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October 31, 2006

Halloween Engine Roundup

I'm a bit high strung jumpy by nature, so Halloween has never been my favorite holiday; however, it always fun to see what the engines have worked up and what great lengths people will go to humiliate themselves.

I know I'm biased, but I think Ask.com once again takes the cake for the best holiday celebration. The homepage has been turned black and features lit jack-o-lanterns for that extra special touch. Highlighting their features, they also provide a link under the search box with rotating questions that all lead to Ask's various Halloween Smart Answers. Well played, guys, well played.

Over at Google, is a mummified version of the Google logo, with a skeletal hand forming the needed letter "E".

Clicking on the logo brings you to Google's search engine results page for the term "Halloween". Nice.

Yahoo! also played with their logo today, giving it the necessarily creepy touch.

Clicking on the logo brings you to Yahoo!'s Halloween 2006 page, which is chock full of scary myths and traditions, candy picks, scary movies, scary photos and scary stuff found on Yahoo! Music and Yahoo! Shopping. I was very happy to see Yahoo! highlighting a mix of their properties. Very nice.

Microsoft is again too cool to play along ,and the Live.com homepage is looking mighty boring today. For shame, guys.

The engines aren't the only one who got into the spirit of the day. Search Engine Roundtable and the Cre8asite Forums are both showing holiday logos, and we hope you've been enjoying the Bruce Clay search engine optimized-pumpkins (and their kitty friends) we've been running all month.

While Loren Baker rounded up some the Top 13 Halloween sites, the truth is, if you're looking for some real Halloween fun, the place to be is at the Bruce Clay, Inc, headquarters. Folks around here are dressed up to the nines (even our Bruce!) and everyone's having a great time. (I'll sneak you guys a group picture later, just don't tell anyone.) [We'll have a costume contest among the blog readers. You can email Lisa with your vote.--Susan]

Happy Halloween! :)

UPDATE:: We'll get you that group shot ASAP (trust me, it's worth waiting for), but here are some individual shots of selected Bruce Clay members we managed to scrounge up. Enjoy!

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/31/06 at 10:51 AM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in Ask, Branding, Fun Stuff, Google, MSN Search, Search Engines, Yahoo

October 30, 2006

Weekend Update

Google Alerts get revamped

This is kind of cool. Google added a new alert to their Google Alerts system which lets you add set up alerts for Blog Search results. The Google alert options now include Web, Blogs, News, Groups or a Comprehensive Alert which pulls from all four. Very neat and very handy for easy reputation management.

YouTube Cleaning House

NewsCloud reports (via Google Blogoscoped) that Comedy Central attorneys have contacted YouTube and asked them to take down clips of The Colbert Report, South Park and The Daily Show, saying they violate Comedy Central's copyright. Funny how they didn't mind when YouTube wasn't Google-owned. The Daily Show even supported it back in 2005.

This isn't good news for YouTube or Google. The reason YouTube is so successful is due to the abundance of copyrighted material on the site, especially material from shows like South Park and The Daily Show. They've developed into hugely successful water-cooler fodder over the past year. Take these away, combined with the sports clips removed last week, and what's left? Google Video? Google better start writing up some content-sharing deals pronto.

Rustybrick Imposter!

Over at SER, Barry Schwartz warns of an SEO company in India infringing on the RustyBrick trademark. To make things even weirder, the individual responsible chimed in on the SER blog and in the forums saying he didn't think creating an email address (and selling SEO services) using the trademarked rustybrick name was at all outside of his rights. Fortunately, I think Barry was able to set him straight. At least for now.

(I wonder if I'll be cool enough one day to make people in India want to impersonate me. Nah.)

Happy Birthday, Press Release

It may seem like you've hated the press release for all of eternity, but it's really only been 100 years.

Over at SEW, Greg Jarboe has an excellent write-up about the past, present and future of the sometimes-dreadful press release. As much as I don't enjoy reading or writing the personality-void documents, hearing about their origin was oddly interesting. Maybe it's because, like all good stories, this one starts with a horrific train accident. Cool!

Freeing Willy

Oh dear. There really are no words for this one, other than that I don't know if Danny Sullivan's youngest son will ever forgive him for this. Poor kid. That's what happens when your dad is the renowned Danny Sullivan. [Can you imagine what will happen when his potential dates google him in a few years? Oh dear, indeed. --Susan] -- It's too horrifying to even think about. Parents shouldn't be allowed blog. The potential for harm is too great.

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/30/06 at 4:54 PM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in Branding, Fun Stuff, Google, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engines

What do you want from Google?

The Guardian Unlimited reports that Google is about to take center stage in a political debate as it tries to become a champion for free speech and intellectual property rights abroad.

According to the article:

"The Silicon Valley giant will attempt to position itself as a force for change that can finance web entrepreneurs in the developing world, champion the rights of consumers against 'over-zealous' copy-right laws and use the web to protect diverse minority cultures and languages."

It's perhaps a noble cause, but is it Google's cause to make? Especially considering their past dealings of censorship in China?

Let me clarify.

I respect Google's decision in China. Ninety-eight percent of the time I am of the belief that any access to information is a positive thing (The other two percent my journalism background shows itself and I get all First Amendment crazed). Thinking rationally, by Google having a presence in China they are providing users there with information they would not have had otherwise. I am glad Google is in China, I respect them running their engine adhering to local customs, and I feel that they are doing more good than harm by being there. Google is the well-intentioned search engine. I like that.

However, I think if you're going to stand before a special UN conference, you can't play both sides of the fence. You can't argue free speech internationally when you've had no problem comprising this in the past. Either you are for free speech or you are okay with putting limitations on free speech when necessary. Google has shown they are the latter, which is fine, but it does make their new Google-will-set-you-free stance somewhat unsettling.

But that's not my only issue with this article. My bigger question is whether or not it's even Google's role to walk into a country and educate them on Western intellectual property rights and copyright law. Is Google a search engine or an advocacy group and should we allow them to be both?

Personally I think its slippery slope. I don't want my Google with a side of self-righteousness (the proclamation that they were converting to solar power was hard enough). I think the West has a long enough history of trying to instill their beliefs on other cultures and I would hate to see Google continue down that road. That has never been the Google way.

And the fact that Google can even make that argument on such a large forum means we have already given them the power to instill their beliefs. Why have we made Google a political figure? Would we allow the same right to Yahoo! or Microsoft or Ask?

If Microsoft walked into the UN and starting 'educating' third world countries about the power of the Internet, people would be up in arms, accusing them of trying to pad their own pockets. If it was Ask or Yahoo! doing it, no one would even listen. But because it's Google, we'll listen. Even though they have already shown they will comply with local governments when necessary.

I may support Google but I don't think they belong in the United Nations.

The reason I backed Google's decision in China was because I thought that it showed Google understood their role – which was to provide search. Google is a search engine.

Or maybe I'm off base.

What do you think Google's role should be both domestically and abroad? Should Google (and for that matter, Microsoft and Yahoo!) be demanding change from international governments? Or is their role only to provide information as determined by local customs? What authority are you willing to hand over to Google? Let me know.

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/30/06 at 3:45 PM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in Branding, Google

Is Conceding Yahoo!'s Only Chance for Survival?

Relying solely on the intelligence of multiple anonymous sources, FORTUNE published an article yesterday speculating that Yahoo! was on the hunt to snatch up AOL in order to save itself from Google domination.

Better yet, after Time Warner flatly denied that any talks were in the works, the article goes on to offer some other possible moves for Yahoo!, saying they can either:

• Sell to Microsoft
• Merge with eBay, or
• Stay the course

Pretty predictable alternatives, eh? Yes, all things we've heard, debated, and dismissed before. If I had to choose between any of the listed options, I'd go with door number three -- stay the course (though I'd modify it to "...and do it better").

