Bidding for our attention July 1, 2004

 

Google's keyword matching options July 2, 2004

 

It should come as no surprise that I'm a great fan of Google's AdWords.

Like many great products, some of the powerful features remain unknown to many of the users. And I've recently realised that many users of the AdWords system don't know anything about their keyword matching options.

The default option is Broad Match.

This means that if your keyword-phrase is PC software, your ads will be displayed when users search for PC, software, PC software, software PC, and may also include other terms. For example free PC software.

This may not be ideal. However other options are available.

Phrase Match means that the ordering of the words are adhered to. For example your ads for PC software will be displayed when users search for PC software, but not software PC. Note that other terms may be included here too, so free PC software may still display your ad, even with Phrase Match.

To apply phrase matching, simply surround the keyword-phrase in quotation marks, like "PC software" for example.

Exact Match is the most precise of the three. Using the same example, your ads for PC software will only be displayed when users search for that exact phrase. Searches for free PC software will not display your ad.

To apply exact matching, simply surround the keyword-phrase with brackets, like [PC software] for example.

The final option is Negative Keywords. If, for example, you add the negative keyword free, then your ad will not be displayed when the user searches for free software.

To apply a negative keyword, simply add a minus sign before the word, like -free for example.

Google have a very good online demo to demonstrate how these options work.

If you're not yet using them, then keyword matching options offer an excellent means of maximising the ROI from your AdWords campaign.

 

Thought of the day July 2, 2004

 

Have you ever looked at the source for the main page of Google?

Title is "Google". No keywords. No description.

PageRank of 10.

It must be all those incoming links.

 

July Software Marketing Resource Newsletter July 5, 2004

 

Sharon Housley's Software Marketing Resource has published their July 2004 newsletter.

With details of Digital River's latest acquisition, a new shareware ebook, website globalisation (or globalization) and more, it's an excellent read, and well worth subscribing to.

 

New Microsoft Search Engine July 5, 2004

 

Microsoft have now offered a sneak preview of their new search engine technology.

search technology preview

At first glance, it appears to be reducing the number of paid listings appearing above Web results, giving the algorithmic results more prominence.

So far they've only indexed about 1 billion pages, so don't worry if you're not in there just yet.

 

Patent Busting Project July 6, 2004

 

The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Patent Busting Project has announced which patents the organization will target first in its campaign to rid the world of frivolous patent infringement lawsuits.

They claim that these represent the worst cases, where patents issued are blatantly too broad or are so obvious as to be too trivial for patenting.

EFF: Patent Busting's Most Wanted

 

Security Updates - threats or opportunities? July 7, 2004

 

Last Friday, the 2nd of July, Microsoft released what the company described as a "configuration change" to several versions of Windows. This was in response to the recent Download.Ject attacks against Internet Explorer.

Aside from the grin-inducing spin in terming a security update a configuration change, this raises an interesting issue.

Many of the security updates affect both consumers and businesses alike. So if you're selling your software online, are these security issues a threat or an opportunity?

You could argue that these cause damage to the web's reputation. As vendors, we're fighting an uphill battle to reassure people that buying online is safe and secure. Many of the security issues that arise are well publicised, and it often feels like one click forward and two clicks back.

On the other hand, you could argue that by raising these issues in the first place, we're playing a part in making the web a safer place all round, and that informing the public is the responsible thing to do.

If you're really good, you might even be able to turn these issues to your advantage.

Stilesoft's NetCaptor browser recently sent a notice to their registered users, pointing out that an update for their software was available that "shields NetCaptor from recent Internet Explorer related exploits".

This struck me as an astute thing to do. It presented the company as conscientious and responsible, and it also reminded me that I hadn't used their software for some time.

With the right approach and a little bit of spin, many threats can be turned into opportunities. Ignore them at your peril.

 

Software piracy grows July 8, 2004

 

The Business Software Alliance - described as the foremost organisation dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world - have published their annual survey of global software piracy.

Figures show fairly appalling software piracy rates based on their 2003 figures.

They estimate a global piracy rate of 36%, and listed the top five worst offenders as:

Vietnam - 92%
China - 92%
Ukraine - 91%
Indonesia - 88%
Zimbabwe - 87%

No great surprises there. But there were some unexpected listings at the other end of the list; the countries with the lowest piracy rates:

United States - 22%
New Zealand - 23%
Denmark - 26%
Sweden - 27%
Austria - 27%

So around one in five of the best of the good guys are using pirated software.

 

Loyalty and competition July 9, 2004

 

This morning I downloaded the latest version of Opera's Web Browser.

