Search Engine Optimization

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.

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 by Virginia Nussey 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 by Virginia Nussey on 06/30/09 at 4:23 PM | Comments (5)
See more entries in Search Engine Optimization

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 by Virginia Nussey 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 by Virginia Nussey 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.

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 by Virginia Nussey on 06/24/09 at 4:55 PM | Comments (6)
See more entries in Branding, Live Search, Microsoft, Search Engine Optimization, 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."

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 by Susan Esparza on 06/16/09 at 5:27 PM | Comments (5)
See more entries in Google, Search Engine Optimization

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

and the person will have to trust the resource that pointed them to your business in the first place.

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 by Virginia Nussey 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:

1. It's Google's index, they set barrier to entry wherever they want to.
2. Google gets to play by its own rules, like with the Android phones giveaway.
3. 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 by Susan Esparza on 06/ 9/09 at 3:54 PM | Comments (36)
See more entries in SEM Industry, Search Engine Optimization

May 26, 2009

Online Business Evolution: An IM Spring Break Presentation

Tony Adam, Pamela Lund & Christopher Hart at IM Spring Break

During IM Spring Break last April, Christopher Hart spoke during the Internet Marketing Business session with Pamela Lund and Tony Adam. Pam talked about managing client expectations. Tony focused in on SEO evangelism. And Chris framed the conversation of online business as an evolution in response to a changing environment.

Understanding where we've come from and where we are now can help companies position themselves for the environments of the future. The evolution that has occurred in the business world since the advent of the Internet is not unlike the evolution that has occurred in the natural world. Chris was reminded of this while watching Planet Earth one evening, and, in a stroke of creative genius, drew some vivid parallels to illustrate the state of our evolved business environment today. He presented those lessons at IM Spring Break and was kind enough to share his presentation with me. Since these are stories we can all learn from, I thought I'd share them here on the blog.

Cooperation and Understanding Add Up

Photo by El Cap'n via Creative Commons

Did you know that Blue Whales measure up to 108 feet long and weigh up to 172 metric tons? The Blue Whale is the largest living animal and may be the largest animal to have ever lived. However, these giants feed almost exclusively on krill, tiny shrimp-like animals. For the massive mammals to survive on a diet of these tiny treats, they have to consume 40 million krill, or 8,000 pounds, each day.

It's hard to believe that all those miniscule sea-bugs can sustain a marine titan like the Blue Whale. But it happens, every single day. Companies are like huge Blue Whales thriving on a steady stream of bite-sized nutrients. They require a constant input of small accomplishments in order to achieve large-scale success. At an organization, a number of employees within many departments each play a part in an online business initiative.

For instance, the task completed by the copywriter is passed on to the SEO who meets with the marketing manager to get approval for a new landing page on the site. The new page will be implemented by a member of the programming department in partnership with someone on the Web design team. A thousand tiny decisions from a hundred different people might be made on the journey from idea to reality. Evangelism at the highest levels is required before the culture of understanding required for communication and cooperation is cultivated. With everyone onboard, it's more likely that the many decisions made across the company will support the best interests of the organization's online success.

Communication is Crucial

Photo by exfordy via Creative Commons

Elephants, the largest land animals, live for 50 to 70 years in a highly structured social order. Herds are made up of 5 to 15 adults plus several young. These tight-knit family groups are lead by the matriarch, and female elephants are the core members of the herd with male elephants leaving the group upon puberty. When a herd gets too large, a female may break off to form her own small group. If resources are scarce or if migration is necessary, hundreds of herds may come together to form a clan that aids in sharing or safety. Considering the complex family systems that unite and divide on a constant basis, it's no surprise that elephants rely on advanced communication to keep track of the process.

Imagine the chaos that would ensue if these mammoth animals, which can weigh up to 13 tons each, didn't have tools of communication at their disposal. But because they do, elephants have evolved into large, intelligent animals with sophisticated social relationships that bring them to superior levels of efficiency. Like elephants communicating among the herd, a business must develop its internal communications so that the whole can function most effectively. The ability to easily and clearly communicate in terms that everyone understands is crucial to the success of each initiative and to the company's survival as a whole.

The potential for chaos within a company is just as real as it is within a clan of elephants. A refined online business initiative will incorporate SEO, PPC, SMM and ORM, among other things. And yet we know that no one part can be eliminated without an exponentially negative effect on the whole. With so many vital working pieces coming together, it's necessary to have clear and continual communication at every stage of a project, from every level of the organization. Only then can the full potential of an online business initiative be realized.

Flourish When Faced by Challenges

Photo by Oakley Originals via Creative Commons

Most of a cicada's life is spent underground as a nymph. However, before the end of their life cicadas come to the surface to mate. With vast numbers emerging from the soil at the same time, cicadas avoid population devastation. North American cicadas have a life cycle of either 13 or 17 years. It's believed that these long cycles occurring at prime number intervals are a mechanism to help the insects avoid predators. For instance, predators with shorter life cycles, such as two to five years, can not rely on cicadas as prey.

There's a thing or two we can learn from our creepy-crawly cohabitators. Cicadas have evolved in ways that make sustainability of the species most likely. These insects, which are usually just one to two inches long, are vulnerable to any number of predators looking to engulf a juicy snack. And yet the 2,500 species of cicadas around the world continue to flourish thanks to clever evolutionary adaptations. In its own way, a company must adapt to today's marketplace in order to survive. Fast reaction times, creative problem solving and flexibility are required to stay on top in the online marketplace.

Remember how the cicada spends much of its life below the visible surface? The majority of what an organization does will never be seen by the public eye. But, those "invisible" tasks that are accomplished every day are crucial to the success of the company. And while it would be nice for ROI, profitability and efficiency to always come measured in constant, reliable formulas, it's usually not the case. Your marketplace, your competition, the search engines and the company itself are always moving, changing and growing. There are no cookie-cutter solutions to the challenges of doing business online; each obstacle requires a fresh strategy and understanding in order to craft a solution that works.

[ED: Our friend Dan emailed us to point out that the picture above is not of a 13 or 17 year cicada but a Tibicen superbus, a 2 year cicada. This Magicicada septendecim is the bug we were referring to. We regret the error especially because Magicicada is totally a cooler name than Superbus. --Susan]

The Natural World Meets the Business World

In the natural world, animals have adapted to environmental hardships for millions of years. But in the business world, the challenge of a new online environment has forced unexpected adaptations. Time-tested evolutionary methods employed in the animal kingdom can serve as a lesson to companies struggling to gain footing online. Remember that attaining buy in from the top down will facilitate cooperation and understanding. Of course, maintaining communication across the organization is crucial. And forget out-of-the-box solutions; custom adaptations are much better suited to the fast-changing online environment. Obviously, Mother Nature knows what she's doing, so don't be afraid to apply nature's knowledge to your online business evolution.

Posted by Virginia Nussey on 05/26/09 at 4:42 PM | Comments (0)
See more entries in New Media, Search Engine Optimization, Search Integration

May 18, 2009

Adding User Behavior to SEO Considerations

Photo by ella novak via Creative Commons

Web site usability professional and search marketer Shari Thurow has amended her long-standing SEO building blocks. Instead of recommending three major components to pay attention to when optimizing a site, she has added a fourth important factor to the mix: user behavior and intent. Her revised search engine optimization building blocks are now made up of:

• Text
• Links/Navigation
• Popularity
• User Behavior

User behavior is the new kid on the block here, added in light of the fact that search marketing has reached a stage where plenty of behavioral searcher data is readily available. Understanding user behavior is a pre-cursor to site optimization and usability considerations. While the latter involve what a person does on your site, user behavior helps you understand why they come there in the first place.

