both were groundbreaking technical achievements. Both opened doors for future generations. And both are sometimes shrouded in mystery. Here are the top five ways Michael Jackson's mesmerizing moonwalk is like SEO.
1. It changed the game.
There's a universal understanding that Michael Jackson's career welcomed the dawn of a new musical age. Jackson's unique dance style, epitomized through the moonwalk, inspired countless dancers and choreographers that followed. By the time the moonwalk reached the far corners of the earth, everyone recognized that dance and entertainment would never be the same. In many ways, search engine optimization has changed the online business game. SEO introduced a measure of order and control to business owners interested in growing their online business but uncertain of how to do it. The dance world and the online business world were both shaken up by the advent of these moves.
2. The beauty is in the simplicity.
Despite the outrageous and overblown dance moves being invented today, nothing will ever quite compare to the simple beauty of a man floating backwards across the floor. Jackson wasn't hiding anything up his sleeves when he performed. He gave everything he had to the stage -- every spin, every step, every screech. If anyone was to ever attempt to capture the essence of a Michael Jackson performance, there'd be no backstage secrets to comb through. In the moonwalk, what you see is what you get: an effortless mastery of movement. In SEO, secrets are constantly chased with hopes of gaining an edge. But the truth is, the core tenets of SEO have all been shared before. There are no secrets to successfully executing SEO or the moonwalk; the answer's in front of us.
3. Everyone thinks they can do it.
When Jackson first broke out the moonwalk in front of a concert audience in 1983, you have to believe that millions watching on their TV screens at home started gliding backwards to the beat. And how many of them successfully executed the move? How many can even replicate it today without watching countless videos and practicing for hours? Likewise, the search engine optimization industry is fast expanding as people hop on the Internet marketing bandwagon. As SEO enters the mainstream, more and more people will look for their share of the pie. However, success in SEO requires time, patience and long-term dedication. Sure, experts make it look easy, but successful execution requires skill.
4. It's part of a larger whole.
Audiences watching Jackson perform would wait with bated breath for the moonwalk. Any performance would be lacking without it, but the moonwalk alone was not the reason they watched. A high-pitched "ooh!" and gloved fist punching skyward would be equally missed. If Jackson performed an exhilarating show filled with smooth, pop-and-lock moves and fresh, energetic vocals, the moonwalk was the icing on the cake. Internet marketers recognize that search engine optimization is also part of a larger whole -- the greater marketing mix. Cross-channel integration multiplies the marketing effect, so a healthy marketing budget will have a diversified selection of mediums. Whether it's choreography or the marketing mix, the moonwalk and SEO alone do not a performance/online strategy make.
5. To the uninitiated, it seems like magic.
After a few unsuccessful tries, a Jackson imitator might realize that the moonwalk is deceptive in its simplicity. In fact, it could almost be deemed impossible if it weren't displayed in all its glory in the video above. If it's not impossible, one might posit after watching a Jackson performance, then it may as well be magic. Similarly, it might seem impossible that a search marketer can get a site into the top rankings of a competitive Google SERP. But as we all know, search engine optimization practices are applied, tested and measured with scientific precision. Without background and experience, SEO might just look like magic. Then again, in Jackson's case, maybe it really was.
Posted on 06/30/09 at 4:23 PM | Comments (5)
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June 29, 2009
SEOToolSet Tool Review: Check Server Tool
SEO is not a profession for the weak-kneed. The job requires constant attention, continuous monitoring, on-demand creativity and a passion for problem solving. Thankfully, there are more than a few tools available that make the tasks of SEO go by a little quicker, if not easier.
As you may know, at Bruce Clay, Inc. we're happy to offer our SEOToolSet to search marketers looking for solutions to necessary but tedious day-to-day tasks. At SEOToolSet.com, you can learn about the various tools available, including brief descriptions of what each does. However, our tools continue to grow and mature. We're always developing new tools and improving our current tools, so we thought it would be useful to break down the use case, functionality and how-to for each tool in a series here on the blog.
First up: the Check Server Tool.
Why Check Your Server
Every Web site relies on a Web server to deliver pages to users and spiders traversing the site. When a page is requested, the server receives that request and responds with the content of that page. The page response and the content are displayed in your browser. A site couldn't function without a Web server dedicated to serving up the site when it's requested, so it's very important to the health of an online business that the Web server does what the webmaster expects it to do.
There are several tools a webmaster can use to tell a search engine spider how to react when requesting pages on your site. For instance, a robots.txt file indicates specific pages that are not intended for search engine indexing. Also, redirect commands in place for individual pages or whole domains tell the server to direct the requestor to a different location to get the content that they want. If either of these tactics are implemented incorrectly or unknowingly, a webmaster or SEO could see some unexpected results. Another problem that can be traced back to a site's server is IP blocking. Some sites reside on shared server blocks, and if a site sharing the server was caught performing spam tactics, the entire IP and all the site's that share it could be put on a blocklist.
What the Check Server Tool Checks
Understanding the behavior of a site's Web server is critical to the greater health and efficiency of the site. That's why a tool like the SEOToolSet Check Server Tool, which analyzes the status of any potential server issues, is a great help. The Check Server Tool:
- Checks a site's server for a shared IP and provides a way for you to check blocklists.
- Shows a site's robots.txt file, which reports any pages or agents that have been disallowed.
- Reports a variety of information found in the server header returned for the page, including the page status, the content type and the new location in the case that the status is a redirect.
What to Look for in the Check Server Tool Report
After you input the address of the page you'd like to analyze, you'll receive a report. The top of the report has a table that offers a quick overview of important results.
You can see what page has been analyzed, as well as the overall domain and the specific file where the page resides. Below that, the IP address is listed, as well as the result of pinging the page. A successful ping indicates the site is active and online. Under that you'll see whether or not that page has been disallowed for search engine indexing or if any agent has been disallowed from visiting the site. In the case seen above, this page is closed to anyone and everyone for indexing.
The next part of the report is the server response header. When a user or spider requests a Web page, the server sends a response with the page contents. The header of that response tells the browser or spider how to behave for that page. Understandably, it's important to know how your server tells browsers and spiders to behave on your page.
In this example, you can see that the server returned a "200 OK" status for the page, which means the request for the page succeeded. There are many other Server Response Codes (SRC) that can be returned, and some of them will alert you to a problem. For instance, a 404 means that a page cannot be found. A 403 indicates that the page requires a login and a password before it is served back to the browser. A 500 signals that the site's Web server has performed an error. An SRC in the 300s means that a redirection is in place.
At the end of the Check Server Tool report are three sections. The first is called "Contents from Spider Page Read", the next is "Contents from Request Page Read", and the last is "Contents from Browser Page Get". Here is what the first section looks like in my report:
The two sections that follow look exactly alike except for the title of each -- and this is the ideal result. These three sections are reported to show the results of different request types from your server; the Check Server Tool uses a request from a spider, a raw HTTP request and a request from a browser. If one of the three sections is different than the others, then the search engine spider may be indexing the wrong content.
So that's the Check Server Tool, along with how and why you'd use it. We'll be adding to this series of tool guides with more explanations of current tools, as well as the how-tos of new tools as they're launched.
Posted on 06/29/09 at 2:16 PM | Comments (0)
See more entries in SEO Tools, Search Engine Optimization
June 26, 2009
Friday Recap - Robo Edition
Welcome to your favorite part of the week -- the weekend! Or is your favorite part the Friday Recap? After the week you had, you deserve them both, so let's get this thing started!