While Yahoo! may not be experiencing the same kind of growth Google is (to be fair, neither is anyone else. No one's bothering Microsoft or Ask, are they?), they're not exactly stuck on a sinking ship either. Yahoo! continues to make money and if it can use Panama to improve its ad selling ability and leverage the strength of its verticals, there's no reason why Yahoo! can't make up some serious ground. Will it be overnight or accomplished by this time next year, probably not, but the potential is there.

The fact is, Google won't be top dog forever, why concede?

Jumping into a deal with AOL solely because Google has paired up with YouTube (which is what the article suggests) would be a bad move. Let's wait and see what Panama does for Yahoo first. See if advertisers come around before selling the whole organization off to the highest bidder.

And though it may be fun to sit here and blog Microsoft's purchase of Yahoo!, I'd actually rather not see that happen. Yahoo and Microsoft will never be complementary halves. Yahoo! is young and portal-like where, to many, Microsoft still seems overbearing and unsure of what to do with massiveness. My fear would be that, if acquired, Microsoft would suck the life out of Yahoo!, rendering it completely useless. [Not to mention that you shouldn't sell yourself to the guys who are doing worse than you are in your main industry. --Susan] -- Touché.

If Yahoo is tired of playing 'second fiddle' to Google, then being acquired by Microsoft is surely not the way to go. I'd rather be second than not exist, and if Microsoft buys Yahoo!, that will be their future. Terry Semel is too proud for that. I think he'd prefer to go down in a blaze of glory than to let Microsoft come and sweep up the pieces.

Which is exactly what Yahoo! should do. Let's set this ablaze. Hire product managers that won't go along with the status quo. Surround yourself with people who want better and who will strive for better. Start building on your verticals, an area that Google has often struggled in, and leverage their strength to bring back and excite users. The success of Yahoo! Answers has shown that the following is there. Millions of users still rely on Yahoo! for mail, music, horoscopes, weather and more. Use that. Attract them with your verticals and incorporate those verticals with your (hopefully) improving-by-the-day search engine.

With Panama now being rolled out, Yahoo! also stands to reclaim some of its lost PPC prominence. It won't be an easy climb back up, but with a revamped PPC program hitting the computer and the up-and-coming mobile Web, there's room for Yahoo to grow.

I don't know what's in the water lately, but it seems almost everyone has an alternative plan for Yahoo!, most suggesting that Terry Semel should sell off the company or at least concede to Google in search.

There's no reason for Yahoo! to concede anything at this point. If you sell yourself off to one of your competitors, or a company that isn't even loosely affiliated with what you do, you only stand to lose, not win. If Yahoo! wants to beat Google, they have to start being exciting, not to rashly scoop up companies just because you can. Yahoo! can do it, but they're going to have to stay and fight.

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/30/06 at 11:54 AM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in Branding, Google, MSN Search, Microsoft, Search Engines, Yahoo

October 27, 2006

Friday Recap

I'm back!

Susan may have locked me in the Bruce Clay, Inc. storage closet for attempting to dethrone her on Tuesday (sick? Please.), but I was able to use my MacGyver-like skills to break free just in time for this week's Friday Recap. Have no fear, searchies, the Recap lives on! [That's it, no more cold meds for you.--Susan] -- [griiiiin]

The week got off to a sweet start when Microsoft's IE7 team sent Mozilla a cake to "congratulate" them on the shipping of Firefox 2. Aw. Well, as Nathan says, it was either a kind gesture or a slap that IE7 had been released a week earlier. We'll go on thinking it was the former, though a more appropriate gift would have been a puppy. I like puppies.

Google unleashed a flurry of laughs after they posted a set of Google usage guidelines to help users distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate uses of the word "Google".

It is it silly? Yes.
Is it absolutely necessary if Google wants to defend itself in court? Yes.
Will actually going to court to defend its trademark be fruitless? Yes.
Will I continue to say and write that I "googled" something even if I used Ask.com? Yes.

Well okay then, let's move on.

Phil Lenssen points out that an "Aboriginal American face" was spotted on Google Maps earlier this week. I can't determine if that's more or less freaky than the giant 120 foot bug. Less? How do people find these things?

I was not a fan of Ms. Dewey. I thought she was rude, annoying and useless (I may have even mentioned killing her), but TwoFour, the "robotic walking, talking and somewhat cheeky search engine", is totally cool.

TwoFour, which looks like a Johnny 5 replica, will be the tangible part of 24.com, South Africa's largest search engine portal. In other words, he's their Jeeves. The character will be featured in 24.com's advertising campaigns, have its own blog, list of celebrity ex-girlfriends and will attend swanky social functions. TwoFour rocks.

George W. caught a lot of grief after announcing on-air that he uses "the Google" to pull up satellite maps. (Like how he used "the Internets" in 2004?) Yeah, yeah, so he made a mistake. But if you've watched the video, you know the really cool part is that George apparently reads Google Earth by hovering his hand horizontally over the floor, transmitting the information from his hand all the way up his arm. No word on how it gets from his arm to his head. Ohh...

If you'd like to help George avoid further embarrassing situations, you can now act as George's speechwriter. Wicked fun!

It's October 27 and that means Halloween is right around the corner. To prepare for the big day (and the humiliation we will be forced to endure here at Bruce Clay – expect pictures, that's all I'm sayin'), BoingBoing points us to some very handy Halloween safety tips (and the most tasty looking pumpkin ever!). Take this one for example:

"1. For large groups of trick-or-treaters, always set at least one child ablaze, ensuring enough light that other children won’t trip over uneven pavement."

That is excellent advice, though the child needs to be adequately soaked in lighter fluid.

Also from BB: "Dog sucks psychedelic toads to get high". We'll let you read that one on your own. You'll never look at your cocker spaniel the same way again.

Lastly while I have your undivided attention (don't go!), I'd like to remind you that our first ever Sydney, Australia training session will be taking place from the 12th to 14th.. If you're in the area or plan to be, make sure you register and stop by. Can you name a better setting for your Valentines Day 2007? We didn't think so.

P.S.

Watch this video (via Dooce). It's completely unrelated to search but it will be the funniest minute or two of your day. I promise. Chuck (pictured below) represents all that is good in puppies.

How can you say no to that face?

[No, really, no more cough medication for you.--Susan] -- Don't pretend you weren't impressed. I watched your face.

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/27/06 at 12:58 PM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in Fun Stuff, Google, International, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engines

October 26, 2006

Catching up on the industry

Good morning and happy Thursday. Don't worry, the fact that Lisa isn't posting has nothing to do with her attempted coup on Tuesday (unless the universe is taking revenge on her for it. In any case, it's not my fault.) She's out sick which means that you get me today.

We're going to take this easy today because it's almost Friday and I'm only almost better. Let's get caught up together, okay?

In the Yahoo world:

All the devotees of Google's Inside Adwords blog will no doubt be just as interested in Yahoo's newest blog, the Yahoo Search Marketing official blog. The folks at YSM blog promise connection and communication. Welcome to the official blogosphere, guys. We're absolutely going to be watching every single thing that you do.

Barry reports that Yahoo is heeding the pleas of webmasters and will be adding support for a "No Yahoo Directory" tag. Tim Mayer asked the folks over at WebmasterWorld for their opinion on how the tag should be implemented, as "a different tag or should the NOODP tag apply to both YDIR and ODP?"

My first impulse is to ask for just one tag. It's cleaner and if you can't write a better title and description for your own site than either directory, you probably won't know about the exclusion tag anyway.

However, a quick look over the WMW thread shows me that I'm in the minority. Most people like the idea of several different tags opting out of all sorts of directories (some people even threw in a NOBOTW request.)

Stop the madness, people! One tag is all you need. You either want to write your own description and title or you don't.

In the Google world:

Just in case you forgot, Google is a search engine and not a verb. Now can we stop pretending that it's news every time Google protects their trademark? Thanks.