Shari says that while user behavior was only formally added to the list last week, the human searcher has always been a vital consideration in the SEO process. Past users' behavior can be studied to help inform future improvements made to the site. She goes on to explain how searcher behavior can be either simple or complex at times, and that it's necessary to account for both in your optimization strategy.

Searcher Behavior is Always Complex

I tend to disagree with the idea that searcher behavior can be simple. Sure, there's an intended path you can create through your site that leads from landing page to conversion. But even when a customer takes the straight-forward path, you can bet there was a series of decisions made which you can only hope to predict.

Even the most streamlined conversion funnel and the most logical site path won't guarantee that a prospect will take the action you want. A prospect isn't simply looking for a product to get the job done -- he's looking for one that's green enough to appease his wife, for one that's sturdy enough to withstand the rough weather in his truck bed, for one that will drop his friends' jaws when they see it and maybe even make his boss a little jealous.

With all the unforeseen considerations running through your audience's heads, it seems to me that user behavior is always going to lean toward the complex.

Photo by striatic via Creative Commons

SEO for User Behavior

But despite the inherent uncertainty of predicting an individual user's behavior, there are practices an Internet marketer should consider when taking into account the human element. For some time now Bruce has heralded the behavioral shift of search and explained how to adapt to the change. Here are some recommendations for optimizing your site with the help of user behavioral data.

Perform competitive analysis.

A standard step in any optimization project, competitive research can give you an understanding of the tone, topics and technical detail of their site content. If the majority of sites in your industry all speak in a familiar tone about taco recipes using metric measurements, you can safely assume that your audience is made of casual cooks in a region where they use the metric system. The sites that share your audience, especially those that rank well, can give you an idea of what your prospective users are looking for and what makes them most comfortable.

Identify patterns in user behavior.

With your site analytics in hand, try to find common behaviors performed by users. Is there an exceptionally bouncy page? Which pages are getting all the conversions? What search terms are driving traffic and what do people like to do when they arrive on your site? Do some tests to find the usability obstacles and consider multivariate or A/B testing to see if certain copy or design choices make a difference in turning a searcher into a customer.

Identify demographics, regions and interest categories.

Mine your data for information about where users are physically located and for any demographics that can be gleaned. Live Search's adCenter provides demographics for queries. Server logs can locate a user's region via IP address. And customer research can give you info on topics and categories that are tangentially interesting to your users. Learning more about your users' Web behaviors on your site, where they come from and their related interests, you'll be better informed when creating the content and designing the site that is helpful to them.

Consider where your social engagement should be.

As you want to speak to your prospects through your site, you also want to reach them away from your site. In order to invest your social media efforts in the right site, network, or medium, you want to know what social channels your users are frequenting. To collect this information, you'll need to go straight to the source. Do customer surveys, focus groups and in-house think tanks. Targeting the right social media site and being welcomed there is a challenge that's worth the effort and resources needed for success.

It's no surprise that user behavior has gained its place as an essential SEO building block. Preparing your site for a member of your target audience requires more than optimization best practices and usability testing. User behavior is the framework which guides your audience, their interests and their goals -- the more understanding your have, the better prepared your site will be. While it's impossible to know what any one individual surfing your site might do, you can prepare for likely scenarios and various user objectives using reliable data as your guide.

Posted by Virginia Nussey on 05/18/09 at 4:13 PM | Comments (3)
See more entries in Personalized Search, Search Engine Optimization, Usability, Web Development

May 12, 2009

Google Threatens Real Estate Professionals. Or Does It?

There's a debate raging in the real estate world. It isn't pretty and it isn't simple. The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) has supported a regional association's decision that Google is a scraper site. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Board of REALTORS® (MIBOR) has issued cease and desist orders to a number of its members, telling them to implement robots.txt directives that prevent Google from indexing certain property listings. NAR has tentatively agreed with MIBOR's claim that the Google index is nothing more than a receptacle of stolen content.

Photo by Phil Scoville via Creative Commons

This week is the REALTORS® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo. The annual event brings together NAR leadership, and it is expected that real estate professionals affected by the decision will ask the association to reconsider. The impending judgment is being closely watched by real estate professionals the nation over as the final outcome could either set a long-standing course for progression or futile resistance.

I consulted BCI tech writer Paula Allen, who worked for a real estate industry vendor for 12 years, for her take on why the NAR and other professional real estate associations are getting their pantaloons in a bunch. Aren't they aware that getting listings to show up as Google results is as good as free marketing, I asked? Is this just another case of overzealous, old-school types clinging to the past? Where real estate professionals were once the sole owners of listing information, was the solution to educate them on the power of search technology?

As Paula sees it, there's certainly a measure of that mentality getting in the way here. But there could be an even bigger problem that needs to be addressed before Google can be seen as a partner and not the enemy. To explain this requires a little background.

A multiple listing service, or MLS, is a handy cooperative that allows real estate agents to view and share listings with each other. Starting from the old days of the printed MLS book and continuing with today's Internet-based systems, access to the MLS data was long restricted to subscribers and is still governed by a strict set of rules about who can show which property listing information to whom. When competitive third-party real estate sites like Yahoo! Real Estate and Zillow started popping up, the MLS established the Internet Data Exchange (IDX), an authorized way to share MLS listings online. Those brokers who opt in to their MLS's IDX have their listings show up on other participating brokers' sites. In exchange, their site can advertise the listings of other member brokers as well. In this way, real estate professionals hoped to make listings available to people searching online while still maintaining some control over the information. But, apparently, it wasn't enough control.

As a member of the IDX, the displayed contact information for listings on your site is your own. So if broker Sally and broker John both participate in IDX, John's listing on Sally's IDX site will show up with Sally's contact info. That way, Sally will get the call, and potentially be able to represent an interested buyer. This is fair enough if someone searching Sally's site has come upon the listing.

However, things start to get fuzzy if that IDX listing is indexed in Google and someone finds Sally that way. According to the MLS, the listing doesn't belong to Sally; it belongs to John. John retains the control to put the listing where he wants. If he's smart, he'll submit his listings directly to Google and other search engine real estate services to get the traffic himself. And if he opts in to the IDX, then he has chosen to show his listing in that way. However, he hasn't allowed Sally to get all the credit for his listing in the SERPs.

Photo by FaceMePLS via Creative Commons

While on the surface it appears to be a simple "get over your power trip" diagnosis, there are a number of complicated implications in allowing Google to index IDX listings as they currently stand. I initially thought I'd berate NAR, demand that they embrace search engine technology as free marketing or be doomed to failure! But under the current system, indexed listings could be unfair to the rightful content owners.

The solution, in my assessment, will be two-fold. There will need to be a restructuring of the IDX system so that the contact info listed is that of the selling agent. Then, if IDX listings are indexed, credit will go where it is due. In the meantime, agents should embrace the power of search engine marketing and submit their property listings to sites like Google and Yahoo. This way they can proactively ensure they get all the inquiries. With an improved IDX system and a partnership mentality in place, search engine marketing education can take root. Down the road real estate professionals may just wonder what all the fuss was all about.

Update: For more on the real estate industry's search marketing challenges, please see our series Jumping Into the Real Estate Fray, parts 1 and 2.