It's been some time since I last looked at their product, and I have to say that it's good. In fact it's very good.

But over the years I've tried more browser flavours that I can remember. And invariably I come back to Internet Explorer, or some front-end that sits on top of it.

It's not just that I like IE so much, nor is it related to the fact that it came pre-installed on my system. My browser is an integral part of my working day, and plugins such as Paessler Site Inspector and the Google Toolbar make my work easier. And many of these only work with IE.

So will I switch to Opera? I'll give it a try, but I'll be surprised if I'm still using it this time next week.

Their interface is fantastic, and offers more by the way of customisation than I've ever come across before. And so far it's been impressively simple to setup.

But it won't work with Paessler Site Inspector. And it won't let me view PAD files in any meaningful way. I know that their way conforms to the standards issued by the W3C, but that doesn't help me.

The fact is that I like the front end of IE that I'm using. And the more I like something, the more of an incentive I need to move away from it.

The lesson here is a simple one. The more that people like your competitor's product, the harder you have to work at luring them away.

Opera try to lure me with tabs. My front end already has that.

Opera gives me a popup blocker. I have that too.

Right now they're offering me a speed advantage, and a nice interface. But unless I discover something new, this just isn't enough. And I should have discovered this "magic feature" the moment I first ran the software.

The question is whether I'll even remember to run it again.

 

Microsoft putting online store on Start menu July 12, 2004

 

Microsoft is reported to be preparing a new Web site called the "Windows Marketplace", through which it plans to provide customers with drivers, applications and services from Microsoft and its partners.

The question is, who are the partners?

InfoWorld are saying that these should include Dell, HP, Circuit City Stores, Buy.com and Best Buy Company Inc.

And read this bit carefully:

According to Microsoft, "...products that have gained a "Designed for Windows" logo will be easier to find on the Web store through a special search filter".

Of particular interest to software developers is that according to InfoWorld, the US version of the Windows Marketplace will be maintained by CNET.

It looks as though software developers may get extra value for their $79 submission fee.

 

XP SP2 - August July 12, 2004

 

Microsoft have announced that Service Pack 2 for XP will be released to manufacturing in August, slightly later than planned. This probably means that consumers will get their hands on it around the beginning of September.

Probably.

Is your software ready for it?

 

Paid search getting a dose of reality July 12, 2004

 

An article on CNET is reporting that the paid search market may be showing signs of slowing down.

"...Paid search is still growing, but not as quickly as the previous quarter. Overture revenue grew 39 percent from last year, but that's less than the 45 percent growth it saw during the first quarter..."

Paid search feels growing pains

It's far too early to say, but this is little more than speculation. My bet would be that further growth lies ahead.

 

Yahoo double profits - but it's not enough July 12, 2004

 

Yahoo has reported doubled net profits of $112.5m for their second quarter.

But this apparently wasn't good enough, as after reporting the figures, their stock dropped 12% in after-hours trading in New York.

Yahoo are now reported to be looking "beyond US shores" for growth in revenue

 

Web log analysis warning July 13, 2004

 

If you're not spending at least a couple of hours every month analysing your web logs, then you're almost certainly blind to critical information and trends about your website, product and advertising.

Example. Logging into your Google AdWords campaign will let you see which ads are generating the clicks, and how much you're paying for them. But unless you know how many of these people are staying at your site, reading your information and downloading the trial, this information is useless.

To carry out this critical task, all you need is access to your logs, a couple of hours a month, and the right software.

I've worked with many log analysis applications over the years, and these are the four I recommend.

123LogAnalyzer - remarkably simple to use, powerful filters, very fast. Pricing from $129.95

ClickTracks - the most powerful log analysis I've ever seen. A fantastic time saver. Pricing from $495.

Mach5 FastStats Analyzer - very simple to use, easy to understand reports, nice visualisation tool. Pricing from $99.95. Free version also available.

Web Log Storming - a little slow, but with some very useful and unique interactive features. Pricing at $99.

I'd rate ClickTracks as the most powerful and time-saving, but this doesn't come cheap.

I'd also rate Web Log Storming as the best value for money. If budget is a priority, this is your tool of choice.

Be warned however. Analysing your web logs is highly addictive, and carries a very real risk of stumbling across critical information that can improve your sales.

 

Bidding on Google July 13, 2004

 

The Financial Times are reporting that Google's much anticipated IPO will be good to go this month.

And in the last few minutes of writing this, Google has confirmed that it plans to list on the US Nasdaq exchange when it floats.

Demand is expected to be high, as the shares will be sold online.