Let's talk about this instead, $50 in clicks for Adwords! While eComXpo (the only conference you can attend in your pajamas) is going on, Google is offering a coupon for setting up a new account with Adwords.

Microsoft is doing the same thing so be sure to get them both. Then you can compare what kind of traffic they bring you!

(Hat-tip, SER.)

In the Search Engine Optimization World:

SEO is just a one-time fix? Well, in that case I'm going home!

Chances are you've already read this article but I'm a little behind so forgive me. Besides, I could use a giggle today. I'm not going to spend a lot of time trying to defend SEO either. I hardly think the industry needs me as a champion. Instead I'll point out something else about the article.

He's right.

Mr. Pasternack notes:

…SEO isn't rocket science, and just about every marketer who invests a bit of time, research, and elbow grease can realize its benefits without paying a fortune to an SEO firm.

He's absolutely correct. We've said the same ourselves. Search engine optimization isn't complicated and it's not something that you can't do yourself. It's simple. It's not easy but it's pretty simple. In fact, we even offer training courses in how to do SEO and I would bet that if you asked our past students they would say that they're pretty sure that they have the knowledge now to go out and optimize their own web sites.

But wait, if you've read this blog at all, you know that we require our clients to attend our training course. Why would we do that if at the end of it they could conceivably go out and do it themselves? How completely stupid are we?

(Don't answer that. It's rhetorical.)

The truth is that you hire an SEO firm for the same reason you hire a gardener. Sure you can do it yourself, do all the weeding and the hedge clipping and watering the lawn and …other things involved in having a yard (I live in an apartment, my greenery is limited to a single dying orchid). But you have a business to run and presumably a life to lead and chances are that you have as much interest in learning about how to care for your rhododendrons as you have in doing your own brain surgery. So you hire a professional to take care of your yard for you, he keeps it looking good and you can focus on going about your business. ‘Nuff said!

Posted by Susan Esparza on 10/26/06 at 11:45 AM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in Search Engine Optimization

October 24, 2006

Fun Search Headlines

Susan's out sick today (everyone wave), so I'm using my tiny ounce of imagined authority to share a couple of fun search headlines with you. I mean, who wants to wait all the way til Friday to hear the good stuff?

(If there's no blog tomorrow, I loved you all...)

Yahoo!'s little Talent Show

Yahoo!'s launching the Yahoo! Talent Show in their hopes to find someone to "save the world from bad video" (read: this is the best we could come up with to get you to stop talking about Google and YouTube). The Yahoo! Talent Show is an eight-week contest where users are invited to upload video clips of themselves performing their most impressive talent. The winner will receive $50,000 cash and a development deal to either star in or produce their own online show on Yahoo!. A development deal? Is this a talent show or a reality show?

Right now the contest is looking a little more like America's Funniest Home Videos than American Idol (which is in no way an insult. That show provokes ears, man), but it'll be interesting to see how far this goes and what the level of user participation is. Yahoo! has launched some pretty impressive viral campaigns lately.

Sidenote: Is Jerry Yang's talent that he can talk like a robot? That's awesome!

How would you redesign Google?

Over at Google Blogoscoped, Phil Lenssen shares some of 17-year-old Joe Critchley's new user interface design ideas for Google. I'm not sure any would be all that successful, but I like where he's going, especially with the first layout idea. It's very factory line-esque. You type your query and then click how you want to search (Web, Image, Video, etc.). The only problem (which Joe notes) is that there's no friendly search button, it's kind of ugly and users may not realize you can perform a web search just by hitting enter. Still, I kind of like it.

True dedication means working from Egypt

Googler Niniane Wang shares a snippet from a conversation she had with a fellow Googler while the two have been vacationing in Egypt:

"Me: [after some silence] Do you think Google does this to people? Where we work so much?

Dan: No. We do it to ourselves, at Google.

Me: Surely it’s not normal to work like this.

Dan: It’s also not normal to do amazing things."

I admit. I aw'd.

(via Nathan)

Move over Google Calendar!

Okay, I'll leave you with one more gem. Have you heard about Scrybe? If you haven't, go watch the demo. If this application works the way the demo promises it will, it could change your entire way of life organizing.

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/24/06 at 5:11 PM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in Branding, Design, Fun Stuff, Google, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engines, Yahoo

Search with Google your way

Obviously today's top story (arguably today's only story) was the news that Google has launched its Google Custom Search Engine built off Co-op technology (don't worry, this launch is much easier to understand) where users and publishers can create their own vertical search engine.

With Google CSE, users and publishers can name their engine, add keywords for it to focus on, describe the search content, and then input URLs (reportedly up to 500,000!) for the engine to either pull from exclusively, or just 'emphasize'.

Once initial preferences are set, users can head back into the options panel and make additional refinements. For example, publishers can add company logos, change text and page colors to make their site, or connect it with their AdSense account to earn money for clicks. Publishers can also add collaborators to help them refine the engine and contribute to the index.

Obviously this idea of a do-it-yourself engine isn't a new one. Yahoo!, Rollyo and Eurekster all offer similar services, but the advanced features Google has added (allowing collaborators, bundling it with Google AdSense, etc.) gives it a much higher rate of success. Greg Sterling very accurately referred to it as "industrial-strength Rollyo, with a twist of Swicki". Hee!

The release has already been covered to death so I won't bore you with the details you've already read, but here's what struck me.

• Battle of the site search: Forget fighting over toolbar space (Google already won that anyway), with reports that 200 million site searches are performed every day, that's where I want to be. And that's exactly where Google is positioning itself. Smart. Very smart.
• More advertising: You have to hand it to Google; they know how to make those advertising dollars. With CSE, Google gives its publishers yet another targeted area for advertising. This must be that 'competition for ad space' thing Yahoo! was talking about...
• Directory killer: You have to think that if DIY engines take off it will be the human-edited directories that feel the true force. Why use DMOZ when you have a value-added service with Google CSE?
• SEO-approved: Create an industry-only database and use the smaller dataset to collect insight on what site ranks higher than another. The results may be interesting. Smart, right?
• One multi-purpose engine:: The problem I've always had with do-it-yourself engines is that they restricted your search to only the URLs you entered. Google CSE doesn't do that (unless you want it to). It gives you the option to only apply a 'boost' to the URLs you entered, while still searching the entire Web. This means I can create a search engine for all my favorite search blogs, and search it without fear I'm missing something else. One search engine for all my blogging and searching needs. It's like sweet relief.

If you like the idea of a DIY engine but don't want to do the work yourself, might I direct you to the Custom Search Guide? They have 30 or so pre-made engines that may be of interest, particularly the SEO-inspired one. Enjoy.

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/24/06 at 3:55 PM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in Branding, Google, SEO, Search Engine Optimization

October 23, 2006

Weekend Update

Google Bought a Spaceship...or something

TechCrunch really is the place to go to read truth-filled rumors on a Friday afternoon. This time Michael Arrington wrote that it appeared Google had purchased SpaceShipOne, the famous X-prize winner, and would be putting it inside the Googleplex's building 43 on Saturday. Well, of course that wasn't true – Google purchase a replica of the spacecraft, not the real thing. Purchasing the real one would have been silly.

Wait, what? Why would Google purchase, let alone install, a full-scale replica of SpaceShipOne in Mountain View? Phil Lenssen says perhaps "it’s a symbol that innovation can take you anywhere". Um, no. Perhaps it's a sign that Google has more money than they know what to do with. Or that there weren't any interesting companies to acquire last Friday and they were bored. I don't know. This one is just weird.

YouTube Videos Appearing in Google Images

This is kind of cool. A DigitalPoints thread (via SER) found that YouTube videos are being indexed and retrieved via Google Images. I couldn't repeat the results, but here's an Image Shack screenshot from an international SERP. Pretty neat.