Posted by Virginia Nussey on 05/12/09 at 5:32 PM | Comments (13)
See more entries in Google, Linking Strategy, Search Engine Optimization, Search Integration, Yahoo

May 5, 2009

New SEO Tools and SEMToolBar for Firefox

Sound the trumpets! We at Bruce Clay, Inc. have an exciting announcement. Make that two exciting announcements, and they're both about new, free SEO tools! Today we announced the release of the SEMToolBar for Firefox. You know, the Web browser that most search marketers actually use? Through the toolbar you'll get meaningful statistics right in your browser. We also launched a brand new tool called the SEO/Domain Report Tool. This little beauty lets you check Yahoo, Live and Google to see how many pages of a domain are indexed in each engine.

Here's a little run down.

SEMToolBar for Firefox

When the Internet Explorer version of the toolbar was released earlier this year, we told you all about the cool ways it can help search marketers. And now it's in a flavor preferred by nine out of ten search marketers -- Mozilla! (Disclaimer: Unlike the stats provided by the SEMToolBar, the previous figure is not accurate in any way. It just sounds good.)

If you've been waiting for the Firefox version before downloading the toolbar for yourself, you may enjoy a refresher on everything the SEMToolBar can do. Guess it's your lucky day!

After you download the SEMToolbar, the biggest difference you'll notice is on a Google search results page. For this demonstration I'll use the query [mother's day] as an example. (I would say hi to my mom here, but who am I kidding? She doesn't read the blog. Instead I'll say hi to Susan's mom. Hi Mrs. Esparza! Happy early Mom's Day! [Hi Mom! --Susan])

So, first thing I do is type [mother's day] into Google. My SERP looks like this:

Right on the page you can see statistics about the keyword, such as daily activity, the cost per click, monthly trending and demographics. For easy recognition, you can choose to highlight URLs from specified domains with colors. In the image above, the Wikipedia link is highlighted in green. With the Firefox version of the toolbar, you can use up to 24 colors to highlight specified domains.

Under each SERP result you can see a number of statistics listed. For each result you get the PageRank, the number of inbound links, the number of pages indexed from the domain, and more. For a detailed list of the statistics provided by the SEMToolBar and what they all mean, visit SEOToolSet.com.

Say I want to check out the Wikipedia result for my keyword. I click on the result and now I see this:

At the far left of the toolbar you can see the SEOToolSet icon. The word "SEOToolSet" is a drop down menu that allows SEOToolSet subscribers to log in to the tools and access the KDA, Check Server Tool and PathMaps. There are also a couple other functions located here, like collapsing certain data fields, toggling features on and off, adjusting settings and getting support. This is also where you'd go to validate the HTML right from the page you're viewing. Here it's worth noting that none of the functions of the SEMToolBar require a subscription to the SEOToolSet.

To the right of that you can see a little American flag. This is how you can set a proxy. View the page as though you were in another part of the U.S. or half way around the globe. We'll continue to add more proxy servers. The SEMToolBar is also available in more than 20 languages and we keep adding more.

Moving along you'll notice a number of data fields, like PageRank, site count, inbound links, cached date, and so on. If you click on the "Get Stats" button on the far right of the toolbar, the fields will populate and you'll know when the domain was started and how many inbound links the page has in no time. Further to the right of the statistics you can view the cached page, cached text and Whois info by selecting each respective button.

Explained with all those words, it seems like the SEMToolBar gives you a ton of information. And it does! But it's just the essential stuff you're looking for in your everyday journeys as a search marketer. One of the things we wanted to do when we designed the SEMToolBar was to cut the fat out of cumbersome SEO tools and make the most essential data available at your fingertips. We think we did just that, but we really want to know what you think. Download the SEMToolBar for Firefox or IE and test it out yourself.

SEO/Domain Report Tool

Not to be overlooked, this handy new tool gives you one place where you can find out how many pages a domain has indexed in the big three search engines. The tool allows you to compare up to six domains at a time.

We think search marketers will find both of these free tools useful. Please let us know what you think, and feel free to spread the word! (Candy and Mother's Day gifts sold separately.)

Posted by Virginia Nussey on 05/ 5/09 at 5:10 PM | Comments (8)
See more entries in Keyword Research, SEO Tools, SEOToolSet, Search Engine Optimization

April 30, 2009

SEO All-In-One For Dummies Debuts!

It's here! It's here!

When Search Engine Optimization All-In-One For Dummies by Bruce Clay and Susan Esparza arrived at the office today, we spared no time and put it straight to work. We took a cue from Ian Laurie of Portent Interactive, and let me tell you, this kid is a natural. Look at everything it did today!

This morning, despite the sleep still heavy around its eyes, SEO All-In-One For Dummies came through and brewed us up one smooth pot of coffee.

We've always got lots going on around here, so once the caffeine kicked in SEO All-In-One For Dummies tried its hand at some incoming sales calls.

When the phones had died down a bit, our tech support team asked if SEO All-In-One For Dummies wouldn't mind helping out with technical calls about the SEOToolSet. Turns out it knows the tools inside and out!

Then it was time for lunch, but never one to stop working, SEO All-In-One For Dummies pitched in and fed the fish instead. Mmm mmm!

Bruce is out of town presenting SEO training on the East Coast this week, so SEO All-In-One For Dummies slapped on a mustache and filled in for the big guy.

After he had his fill of being the boss, SEO All-In-One For Dummies stepped in for Robert during his lunch break. It did all it could to intimidate people into submission, but apparently Tim didn't think it was all that scary.

The joke was on Tim though! In the office, SEO All-In-One For Dummies is just a powerful reference guide for Internet marketers. But outside it spends its time fighting villains and saving the day!

After beating the bad guys into submission, the victorious SEO All-In-One For Dummies flew off into the sunset...

And got back just in time for its big red carpet debut! Isn't it pretty?

Search Engine Optimization All-In-One For Dummies is available now through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Borders. Along with 746 packed pages, you also get a $25 coupon for Google AdWords. So get your hands on all the information in Search Engine Optimization All-In-One For Dummies. As hard as we made it work today, we know it will work just as hard for you.

Posted by Virginia Nussey on 04/30/09 at 5:05 PM | Comments (13)
See more entries in Fun Stuff, Search Engine Optimization

April 29, 2009

Internet Marketing Trends - SEM Synergy Extras

In an industry that's as keen on data as ours, there are always reports being released about the state of the trends of the surveys, if you know what I mean. Not to knock data or anything -- I realize as well as the next blogger that attention to numbers is no passing fad. But sometimes it's difficult to keep up with the figures. Sometimes more than one conclusion can be drawn from the same set of data. And more often than not, the data is different from one day to the next. Today on SEM Synergy, our weekly WebmasterRadio podcast, we tackled some online marketing trends -- namely, those in search advertising, social network advertising and consumer behavior.

On the show we took a look at an Efficient Frontier report on search engine marketing performance over the last quarter. The conclusion was that, while ad spend was down, there had been a rise in return on investment. Bruce outlined his argument against the organization's findings, and I'd encourage you to listen to the episode to get his thoughts on what he considers to be flawed logic.

Of course, search marketing firm Efficient Frontier was not alone in releasing a study over the last month. Here are a few more white paper reports that may be worth dissection and consideration.

Paid Search During the First Quarter

SearchIgnite, an SEO reporting solution, researched paid search performance in the first quarter. The following are the highlights of their findings:

• Overall, search ad spend was down two percent year over year. However, paid search spend made a significant rebound in March with an 11 percent increase over last year. In contrast, January recorded a 14 percent decline when compared to search ad spend last year.
• The average time between clicking on an ad and making a conversion grew more than 23 percent in the first quarter when compared to last year. The number of times a user clicked on an add also increased 28 percent year over year.
• The analysis concluded that consumers are still buying but are doing more research and comparison shopping before making a purchase. Meanwhile, advertisers are showing signs of cautious confidence in the paid search space.