The second Transformers movie was released Wednesday and the harsh reviews are getting almost as much buzz as the movie itself. Susan contends that there weren't enough giant robots in the original. Let's see if the sequel brings on the robots, because you dig giant robots. I dig giant robots. We dig giant robots. Chicks dig giant robots. Nice. [True story: This clip was actual facts my review of the first movie. --Susan]
Big news in the blogosphere this week. The FTC is moving forward to approve new guidelines regarding bloggers, sponsored blog reviews and the disclosure of blogger compensation. The guidelines take aim at the freebies and payoffs some bloggers receive in exchange for product reviews or mentions -- a conflict of interest which often remains undisclosed to blog readers. If the guidelines are passed, bloggers would be required to spell out any financial compensation received. Those interested may read the FTC's proposed guidelines and changes in Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (pdf).
Some SEOs will be glad to see the new guidelines instituted considering a debate has long raged over the search engines' uneven enforcement of paid link penalties. The argument's been made that while some bloggers reap benefits of free cars and swag in exchange for links or product reviews, SEOs get slapped for omitting nofollow on paid links. Power tweeter Guy Kawasaki is sometimes used an example of a blogger fat on freebies, but earlier this week, Guy's Twitter account was hacked, reminding tweeters that no one's safe from malicious attacks online.
Lately Twitter has been greenwashed with vert-colored avatars intended to support democracy in Iran. Some have called such actions "armchair activism", and while I believe raising awareness is valuable, the Next Web has rounded up some other ways people can positively contribute to the cause.
Facebook became a little more like Twitter this week by opening user status updates to the public realm. Beta testers are currently trying out the program, which will let users specify whether select groups of friends or the entire Web will be able to view status info. Facebook users will appreciate the new option for flexibility, but everyone can enjoy the flexibility of these three ladies who make contortion look like a flippin' good time. [Why don't they make movies like that anymore? --Susan]
 Photo by Ewen and Donabel |
Steering back to the topic of blogs, I got a kick out of a collection of word clouds from a few popular Internet marketing blogs. I've used Wordle to make word clouds for some of my favorite search engine optimization blogs, but I've never looked at the clouds side by side. I think it's useful to see if you're actually talking about the content you think you're talking about. So who wins the exercise? My vote goes to David Mihm, whose word cloud shows just how topical the blog is to his core interest, local search.
Another favorite search-related blogger is Google's head of Web spam Matt Cutts. But Matt doesn't talk only about search and SEO on his blog. In fact, this week he's inviting readers to vote for his next 30-day project. "Bike to work" is currently in first with 25 percent of the vote. Want to chime in on what Matt should do?
The Semantic Technology Conference was held in San Jose last week and there's since been some helpful analysis offered up by attendees. While I hear a lot about how semantic technology will improve the quality of Web search, I'll admit that I'm still fuzzy on how such technology actually works. Dr. Riza Berkan, CEO of the natural language processing search engine Hakia, wrote a great primer on semantic search by clearing up what semantic technology is not. Sean Golliher, founder and publisher of SEMJ.org, explained the benefit of structured markup and its effect on search and the developer community.
 Photo by atp_tyreseus |
I think we can all agree that some very sharp minds are working on the problems of semantic technology. And robots. Smart people make robots, like one robot intelligence researcher and professor who built his twin to stand in and speak for him in class.
Speaking of freaky plastic people, how does everyone feel about the Burger King ads? BK's stream of odd ads has received awards for being edgy and creative, but apparently edgy and creative doesn't sell burgers. In the five years since ad agency Crispin Porter Bogusky has been in charge, Burger King's market share fell and annual sales grew at a pace slower than that of competitor McDonald's. Why people don't find a plastic-faced meat hawker appetizing I may never understand.
Rest in peace, Ed, Farrah and Michael.
Things I learned from Boing Boing this week:
- I know some people must think my choice of pet is a little odd, but one man's pet capybara helped me put things is perspective. [Come Lent, he'll also have an alternative to fish on Fridays. (No, really, look it up.) --Susan]
- Humans seem to have a preference for listening with the right ear. No joke. It's just weird.
- Virgin America and Google teamed up for Wednesday's Day in the Clouds competition. Find out how sky-high smarties played the game.
- What do you call a starfish having sex with a shrimp on tape? A prawnstar! Sorry, China, but you won't remember tomorrow anyway.
Posted on 06/26/09 at 12:24 PM | Comments (1)
See more entries in Blogging, Fun Stuff, Search Engine Optimization, Semantic Search, Social Media
June 24, 2009
Microsoft the Underdog
If I asked you 10 years ago "Who is the bully, the giant, the dominant force of the tech world?" what would you have said?
You would have said Microsoft without missing a beat.
If I were to ask you that same question today what would your answer be? Google, anyone?
Certainly Microsoft's no wimp, but over the last decade, Bill Gates's aging technology corporation has been relegated to second-fiddle as Google now boasts the title of reigning tech titan. When the pinnacle of technology revolved around computer operating systems and software, no one could touch Microsoft. Once the Internet became the center of attention, Google was there to pick up the baton. And faster than anyone noticed, Microsoft went from being considered a power-hungry tyrant to a sympathy-inducing runner-up in the search game. Oddly enough, this could work in Microsoft's favor.
Have you ever rooted for the underdog just because they're the underdog? In sports, I do it all the time. There are few sports I follow fanatically (Actually, make that one sport: hockey. Those dudes got mad skillz. [Go Ducks! --Susan]) but when championships or tournaments come around, I have two questions I use to decide what team I'll cheer for. Here's a fancy-pants diagram of my decision making process:
Okay, I had way too much fun drawing that diagram so I sure hope it makes a point. There's something about the long shot that sparks the American psyche. Yes, America loves a winner, but America loves the underdog, too. Maybe it comes back to the reason this country was founded: giving an opportunity to those who might otherwise have no chance. Whatever the reason, I think it's a phenomenon worth identifying and observing in the search realm.
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Microsoft's former search product, Live Search, sat near the bottom of the search engine totem poll right up until last month. Fast forward to this month, when I hear little beside praise for Bing. Users are happy with the improved results and interface and advertisers are happy with the results they're seeing from Bing as well.
Microsoft paired its opportunity as a sympathetic dark horse with a blitz of an ad campaign and a fresh new brand and, what do you know, Bing is looking much more active than its predecessor. While Microsoft may never have wanted to find itself out of the top spot, if they can swing popular opinion thanks to underdog-driven sympathy, we may eventually see a more even search playing field sooner than anyone expected.
[I think it's short lived goodwill. Microsoft's tried this tack before. They were the scrappy underdog back when I was the regular blogger. (Blog posts were much shorter back then.) --Susan] Thanks for making mine a little longer and a little smarter, Susan. :)
Posted on 06/24/09 at 4:55 PM | Comments (6)
See more entries in Branding, Live Search, Microsoft, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engines
June 23, 2009
A Corporate Blogger's Starter Guide
A few week's back, Lisa Barone penned a post on Outspoken Media, seductively titled Why I Hate Bloggers. She makes a point most can relate to: there are more blogs that you don't read than those you do read. It's funny hearing the message come from a renowned blogger -- an entertaining, educational, well-respected one, at that -- but we all know where she's coming from.
 Photo by sa'xic via Creative Commons |
The advent of blogging has brought on a pretty significant shift in the way people communicate and, with its growing popularity, has attracted all kinds to the blogging arena. As expected, some blog content is more appreciated by a general readership than other blog content. But from personal experience, I believe that almost every would-be blogger has thoughts and ideas worth sharing. Likewise, many businesses would benefit by communicating important news and events through an informal medium that invites engagement, like a blog. The key is figuring out how to communicate in a way an audience will embrace.
Over the years, Bruce Clay, Inc. bloggers have written pretty extensively about corporate blogging here on the BC blog. In fact, today I was messing around with some of the categories used on the blog and I realized there's a veritable treasure trove of corporate blogging resources hidden within the archives. It's about time some of those posts saw the light of day again, so I've rounded some of them up to bring you a fast-and-sweet starter guide for corporate blogging.