I love the idea of Google integrating video into this SERP, but why would video be put in with its image search? Isn't that what video is supposed to be for?

Web 2.0 is nerd speak for "rip off"

Well, not really, but that's what CNET's Charles Cooper seems to think. He got all ranty Friday, attacking Americans for ignoring the conversation that should have been started after the Google/ Belgian decision was announced – defining the link between fair use and infringement.

I don't think Google News is infringing upon publisher's copyright (I've mentioned that, right?), just like I don't think Web 2.0 and summarizing content can be attributed to scraping and content theft. For me, the comparison is more than a bit extreme.

Google publishing summaries on its site is not the same as walking into book store and stocking up on books without paying (as Charles suggests). It's more like reading a review in your local newspaper and then going into the bookstore to find the actual book. Google's not stealing content; they're making content more accessible. Sort of like what Google News does with all of CNET and Charles Cooper's articles. But that wasn't mentioned in the article.

Danny Sullivan has a problem

Danny, we love you. But your overly-competitive nature has gone too far. Think of all the small children who went home disappointed this weekend when they were unable to break your high score on Disneyland's Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters Ride. I bet some of them even cried. You make little babies cry! :) [I love that ride. Now I want to go to Disneyland and beat Danny's score! --Susan]

Don't Mess with Ze

I'm not too proud to admit that I belong to the cult of Ze. It's almost a sickness. Maybe it's because I am partially obsessed that I found it pretty genius when he launched his GimmeSomeCandy promotion to help him raise some funds. For $5, $10 or $50, users could sponsor duckies of various sizes that displayed a text-only message when hovered over. It was basically like a Ze Frank tip jar. Cool, right?

I thought so, but apparently Google Checkout did not. During Friday's vlog, Ze announced that Google had disabled his promotion stating they "don't support donation sites". Donation sites? Whose running a donation site? Ze's allowing you to sponsor a duckie and then giving you advertising space. A duckie is a good. Google Checkout is a dumb dumb.

But after lots of outrage and public criticism, Google Checkout finally conceded and is once again allowing users to use the fine service to sponsor Ze's little duckies in the pond. And with that, all is right again in the land of Ze.

Now go give Ze some candy!

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/23/06 at 3:01 PM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in SEO, Search Engine Optimization

Danny Sullivan Will Stay with SES Through 2007

It's always encouraging when you can start the week off with a bit of good news, and this morning we have our gem. Danny Sullivan, who is supposed to be on vacation (back away from the computer, Danny...), has announced that he will be sticking around to help with Search Engine Strategies after he steps down from Search Engine Watch on November 30th. (Geez, that date seems soon all of a sudden, doesn't it?).

Danny states over at Daggle:

"In short, I'll be chairing the SES NY 2007 show, co-chairing the SES SJ 2007 event and participating in the SES Chicago 2007 conference."

That should make conference goers breathe a little easier, at least for now.

Based on Danny's post, it also looks like SEW's Chris Sherman has been tagged as Danny's successor, at least unofficially. Chris is slated to "most likely" chair SES San Jose 2007 and to take on full chair responsibilities for SES Chicago 2007, where Danny will speak. Good luck to Chris; I'm sure it will be hard being "the guy that replaced Danny".

Danny also shed some light on what he'll be doing starting December 1st, including starting a new search blog (!) and planning "some search-related events" of his own (!!). Both are very exciting (though perhaps not surprising) because they will likely put Danny in direct competition with Incisive properties. It will be interesting to see how Incisive handles the competition.

Search Engine Watch and Search Engine Strategies have long been the leading blog and conference series around for search engine optimization and search engine marketing, in no small part because of Danny Sullivan's hard work. When they lose Danny and he starts up his own shop (either alone or with someone else), Incisive gets a formidable competitor. Will they be able to hold on to their industry title? Or will readers and speakers follow Danny?

The question I want answered is why Danny is staying with SES through 2007. When he first announced his departure in August, he remarked there was an "extremely slim chance" he would continue on with SES. What changed? Is Incisive now fighting for him or did Danny never really intend to bid farewell to SES?

It's an important question because the answer may give us a hint as to what's coming in 2008. Will 2007 be some sort of transitional period where we get used to SES with a dwindling Danny influence or will Incisive be able to woo Danny back and get him to stay on permanently? It looks like the former, which could lead to disastrous things for Incisive.

Keeping Danny involved with SES would ensure the conference's long-term success. There's plenty of competition on the conference circuit these days and without Danny, SES may have a difficult time drawing in the same quality of speakers and attendees. This is especially true if Danny starts his own conference series. If Search Engine Strategies (and the dollars it brings in) is important to Incisive, then they need to keep Danny on board. Unfortunately for them, I'm not sure this is a possibility anymore.

I'm sure we'll hear a lot more about this from Danny and others as we get closer to the final days of November. For right now, let's just be happy we get Danny and SES for another year. Thinking about what's going to happen Dec. 1 hurts too much.

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/23/06 at 2:50 PM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in SEM Events

October 20, 2006

Search Headlines

Google Nearly Doubles Quarterly Profit

Google had a much better time announcing their third quarter results yesterday than Yahoo! did on Tuesday. On Thursday, Google revealed that quarterly profits had skyrocketed 92 percent, gross revenue had jumped 70 percent to $2.69 billion, and that their company net income had reached $733.4 million. The numbers were extraordinary and broke earlier industry projections.

(Your mouth is open.)

Eric Schmidt called Google's amazing growth a "testament to the strength of our network". I'd say. It's amazing to see Google continue to experience such dominant growth while other engines complain about industries lows and more competition in advertising. Does Google even feel the other engines? You'd be inclined to think not.

Good for you, guys.

(Still open.)

Microsoft Bows to the Belgians

In a very unGoogle move, Microsoft has conceded to Belgian publishers and agreed to remove all links to articles in Belgian newspapers in order to avoid a potential copyright lawsuit. Copiepresse issued Microsoft with a cease and desist order last Friday, arguing that by posting article text on Live.com and in its Newsbot news engine, MSN was violating publishers' copyright.

I'm really at a loss for words here, but are these people crazy?

Seriously, why are they fighting so hard to get themselves removed from popular, traffic-bringing search engines? If they don't want their content on the Web, why have a Web presence at all? If Google and Microsoft are content-stealing heathens, stick to the dead tree format and abolish your website completely. What are they trying to "win" here? [Money? Just a hunch.--Susan] -- By cutting out advertisers and traffic? They're super smart!

More Google/ YouTube drama

It looks like YouTube's simultaneous music label deals weren't just a coincidence after all. The New York Times reports that each label signed with YouTube knowing they would receive an equity stake worth up to $50 million dollars once the Google acquisition took place. I guess Google paid more for YouTube than we originally thought.

To make matters even more unsettling, it seems the record labels are now trying to shut down all YouTube competitors. Universal has already filed suits against YouTube competitors Bolt and Grouper. Sketchy, I say.

(via Nathan)

The Battle for Toolbar Space

Now that IE7 has officially launched, the battle for toolbar prominence is on. Yahoo! is sending users emails 'recommending they update their browser' to the optimized-for-Yahoo IE7, Ask.com smartly shows users how to keep Ask as their "steady", Google just assumes you'll stay faithful and Microsoft is hoping you remember that Live.com is MSN Search.

If you're IE loyal, will you stay faithful for your toolbar and default search engine? Or will you seize your chance to switch teams? Do tell.

Fun Finds

I will never stop humming this. 'Aint Internet relationships grand?

Will you take the Blog Honor Pledge and promise to never sell out? Oh brother, this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever read. If composing a "fake" blog post doesn't ruffle your ethical feathers, neither will breaking this pledge you signed by outfitting your blog with a button.

ResourceShelf points to a Q&A style interview between Ask CEO Jim Lanzone and U.S. News and World Report writer, Justin Ewers. Here's a taste:

That's the problem with competing against Google. Larry Page and Sergey Brin just bought a 767 for their personal use. What do you fly?