SEMPO Annual State of Search Survey

The Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization released its annual State of the Market Survey, reporting its findings for last year. A full report is available for SEMPO members and a summary report (pdf) is available for everyone else. The findings covered a range of topics, including behavioral targeting, local search, video search, mobile search and social media:

• Of those surveyed, 75 percent said they would pay more for clicks targeted to their specific market or within a certain demographic. They are also willing to pay more for demographic and behavioral targeting.
• Of marketers who are engaged in branding through social media channels, more than 80 percent use Facebook. More than two-thirds of the group report using Digg for brand marketing, followed by Delicious, StumbleUpon, Reddit and Technorati.
• More than 60 percent of marketers reported a willingness to pay more for local targeting, versus 40 percent last year. Mobile search and video search are gaining ground, with 48 percent expressing interest in contextually targeted mobile ads and 54 percent interested in contextually targeted video ads.

Consumer Behavior Report

Comparison shopping company PriceGrabber teamed with market research firm Market Reporter to survey U.S. consumers' online shopping behavior (pdf). Generally, the study indicates that consumers are steadily increasing their shopping budgets and are spending more time online:

• Compared to last year, 94 percent of online shoppers are spending more or equal time comparing prices. 93 percent of online shoppers are spending more or equal time shopping. 67 percent of online shoppers are spending more or equal time looking for coupons. And 52 percent of online shoppers are spending more or equal time on social networks.
• Consumers are willing to buy big ticket items online, and online merchandising is a driving force. 30 percent of respondents would purchase electronics online, 20 percent would purchase home improvement items, and 12 percent would purchase kitchen items or indoor furniture.
• The number of consumers who cut their spending declined from 59 percent last October to 50 percent in March. However, the number of consumers who reported that they are trying to save money regardless of the economy rose from 25 percent in October to 27 percent last month.

Yes, that's a lot of data to go through, but in short, consumers are spending more time online, shopping more than before, clicking on more ads than before and spending more time comparison shopping. Advertisers are increasing their ad spend after an early first quarter drop and are showing a willingness to move into the mobile, video and social advertising spaces.

And speaking of social, I'd like to thank my guest Tim Kendall, director of monetization at Facebook, for coming on the show to talk about Facebook Advertising and the opportunity of social network ads. With attitudes changing and trends moving fast, keep up with the numbers to stay ahead of the curve.

Posted by Virginia Nussey on 04/29/09 at 5:26 PM | Comments (3)
See more entries in E-commerce, Pay Per Click / Online Ads, SEM Industry, SEM Synergy, Search Engine Optimization

April 14, 2009

Search Marketers and Web Developers Meet in Santa Monica

Update: Coverage of the topics and tactics shared during the event can be found on Search Engine Land.

Last night I attended L.A.'s very first Jane and Robot Web dev and search meetup. Nathan Buggia of Live Search and Vanessa Fox of NineByBlue.com have teamed up to bring the search and Web dev community a great resource in JaneAndRobot.com.

Nathan and Vanessa have presented a number of events like last night's all along the West Coast. Now they're gearing up for O'Reilly Found, a two-day conference dedicated to helping the Web development community understand their vital role in search acquisition.

I wanted to tell you about the good stuff that happened last night, but of course, pictures speak louder than words. So I'm thrilled to bring you photos by search documentarian Wm. Marc Salsberry.

To start us off, the host of the evening, Tony Adam, SEO manager at Yahoo, treated the 40 or so people in the crowd to yummy appetizers, cold brews and pizza!

Photo by Wm. Marc Salsberry - Entrepreneur/Photographer

Then Vanessa and Nathan powered up the projector and gave a presentation on how to diagnose a site's SEO issues. While half of the audience tweeted their up-to-the-minute thoughts via BlackBerrys and smart phones galore, this little blogger blogged.

Photo by Wm. Marc Salsberry - Entrepreneur/Photographer

Once the official Q&A had ended, it was time for the fun to begin. Vanessa, Nathan, Tony and the crowd headed to The Parlor for informal discussion and more good ol' fashioned networking.

Photo by Wm. Marc Salsberry - Entrepreneur/Photographer

Marc Salsberry is clearly crafty with the camera, but as an entrepreneur and photographer, he's also interested in marketing his photos and optimizing them for search. Marc has been posting his photos to Flickr and Facebook to allow for easy findability and open access to the community. But during Q&A time, he asked Nathan and Vanessa about the best way to get analytics and metrics for images.

It just so happens that Vanessa wrote an article on effectively using images on Jane and Robot.

Nathan also explained that the ideal situation for Marc would be to host the images himself. By hosting the images on his server he would be able to access the metrics and analytics he was interested in. If he linked from his site to the Flickr pages, Marc would potentially be able to secure two results in the SERP. And for branding and marketing purposes, Nathan suggested that it's important to have ownership of the URL where the image is located. All this occurs after deciding what primary goals and conversions he has for his images.

That was just a small piece of what went down at the Yahoo! Center last night. Bummed you couldn't make it to the Jane and Robot Santa Monica Meetup? It's not too late to sign up for the O'Reilly Found Conference going on June 9-11 in Burlingame, CA. Use the code FD09PC to receive 15 percent off the cost of registration! Thanks to everyone who made last night's great event happen and thanks to the talented Wm. Marc Salsberry for sharing your amazing images with the search community.

Posted by Virginia Nussey on 04/14/09 at 5:01 PM | Comments (2)
See more entries in SEM Industry, Search Engine Optimization, Web Development, Yahoo

March 26, 2009

News Search SEO

Off to the organic track for some news and SEO learning. Our moderator is Mark Jackson, SEW expert and president/CEO of VIZION Interactive. The line up of speakers is: Greg Jarboe, president and co-founder, SEO-PR; Lisa Buyer, president and CEO of The Buyer Group; Dana Todd, CMO of Newsforce; and John Shehata, senior SEO manager at Advance Internet, Inc.

Dana Todd kicks things off.

Photo credit: Bas van den Beld of SearchCowboys.com

News is dead?

There's a feeling that news is struggling. But in reality, news is exploding online. News sites have more 250 million readers -- more than Facebook, with a broader demographic.

• 44 percent of all Web users visited newspaper Web sites in January of 2009.
• Newspaper digital audience has grown 60 percent in the last three years.
• Alternative news sources (search, Twitter, blogs) represent significant additional opportunities.
• News page views are up to trillions monthly.

Here's a funnel:

Awareness
Opinion
Consideration
Intention
Sales

Brand advertising happens at awareness and opinion stages. Public relations happens at the awareness, opinion and consideration points. Search advertising happens at the intention and sales stages.

It's not just about optimizing press releases. It's about changing public perception, one story at a time. It's about creating an emotional perception. She wants us to swear that no one will start their tactics before they set up their strategy.

Start with research and your strategy will write itself:

• Primary research
  • Your questions should ultimately align with your campaign and brand goals:
    • What are the key misperceptions about my product/industry that might be limiting my sales?
    • What do people believe about my company?
    • If I move the needle by X% how much market share or sales does that represent?
• Secondary research
• Keyword research

Set your goals and metrics upfront and align to communications goals, not just sales goals. Plan a one to three year campaign!

Think of PR as content strategy:

• Once you identify the core branding and communication needs, what are the stories you need to tell and to whom?
• What's the best way to reach that audience online and offline?
• Influencers + direct to consumer PR (this is too often ignored)
• Integrate offline promotions with online, and vice versa.