Why Blog?
Corporate Blogging Isn't About the Media: Who says traditional companies shouldn't have blogs? To the contrary, Lisa explains that if a company doesn't know how to share their message through online media, they might as well quit already. A company should blog, not for media attention, but rather, to engage customers: "The sooner you realize that your corporate blog isn't about you or your company or the media and that it's about your audience, the greater your blogger experience is going to be." Traditional companies that are afraid of entering the blogosphere should realize that the Web isn't going anywhere any time soon and that opportunities online abound.
The State of Blogging
A Report on Blogging: Last September, Technorati published a series that analyzed trends and themes of blogging and surveyed the effect of blogging and blogs. There are almost a million new posts published every day, proving that the medium has gone mainstream. Already, new channels are springing up to be the next big thing and blogging is a widely-accepted and relatively-understood communication medium. Blogging has proven profitable for some, and the medium continues to evolve.
Finding Content Ideas
Don't Be Popular. Be Useful.: It's often tempting to pay attention to metrics that illustrate the popularity of blog posts through stats like retweets or page views. But focusing solely on visibility can get you to take your eye off the prize -- providing something valuable and useful to readers. Of course you want to author a must-read blog, but you'll achieve that by giving readers something unique or previously unknown.
Finding Your Blogger Voice
Can You Be A Corporate Blogger Without Losing Yourself?: Any corporate blogger may eventually face a time when his or her opinion conflicts with the organization's stance. It can be a challenge to keep a balance between supporting the company and maintaining personal authenticity. But organizations that completely marginalize dissenting opinions are in danger of losing their audience's trust. There's little harm in mentioning different view points because it makes the organization look open to diversity and even gives the company a chance to argue their opinion as well. In the end, it helps when the blogger and the company hold many of the same values and goals.
Using Blogging for Reputation Management
Using Your Blog To Keep Fires on Your Own Site: No matter how hard you try to avoid it, some disgruntled customer is going to flame your company online. Understandably, online reputation management is a growing industry, as well as a growing priority for many businesses. A blog is a convenient tool that can help companies stay informed of and contribute to conversations. A blog is a great place to announce possible concerns, new procedures and technical difficulties, among other reputation nightmares. By addressing your audience up front, you can gain trust and maintain some measure of control in the discussion.
Tips for Liveblogging
A Guide for Liveblogging a Search Conference: A veteran liveblogger, Lisa shares her tips for the real-time, on-the-road blogging style known as liveblogging. Don't forget to bring your hardware, plan your topics ahead of time, claim a good spot near a power outlet, turn on your best focusing power, and don't drive yourself too crazy with editing.
Posted on 06/23/09 at 5:29 PM | Comments (3)
See more entries in Blogging, New Media, Reputation Management, SEO Tips & Tricks
June 22, 2009
Has the Wild West Web Reached the End of the Line?
 Photo from freeparking via Creative Commons |
In any society there are rules that govern the citizens. Many of the rules we follow in our communities today are explicit, spelled out in the form of laws or regulations. Others are implicit, coming out of necessity and an understanding of social norms, such as etiquette. Explicit rules are often formed as a reaction to events that have already taken place. For instance, a new law may prohibit acts that, through the hindsight of past events, are recognized as potentially harmful or damaging.
It's long been believed that the Web is a land of lawlessness, notoriously hard to police, and comprised of communities inclined to do what they want without concern for rules. Over the last 20 years the Web has evolved from a small, undeveloped infant to a rebellious youth testing his limits. In many cases, the Web is governed by implicit rules, such as netiquette, while explicit rules are slowly finding their way onto the books. A parallel has been drawn between the Web and the American Wild West of the 1800s -- a time when citizens knew better than to rely on those in uniform to protect them from the corrupt and the codeless. I've heard the Web referred to as the realm of cowboys and bandits on blogs, in articles and at search conferences, and it's been a pretty reliable analogy in that time. Even the common "white hat", "black hat" terminology has its roots in the Hollywood heyday of Western films. But is it possible that the Web has reached a new era of liability and law?
 Photo from anyjazz65 via Creative Commons |
At Search Engine Watch, online marketing expert Frank Watson wrote a thought-provoking piece last week called The Web's Wild West Days Are Gone. Frank points to evidence that the Internet is moving toward a more explicit model of governance. Close to home, we've seen legislation on behaviorally targeted ads, appointment of the U.S.'s first tech czar, and antitrust filings against search engine monopolies, to name a few examples. Abroad, we've watched the U.K. publish an Internet action plan, South Korea pass legislation regulating comments on YouTube, and the Iranian and Chinese governments control content via state-run ISPs.
Certainly there have been many earnest attempts to regulate what is made available online and what is accessible online, but I'm not convinced we've reached a time of law, enforcement and personal responsibility. Despite the best efforts of lawmakers at home and abroad, I see at least a few more obstacles that will need to be overcome before the Web transcends the Wild West. One significant challenge is that the Web is a global phenomenon, hard to subject to local or even national laws. This was pointed out by commenter ProfJonathan on Frank's article:
The challenges have been figuring out which law(s) apply, and how to enforce them. [...] the biggest challenge remains the borderless nature of the Internet and the conflicting legal regimes it crosses; a true international "Law of the Net" is clearly needed.
Additionally, lawmakers face a challenge in their lack of understanding. Remember when the National Association of Realtors (NAR) tried to convince their members that Google was a scraper site? Due to a technical misunderstanding and some convoluted assumptions, the NAR almost took their members' sites out of the search game entirely. If the organization had followed through and established the guideline, real estate professionals would likely be hurting more than they already are.
In the end, we find that laws which aren't grounded in understanding end up to be poorly written and ineffectively enforced. Any judgments that come out of such rules or legislation can hold no weight. Furthermore, laws that reach beyond their jurisdiction can hold no sway, and it's a global Web we're working in today. Until understanding and global enforcement are attained, I expect to see a familiar and untamed Web in the immediate future.
Posted on 06/22/09 at 4:56 PM | Comments (1)
See more entries in International, SEM Industry
June 19, 2009
Friday Recap - Shock and Awe Edition
Happy Friday and happy early Father's Day! I bet there are a few techie dads expecting this week's must-have gadget, the iPhone 3GS, to find its way into their eager hands by Sunday. Am I right? I'm sure you've all come across lots of stories about the new iPhone device and software, covering a variety of angles, but woot.com took the cake this week with 12 bugs in the iPhone OS 3.0.
 Photo by Inchka via Creative Commons |
Speaking of bugs, one of the most circulated videos of the week showed U.S. President Barack Obama execute a fly during an interview. In an impressive feat of hand-eye coordination, the president smacked the pest when it landed on his arm. Less than impressed were our wily friends at PETA. All together now: Oh, PETA.
Twitter has been playing a significant role in the continuing developments following the election in Iran last week. While the Iranian government has reportedly taken steps to control Internet access and media coverage, citizen journalists are vigilantly reporting news via Twitter, which Time has dubbed the medium of the movement. Google is now offering a tool that will translate text from Farsi into English and vice versa to help those following the story.
Meanwhile in Holland, a couple bad guys have been caught red handed thanks to pictures taken by a Google Maps Street View car. A teenager who had been robbed by two men last year discovered pictures on Google Maps taken just moments before the attack. Thanks to the images, police found the alleged muggers. Google, please accept this gold star. You earned it.
 Photo by Larsz via Creative Commons |
Oh, Google? I'm going to need that star back when you get a chance. It looks like you've been a bit naughty lately. Or at the very least, you've been making a few enemies in the SEO community. On the aimClear blog there's a thoughtful post about how Google's unannounced change to nofollow last year has diminished marketers' trust. The dominant search engine is also getting flack for offering artists "exposure" instead of payment in exchange for works of art. With $1.4 billion in profits in just the first quarter of 2009, we can assume Google's frugal offer isn't due to an aching bank account.