I fly United. [Laughs.]

Heh, classic.

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/20/06 at 3:41 PM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in Ask, Google, International, Microsoft, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engines, Yahoo

Friday Recap

Over at Search Engine Guide, Stoney deGeyter discovered that Incisive Media failed to hide their email list in a recent mailing (who doesn't use BCC?) – exposing more than 500 email addresses, including employee email addresses from Google (about 35), Microsoft, LookSmart and others. This is a Major Oops on their part. Most people would opt not to share their email address with 500 of their closest friends and competitors, thank you.

The silver lining here is that the guys at bLaugh were all over it.

Heh. I love them.

I learned two very important lessons this week. First, don't ever use 1and1.com Internet Web Hosting, and more importantly, never ever upset Michael Graywolf. Oh, the power of the internet.

A third interesting fact I learned this week: Barry Schwartz doesn't own a television. That hurts me. Evilgreenmonkey jokes that Barry will miss out on all the celebrities living under one roof and being filmed out in Hicksville. I'm assuming he's not talking about this one. Funny how you don't question the names of things until after you leave the state.

I'm sad to report that I have unsubscribed from the Evil Matt Cutts blog. I know, I know, I was a fan too, but the writer has forgotten his/her role – which was to mimic blog entries by Matt Cutts and insert references to boiling body parts, not to give commentary. If you want to do that, you have to tell me who you are. Okay?

The Guardian dug up some dirt on Ms. Dewey. Apparently when she's not being incredibly annoying and moronically tapping on your computer screen, she moonlights as a singer and an actress. Yawn.

SEO Black Hat identified The 9 Personality Types of a Comment Spammer. They're funny because they're true. My favorite will always be The Foreigner. I can't tell you how many times those kind Nigerians have offered me millions of dollars. What generous hearts.

[Bonus: Watch Ze Frank perform an example of The Foreigner. Good day!]

Rand created a poll to determine which search engine/property is most likely to take market share from Google. Why should you participate? Because if you guess correctly there's a chance you may get a lollipop in 2017! Who doesn't like lollipops? I wonder if I can I get that hand delivered? Rand?

Over at SEO Egghead, Jaimie Sirovich penned A Geek's Guide to Rejection. His initial list is amusing, but the comments are what really make this one giggle-worthy. Especially Natasha and Woofie's list of additions and this gem provided by Gravity:

"404 Not Found: “Where’d all my stuff go?”"

Geeks are good people.

Phil posted an awesome interview with Niniane Wang this week. If you haven't read it, you should. Niniane is extraordinary and will make you feel like a bum for spending your early double digit years flicking girls' ears instead of learning various programming languages and skipping multiple grades.

Gurtie reveals that Google has started the process of discovering the next Marissa Mayer and gives a snapshot of some of those said to be 'in the running'. There's no way any of those ladies will make the cut. They don't look nearly as brainy or elf-like as Marissa, and I can guarantee you none of them went to Stanford. And most disturbing, some of them aren't even blonde. Get serious, Google. [Hey, now, those women were (Spoilers!) highly successful business people before their husbands had them turned into robots. --Susan] -- Yes, but now they're vapid and useless. And I've always imagined that to emulate Marissa you need to be robot first, theeeen sucessful business woman. Not the other way around.

If you enjoyed the videos in last week's Recap, here is a couple more:

• Valleywag introduces us to another "photo of me every day" production. This guy is actually pretty funny.


• And perhaps my favorite video of all time, these boys ensure they will never date in high school, college, or perhaps for the rest of their life. Caution: Serious lip-synching ahead. (via Scoble)

I'm not sure how Recap-ish this is, but these charts just blew my mind. What exactly are Microsoft's 70,000+ employees doing over there in Redmond? That's quite an army. I knew Microsoft was big, but I didn't realize it was its own country. (via Digg)

To give this Recap a healthy disturbing twist (after all, Halloween is coming, right), Boing Boing links to some outrageously creepy Victorian post-mortem photographs. Apparently back in the day it was very common to take pictures of yourself posing with your dead children. Some of these are straight out frightening, like, um, this one. Enjoy, party people!

And lastly, while I have your attention, a quick note to all SEOToolSet™ users that the tools will be DOWN starting today (Friday) at 5:30 pm PST, as we move them over to a new server. Have no fear, everything will be up and running again on Monday. Consider this your excuse to turn off your computer this weekend.

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/20/06 at 11:58 AM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engines

October 19, 2006

Resident PPC Pro Nick Guastella Talks Panama

As you may have read, Yahoo has announced the launch of Panama and will begin migrating existing advertisers over during the new couple of months (initial invites will go out next week). If you want to get started early you can use the online request form, otherwise the majority of advertisers will be transitioned by the end of the year, or if they prefer, after the holiday season.

First impressions from search engine marketers have been overwhelmingly kind across the board. That's not surprising since Panama promises faster ad approvals, better targeting and better reporting features. It's a vast improvement from what Yahoo! was previously running. Under the old system, it could take as long as 5 days for approvals. Reporting was basic, covered only a limited time range and only one ad could be used per listing.

Pay per click isn't my specialty (I'm just the Recap girl, really), but lucky for you I was able to grab and lasso our resident PPC expert (we're not just about search engine optimization, you know!), Nick Guastella to see what he had to say about the release. (Everyone say hi to Nick!)

Thanks for the introduction, Lisa. I'm excited to be making my blog debut!

I didn’t attend this week's Yahoo! Influencer Event (My invite must have gotten lost), but based on the initial reviews and from what I saw during the last SES show, the platform sounds promising. Under the old platform, Yahoo!'s editorial department was a thorn in the side of advertisers, significantly delaying the process and often offering inconsistent reasons for not approving listings. Now, advertisers won't have to wait days for a response and will be able to create ad changes on the fly. This will save them valuable time when creating special offers and seasonal promotions.

I'm a little concerned that advertisers who were invited to have their accounts migrated over to the new platform months ago at SES still haven't heard anything. It gives the impression that Yahoo! may have rushed this release to appease stockholders who’ve seen their share price dwindle.

I was also disappointed to see Panama launched without a day parting feature, especially when Google is already offering this to advertisers (Something I myself use). When you don't allow your advertisers to automatically turn on and off accounts you make your service less manageable than your competitors. Not a good idea for Yahoo.

Advertisers may notice that they have lost some of the bid transparency (Say goodbye to the Bid Tool) they had in the past. Instead of seeing competitors actual bids, advertisers will now see the minimum and maximum, but not who the bids belong to. You might say it's a step backwards.

There's been a lot of speculation on whether Panama will help Yahoo! close the gap between Y!SM and AdWords. I think it's a wait and see game right now. I haven't seen enough to give me a clear indication, but my gut tells me, right now, Panama will not be enough to topple Google. The only area where Yahoo! significantly trumps Google is with its new regional targeting feature. Yahoo’s new system allows advertisers to target at a city level unlike Google’s current geo targeting by area.

Like I mentioned earlier, I wasn't invited to the Yahoo! event this week (So much for my Overture years.), so reading others commentary of the event was very informative. JenSense particularly caught my eye when she mentioned that Panama will allow users to suggest URLs to extract keywords from – either from advertiser's own site or from a competitor's. That was smart thinking on Yahoo!'s part. It may also be helpful for determining what keywords Yahoo thinks your site is targeting. As Jen mentions in her post, when she entered in 'jensense.com', it told her that "snowboarding" was one of her keywords. That result sounds like something that would have come from their old eight ball program. Clearly, if you've been to Jen's site, you know that it's not.

This is only stage one of the initial launch, so we'll have to wait and see what Yahoo! brings to the table for its second act. I hope day parting is top on their list of coming attractions.