Sample strategies:

• Product/category awareness ("did you know?")
• Corporate social responsibility ("watch a video of our green initiatives")
• Crisis management ("our product is safe" or "we don't need a bailout")
• Build community
• Change political attitude
• I just want links (fill with crap and stuff it in wire stories -- not a recommended long-term strategy)

Measuring outcomes:

• KPIs may look a lot like social media KPIs: buzz, links, social media activity, dwell times
• Document the relative value of a particular writer or publication in terms of their influence
• Use cookies and tracking tags wherever possible, plus unique phone numbers
• RSS and wire services may strip hyperlinks, tags

Free buzz tracking:

Techrigy SM2: There is a paid and premium version that will let you monitor terms for mentions. The cool thing is the story system they create.
Radian6: Great interface
Scout Labs

Next is John Shehata and he'll be talking about tactics.

Why news search SEO? Half of Internet users search daily and 39 percent of them search for news. People expect the news to find them. People, places, events, hot subjects and crises and organizations are the top news searches.

There are traditional keyword research tools but some aren't as good for breaking news search. They can show you what phrases are queried more but there are other types of tools that can help you with breaking news keywords.

• Yahoo Buzz
• SEOmoz.com
• Ask.com
• Google Zeitgeist
• Google Hot Trends - http://www.google.com/trends/hottrends (he likes this one best because it's updated every hour and shows you all the angles that are catching interest for a topic)

Add Google Hot Trends to your Google Reader and then you can see the whole day's trends at the end of the day. You can also get insight about your audience. When they search for certain topics is helpful knowledge.

Headlines:

• Spiders don't understand pithy, poetic or witty headlines. You may want to write different headlines for the Web.
• Include keywords you want to rank for
• Use terms that people are searching for
• Be straightforward
• 5 to 12 words, no more than 21 words
• Create headlines that are fully understood on their own, without sub-headlines or images
• Remember print headlines sell the story. Optimized Web headlines tell the story.

Great news follows the inverted pyramid, which is SEO friendly. Don't write for search engines but for people, with search engines in mind. Look out for acronyms or abbreviations; spell it out.

Sometimes you need to violate the AP stylebook:

• Use full names instead of last names.
• Use numerals instead of figures (9 instead of nine).
• Use passive voice to bring keywords in the beginning of the headline.
• Sometimes non-hyphenated words are more popular than hyphenated ones.

Google News:

• Only indexes articles three days old or less
• Only indexes it once
• Read Google News Help for Publishers
• Google News XML Sitemap and monitor it
• Section names (keywords in News XML Sitemaps)
• Host "most popular" and "breaking news" sections on your site
• Sub-headlines or beginning of article copy is pulled in as Meta description

Google News Search vs. Google Web Search:

Always upload your image to Google News. Include it on the top of the story. It can't be a link. If you want to link to a larger version include a link that says "view larger" that they can use.

Lisa Buyer is going to talk about how news search SEO can be mixed with social media.

How fast does news travel on Google? Look beyond the press release:

• Facebook: Fan pages, groups, profiles
• Twitter: status, events, blogs, names, company names
• LinkedIn: corporations and groups

The PR Opportunity:

There are millions of users on each platform. Offer newsworthy angels and talk about news in an optimized, interesting way.

The results?

• News coverage in the search engines
• Communicate your social media channels to the public
• Drive traffic to social media channels
• Get followers, links, fans

Twitter and news search: Twitter updates can be indexed in Google News. [Really? Maybe I heard that wrong.] The media is on Twitter and is using it to break stories as well as look for stories. Your Twitter PR strategy can report the news, interact with media and connect with clients and prospects.

Employees on Twitter: @youremployeename. Twitter shows up in search and Google Alerts.

Watch out for irresponsible employees on Twitter. An employee saying "eff you" to a client is not a good idea.

• Talk with your employees about their social media use.
• Educate them on how it could show up in search news and effect the company's search news.
• Create an action plan for online reputation management.
• Make a PR plan for prevention and reaction.

Lessons:

• Think before you tweet.
• Avoid online gossip.
• Use Google Alerts to track your news, names and brands -- at a minimum.
• Have employee policies on social media.
• Say online anything you want to be aired on the 6:00 news.

When it comes to PR and news SEO, the benefits are slow and steady but pitfalls can quickly hurt you.

Greg Jarboe is going to wrap up the presentations.

Previously he has shared case studies of what news search SEO generated:

• $22.5 million in ticket sales for Southwest Airlines in 2004.
• 1.3 million searches on SuperPages.com for florists in 2005.
• 450,000 unique visitors to The Christian Science Monitor in 2006.
• 1,100 attendees to the Wharton Economic Summit in 2007.
• 36 percent increase in searches for Better Homes and Gardens brand names in 2008.

The quantity, quality and relevance of links count towards your rating.

"For ranking in Google, however, the main benefit of a press release is not direct links or PageRank from the press release directly; it's primarily the people who decide to write an article and link because of that." -- Matt Cutts

There are a number of newspapers that are closing or are moving to primarily Web editions. If you're doing traditional public relations, good luck. Pay attention to the new stuff because the old stuff is going away quickly.

The buzzing blogger community can be an excellent place to generate interest. They are helping to fill the void that is being created with the decline of traditional news. They're filling the place because the appetite for news is still there. The best way to get other sites to create relevant links to yours is to create unique, useful content.

Optimized press releases can rank first in search results. Include an image and get the visual advantage. Contact influential bloggers the day before the press release goes out -- the blog is the new press. They're just as interested in getting the scoop as traditional media counterparts. Traditional media picks up stories from blogs as well. Combine blog outreach and press release optimization to build links.

Q&A

What types of news stories shoot up in search results faster?

John: Your physical proximity to the source of the story, how many people click -- there are certain factors you can't control. But in your niche it could be easier to get high rankings

Greg: There's no short cut like including "breaking news" in your headline. Sometimes the most popular stories aren't really "news" but tips.

Are there best practices for showing up in Google News?

Greg: Submit a specific URL to Google News for consideration. This may take creating a "top stories" page on the site.

What are some tips for a company that has a good chunk of staff doing SEO and blogging that we want them to align with the brand and the public mission statement without curbing the efforts and creativity of staff?

Lisa: I had some policies in place as far as client names and brand name use. The best thing to do is sit down with the group and explain what could happen and get all the ideas together to form guidelines. You want to have the self expression -- it's the beauty of social media -- but you need guidelines. Keep the conversation going.

Updating stories on the NY Times site changes the URL. That seems not to be a good idea.

Greg: That is a bad idea and the New York Times is working to change that. They're struggling to make those adjustments.

John: When you have substantial updates, don't update the same story. Write a new story.

Posted by Virginia Nussey on 03/26/09 at 12:22 PM | Comments (3)
See more entries in Liveblog, News & PR, SES New York 2009, Search Engine Optimization

March 24, 2009

Getting Mobilized! Mobile Marketing Strategies

As Matt Bailey explained during the last session I attended, SES organizers are working hard to drill down into topics more. More deep and focused content was requested through surveys that attendees submit following conferences. Solo presentations are one solution they're experimenting with at SES. So here's another solo presentation, this time by Cindy Krum, founder and CEO of Rank-Mobile. This mobile-focused session is part of the Search and the Fundamentals track.

Amanda Watlington, owner of Searching for Profit, will give a quick intro to mobile search. Mobile is the next big thing. How many of you carry a smart phone? Almost everyone. How many of you search on your phone. Also almost everyone. Cindy has authored a book on the topic and hosts the WMR show Mobile Presence.