In more favorable news, TechCrunch reports that Google will soon launch Flipper, which presents news results through an interactive visual display. One story coming out of Google that I may never understand was reported by The Next Web this week. As a promotion for Chrome, Google employees made a video of man-on-the-street interviews where random passersby in New York City answer the question "What is a browser?" I won't lie. I was shocked. Kinda like you'll be after you watch these videos of people doing amazing things with their voices. Carayzee cool.
 Photo by Jeffrey Beall via Creative Commons |
Has the Internet eroded family time? The findings of one survey suggest it's so. More than a quarter of participants said they have spent less time with their family in the last year -- a trend that parallels an increase of time spent on social networks. At Search Engine Land, usability expert Kim Krause Berg examines the impact of the Internet on human behavior, examining fatigue factors, mobile Web access, and the info overload effect.
Amazon affiliates in North Carolina got a shock this week as the retail giant announced it may be shutting down their N.C. program because of new tax laws. Affiliates will have to find new means of income. I hear there's a rising market for doggie exercise videos. (That's a giggle-tastic video of a pup doing squats and it's really too good to miss.)
Finally, a few announcements to make before signing off. I'd like to wish the best of luck to Rebecca Kelley, who bid farewell to SEOmoz today in pursuit of new adventures. Luckily, the SEO community can get their Rebecca fix from her new blog, Fresh Edge Media. In social media announcements, nominations are now being accepted by the SAMMY Awards, honoring excellence in social media marketing. And while the next Search Engine Strategies conference is still many moons away, on July 8 the good people at SES are presenting a webinar with Charlene Li on integrating social media into any business.
Things I learned from Boing Boing this week:
- A 10-year-old's final wish to see Up was granted thanks to some good people. I recommend clicking through to the OC Register for a moving and heartwarming story.
- Hummingbirds are the world's gnarliest daredevils, diving at speeds that are comparatively faster than a space shuttle.
- A colony of the world's rarest insect, thought to be extinct, has miraculously been found on an isolated volcanic island.
- In the art of writing employee handbooks, no detail is too insignificant. City workers in a Florida town have just been ordered to wear underwear and cover open wounds. I'm thinking this is a good thing.
Posted on 06/19/09 at 4:41 PM | Comments (0)
See more entries in Fun Stuff
June 18, 2009
Ask Boasts 300 Million Q&As
Congrats, Ask! Yesterday Ask announced that its Q&A database has reached 300 million question-and-answer pairs -- tripling in size since the feature first launched in the redesigned engine last October. Thanks to some nifty semantic technology, Ask's Q&A format comes in handy considering the number of question-like queries the search engine gets.
According to ZDNet's liveblog coverage of this week's Semantic Technology Conference in San Jose, Tomasz Imielinski, EVP, global Search & Answers of Ask.com, said:
"We receive about three times as many questions as other search companies. We want to answer questions the best we can from multiple sources... using structured and unstructured data."
Reply to a question with an answer? Makes perfect sense! And judging by the number of search alternatives entering the ring these days -- I'm talkin' 'bout you, Wolfie and Hunch -- and the top-tier engines' attempts to distance themselves from 10 blue links, it appears that tech execs perceive an opportunity to serve up results in new ways.
A year ago, Hitwise data showed that Q&A site traffic grew 118 percent in the previous 12 months. "Online users are increasingly seeking advice from question and answer websites that leverage shared knowledge contributed across a community of experts and enthusiasts," said research director Heather Dougherty. "The popularity of user generated media has helped to establish a category for social knowledge where consumers can obtain answers from a single aggregated source developed through others asking similar questions."
But, as Search Engine Watch points out in their coverage of this story, searching on answer sites can be frustrating because of "redundancies and spam and bad information." What distinguishes Ask from this group is its semantic search technology that effectively clusters, rephrases and analyzes relevance in order to find the most meaningful and appropriate answers.
One interesting question that's been raised in the wake of Ask's announcement is: "How dissatisfied is the average user with search?" During the Semantic Search Roundtable at SemTech Con, moderator Carla Thompson asked the panelists why search had to change. As expected, all the search engine representatives had on-message responses that aligned to their organization's strengths. But Ask's Imielinski got right to the point: "When they see it, they will want it."
I'm a big fan of Ask, and it's been fascinating to watch the engine continue to chase innovation and the new frontiers of search. But what do you think about Ask's expanding Q&A database? Has Ask set expectations for semantic search too high? Is Q&A useful to the average user? Will Ask be changing their tune in six months? It's another one of those time-will-tell scenarios, but what do you see materializing in the old crystal ball?
Posted on 06/18/09 at 1:54 PM | Comments (0)
See more entries in Ask, Semantic Search
June 17, 2009
SEM Synergy Extras - Bing-o!
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This week's episode of SEM Synergy focuses on Microsoft's new search engine, Bing. Bing director Stefan Weitz was today's guest. He shared some great insider info on how Bing intends to draw more users and how Bing's a boon to search marketers. It was great to have a real, live Bing rep on the show and I hope you'll check out the interview, which starts around the 10 minute mark of the show. There's a new engine in town, after all. Are my IM peeps ready?
According to a comScore report of Bing's week two results, Bing is showing steady growth in search activity. The now-retired Live Search saw a 9.1 percent search share during its final week. A nascent Bing saw an 11.3 percent share in its first week and 12.1 percent the following week. Microsoft's search penetration saw a similar incline over the last three week's, while the number of queries per user trended downward for Bing.
Speculation is circulating over the cause of the latter, with two opposing theories taking shape. Some suggest that a low number of queries per user could be the result of users finding what they're looking for in fewer searches. Others think the low number of queries per user reflects user abandonment. This fact is leading those analysts to the conclusion that searchers are giving Bing a try, but loyalties have not yet been swayed. Support for this hypothesis comes in the form of Compete data that shows an uptick in Bing searches has not been paired with a decline in Yahoo and Google's search share.
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As for paid search, it looks like Bing saw an 8 percent jump in the number of search ads clicked. A peek at an eye tracking study by User Centric shows where user attention is focused on a Bing SERP. And would you look at that? Forty-two percent of Bing users are checking out right-rail ads, compared to 25 percent on Google. It may still be too early to know how success in the search advertising game could affect Microsoft's pursuit of an ad deal with Yahoo, but some have already reduced their expectations that such a deal will take place.
So, we know that users and advertisers are showing interest in Bing, but how has the SEO community responded? Bing has shown encouraging support for webmasters and the SEO community, recently publishing a white paper, Bing: New Features Relevant to Webmasters. In it, readers learn about non-standard results, changes to the categorization and presentation of results in SERPs, as well as info on MSNBot, Webmaster Center and what SEOs need to do to optimize for Bing.
Some say Google's got cause for concern and others think Bing's popularity's a blip, but does anyone else smell a new engine to get excited about?
Posted on 06/17/09 at 5:01 PM | Comments (0)
See more entries in Microsoft, SEM Synergy, Search Engines
June 16, 2009
Nofollow on Your Site Will Not Cause It to Explode
 Photo from Matt Cutts's blog |
"Nofollow is dead!"
"Your PageRank can't be directed and if you try you'll be penalized!"
"Ceiling Matt is watching your site funnel PageRank!"
It started at SMX, when Matt Cutts said that nofollow wouldn't pass PageRank like it used to. Then the plot thickened when Matt posted an update aimed at clarifying some of the questions that have been swirling for the last couple of weeks. Virginia's got the facts over in this month's feature article, Matt Cutts on Nofollow and the Siloing Solution. I'm not going to rehash them here so I recommend you read at least that before we go on.