Here's a brief rundown of some of the features that will be available under the new system.

• Faster ad approvals: Ads will go live within minutes instead of the old 3-5 day turnaround. In fact, we've already noticed faster ad approvals even without being migrated to the new system. Multiple A/B ad testing will also now be available to determine best performance.
• Geo-Targeting: Previously advertisers had to use either local search or geo-specific search terms. Under the new system advertisers will be able to do this in one account. The new geo-targeting will allow distribution down to specific cities. They now provide a map of the area which then shows a highlighted radius of coverage based on advertiser’s choices.
• Ad Groups: Keywords in Ad groups can now use multiple ads where as before a keyword had to be linked to just one ad and advertisers had to wait up to 5 days to change.
• Keyword Insertion feature: Keywords will be able to be automatically inserted into titles and descriptions improving focus of ads and click through rates, and will also save advertisers time having to write specific ads including each keyword. Though that doesn't mean you can slack off on writing good ad copy.
• Quality Index: Similar to the old Google quality index made up of click through rate, keywords related to ad copy, display URL, landing page and other factors.

Quality Index (1 to 5 graphical bar scale) is being shown to advertisers now, so they can prepare their ads for when the ranking factors start being used in Q1 2007.

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/19/06 at 5:15 PM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in Pay-Per-Click

How to Make Friends and Inspire Clients

An interesting question was raised on LED Digest that asked how SEOs can motivate their clients. It's an important topic because very often SEOs and clients have a difficult time staying focused on the same goals. Often the SEO is so concerned with stopping the bleeding and the client is so focused on getting conversions that there can be conflict.

This is how we've typically seen the motivation cycle (er, and most marriages) progress:

The good-intentioned SEO and the friendly client sign a contract and immediately enter the love-struck honeymoon phase. This is where everyone is willing to help one another and spend their night at home washing the dishes. This lasts about as long as you'd expect (less than a month). Once this happy time ends, one party begins to micro-manage the other, forcing them to perform mundane tasks. This goes on for several months until both ultimately begin to resent one another. From here we go to stage 3 – the all out war stage (aka the trial separation). During this stage, parties threaten to cancel contracts, institute re-activation fees, suspend privileges, and basically make each others lives miserable. And from here, kids, is where it all gets really ugly. All of a sudden it's time to divvy up the assets and determine who gets which kid.

Nasty, right? It sure is, and we'd like to help you avoid it.

We'd never pretend to have a perfect a relationship with all of our clients (obviously, we don't). But over the past ten years, we have come across a few ways to help everyone get a long just a little bit better. If you're an overworked SEO looking for ways to reconnect with your clients, here's some advice from the Bruce Clay, Inc. gang.

Educate – We say it a lot but education is vital to a successful search engine optimization project. We don't require clients to attend training because we like making them trek down to our Simi headquarters (really, that's not why!). We've asked them to attend because we found the best way to motivate people is through education. By educating your clients, you make them a part of the process and show them that they are ultimately responsible for their own success.

We want our clients to know how we work. We want to teach them about keywords, page architecture, Meta tags, linking campaigns, etc. Really, at the end of the day we want them to understand why they're paying us. We want them to know we're on their side and that we'll fight for them.

When clients understand why a certain element of a SEO project is important, they're more willing to chip in. It's like baseball. Once you know the rules, it's a lot easier to get into the game.

Set Goals – Before a contract is signed or a checkbook alluded to, both SEO and client should have agreed upon the objectives of the SEO campaign. What are you both working towards? How will you get there? How often will you talk? Most importantly, who will bring the bagels and the caffeine for any early morning meetings? These things are very important (I like everything bagels, in case you were wondering.).

Setting attainable goals keeps everyone working toward the same target and allows everyone to share in the success. Which brings us to the next step...

Positive Feedback: Remember that your clients are busy people too. Give them an incentive to be active in the SEO process by showing them the power of their own actions. Show them what happens when they start targeting the correct keywords, bid the spammy text farewell, and learn the power of linking out. Success is a powerful motivator. Once they start to see their rankings or conversions improve, even just a little, it will help keep them motivated and working toward common goals.

Maintain regular contact: This may be the most important step in any business relationship. It's important that your clients see or hear from you on a regular basis. It reaffirms that you're out there working for them, which will in turn make them feel more inclined to pitch in.

Constant contact ensures that everyone remains on the same page. You don't want either party to get ahead of the other. It's also important for giving clients a face to go along with a project. You want them to give them a point of contact that they can go to with questions at any time. This will help make clients feel more comfortable and it will allow you to address small problems before they become larger ones. Make sure your client knows how their point of contact is. If they forget about you, they'll also forget about the project.

Educate: At this point, almost a full year (or more) has probably gone by and it's time to reeducate (and possibly resign contracts). What has changed since the initial contract was signed? What's the search engine weather forecast looking like these days? The engines aren't known for being stagnate, so update clients on what's been going on to make sure they remain in the loop. If for some reason you've let more time go by than you should without talking, make amends. Education isn't a one-time process, it's continual and never-ending. Like weight loss.

We believe that by educating clients and setting strong initial goals, SEOs can maintain a positive working relationship with the client and entire team.

Life as an SEO is busy and sometimes we can all lose sight of common courtesies. Remember that your clients aren't your kids. And unlike your kids, if you yell and order around your clients, they'll leave you and find new parents someone else to work with. You don't want that and neither do we.

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/19/06 at 2:15 PM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in Branding, SEO, SEO Tips & Tricks, Search Engine Optimization

New Tool Reinforces Landing Page Importance

One of the highlights of yesterday's eMetrics Summit session was the announced launch of the Google Website Optimizer, a new beta designed to help AdWords advertisers create more effective landing pages. The tool allows advertisers to test different versions of their landing page to see which has the best conversion rate.

The tool has been launched into a very limited release, with AdWords advertisers having to ask to be allowed in. Rumor is this isn't your average Google beta where just anyone can join. Google is looking for high volume sites to test out the new tool, so if you don't fit into that category, you're out of luck. At least for now.

How does this Google beta work?

Advertisers "break up" their landing page into sections by inserting snippets of code provided by Optimizer. Each area the publisher 'tags' is seen as a separate variable for testing, be it a headline, an image, a graph, etc. Using the variables provided by the user, the tool will then automatically create every possible combination of landing pages and randomly display them to page visitors as they click through.

For example, if you tag an image as its own section, Google will swap this image with others you provide to determine which is more effective. As visitors interact with the different landing page versions, publishers will receive detailed reports explaining their activity. Reports are organized by version and page section so advertisers can see which tweak had what effect.

Once advertisers have determined their preferred layout, they can stop the testing. As long as the code is left in the page's HTML, advertisers can restart testing at any time.

As powerful as this tool sounds, I question how many publishers will put it to good use.

The trouble with tools like this is that they require publishers to do more work. In order to reap the benefits, they must first come up with different headlines, different images, and different tones for their landing pages. The initial investment is sometimes daunting to already-strained publishers. However, producing a landing page that effectively converts and meets customer needs should be a big enough reward to make the process worth it.

The tool may not be widely available right now, but what its presence does do (in addition to taking eyes away from Panama) is to help reinforce that advertisers should be tweaking and experimenting with their landing pages. It's easy to create your landing pages and then leave them there to collect dust, but that's not how savvy marketers convert. Search engine marketing requires fine-tuning pages for the best conversion, just as writing ad copy requires fine tuning to target the right audience.

If you're serious about conversions, you need to conduct testing. It doesn't matter if it's PPC, search engine optimization, email or baking the world's best chocolate chip cookie. You need to learn what works and what doesn't. If you're doing PPC, this means testing landing pages, ad copy and bid prices. If it's SEO, it means testing keywords, creating excellent content and experimenting with Meta tags. Knowing what works will help you to plan your advertising dollar roadmap. Without it, you're walking around in the dark.