She started in SEO so she likes to look at how to make your site work for mobile. There is mass convergence to build right now. It's the most personal marketing medium ever and there are more interactive marketing possibilities.

People usually like the audience to put their phone away, but she wants you to take your phone out. We're going to be playing a game!

Mobile is different

• Mobile bots
• Mobile algorithms
• More interactivity
• Simplified rendering
• Smaller screen
• More sophisticated searchers
• More specific searchers
• Immediate intent

Why now?

• Real mobile Web browsing, in part thanks to the iPhone
• Flat-rate data pricing
• Faster download speed
• More processing power
• U.S. adoption has hit critical mass

iPhones only make up 5 percent of mobile phones in the U.S. but 75 percent of mobile searches. She thinks that shows that the hindrance was browsing experience. Flat-rate data plans means there's no disincentive to search on your mobile.

How can I benefit?

• Mobile Web is not just a fad. If you embrace it now you'll be ahead of your competitors.
• Master the medium before your competitors.
• There's lot of market share to be moved.
• The cost of failure and testing is low.

Hurdles in Mobile Marketing

Challenge: Too many browsers that render the Web differently.

On the traditional Web we came to the realization that every browser ends up rendering in mostly the same way. We're moving in that direction with mobile but aren't quite there yet.

Challenge: Different handsets and different screen sizes, screen orientations and slow rendering speed.

Challenge: High mobile data chargers prevent mobile search.

Challenge: Slow download speeds, wimpy networks. You don't have great coverage everywhere. That means it's going to slow your message down. Also, if someone's trying to access your site from their mobile, they might not get the message at all. Streamline your site and your messaging so that it doesn't choke the network and gets to the phone faster

Mobile Search Landscape

• On-deck search, also called carrier search
  • Walled or semi-walled garden from the carrier
  • Monetized content and downloads
  • Search from white-label or traditional search engines
  • Preferred 38 percent of the time, when compared to off-deck search (but 87 percent said it was because of convenience and only 28 percent it was because of good results, according to iCrossings.)
  • On-deck search is going away because people are realizing they're being limited.
• Off-deck search
• Like regular Web search
• Not controlled by carriers
• Handset/browser can impact search results
• Not location aware (yet)
• Preferred 69 percent of the time, when compared to on-deck search

Searcher demographics: 20-29 year olds are using mobile Internet the most. As far as income, it's pretty even. For gender, it looks like men have only a very slight amount more but it's shifting toward equal.

What people are looking for, in order of most to least: maps/directions, weather, local info, news, entertainment, sports, finance and other.

Mobile Search Applications

Yelp, YP Mobile, Urbanspoon = they're taking feeds from existing search engines and integrating results from there. Figure out where they're drawing their data from and make sure you're ranking well there. There are mobile search apps for video, shopping and more.

Mobile SEO

• It's an industry in its infancy
• Many aspects of mobile optimization follow traditional SEO wisdom
• Different bots/crawlers
• Very different results pages
• An optimal mobile experience = return mobile traffic = better results in mobile search engines
• Slow download speed and connectivity issues
• Device independence: traditional sites being viewed on mobile technology

It's important to understand that with mobile search a click through isn't necessary for success. If the user finds what they need right on the search page, that's great.

Quick Wins

• Follow all traditional and local SEO best practices
• Provide info relevant to mobile users
• Submit your site to mobile search engines and directions
• Don't rely on:
  • Embedded images
  • Objects
  • Scripts
  • Frames
  • Flash
  • Pop-up windows
  • Mouse-over events

Code in XHTML and Use CSS

• Traditional browsers are forgiving but mobile browsers are not
• Infinite handset/browser/view setting combinations are possible
• Rigid accessibility standards make XHTML ideal
• External CSS is ideal for mobile

Have a mobile specific CSS: Use multiple style sheets: Use a "screen" style sheet for traditional computers and "handheld" for mobile devices. This means that you don't have to have a separate site. You'll avoid duplicate content that's created from a separate duplicate site as well. "display:none" elements can hide elements in either rendering, but it can still effect download speed on mobile.

There are a number of mobile-specific search engines so submit to mobile directories and search engines. Next she shows a chart comparing different results that are displayed through various mobile search engines.

iPhone optimization: http://www.google.com/uds/samples/iphone/isearch.html is a search page for iPhone you can use to see how you line up.

.mobi is rarely ideal. It's not preferred in mobile search, not universally accepted, it has cumbersome development standards, there are no unique assets or features, it has a limited useful life, it's bad for SEO (mobile and traditional) and bad for consumers.

Non dotMobi architecture options are:

• Do nothing
• Mobile only pages
• Page that works for both mobile and traditional Web -- hybrid

Know that rendering can show columns of your site tracked; images may break and background images might not show; JavaScript and AJAX display in full; and forms, action scripts and embedded objects might not work.

Test your mobile site on Opera, Skweezer, the iPhone simulator and iPhone SDK.

Other ways to drive mobile traffic:

• Same email, rendering different places
• It should be compelling anywhere
• Do all email best practices
• Don't replicate your site and especially don't replicate your navigation
• Have a good header
• Include a phone number since it's clickable

Text Message Marketing

• Turns everything into a direct response marketing effort which is more measureable
• Up to 160 characters of text
• Use clickable text
• Collect mobile opt-ins, phone numbers and email addresses via text
• Have your phone system interact with text (ex: send the word "Yes" to opt in to text message coupons and alerts)

When you send the first mobile coupon, give a link for terms and conditions and let people opt out. When you send the first text, be clear and precise and allow users to opt out.

QR codes and couponing hasn't taken off yet but it's has in Asia and she thinks it will be coming soon. She thinks new generation iPhones will come with QR code readers and that will likely bring QR codes to popularity in the U.S.

Posted by Virginia Nussey on 03/24/09 at 2:26 PM | Comments (2)
See more entries in Liveblog, Mobile, SES New York 2009, Search Engine Optimization

Advanced SEO Strategies: Integrating Analytics, Usability, Persuasion and Journalism

This is a solo presentation by Matt Bailey, a member of the SES Advisory Board and president of Site Logic Marketing. Jumping right in...

At the base level, all you have are words. Words are the building blocks of communication, and it's never more true than on your Web site. They are necessary to persuade people to take action. Mao Zedong said, "Words are like little dynamite sticks in people's minds." By diffusing the power of words, he was able to take control of his country. We have to do the same on our Web sites. Create a reaction in the user's mind that says, "This site helps me find what I'm looking for."

Communicate at a level beyond "about us". If content can go on someone else's site, then you need different content.

Rule 1: Call things what they are

Get rid of the corporate speak, the jargon, the branded tendencies. Realize that your consumers may not talk the same way as you. If you're trying to widen your reach beyond the brand to people who need what you've got, you have to be willing to go beyond the brand.

Rule 2: Co-dependency of words

How do search engines rank Web sites? It's the question that's on our mind. Who are the search engines trying to satisfy? The Web site creator? No, the searcher. You have machines trying to please people. The search engines are machines that want to be real boys -- the Pinocchio principle.

Start with SEO 101 -- the biggest thing you can do for your rankings is optimizing the page titles. The SERP is the first marketing message a searcher will see about your company. Make sure the page title is a call to action. You have 60 characters to get your message to your user in the SERP.

Headlines, subheadings, bullet points and paragraph headers are what are used as a navigational device to find out if it's worth reading, if it's what we're looking for.