Go on. I'll wait.
Back now? Good. Now, I know that everything is really confusing right now and you're desperate to do something, anything, before you lose your shirt in the horrible, devastating wake of this nofollow change. Maybe you have clients beating down your door and they're out for blood because they've heard that if there are any nofollow links on their site, the seas will turn red with blood and apocalypse shall begin. Or maybe you're the client and you're worried that your SEO company has implemented things on your site that now are going to harm your bottom line. Okay, everyone just sit down for a minute and take a deep breath. It's going to be okay.
There's a lot of discussion going on over at Matt's entry regarding this topic. I particularly liked this reminder from Rae Hoffman: "1. SEO tactics can always change regardless of who first endorses them and 2. Not everything Matt says is etched in stone."
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The conversation on this is by no means over and the smart marketer won't jump to conclusions about it. I know this isn't the sexy solution. I know the cool thing to do is rail at Google for making all our lives harder, for adding confusion with each attempt to clarify. If I were really part of the cool kids, I'd probably come up with a really awesome conspiracy theory, but alas, I'm not cool.
It's fun to get all excited and fired up but if it's not going to help our clients, well, in the end, what's the point? So I get to be the stick in the mud who waves the caution and risk-avoidance flag again. What are you going to do about nofollow? Well, right now, you're not going to do anything.
If you're feeling a little weak in the knees and you're having visions of rankings plummeting, don't panic. Here's what I want you to do. First, stock up on some Ben & Jerry's. That part is key. Next, I want you to repeat after me:
Dear [Insert your client here. If you're the client, ensure that your SEO has this stance.],
I'm your SEO and you hired me because you trust me to stay on top of the search industry and to apply my brain to the information I find there. As a result, we've developed a strategy for your site that is focused on long-term goals and not knee-jerk reactions. Therefore, I'm not going to change anything about that strategy at the moment with regards to nofollow. I will monitor the forums, blogs and industry news sources in order to stay informed and once the message has stopped changing and the real effects of Google's statements becomes clear, I will take the appropriate steps.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name here]
Now I want you to get out the ice cream and think calm thoughts. If you absolutely must do something right now about your SEO campaigns, go do some link building. Pound for pound, a good solid backlink will do a lot more for you than obsessing over leaked PageRank to your privacy page.
Posted on 06/16/09 at 5:27 PM | Comments (5)
See more entries in Google, Search Engine Optimization
June 15, 2009
Audio of Matt Cutts's Nofollow Comments in Today's SEO Newsletter
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It's the 15th of the month and we just published the latest edition of the SEO Newsletter. Subscribers can expect to find the fresh new newsletter in their inboxes tomorrow, and the Web version is available now. Here's a quick preview of the exciting stories you'll find.
This month's Back to Basics article offers up seven tips on SEO for nonprofit organizations. While basic optimization strategy is the same for both nonprofit and for-profit sites, there are some additional opportunities available to nonprofit organizations. Included in the article is info on Google Grants, the YouTube Nonprofit Program and how to get your hands on free accounts and software.
Meanwhile, the Feature article should help eliminate some of the confusion over what Matt Cutts said at SMX Advanced regarding nofollow-based PageRank sculpting. Throughout the article there are embedded clips from the SMX Advanced You&A with Matt Cutts. Questions about Matt's exact words and intent are addressed with direct quotes from Matt and expert analysis from Bruce. Care for a taste?
Matt Cutts on PR Sculpting and NofollowQuestion: Matt, previously you seemed to support PageRank sculpting and it seems to me that is not something that you're supporting or not going to use anymore. Why is that, and is that going to be considered a negative indicator? Matt Cutts: No, definitely not. Don't think about it like... It's your site. However you want to do the links within your site, you're welcome to do. What I'm trying to communicate, and what Maile and Nathan and a lot of people have been communicating -- in fact, if you look at the nofollow page that we've put up on our webmaster help documentation, we say, you can use it to eliminate links to sign-in pages and things like that, but it's a far better use of your time to have information architecture, or a site architecture, that makes it so that the pages that you want to have PageRank, the pages you want to be crawled, are fairly close in terms of number of links from, say, the root of your site.
From this quote we can gather that:
- The behavior of the nofollow attribute has changed, and Matt later says "the behavior could change in the future."
- Nofollow-based PageRank sculpting is not the most efficient use of an SEO's time.
- The nofollow link element is not a negative indicator for Google.
- The nofollow link element can be used to cut off PageRank flow to pages you don't want to rank.
- The best kind of PageRank management occurs when a site's architecture directs PageRank to intended pages.
The full article includes four more clips of Matt during the You&A. It also includes Bruce's recommendations for the selective use of nofollow, as well as info on a site architecture solution that manages the flow of PageRank. It's called siloing. Maybe you've heard of it?
All kidding aside, there's still time to sign up for the email version of the newsletter before it hits inboxes Tuesday. The newsletter sign-up form is in the right rail on this very page. Or, just click through to the SEO Newsletter from the links in this post. Either way, we think you'll be glad you did.
Posted on 06/15/09 at 4:44 PM | Comments (4)
See more entries in Google, Linking Strategy, SEM Industry, SEO Tips & Tricks
June 12, 2009
Friday Recap - Shoot for the Stars Edition
 Photo by Lee Carson via Creative Commons |
Who hasn't made time for their TGIF chair dance? It's okay, I'm not judging. It's just that I know how hard you work, and sometimes you gotta make some time for yourself, you know? On three, let's tap our toes, wiggle our hips, point our fingers in the air and create a little doo-wop moment. One, two, three... Happy dance!
Ahh. That's better. Now we can take a look at some of this week's neat news.
The SEO Newsletter comes out Monday and if you're not already subscribed, there's no time like the present. See the form in the blog's right-hand nav that says "Subscribe to our SEO Newsletter"? Yeah, it's that easy. If you're the type that needs convincing, here's a quick teaser: wonder no more what Matt Cutts really said regarding PR sculpting with nofollow.
Tonight at midnight Eastern, Facebook will put vanity URLs up for grabs. Profiles and pages are both eligible for custom addresses, although every page or profile is only allowed one each and there are restrictions on length and character usage. The social media wizards at 10e20 have put together a helpful preparation guide that includes eligibility requirements. According to Mashable's sources, fan pages with less than a thousand followers can claim a custom URL after June 28. [Face it, it's not like you're doing anything else on date night, right? --Susan]
 Photo by Srini G via Creative Commons |
It's always impressive when a company captures a bit of viral video magic, considering how rare this hallowed rite of online marketing truly is. Carl's Jr.'s latest campaign has amassed more than 3 million video views. Of course it helps that the video for the mushroom burger features such a fungi. (Ah, I crack myself up!) [Rimshot --Susan] If you're looking to get into the online video space, check out ReelSEO's list of tools that let you upload videos to multiple video sharing sites. Both paid and free tools make the list, so whatever your budget, it's worth checking out.
The release of the iPhone 3GS was announced this week. Gadget lovers are understandably excited, but the shiny new toy could have marketers smiling, too. AdAge has listed features of the new smartphone, explaining how marketers can leverage each technology. If you're more of an RIM fan, you can snag a free BlackBerry before the deal ends Sunday. This is one seriously awesome offer. [Having bought my 8900 when it came out four months ago, I now know how iPhone owners feel. And I don't like it. --Susan]
FYI: I have not been bribed to write about the above products. If I had, the FTC would come after me, and I'm not looking to get on any federal agencies' bad side. If you do find yourself in dire straits with the authorities, take a deep breath. I hear it's pretty easy to get a pass from the Commander in Chief. Tellingly, comic book writers have translated the President's inner superhero into pen and ink, and Comicbook.com thinks a few other celebs might have what it takes as well.