Interested users can view a demo here or take a look at a sample report. If you like what you see, apply to be a beta tester.

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/19/06 at 1:51 PM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in Analytics

October 18, 2006

GYM: The Battle for Number One

After eMarketer announced yesterday that Google is on track to becoming the first company to ever pocket 25 percent of U.S. online ad spend, things were looking pretty grim for Yahoo! and Microsoft (especially after Yahoo!'s tough Tuesday). But, how long can Google keep this up? Will Yahoo! and Microsoft ever be able to catch them in the search game?

The report by eMarketer touted impressive figures for the folks at the GOOG. If their predictions are accurate, Google will show a 65 percent increase in revenue growth this year, with total ad revenue topping $4 billion.

By comparison, yesterday Yahoo! announced a 38 percent revenue decrease (leaving them at $159 million) and a need to go "back to basics" to fix the downward spiral scenario. Terry Semel attributed the poor third quarter results to cutbacks from auto and financial advertisers, and an increase in competition for lower priced advertising (better known as "Google").

The reasons Terry gives are troubling because they are two areas where Google is only growing stronger.

The one thing Google knows how to do is leverage its advertising. Advertisers love Google. Unfortunately for Yahoo! and Microsoft, Google will only become more dominant with YouTube in its arsenal. Of course, Yahoo! will have a chance to recoup some lost advertising dollars now that Panama is live, but it's been so long since Yahoo! relinquished its PPC King crown that it may just be too late.

In order for Yahoo! to compete with Google, it will have to successfully leverage Panama, continue to differentiate itself by improving its media portal, aggressively pursue opportunities (like yesterday's Right Media Inc investment and AdInterax acquisition), and find a way to compete in video. The CBS deal is a good start, but it's not enough to combat GooTube.

And what about Microsoft?

Microsoft won't reveal their quarter results until later this month, and you can't help but wonder what's coming. Why did Steve Ballmer feel the need to clarify that the previous estimate for 2007 Research and Development was more than a billion dollars off? Was he really talking "off the top of his head" back in May or did plans change over the course of the year? It sounds like we're in for a surprise when the results are made public.

I have no problem with Microsoft allocating more money to research; but it's troubling when executives can't account for where their money is going. If we accidentally spent a large sum of money in an area we weren't expecting, it would probably signify some sort of trouble internally. I hope that's not the case for Microsoft, but it might be.

It would be encouraging to see Microsoft allocate money to grand development plans. Show me you have something else to offer besides Vista. Show me the lights are on in Redmond.

Ballmer admitted that with Google they finally have some competition for talent – which, of course, includes finding new talent and holding on to established team members. Over the past few months there have been several high profile exits, including Martin Taylor, Vic Gundotra, Michael Wehrs and Doug Burgum. Why are they leaving?

Perhaps we'll get an answer to that question (among others) once the quarter results are made public.

Yahoo! and Microsoft have found themselves in an uncomfortable situation at present, but as long as they keep playing smart and thinking innovatively, there's room for the tide to change. The numbers released by eMarketer show Google as not just The One to Beat, but as an unstoppable force with the power to bowl over the competition. But that won't last forever.

Internet darlings have a predetermined shelf life – look what happened to AOL or to the Microsoft of the '90s. Both were the "it" companies of their time, they garnered a lot of buzz and had very public downfalls. It's very possible that in 3-5 years Google's reign will end. But who will be there to start anew? Yahoo! and Microsoft have been doing a pretty good job in the race for second, but it's time to start gunning for first. The company to succeed Google is laying the groundwork today.

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/18/06 at 4:52 PM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in Ask, Google, MSN Search, Microsoft, Search Engines, Yahoo

October 17, 2006

Search Headlines

Panama is Live

Yes, the rumors are true, Panama is complete. According to Barry Schwartz, invites to start using the system will begin going out next week.

Barry was one of at least six invited to Yahoo! to test the system out the new system before its public release. He gives readers some insight into what they can expect with bullet points and screenshots over at SEW.

(If you want the schwag report, you'll have to go to Cartoon Barry. More awesome messenger bags for Barry. Life is so unfair.)

Sexy Writers

One of my favorite things about Kim Krause (despite her obvious awesomeness) is her ability to time and time again equate blogging with being sexy. It's an argument few would be able to make, or at least make with a straight face.

In the spirit of Kim's post, I thought perhaps I'd share some of my favorite sexy writers. Of course there's Kim herself, Rand (fine, it's not just his writing that's sexy), Rebecca, Seth, Kathy, Barry and Jeremy, just to name a few. There are lots of sexy writers out there, people that go above and beyond just telling you what you need to know. And we thank them for that.

[And Kim, trust me, you don't want to meet me. I'm far more entertaining on the blog than I am in person. Ask Susan, she'll tell you.] [Lisa will be at ad:tech in New York and at SES in Chicago. She'll be covering the sessions for us so keep an eye out. --Susan] -- Did I get voted out of the office again?

MSN's LinkFromDomain

This new command got Susan all hot and bothered yesterday (don't deny it, Susan) and I have to admit it is pretty cool. Just as the name suggests, MSN's LinkFromDomain lets you see all the links pointing from a particular domain.

I'm immediately drawn to it because it caters to my stalker tendencies. Just type in your competitor's URL and you get an instant look at who they're linking to. Use it in tandem with the LinkDomain and you have a fun tool for locating reciprocal links. What more could a stalker-in-training need?

Actually I'll tell you. The only flaw with this command is that it doesn't tell you what page from Site A links to what page on Site B. This would be very helpful information, especially when I learn we've apparently been linking to Cute Overload. Friday Recap, perhaps?

Reminder: If you're really into linking data, Yahoo! Site's Explorer is an excellent resource.

I, er, blog

Nick Carr (you can add him to my Sexy Writers list) wrote another stellar post depicting the look of horror and pity people often receive when tell people they blog (blog, blog, blog, blog)for a living. I've been there, it's nasty and Nick does a great job illustrating how the conversation typically goes:

""So," they ask, "what do you do?"

A tremor of shame flows through you. You try to say "I am a blogger," but you can't. It lodges in your throat and won't budge. Panicked, you take refuge in circumlocution: "Well, I kind of, like, write, um, little commentaries that I, like, publish on the Internet."

I'm sweating just thinking about the last time I got into that conversation. The worst part isn't the trying to explain it; it's the blank stare you get after you've finished, like they're waiting for the punchline. [I always go for the generic 'I'm a writer.' You can actually see them mentally substitute 'waitress'. It's fun! --Susan] -- Unless they ask you what you write.

Fun Finds

Shimon Sandler explains how to use search in reputation management. Any plan of attack that involves googlebowling your competition is always a fun read.

Fifteen Ways to Improve Your Keywords

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/17/06 at 4:28 PM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in Pay-Per-Click, SEO, SEO Tools, Search Engine Optimization

Ten Reasons Why Yahoo! Deserves a Break

The tide has turned. A few months ago it was Google who could do nothing right in the eyes of its users, this month it's Yahoo!. There was last week's article in The New York Times, this discouraging thread at WMW, and lots of other not-so-positive Yahoo press. But is all the Yahoo-hate really fair? Of course not.