Search engines are a means to an end. It's the way that you get to your customer. Meta descriptions are used in your SERP description -- this effects your marketing message. Links are the nuts and bolts of the Internet. They are critical for search engines to find your site. Give alternate text because there may be times that no images show up. You never know how your site will render so give an alternate option.

Rule 3: Context

Context is important for images. Use the alt attribute on images so that you can explain to the search engine what the image is about. Universal search means that everything is searchable and everything is rankable.

Location of words makes a difference. According to a Jacob Neilson study, 79 percent of users scan a Web page; 16 percent read word for word. Scanning is done through headlines, sub-headings, bulleted lists, paragraph headers and content arrangement. Make sure you follow understood conventions -- for example, never use blue underlined text if it's not a link. Make sure your navigation supports the content. People should be able to look at navigation and know what section they're in.

Rule 4: Credibility

People surveyed said privacy policy, SSL, address and phone number is what makes a site credible. But when put in front of a computer, layout, typography, font size and color schemes were what they saw as factors of credibility. Most importantly, it's about readability. Small text, scrolling, blinking, rotating, text on fire and low contrast are bad for readability.

Rule 5: Variety of words

The top 10 keywords that generate traffic actually get less traffic than the long-tail put together. The top 10 terms are just 3 percent of the traffic coming to your site. Don't forget the long tail.

Rule 6: Performance of words

Anchor term (primary keyword):

• 2.7 minutes average time on site
• 46 percent of visits were less than 20 seconds
• Term conversion rate was 2.2 percent
• 1.8 percent conversion rate from the home page
• 4.3 percent conversion rate from category pages

In response they de-optimized the home page. The also found that by adding the brand name to the optimization process, average time on site, visit time and conversion rates all went up. Segment your analytics by how users come into the site and you'll figure out if something is wrong with your landing pages.

Rule 7: Branding

Searches are refined as a researcher goes along. First they look for their need, then they start adding brands. Year-long trends can help you see when people are looking for your product. There are needs at different times.

Rule 9: Clarity

(I have no idea what happened to rule number 8...)

A home page that serves as a directional is better than a destination. It should push people to where they want to go. You should have content that satisfies the need and shows that you have the answer to what they're looking for. Committing to what your product or service can do is necessary.

Regionally there are variations of words. Verbal variations exist, too. There are many words that can be used to describe the same thing. Understand that people look for what you offer in many different ways. Writing requires that you do research into keywords to find out what people are calling what you do. Search engines are getting better at understanding context behind semantics. Search history may help to refine your search when the word means more than one thing.

This has international implications. Your product may have an accent in it, but searchers may not search with the accent. He doesn't recommend you optimize your site for the grammatically incorrect version, but when you bid use the more searched word. Avoid euphemisms and slang.

Searcher types

1. The sharpshooter: They want an answer right now.
2. The shotgun searcher: They know what they want but they're open to suggestions.
3. The artillery searcher: For example, you were told by a doctor that you have this. As soon as you get home you hit the search engine and read everything you can.

Personality types include: the planner, the decision maker, the browser, the price shopper (no loyalty), and the last-minute shopper.

Value exchange: What you're asking for from a visitor has to be of equal value to the searcher. Don't ask for more info than you need. If you ask for too much, it's not worth the user's time right now. Make sure you're giving value back.

Sales 101

• Elevator pitch
• Benefits
• Rapport

Persuasion is based on three elements:

1. Logic
2. Emotion
3. Credibility

Get more info on the blog, www.SiteLogicMarketing.com/blog.

Posted by Virginia Nussey on 03/24/09 at 2:03 PM | Comments (0)
See more entries in Liveblog, SEO Tips & Tricks, SES New York 2009, Search Engine Optimization, Usability

Beyond Googling: Where Will Your Customers Be Searching in Five Years?

After stepping into the wrong session with a similar name, I'm coming in a few minutes late to this search and the future session.

Anne Kennedy is currently on the podium. She is the managing partner and founder of Beyond Ink and is also on the SES Advisory Board. It sounds like in her presentation the future is all about video. Although, I heard some talk of mobile as I walked in.

ComScore says that in the UK, the mobile video audience has increased 10 percent. In the U.S. it's doubled.

Points to ponder

• Online U.S. ad spending will increase despite declining total advertising spending.
• Now nascent video online advertising will grow most.

What's in it for Google?

• Google YouTube = video platform
• Google TV = video ad platform

Suppose Nike could:

• Broadcast a game on YouTube.
• Embed a link or two.
• Would their viewers bcome buyers?

Small screen video is the next big thing in search

Concrete Networks TV in 2 years had 1 million views. DIY searches on YouTube are greater in quantity than traditional Google traffic to their site.

Pauline Ores is next and is going to go outside the box with the deep Web and semantic search. She is also on the SES advisory Board and is senior marketing manager of social media engagement at IBM. She asks if people have heard of the deep Web. The public info on the deep Web is currently 400 to 550 times larger than the commonly defined World Wide Web.

The deep Web contains nearly 550 billion individual documents.

The other thing she hears people talk about is the semantic Web. If she's looking for a pizzeria, she has more requirements, such as equidistant between her friends, gluten-free for the vegan, etc. Semantic Web would be able to handle all these questions for you.

Deep Web and semantic Web are more complex than the current Meta data now available through current search engines. Deep content has to do with expertise. The best way to get into a database like that is to find someone who specializes in that. Semantic is something people are better at than current algorithms. Tourists in NY stop her all the time to find something located between such and such places. She thinks that beyond the Meta model will be another model. She says that that's been started with human-based Web resources. The artificial intelligence of computers is not going to be as good as humans. As far as search engines, it'll be about figuring out the semantic and getting to more deep, niche content. Social media can help with the semantic needs.

John Marshall, the moderator and CTO of Market Motive, says that Yahoo Answers and Mahalo are much more successful than Google's Answers program. But Anne says that that model was pre-social. Now people go to Twitter to ask their network for help and answers. It's still possible that people can utilize those networks.

Frank Watson is next to talk about Twitter. He is the CEO of Kangamurra Media. John says that in the session they aren't going to predict that Twitter as a company or brand is going to be able to do all the following, but the technology in general.

Frank says that he had a script worked out but he walked out to get a newspaper this morning and the front page was about a woman tweeting her giving birth. He says the existence of an alternative has to make you smile.

Twittering, Tweeple, Twilly

People like communing and being social. There are a number of services built on Twitter (TwitLinks, TweetValue, twhirl, TwitPic, tsurch, etc.). There are a lot of companies making money on Twitter because it generates serious traffic.

Could Twitter be Google's Excite?

• Google should buy Twitter
• Alta Vista, Lycos, Excite
• GoTo -- Overture -- AdSense

Real Time Search

• Natural disasters
• Major accidents
• Newswire
• Polls

How Google loses

• Real time search may be seen as better.
• Ask friends instead of search engines.
• Momentum can cause change.
• Greater Twitter traffic sources seen.

How Google wins

• Becomes too spammy.
• Something else comes along.
• Google buys it.
• Everyeone gets bored.
• Twitter gets eaten by whales.

John says that when he hears about new technologies, he feels like he did 15 years ago when he tried to explain email to his parents. A key way to think about things is email is for old people. Pauline says that her kids think of email as FedEx. Anne says that her kids have figured out that to reach her they DM her and it shows up in her email.

Q&A

What monitoring tools would you recommend for brand and reputation management?

Frank says that you can use Search.Twitter but there are a number of other tools. Guy mentioned some good ways to do keyword monitoring. Anne says that you can build a dashboard to monitor via iGoogle. Check it out at sempdx.com

How do you differentiate between innovative branding and innovative technology when there are so many fast-changing channels.