 Photo by chrs_snll via Creative Commons |
Unfortunately, even the POTUS can't save us from an otherworldly threat. In a billion years, when Mars or Venus decide to stop by for a visit and inadvertently smash Earth to smithereens, I have a feeling I might not make it. One teen got a small-scale preview of the action when he was hit by a pea-sized meteorite. It left him with a scar and the absolute coolest story ever.
In the Googleverse, updates and releases are raining down faster than comets. Last week we read Search Engine Watch's super-sized list of Google updates, and this week we get a list of nine more. Links to more info on reconsideration request updates, the new mobile iGoogle, and the updated Webmaster Tools interface -- they're all there.
Before we part ways, I just want to cheer us all on as we enter a new age. An age where "Web 2.0" is the one millionth word to enter the English language. Does anyone else see good times on the horizon?
Things I learned from Boing Boing this week:
- Is your goat bored? Unmotivated? Has the old sparkle left his eyes? Build him a goat tower!
- Next time don't skip lunch. Instead, warm up some beans with your computer. Appetizing. [Yum yum fail. --Susan]
- As soon as some evidence of extraterrestrial life surfaces, the kids go and burn it.
- Sure the bird can dance, but can it head bang with a gusto that would put Judas Priest to shame? Uh... that's a yes!
Posted on 06/12/09 at 4:03 PM | Comments (1)
See more entries in Fun Stuff
June 11, 2009
Don't Let Shortcuts Create Bad Habits
 Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography via Creative Commons |
Google's getting pats on the back for a new tool that lets webmasters tell the search engine when a site's been moved to a new domain. According to Google's Webmasters/Site owners Help documentation, if you use the change of address tool, the Google index will be updated to reflect your new domain for 180 days. Before those 180 days are up, Googlebot will have come by to crawl and index pages at the new domain and -- voila! -- your new site will be forever present in the only search engine that matters. [Yay! --Susan]
It's great to hear that at least one task is being simplified for overloaded SEOs, but Google's convenient shortcut may have some unintended consequences. First of all, Google's not the only search engine. Submitting your new domain through Google's handy new tool is not going to affect the index of engines like Yahoo, Bing and Ask. (Rocket scientist here, I know.)
And second, while Google may be the big guy on campus today, that may not be the case tomorrow. Taking shortcuts can have a nasty habit of coming back to bite you. Just because Google's created an easy domain-change-submission process, that shouldn't be an excuse to ignore your responsibilities in optimizing a site for all the engines. After all, we're talking about search engine optimization and not Google optimization. Although, GO would be a pretty catchy title...
Anyway, if you catch my drift and you want to make sure your new site's sitting pretty with more than just Big G, check out this simple instructional on what to do after you've moved your site.
What to Do After Moving a Site
We recommend that all Web sites include an XML Sitemap. XML Sitemaps are used by search engines to find all the pages on a site. More information on XML Sitemaps guidelines and what XML Sitemaps are used for can be found in the SEO Newsletter archives. XML Sitemaps can be generated at http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/.
With your new site chilling until the search engines stop by, you'll want to submit the new domain's XML Sitemap to each engine according to its specific procedures. Now that I've explained what to do, here's the how.
| Search Engine | What to Do | Submission Instructions |
| Ask | Ask does not have an XML Sitemap submission protocol. Instead, add the sitemap auto-discovery directive to the old site's robots.txt. | Ask Help Central |
| AOL | AOL uses Google's index, so follow Google's XML Sitemap submission protocol. | Refer to the Search Engine Relationship Chart |
| Bing | From Bing Webmaster Tools, select add new site, submit details of the site, including the address of the XML Sitemap, and verify the site with one of two available methods. | Bing Webmaster Tools |
| In Google Webmaster Tools, add the new site by entering the URL and verifying ownership. Submit the new site's XML Sitemap. You can also use Google's new change address tool. | Google Webmaster Tools | |
| Yahoo | Add your new site and authenticate your ownership. Upload the new XML Sitemap. | Yahoo Site Explorer |
Posted on 06/11/09 at 5:35 PM | Comments (3)
See more entries in AOL, Ask, Google, Live Search, Search Engines, Yahoo
June 10, 2009
Rank Top Inbound Marketing Tactics by Trust - SEM Synergy Extras
It wasn't long ago that the outbound marketing methods were a marketer's only option. Traditional push marketing involves getting your message in front of your target audience, whether or not they're looking for it. TV ads, print ads and cold calling are all examples of outbound/push marketing. These days marketers have an advantageous new weapon in their arsenal. Inbound marketing, or pull marketing, prompts a potential customer to come to the business. When a consumer locates a business Web site through a search engine, that's an example of successful inbound marketing.
Today's episode of SEM Synergy focuses on inbound marketing -- the psychology behind it, various channels, and available tools. Larry Kim, founder and vice president of product development at WordStream, was my guest, sharing his thoughts on the power of inbound marketing and some useful inbound marketing tips. For example, he recommends creating a cycle in which SEO results continually inform PPC efforts, and PPC results are used to tune SEO efforts. SEO and PPC are two marketing tactics that fall squarely into the inbound marketing category, but they aren't the only ones.
The Web has helped spawn numerous inbound marketing methods, each with its own use, reach and trust level. Trust is an important consideration when it comes to inbound marketing efforts. In inbound marketing, a marketer depends on an individual being moved to seek the business out,
 Photo by papalars via Creative Commons |
In order to help marketers identify the most trusted forms of inbound marketing, I thought it would be useful to conduct a quick poll that rates the trust factor of various inbound marketing techniques. With input from a few experienced marketers, the results of this poll should help us spot which inbound marketing tactics are most relied upon by consumers. Trust is rated on a scale from 1 to 7, with 1 being the most trustworthy and 7 being the least trustworthy.
How do you rate the trustworthiness of the following inbound marketing tactics?
Word of Mouth
Social Media
Organic Search
Paid Search Ads
Viral Videos
Downloadable E-books & White Papers
Subscription-based Blogs, Feeds & RSS
Webinars
Posted on 06/10/09 at 3:52 PM | Comments (0)
See more entries in Blogging, New Media, Online Video / Video SEO, Pay Per Click / Online Ads, Search Engine Optimization
June 9, 2009
I Don't Like Conflict (But Google Doesn't Think SEOs are Criminals)
 Photo by David Cox via Creative Commons |
SMX Advanced was a whole week ago but that doesn't mean we're done with the controversy. Today, the SEO community is buzzing about how Matt Cutts sat up on that stage and, in Lisa Barone's words, "openly stated that Google profiles SEOs like common criminals." I'll be honest, that sentence shocked me to the core -- Matt Cutts stated anything openly? It must have been a pod person.
Clearly we need to get to the bottom of this. Our fearless leader, Bruce Clay, was also in the audience that day, making like the livebloggers and getting awesome notes. I asked Bruce what happened to cause this shocking statement. Why on earth would Matt stop being vague long enough to call a room full of SEO professionals criminal?
What did Matt say exactly?
Well, first off, that's not what Matt said. (You already knew that was coming.) It's actually what Michael Gray asked. Matt's reply was:
The closer you get to money and the closer you get to people who are doing it deliberately for links -- and there's a certain segment of people who are doing whatever they can just to get those links -- that's a higher risk endeavor in our opinion.
You know, even though what Matt said was rather mild and nothing we haven't heard before, there's a couple good lessons here for SEOs to remember.
On Twitter, when this all started, I casually stated that I could sum this whole thing up in one sentence. (I still could. Brevity is the soul of wit, but not of blog posts.)
Here's my one-sentence blog post:
Yes, SEOs are held to a higher standard than mom and pop shops; SEOs are professionals.