Who would have thought it...

 

Google purchase Picasa July 14, 2004

 

Google have announced their acquisition of Picasa Inc., a company well known for their digital photo management software. This comes only a few months after Picasa integrated their software with Google's Blogger service "to make publishing digital photos faster and easier".

Joining the dots here isn't overly tricky. Let's see how Google are going to run with it.

 

Google afraid of SEO? July 15, 2004

 

Search Engine Lowdown have an interesting article/rant about Google's recent criticism of Search Engine Optimisation.

They quote Google's head of sales advertising as saying that "...there is no way to improve your rankings on Google and that any claims by a SEO company were false."

Forgive my cynicism, but I can't help but question this.

We all know that professional SEO works. Many of our clients can testify to this.

Google's head of sales advertising is basically saying that you can't get good traffic from Google by optimising your website.

So the only way to do so is to pay for it. Through advertising.

What a strange point of view from the head of sales advertising...

 

New version of Google toolbar July 15, 2004

 

Google have added a feature to their ever-popular toolbar, that lets you navigate to certain websites by typing their name, rather than their URL, into your web browser.

Called Browse By Name, the idea is to make it easier to find sites when you don't know the URL.

More about the Google Toolbar here.

 

Colour standards July 15, 2004

 

Ars Technica are conducting a survey on user preferences for online text and background colours.

At the time of my writing this, 5714 people had taken part in the poll. 37% said they preferred white text on a black background, 17% chose dark text on a light background, and 14% chose light text on a dark background.

The results of this and other surveys may be found here.

If you want to use this information, then as always, question the source. By the very nature of the website, most visitors are going to be quite atypical. And the Ars Technica site itself uses white text on a black background.

Surely at the end of the day, black text on a white background is the easiest to read, the most accessible, and the closest thing we have to a standard.

Or not?

 

Microsoft Car 1.0 July 16, 2004

 

Microsoft Corp. is putting a new spin on automotive software development, announcing Thursday (July 15) that it has partnered with Italian automaker Fiat Auto SpA to create a reference platform for telematics.

More here

I did try to resist any references to IRQ steering conflicts and blue screens of death, and not to mention startup problems or safe mode. I failed.

 

eBay dipping toes into digital music July 16, 2004

 

eBay have announced that they're dipping their toes into the digital music waters.

eBay is conducting a 180-day pilot in the Music category with pre-approved sellers of downloadable digital music files. During the pilot, only pre-approved sellers will be able to list in eBay's Digital Downloads category. After 180 days we will evaluate the pilot and determine whether to enable other copyright owners or resellers of downloadable media to list in eBay's Digital Downloads category if they meet certain criteria that will ensure copyright protection, service level agreements and safety, etc.

 

Getting ready for XP SP 2 July 19, 2004

 

There's a lot of talk about who and what will be affected by Microsoft's forthcoming Service Pack 2 for Windows XP.

In general, the press seem to be in favour of the changes and updates, but many developers are somewhat less enthusiastic, and more concerned.

Symantec have announced that customers will need to download an update to work smoothly with their Norton software. And many other companies are doing the same too.

According to John Pescatore, VP of Internet Security at Gartner Research, "...the applications that will break with SP2 were essentially doing things wrong from a security perspective".

All in all it seems that Microsoft are finally getting round to "fixing the web", which in the long run promises to be a good thing. But for the short term, there are bound to be many problems ahead for many software developers.

My advice would be to be prepared and brace yourselves.

 

Longhorn - a long time coming July 19, 2004

 

Longhorn's reach will extend around the world and change the way developers do their jobs. But what will it mean in the long run?

Full article here.

 

If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em July 20, 2004

 

Despite having spent more than two years fighting for the name, Microsoft have now paid more than $20 million for the Lindows name and web domains.

The question is why?

I've always believed that the only reason Linux will never make it as a consumer OS is down to usability.

Apparently Microsoft agree.

 

Microsoft shares profits and gets sued July 21, 2004

 

July 21st has so far been an interesting day for Microsoft.

It started with the announcement that they are going to give $75 billion to its shareholders in the form of dividends and other share deals over the next four years.

This has been reported as being the largest corporate pay out in history, and Bill Gates has already said he would give his share of the payout to charity.

And on the same day, UK-based BTG has sued Microsoft and Apple Computers for allegedly infringing a patent which covers Web-enabled software update technologies.

It's a great day for shareholders and patent holders alike.

 

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Login July 22, 2004

 

Wired are running an interesting article:

While many online newspaper readers are used to the idea of registering to read free content online, some news buffs are supporting and creating sites that help them beat the system with fake or shared login information that helps keep their personal information under wraps. More.