And because of that, here are Top 10 Reasons Users Shouldn't Give up on Yahoo (in no particular order):

1. The Commercials – Regardless of how you feel about Yahoo!, you have to admit the commercials make you warm inside. How you can not smile when dogs come back from the dead or when a nerd escapes public humiliation?
2. Panama is here – So it was delayed, but Panama is here now (sort of). Invites go out next week. Advertisers, rejoice.
3. Yahoo Answers – A most wonderful way to waste time research what users are interested and come up with potential blog topics. Without it, I never would have known how to tell if my goldfish was pregnant. Not that I have a goldfish. Fish scare me (it's the eyes).
4. The NOODP tag – Yahoo! has finally conceded that users don't like it when they use ODP titles and descriptions, so they stopped. Everyone likes an engine that listens. (Listens, not talks.)
5. They're an engine AND a media company – Google can't tout that and neither can MSN or Ask, but Yahoo! has somehow managed to do both.
6. Mindset – This is still one of the coolest toys around. If you haven't tried it, Yahoo! Mindset lets users adjust their SERP based on intent – are they looking to buy or research? With a simple adjustment to the slider, users can see results geared more towards research and information sites or find sites to help them get their shop on.
7. They remember the major holidays – They may not have remembered Columbus Day or helped us celebrate International Talk like a Pirate Day, but they were all over yesterday's Dictionary Day. What? You forgot?
8. Terry Semel is easier to photograph than Steve Ballmer – Canada.com has determined it is virtually impossible to find a usable photo of Steve Ballmer. We concur. He always looks like he wants to eat your face.
9. Terry Semel's not afraid of his PR guy – Would Larry or Sergey publicly announce that Microsoft "has no chance" in the search market? No. But Terry Semel did. That gives him street cred.
10. Nobody Hates Them – Hey, that's gotta count for something, right? People hate Microsoft, and on certain days of the week people feel pretty strongly about their dislike for Google, but no one hates Yahoo. They just moderately don't like them. Sort of how you feel about your little brother. You don't hate him; it's just that every once and awhile you question why he's there.

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/17/06 at 4:19 PM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in Branding, Yahoo

October 16, 2006

Search Headlines

Search Engines Were Never Meant to be Human

Whose idea was it to let a search engine speak? Did someone really find this amusing? I don't know, but you've probably already been introduced to Ms. Dewey, the search engine with "a human face" that offers 'witty banter' while bringing up your search results.

The unfortunate part is that none of it works.

Ms. Dewey has the relevancy of HotBot, an unfriendly SERP, and the attitude of an annoying two-year old that will neither go away, nor stop talking. The Google Operating System blog calls the figurehead "ironic, clever and provocative", but I think what they meant to say was tiresome, annoying and boring.

Maybe if it's human, we can kill it? You think?

No, that's wrong. (Talk to me later if you're interested.) [Lisa, you're scaring me a little bit here. Though I agree that Ms. Dewey is extremely irritating, takes much too long and is less helpful at returning results than Pupna, violence is never the answer. --Susan] -- Except for when it is. Muahaha!

GDrive Leaked. Again

For a company that's hoping you'll trust them with all your important business documents, they sure don't do a very good job protecting their own. Phil Lenssen was able to get a hold of Platypus, Google's internal GDrive client, and post a mirror of the help page for Windows and Linux. For obvious reasons he couldn't get past the log-in, so who knows what's behind it..

So, GDrive is real, and it's all very internal so little people like us will never get to use it, but David Utter asks one very good Google-related question:

"Will Google continue to leak product information to bloggers on Fridays (assuming they have done so by design to date)? It has to be cheaper than paying Ogilvy to do PR, right?"

Seriously. The YouTube rumor, now this, why is every trying to take my Friday buzz? Harsh, man.

How can search engines rerank results?

Bill Slawski uses his patent filing skills to construct 20 ways the search engines may rerank search results, including filtering out duplicate content, personalization, country specifications, accessibility and others. The most interesting of the twenty was one that doesn't always get a lot of attention:

15. Reordering based upon implicit feedback from user activities and click-throughs

There have been a lot of papers and patent filings that describe reordering of search results by looking at user behavior and query selections.

Here’s one that describes looking at different queries over user sessions:

Query Chains: Learning to Rank from Implicit Feedback (pdf)

[Rand also mentions manual boosts as part of his 'cracking' of the Google algorithm completed at 12 am this morning. Does the boy not sleep?]

Bill's entire post is an excellent read, as is anything written by the SEO by the sea.

Fun Finds

Seth Godin ponders the eternal question: Why do people look like their dogs?

Nick Carr wonders if United States vs. Google will be this era's defining antitrust case.

P.S.
Tom Schmitz – I love you for this! I'm still laughing.

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/16/06 at 5:06 PM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in Google, Rumors, SEO, Search Engine Optimization

SEO Branding

What do you want in an SEO?

No, no, I'm not talking actual skills here. I'm talking about the other stuff. The fun stuff.

Over at SEO Scoop, Donna has added an What I'm Watching page where readers can find out what primetime television shows she's due to be tuning into on any given night. Meanwhile, Rand Fishkin shared a few of his favorite Web games (Poom is awesome, by the way) over at SEOmoz this weekend, and elsewhere SEOs are asking for Halloween costume suggestions and sharing a whole lot of personal tidbits that have nothing to do with SEO.

But why are they doing it? Is it "just for fun" or is it part of building that highly sought-after community image?

It's a little bit of both.

There's an interesting thread over at SEW that I think goes along with this quite nicely. It's entitled Link Building vs. Link Branding and asks which is more effective – the building or the branding. Obviously, both are important. You want to build links, but you wanting to be building the right links, the ones that will help strengthen your brand and the image you're hoping to create.

What I found particularly amusing was that poor Matt Cutts was thrown into the conversation and members started speculating if Matt would still be Cuttlet-worthy if he left Google and starting working for some smaller company. Would Matt still be Matt or would people stop caring?

Personally, I think people would still be interested in Matt because he's more than Matt from Google. He's Matt from the blog.

If all Matt Cutts did was blog about Google, then perhaps he'd be in jeopardy of falling away once he left, but he doesn't. We hear about Emmy and his wife's vacation habits and his penchant for rearranging the house's lighting system when it's time to make an SEO video. Matt's our SEO friend and he'd be our friend no matter where he ventured off to (but please don't go anywhere, Matt!).

The personal tidbits SEOs and bloggers reveal in their writings help to brand their professional image. For example, Matt's a quirky nerd; Rand's a hot geek who plays with Transformers; Danny Sullivan is the all-business SEO at SEW who turns into an Eliza-Dushku-loving Post-It organizer over at Daggle, and Kim's the cool mom with the orange pots, etc.

I like the extra insights I get because I like seeing people's true personalities come out. If we were stranded in a room together and all we were given to amuse ourselves was one rubber ball, what would you do with it? Are you the type of person who would bore me to death playing catch with the wall, or are you, like me, the type of person who would try to get the ball to hit all four walls (twice...and maybe even the ceiling) before dropping?

Knowing how you play gives me a good idea of how you work. If I'm a client reading your blog or a competitor trying to learn how you run your company, that's invaluable information. I want to know that you're the kind of person to think outside the box, that you're wacky with an abundance of energy. It's also a great way to distinguish yourself from all the other SEO bloggers out there and to show what your company is really about.

I think Donna's What I'm Watching page is a great idea. I like getting an insight into what Donna's like beyond what I read on the forums or elsewhere on the Internet. [And I admit I got a giggle reading Rand trying to convert her into the Veronica Mars cult. Why do VM fans do that?] [Because Veronica Mars is great. Tuesday night at 9 on CW. --Susan] -- Remember how we talked about you leaving the house sometimes? It may also turn into a great link-to item for SEO Scoop if her TV-watching habits start to get amusing. That What I'm Watching page has Friday Recap written all over it.

And that's the thing about personal posts, they make for great links. They're fun and lighthearted and people love passing them around. How many people have probably forwarded Rand's selection of mindless Internet games? I know I spent my fever-ridden Saturday playing Poom for an embarrassingly long stretch of time.

The personal stuff is important. It creates a friendly atmosphere, it shows you're not taking yourself too seriously and helps people get a better idea of who you are. I mean, you can only learn so much by stalking people's MySpace pages, right?

Right.

Posted by Lisa Barone on 10/16/06 at 3:58 PM | TrackBack (0)
See more entries in Branding, SEO, Search Engine Optimization