See, sometimes people get really good at something and then they start selling that something and making a lot of money doing it. Other people might learn to do the same thing but it isn't their job and they don't want it to be.
For example, Lois Lane is an ace reporter for the Daily Planet. Sometimes when she's on a story, she'll take pictures to go with it. But everyone knows that Lois isn't a photographer -- that's Jimmy Olsen. If Lois takes a bad picture for the paper, oh well, that's not really her job, even though it's related to her story. If Jimmy takes a bad picture, people are going to judge that more harshly.
SEOs and webmasters are pretty much the same. SEOs are Jimmy Olsen, sent out there to get the shot, make it awesome, and win that Pulitzer for photography. Webmasters are Lois Lane; they're just supposed to get some kind of picture that will go with their stories.
 Photo by Scott/adjustafresh via Creative Commons |
But wait! It's not just about webmasters taking bad pictures (or making bad sites). It's about how they get away with stuff that SEOs can't, like giving away pizza and getting back thousands of backlinks. And that's not fair! That's a good point.
Let's look at Lois and Jimmy's friend Superman. He stands for truth, justice and the American way. He can outrun trains, stop bullets, blah blah blah, you know the story. His job is to do the right thing all the time. If Superman starts breaking the law, no one will put up with it. He's supposed to uphold the law, help the innocent, play by the rules.
But what about Google?
All right, I'm done with the superhero analogy for a minute. What about Google not holding itself to the same standard? They know the rules too and they're ignoring them. How come Google can give away brand new Android phones but Michael Gray can't do the same without warning the recipients that they can't link back without a nofollow attribute?
Michael's got a point, and it's a different one than Lisa's. Why does Google get to manipulate their SERPs with giveaways that would have any SEO on the planet slapped for suspicious intent? Unfortunately, the answer here sucks because it's that life isn't fair. Google isn't the government (yet) so they don't care about the First Amendment. You don't have a right to free speech and if you want into their clubhouse, you have to play by their rules.
These are the hard truths:
- It's Google's index, they set barrier to entry wherever they want to.
- Google gets to play by its own rules, like with the Android phones giveaway.
- Google gets to change the rules when it wants in order to improve its SERP quality, not to make SEOs' lives easier.
But come on, we know all this. We've always known this. This same conversation has been going on since before I got into the industry four and a half years ago and it's never ever going to change. So relax, because in the end, it doesn't matter.
Forget fighting Google. Make good sites.
Look, if Google really thought that SEOs were common criminals, that they hated the whole industry, that SEOing a Web site was a show of bad faith, why would optimized sites be ranking well? Maybe this is a chicken and egg question but it really does baffle me. It's not like it's hard to tell if a site has been touched by the sticky fingers of SEO. Heck, I'm just a writer and I can tell when a site has been optimized. I'm sure the big brains at Google can do it if I can.
 Photo by Andrew Magill via Creative Commons |
If SEOs are making sites that rank and are following guidelines that Google considers "good for users", why would Google hate that? Google wants things to be good for their users because that's what makes them money. They're a multi-billion dollar company that relies on their search engine to keep customers coming back and clicking on those oh-so-important text ads on the right rail. They don't do it with flashy branding or look-at-me gimmicks. They do it by consistently delivering results that their customers are happy with. Make sites that make customers happy and you're on the right track.
Now go forth and optimize. Oh, and don't forget -- there are other engines out there too. Maybe give them some love.
Posted on 06/ 9/09 at 3:54 PM | Comments (36)
See more entries in SEM Industry, Search Engine Optimization
June 8, 2009
A Look at One Brick and Mortar's Online Marketing Efforts
Friday night I danced, bounced and sang to my heart's content at the 311 concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl. I walked away with great memories, an adrenaline rush and, unexpectedly, a bit of fodder for the blog. Tucked inside the pages of the SB Bowl's concert program was a page dedicated to getting people involved with their online communities.
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I see three great lessons we can take from the Bowl's online marketing approach, and one looming question for our industry to contemplate.
1. An Integrated Strategy that Speaks to the Audience
 Photo by altemark via Creative Commons |
First and foremost, big props go to the SB Bowl for utilizing online communities popular among their audience. They're working to drive community involvement online and you gotta love that! On the SB Bowl Twitter account they're providing useful info like traffic issues and responding to people's questions about venue rules, as well as letting people know about last-minute special events. They're encouraging people to review the venue on Yelp and to sign up for their email newsletter. They've also got a program with Yahoo and Internet Explorer where users can get the first word about announced shows or tickets that are on sale. And, wisely, they've got groups in YouTube and Flickr, although both are severely underutilized and there might be a good reason why. More on that later.
2. Using an Event to Drive Interest Online
 Photo by gothopotam via Creative Commons |
The next thing that stands out is the Bowl's strategy of using what awareness people already have to get them to learn more. While the Bowl has a captive audience, they're using the opportunity to drive more potential interest. Think about it. You're in the stands, twiddling around on your BlackBerry for lack of something better to do. You notice the brochure in the seat next to you, so you flip through, looking for something to catch your eye. People involved in social media seem to be very interested in info about their trusted networks. (Consider how many stories about Twitter get spread around the microblogging site.) So chances are, the Twitter or Flickr logos on the page will capture interest among readers. It's a tactic we can see being practiced by mammoth brands like Google and Microsoft following the Wave and Bing media blitzes. If people are looking to you for any reason, see if you can get them to stick around a while longer.
3. No Attempts to Control the Conversation
 Photo by Aud1073cH via Creative Commons |
Finally, I'm happy to see that the Santa Barbara Bowl isn't falling into a common newbie trap of online marketing: the desire to control the content. Sure there are a few big brands that can manage large-scale content control, with the help of a very happy legal team. NBC, for instance, retains control of their video content by policing the Web and hosting the videos on their own video site. But not everyone has the intimidating resources to enforce content ownership. If the Santa Barbara Bowl were to say any video filmed at the venue had to be posted to SBBowl.com, everyone would still be posting their videos to YouTube. Uh... maybe.
So... is the naïve pretense necessary?
I say "maybe" because, as it turns out, no one has posted a video to the SB Bowl's YouTube group. And while I'm not sure why this is the case, there's a good chance it has something to do with the big question we're left with. Why has the Santa Barbara Bowl gone through the trouble of feigning disapproval with photos and videos taken at the venue?
As you can see in the image, the SB Bowl YouTube and Flickr communities are shared with a bit of a disclaimer. The "we know you'd never do it, but if you did..." message leaves me with a question mark hanging over my head. Sure, it's kind of funny, but is the humor enough to get the audience over the concern that what they're doing is frowned upon? And if it does, does the humor create more of a positive response than would be driven with a straight-forward call to post pics and vids here? Maybe I'm missing a piece of the puzzle, but it seems like the Bowl is moving in the right direction while the mixed message may be forcing them backward. You tell me. Am I missing something, or is the Bowl?
Posted on 06/ 8/09 at 3:59 PM | Comments (0)
See more entries in Online Video / Video SEO, Search Integration, Social Media
June 5, 2009
Friday Recap - Smile, It's Friday Edition
 Photo by D Sharon Pruitt via Creative Commons |
It's Friday. It's National Donut Day and Paula brought us donuts. And I'm planning to rock my brains out at tonight's 311 concert. In the meantime, I may need to wrap myself up like a duct tape mummy before my guts explode from all the excitement. Maybe sharing some cool stories will alleviate some of this bottled up energy and restore my yin and yang.
It makes sense to start off with everyone's favorite SEO Zen master. Over at the Fire Horse Trail, David Harry points out a fascinating Google Bomb campaign and link contest by Greenpeace. It looks like the environment-oriented nonprofit is using their SEO smarts to get their cause on the radar of high-ranking corporate leaders. By encouraging people to link with strategic anchor text in exchange for links, they're raising eyebrows in the SEO community as well as questions about Google's tacit approval.