The article describes how BugMeNot.com have a freely accessible list of login names and passwords for sites that require registration. The site claims that more than 15,000 sites have been "liberated".

You don't need to be a genius to see which way the water's flowing here. Privacy has become a major concern for almost all web users, the majority of whom will treat their basic personal information as a commodity. And they're reluctant to share it.

If you're selling a product or service online, and you force users to register before they can download the trial or access the information, then I guarantee you're losing sales.

To some software developers, this is obvious. Right?

But I'm amazed at the number of sites out there that still request my name and email address before I can download the trial.

If you're one of the companies that are doing this, then for the sake of your sales, wake up.

Personal information is a commodity, and people won't pay for a trial.

 

Software Marketing Resource Forum July 23, 2004

 

Software Marketing Resource have opened a new set of forums, covering a wide variety of different subjects.

Software Marketing covers marketing software, affiliate marketing and search engines.

Software Development covers all things related to software development.

Software Announce includes software conferences, newsletters, download sites, advertising, new software, blogs and more.

Judging by the quality of information on the rest of the Software Marketing Resource website, these forums should quickly develop (no pun intended) into a very useful resource.

 

XP SP2 - what do you want to break today? July 23, 2004

 

There's still no Release Candidate 2 beta of XP SP2. But there are a lot of worried developers out there.

Microsoft have posted a FAQ on "How Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) Affects SQL Server and MSDE" here.

And there are some good article on eweek.com:

Boo Hoo Hoo for victims of XP SP2

Windows XP SP2: Trouble Ahead for Developers, Users

SP2: What's on Deck?

 

Software pirate receives 5.5-year sentence July 23, 2004

 

InfoWorld:

"Apparently Ralph Blasek didn't do a good job at plotting his next few moves. The professional chess player, and presumed leader of Europe's largest known software counterfeiting network, was sentenced Thursday by a German judge with five and half years in prison without probation."

Full article here.

 

Microsoft sales and profits up July 23, 2004

 

Microsoft reported its Q4 results - net profits increased to $2.7bn, as compared to $1.6bn in Q4 2003.

Yet shares fell in after-hours trading.

Why?

According to Microsoft Watch, "the company's earnings of 25 cents per share fell short of the 29 cents analysts were predicting. Revenues for Q4 hit $9.29 billion, roughly on a par with analyst expectations. For the full fiscal 2004, Microsoft revenues were up 14 percent, to $36.8 billion."

 

Napster hit UK via The Sun July 26, 2004

 

The UK-based daily newspaper The Sun has teamed up with Napster for what they're describing as "the biggest FREE MUSIC download offer ever."

The Sun's 10 million readers are being offered free downloads from Napster's 750,000 songs, through unique promotional codes that entitle every reader to a free music download for the next eight weeks.

This strikes me as ingenious.

While The Sun isn't exactly intellectual reading, they claim more than 10 million daily readers of their print edition. That's 10 million people a day who will be receiving a tempting reason to download and use the Napster software.

If only 5% of the readers download the software, then we're looking at 500,000 downloads. And once installed, the software makes very easy work of signing up for more.

"This is a significant partnership for Napster," said Brad Duea, Napster's president. "The Sun has tremendous brand identity and reach throughout the UK and has proven itself time and again as a major influencer of public opinion. We're the first in our industry to join forces with a daily national paper."

 

Google Froogles-less July 26, 2004

 

"Google Inc.'s right to use the name "Froogle" for its online shopping service came into question Friday when an arbitration panel rejected the company's challenge of a Web site named Froogles.com.

Two of the three judges on the panel of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers rejected Google's argument that Froogles.com was "confusingly similar" to Google."

Full article here.

 

DoubleClick: Online Ads Convert Over Time July 27, 2004

 

ClickZ are running an interesting item on how web users' reactions to online ads are often delayed.

"Internet users' reactions to online ads are often delayed, according to DoubleClick's Q2 2004 Ad Serving Trend Report. The report found that while a certain percentage of viewers click online ads, even more are responding over time.

DoubleClick acknowledged that view-through metrics may not be entirely accurate, as they also capture activity that occurs as the result of offline ad recall or other stimulus. However, DoubleClick found that most conversions come from consumers seeing an ad and taking action sometime during the following month rather than immediately clicking on the ad."

Read the article here.

 

Overture's Search Optimisation Tool July 27, 2004

 

The grapevine is humming with rumours that Overture are to release their Search Optimizer later today, Tuesday 27th of July.