Frank: You don't absolutely know but you might as well surf the good waves while they're around. It's hard to say but as an industry you look at it and you know that the social media elements are taking over a lot of our communication. As a technology, search is more than just search engines. Take opportunities to monetize all of the elements that are growing into what we do.

Pauline: What peers say is very important. Doing CRM is a big part of what you can do and it's blending into Twitter.

Frank: There's a Salesforce app for Twitter now. There's a lot of information out there.

Google is taking over the world and buying everything, but how's it going to work in the future? Is all information about us going to be sold? Are the things we're searching always going to be private?

Pauline: You are being tracked and we don't want Minority Report to be a reality.

Anne: The ACLU has said that we give up our privacy for convenience. It is something to remain concerned about. As much as we may not like it, it's reality. Stay vigilant.

Pauline: At some point you do need regulations because it's not the big bad Google that's selling your data; it's organizations that are compiling lots of little things and putting the pieces together.

There's a lot of search happening on social. There's also a lot of social results coming up in search. What do you think of that cross-over?

Frank: He says it's great for reputation management. If you have something you want to push down you can try to move up social pages by registering for more.

Anne: It was inevitable and here we are.

John: Social media is more transient. If you think you can use Twitter because it's focused on real time, content then appears on search. Social pages are now treated as a peer of other results, but he wouldn't be surprised if Google started to devalue social pages since they change so quickly.

Anne: As marketers we have to be aware of new things and how to use them. Start thinking of the new models and how to use them.

Posted by Virginia Nussey on 03/24/09 at 11:51 AM | Comments (0)
See more entries in Liveblog, SES New York 2009, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media

Survival of the Fittest 2.0

Let's start with the line-up. Sara Holoubek, a consultant, columnist and member of the SEMPO Board of Directors is moderating. Speaking is: Bryan Eisenberg, SES Advisory Board member and co-founder of Future Now, Inc.; Jason Ciment, co-founder of LaDezign.com; Bob Myhal, president of MuscleMaster; and Kevin Lee, co-founder and executive chairman of Didit.

This session is part of the Search and the Fear Economy track. The alternate title is "Hanging In There". Sara kicks things off with the speakers telling the audience what they were doing in 1999 -- when the bubble burst. Bryan was focusing on conversions, but no one was paying attention. Jason says that his conversions weren't great back then. Bob says that he was doing everything from building the site to packing the boxes for shipping. Kevin says he was in the process of transitioning from a notorious cloaking SEO shop to paid search and paid inclusion.

Sara says that they're going to take a broad approach to how they survived back then and how it applies now.

Bryan jumps in and says that in 2000 he went to a tech convention and met a guy who had been through many ups and downs, but in the biotech industry. He says that during the depression, people who put the pedal to the metal in hard times really see their competitors fall by the wayside. Bob agrees and says he's seen this now and saw it in 1999. He says his company never had the luxury of funding, but that made them face the challenge with toughness. One of the things he was able to do then and now was acquire competitors for short money. They have grown at an average of 70 percent then and now in about two years.

Jason says that when he started MagMall there were competitors that were blowing lots of money -- companies were overspending with plans to make it up in lifetime value. Instead you should be showing results very quickly, not in a year or two. Kevin says the business eco-system is always Darwinian -- survival of the fittest. He's restructured Didit 10 times in the last 13 years. He's constantly thinking of new avenues and what's going to be strong at the end of the year. Every time you transform your company, your competitive set changes too. Jason says that the defining characteristic that separates your company from competitors is customer service.

Bob says that as online marketers we spend a lot of our time trolling for new customers, but the most valuable source of revenue is existing customers. He's gotten more innovative with ways of reaching out to existing customers. Mine the data to establish good relationships. Bryan agrees and says that real success comes from constant execution -- don't set it and leave it. Continually measure and prove.

Sara says that along with the cautious consumer, the economy is hurt by the broken credit system. Jason says that his funding was always "in the mail." The strategy that worked was always communicating with clients and targeting niches. Dominating a niche is great because social networking allows happy customers to promote your services.

Sara recognizes that she's hearing a lot of business basics. Has anything changed radically? Bryan says the fundamentals don't change. But look at basketball in the '70s and now. The dunk has come a long way and is a bigger part of the game, but it was always there. New tools have come out and new uses to use old tools have emerged. Now there's almost too much data and people almost don't know how to act on it. But it will be interesting to see if companies will invest resources into using new tools.

Kevin says the biggest shift has been speed. The fundamentals are the same but everything has to be done quicker. Bob says that the numbers have changed because more marketing budgets are going online and they are more ruthless in cutting poorly performing channels. Jason says there are now new ways of listening to customers, such as Twitter. Bryan asks how many people have an active program for measuring conversions month after month. A handful raises their hands. If you're not doing it, you need a smack to your head. Tweaking should happen constantly.

Q&A

Are you incorporating competitors into your site or as separate sites?

Bob: They are run separately. We determined early on that site A may not appeal to one segment and site B might not appeal to another. It creates challenges and when he dreams at night, he dreams of one site, but he doesn't see it as an immediate reality. The Web is so diffuse and there are so many things going on that you really need to target.

Sara: Were they coming to you or were you going to them?

Bob: It was half and half. When word got out we were in acquisition mode, we got some interested parties reaching out to us.

How do you use blogs and how does it help your bottom line over all?

Bryan: He built a business out of content back during the first wave. It snowballed into writing for ClickZ, several books, etc. Content writing has built a multi-million dollar business. The hard part is that people still have to catch up with how content dissemination has shifted.

Kevin: If you're going to have a content-rich strategy, know why you're doing it. Verbal diarrhea is not usually useful. Make sure there's a strategy behind your content, especially if you're not a publisher. It's all a means to an end.

Do you ever have problems with running multiple sites?

Bob: There is cross-over between sites. Some customers are familiar with the fact that a few sites are done by the same company. It mostly comes down to price shopping. Early on they were able to have the best content, but eventually everyone got on the content boat and the competition was too great. Instead they had to rely on offering the best products.

Does a content-rich strategy work for an e-commerce store, considering the competition and the difficulty of tracking ROI?

Bob: It hasn't worked for us the way it used to. The Web became so efficient at people finding the right price that it became difficult for them to spend a lot of their time focused on generating content -- and it was very difficult to track. Now they focus on bringing in people ready to buy, people who aren't researching.

Since Google is still trying to reward good content, but you want good customers, is there a disconnect between what the search engine thinks is important and what the customer really wants?

Kevin: AdWords has become the last good location for marketers targeting the ready-to-buy market.

Jason: TALLA -- target customers within a niche; be authoritative; leverage users; leverage affiliates.

Do you use product reviews and is affiliate marketing helping drive sales?

Bob: Product reviews have grown in importance. Affiliates are great sources for casting a broader net and bringing people in. But affiliate marketing has substantial negatives (especially for ROI).

Jason: Affiliates can focus on different segments of universal search and improve your visibility.

Can you follow up on your comment about the negatives of affiliates?

Bob: There's clearly a sense of competition where you're competing against your affiliates for sales. The other tricky thing is to get a true ROI, do you just count the last click? Who gets credit when a user finds you on an affiliate and goes to Google and clicks on your ad?

That's all of the Q&A I'm going to cover. Time for lunch!

Posted by Virginia Nussey on 03/24/09 at 9:56 AM | Comments (0)
See more entries in Liveblog, Pay Per Click / Online Ads, SES New York 2009, Search Engine Optimization