Here's something to make you smile. Bruce Clay, Inc.'s Aussie cousins have posted a piece on 13 reasons to love SEO. The competitive, the logical and the facial-hair-loving are going to get a kick out of Marc Elison's heartfelt ode to search engine optimization.
Microsoft's new search, ahem, decision engine, Bing, went live Monday and saw generally positive reviews. One traffic analysis organization reports that Bing was the number two engine this week. Another report found that more than half of the thousand people polled said they could see themselves replacing their main engine, Google, with Bing. Search marketer Sascha Kimmel gives us a rundown of how to use Bing's webmaster tools, while Joe Hall outs the engine for questionable Title tag display in SERPs.
SMX Advanced came and went this week. As expected, it was the source of news, knowledge and some excellent analysis. There were quite a few live bloggers, including those from Search Marketing Sage, Outspoken Media and SEO Gadget, bringing coverage of sessions to those unable to attend. Search Engine Land has rounded up SMX posts from day one and day two.
The major news out of the conference was Matt Cutts's comment that nofollow-based PageRank sculpting was less effective than before. The news was slightly concerning to Internet marketers who have dedicated much time and resources to the tactic. But it was nice to be reminded by search marketer Andrew Girdwood that knowing about the nofollow policy change is better than the alternative. The search engine leader also released Google Squared this week to mixed reviews.
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During SMX Advanced, Bruce was a speaker on the SEO Vets Take All Comers session. While I have no way of showing you what he said there (other than pointing you to liveblog coverage), I can share this just-released interview on WebProNews. In the video, Bruce addresses some of the biggest changes to the search marketing space since it first emerged in the 90s.
Along with offering premiere liveblog coverage of SMX Advanced, Outspoken Media recently released their Online Reputation Management Guide. Considering the source, it's bound to be a priceless resource for all your ORM needs. From assessing your online reputation to preventing or responding to negative criticism, it's all within the pages of this free guide.
Rebecca Kelley of SEOmoz fame retweeted a quiz made just for dessert lovers. How many desserts do you think you can name? Paula's currently in the lead with 28. Any takers?
Our friends at WordStream are giving away a sweet treat on their blog. It's a template for "internal link building", i.e., getting your employees to link to you. Not a bad idea for gathering link love through your closest allies. And it comes in a handy, ready-to-use format!
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Affiliate Convention, presented by WebmasterRadio.fm and affspot.com, is just around the corner. Denver will host the annual event from June 17-20, and as always, affiliate marketers get in free. Something that might prove more costly? Tweeting your whereabouts. An investigation into one home robbery has highlighted the fact that alerting people about your week-long vacation could have serious consequences.
I know it seems like you can't go two steps these days without hearing about trendy social networks like Twitter or Facebook, but social media is nothing new. There's a fascinating history of social media at Social Media Rockstar that takes us from the phone era to the age of Google Wave. The photo of a young Steve Wozniak is priceless.
Before I sign off, I want to share a touching post by Marty Weintraub of aimClear. After SMX Advanced he wrote about his affection for the search industry and his appreciation for the people in it. It's a lovely story that illustrates the strong bonds so frequently formed in the search community. Thanks for summing it up so beautifully, Marty.
Things I learned from Boing Boing this week:
- This crazy head game could make you correct more often. But what if you're always right anyway? /sarcasm
- Want to really scare your kid about what could be lurking under the bed? Yikes!
- Ladies will be equally frightened when faced with what exactly we're putting on our face. The things we do for beauty.
- Everyone can join the effort to map the Internet.
- What happens when you tickle a gorilla? He LOLs of course! Hehehe!
Posted on 06/ 5/09 at 3:55 PM | Comments (0)
See more entries in Fun Stuff
June 4, 2009
"Land of the Lost" Loses No Marketing Opportunity
Funnyman Will Ferrell is good at getting attention. But the promotions for his upcoming summer blockbuster "Land of the Lost" make any previous attempts to draw eyeballs look like simple child's play. The team tasked to promote the film has pulled out all the stops in their wild-romping, anything-goes campaign that knows no boundaries. I'm seeing mentions of "Land of the Lost" everywhere I go and in the most unexpected places. It's gotten to the point that I'll probably see the movie, ignoring the facts that the trailers make the it look mediocre and that I have no nostalgic connection to it whatsoever. In other words, I had no motivation to see the movie -- until now.
There's this special trait of the human condition where people can be convinced of something if they see or hear it enough times. Like some Pavlovian filmgoer, I'm making drool-worthy associations about the movie based on past conditioning. Every time I see mentions of "Land of the Lost", I'm eating or playing or laughing so hard I can't see straight. Not bad experiences to associate with a splashy summer movie. Let's take a look at some of the multi-platform promotions "LOTL" is running and consider whether or not they're effective.
In the Real World
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It appears that part of the strategy for "LOTL" marketing is to use a multi-pronged approach. The Web gets a lot of attention being the new kid on the block, but savvy advertisers know that an integrated approach to marketing increases the odds of reaching a wider audience and reinforcing brand recognition. As long as you target channels that fit your audience, reaching out to your consumers across many different mediums increases your chances of sparking interest and getting them to come to you.
Out in meat space, "LOTL" has formed a relationship with Subway and Pop Rocks. Each campaign is different. The Subway promotion is a contest where players can win cash, vacations, movie tickets and more by locating entry codes on Subway cups and receipts. This campaign targets adults who are willing to do the work to collect codes and enter the contest in order to win legitimately cool prizes at a time when belts are tightening. The Pop Rocks promotion is a simple image on the package, enticing children with the promise of heart-stopping excitement.
In Traditional Media
Another place people hang out these days is their cozy traditional media venues. Again, it's unwise to discount traditional media because fun and accountable online media has hit the scene. Studies show that 67 percent of Internet users are motivated by offline marketing, and of those people, 39 percent convert. And yet, 45 percent of marketers lack online-offline integration in their strategy. By not sharing marketing efforts across traditional media channels like newspapers, television and radio, direct mail and billboards, advertisers are at a competitive disadvantage.
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"Land of the Lost" certainly has television commercials, but they took their TV marketing a step further by putting silver screen comedian Will Ferrell on the Discovery Channel's "Man vs. Wild". Watching Will stumble on the ice and stomach a frozen deer eyeball -- I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. The words "Land of the Lost" were never uttered by Will or host Bear Grylls, but you can bet the wheels in my head started turning. If Will could bring me to tears during an impromptu romp in the wild, I thought, he could certainly accomplish it during a scripted, multi-million dollar movie.
On the Web
One of my favorite parts of the "LOTL" campaign is what they did on the Web. This is where we really see their marketing prowess -- the most fickle and demanding channel yet. Everything online is an experiment because there's no telling whether a tactic that worked once will work again. The standards of creativity are higher than ever and the ability to keep viewer attention is lower than ever. Rather than trying something that had never been done before, "LOTL" attached itself to proven successes: LOLcats and iTunes.
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"Land of the Lost" has teamed up with ICanHasCheezburger.com for the Best Rawr Contest. Is anyone surprised that hundreds of pictures of cats agape have been submitted? The lolcat fan base is interactive, dedicated and passionate -- just the kind of audience a marketer dreams of. On iTunes, there are two "LOTL" games available. Games are interactive and also encourage the player to empathize with the character, put themselves in their shoes. If games give people feelings of fulfillment, excitement and a sense of connection, then they would appear to be an ideal marketing tool.
Are there any other "Land of the Lost" promos you've seen? Be sure to share in the comments!
Posted on 06/ 4/09 at 5:25 PM | Comments (2)
See more entries in New Media, Search Integration
Virginia Nussey
Susan Esparza