The web-based application is Overture's answer to help manage and optimise large numbers of keywords.

Tools like this have become increasingly useful and important to many advertisers. And online systems such as Atlas OnePoint are likely to become even slicker, more powerful and cheaper with time.

If you're running a PPC scheme of any real size, you'll already realise how time consuming effective management can be. Services like this could further improve your efficiency.

 

Google IPO sets share price in low US$100s July 27, 2004

 

Ars Technica are reporting that Google's much awaited IP will be worth in the region of $2.7 - $3.3 billion, with initial share price offerings expected to be around $108 - $135.

More here.

 

DoubleClick shut down by denial of service attack July 28, 2004

 

ComputerWeekly.com are reporting that DoubleClick was shut down by a denial of service (DoS) attack.

"The attack crippled the company's website and its advertising servers, which distribute web advertisements to other sites on the internet. Ripple effects from the attacks were felt across the internet, as web pages that display DoubleClick ads struggled to retrieve them from the company's servers, causing "severe disruption" for its customers, according to a company statement"

Full article here.

 

Web ranking tool July 28, 2004

 

Microsoft Watch have a nice "all in one tool".

You enter a URL, an three numbers are fetched:

Google's PageRank of the page (on a scale of 0 to 10), Alexa's traffic rank for the domain, and the number of external backlinks from Yahoo.

Go to the web ranking tool here.

 

Overture seek new income options July 29, 2004

 

I've been quite cynical about Overture's attempts to climb back on the CPC ladder for some time now.

While they were effectively the innovators of the Search Engine CPC model, other engines soon turned their good idea into a great one. And true to form, Google transformed it into the beating heart of their mighty machine.

Since then, Google have consistently enhanced, improved and expanded their AdWords possibilities and capabilities. Overture, on the other hand, have been left behind, struggling to catch up, with each new feature and possibility generating little by the way of either interest or traffic.

I've been told that I occasionally sneer at Overture's (often futile) attempts to regain their former glory, but they've just begun a new revenue generating scheme that might just get them somewhere.

According to InternetNews.com, Overture are claiming a patent covering paid search.

"The patent abstract describes the invention as "a system and method for enabling information providers using a computer network such as the Internet to influence a position for a search listing within a search result list generated by an Internet search engine. The system and method of the present invention provides a database having accounts for the network information providers. Each account contains contact and billing information for a network information provider. In addition, each account contains at least one search listing having at least three components: a description, a search term comprising one or more keywords, and a bid amount.""

As pointed out by the article, if Overture wins its suit, it would not be under any obligation to even let Google continue AdWords at all.

Read the full story here.

But that's not the end of it.

In other related news, MediaPost announced the following:

"In direct response to Overture's official launch of its Search Optimizer tool, search marketing firm iProspect Tuesday announced that it has filed for a patent for its pay-per-click advertising bidding agent iSEBA (iProspect Search Engine Bidding Agent). The company filed for a patent on July 22, 2004, and claimed that its product is the "only global optimization, or 'portfolio based'" keyword bidding tool that actively manages campaigns on both Google's and Overture's pay-per-click programs." Full story here.

It's clearly become more than a little ridiculous. If you've seen Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, then you'll no doubt remember the final scene. Everyone's pointing their guns at everyone else, and when one person gets a little too jumpy, they all fire at the same time. Uncontrolled violence ultimately consumes them all.

Let the lawsuits commence.

 

Microsoft puts multisearch tool on show July 30, 2004

 

CNET are reporting that Microsoft have put some of their search software on display this week.

"Microsoft revealed the progress it has made in building search technology on Thursday when it demonstrated a tool that can comb both the Internet and a PC's hard drive."

Full article here.

There's little doubt that this is the new arena, as Microsoft, MSN, Google and others are all desperately trying to put together the solution that you'll be using.

I smell many millions of opportunities here.

 

Lycos changing hands? July 30, 2004

 

ClickZ news are reporting that a Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo is reporting that Lycos is set to sell its US based portal for $100 million to a Korean ISP.

Lycos was sold for $12.5 billion only four years ago.

How the mighty have fallen.

You read it here (or ClickZ or Chosun Ilbo) first...

 

More Longhorn delays July 30, 2004

 

ComputerWeekly.com are reporting that the first beta version of Longhorn will probably not be available until the second half of 2005.

"Microsoft had scheduled the beta for 2004, but earlier this year said its release would slip into early 2005. The company is adjusting timing for the test version again because of all the work it had to do, and still is doing, on security, especially Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP."

Read the full article here.