Great trick to remove your domain from the sandbox October 3, 2005

 

PageRank Search October 3, 2005

 

I know I'll regret mentioning this, but SEO Tools have an interesting PageRank search tool.

SEO Tools - PageRank Search

 

Windows XP SP3 October 3, 2005

 

Microsoft Watch are reporting that there will (of course) be a third service pack for Windows XP.

There Is, Indeed, a Windows XP SP3

 

Halloween already? October 3, 2005

 

From Inside AdWords:

"It's hard to believe, but the beginning of the holiday season is right around the corner, and you don't want to get caught without ads for your spooky ghost candles or turkey basters. So, we're encouraging you to plan ahead. Yes, it's early, but now's the time to come up with a schedule for your seasonal advertisements and to start putting it into place."

It's very useful that the AdWords system allows you to set an end date for a campaign, but did you know that you can also set a start date too?

"It's located in the 'Set pricing' section, right under your daily budget setting."

Of course.

Because you don't want Halloween ads in November...

 

Only 36% implement SEO advice October 4, 2005

 

From the Search Engine Roundtable:

"A new study released today by iProspect shows that while companies are moving toward outsourcing their search engine marketing efforts, many are failing to follow through on the very advice that they are paying for. 64% of companies that responded to iProspect said that they run into problems implementing the changes that are suggested by their search engine marketing firms."

No comment.

64% Do Not Implement SEO Advice

 

Websites that sell October 4, 2005

 

From MarketingVOX News:

"Some 76 percent of small and medium-sized businesses say they get plenty of leads from their websites; 57 said they generate some leads from their sites; and 57 percent said they have made money either directly through, or via offline purchases influenced by, their websites, according to the Summer 2005 Small and Medium-Sized Business Barometer survey by ISP Interland."

We work with a fair number of companies who only sell through their websites, while the rest mostly sell through their sites.

The question is whether we/they are so astonishingly good at what we/they do, or whether we or they are also missing out on other viable opportunities?

Survey: Websites Work Well for SMBs

 

Security risks an opportunity October 4, 2005

 

The BBC News website are reporting that hackers and hi-tech criminals are changing tactics, and moving from emailed virus to dodgy web pages and fake programs.

Online security threats are usually a serious pain in the rear for anyone selling online. Scared visitors don't convert as well to customers, unless of course you're selling security solutions.

But the situation could represent an opportunity of sorts. The new wave of threats makes pirated software, hacks and cracks more dangerous than ever before. With a little imagination, some targeted doorway pages and well written, optimised content, your company can benefit from this.

Seize the opportunity.

Web helps criminals trap victims

 

More MSN adCenter news October 5, 2005

 

From ClickZ Experts:

"Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi, SVP of MSN Information Services and Merchant Platform, announced Microsoft plans to extend its new online advertising system, MSN adCenter, to deliver ads across a variety of the company's products and services, including exploring ad-supported software and adding in behavioral targeting.

What does this mean?

It means MSN adCenter will expand from the auction-based paid search platform, which is now being tested in France and Singapore, to integrate other media such as mobile devices, console gaming, interactive television, even ad-supported software."

MSN adCenter: The Next-Gen Behavioral Platform?

 

Business unite against piracy October 5, 2005

 

From the BBC News website:

"More than a dozen business executives - including Microsoft chief Steve Balmer, Vivendi Universal chairman Jean-Rene Fourtou and GlaxoSmithKline's European president Andrew Witty - have joined forces and are urging their peers worldwide to wage war on piracy."

Businesses unite to fight piracy

 

First Google Earth, now Sun October 5, 2005

 

The BBC News website are reporting that Google and Sun Microsystems are joining forces to challenge Microsoft's Office Software.

"Google chief executive Eric Schmidt described the arrangement with Sun as "a very significant deal".

"Google and Java are two of the most widely recognized technology brands because they provide users with online tools that enhance their lives on a day-to-day basis," said Mr Schmidt.

"We look forward to exploring other areas of collaboration.""

Google and Sun want Office users

 

Backlink and anchor text checker October 5, 2005

 

We Build Pages internet marketing services have quite a useful new tool on their website.

You enter the URL, it searches for the unique backlinks, then lists them with their anchor text.

Great stuff, but be warned. This may take the morning away from you.

Free backlink check tool

 

Online video ads that grab attention October 6, 2005

 

You know the ads. But you might have thought it was only you who watched them. Not according to MarketingVOX:

"Online video delivery and management solutions provider Klipmart yesterday released a key metric based on how users have interacted with almost 500 online campaigns: on average, people watched 21.04 seconds of :30 online ads (that is, a full 70 percent of the video content.)"

The question is are they being clicked and/or remembered?

Online Video Ads Watched for 21 Seconds on Average

 

Moving to a new domain October 6, 2005

 

From the SEO Chat Forums:

"I have a site that ranks well but I don't like the domain name. It has a hyphen in it and I have bought a much better name without the hypen.

This new domain has not been used for a website before. What is my risk of falling into the sandbox if I try to move the biz to the new domain?

Does anyone have experience in moving a biz like this? How is it best done and what are the risks of getting sandboxed?"

Some interesting experiences are shared. Well worth a read.

EGOL looking for expert opinion

 

Windows Server Longhorn Beta 1 October 6, 2005

 

Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows is taking a look at Windows Server Longhorn Beta 1.

Longhorn Server Preview 2: A Look at Windows Server Longhorn Beta 1 and Community Technical Preview

 

EU join the Google Imitators October 6, 2005

 

From UK-based The Register:

"Google's internet library project will face competition from Yahoo!, but also from a less predictable rival: the European Commission announced its own plan on Friday. And it has an advantage: if copyright laws interfere with its plans it can change the laws."

Superb.

With 2.5 billion books and bound periodicals in European libraries, and millions of hours of film and video, I wouldn't hold your breath.

Call me a Euro Cynic if you will, but do me a favour...

EU to follow Google's lead with online library

 

Conversion and Control: Organic vs. PPC Clicks October 7, 2005

 

From ClickZ Experts:

"Data determine the divergence in conversion rates between your best PPC page and organic pages. Landing page testing must be underway. So if you haven't started testing more than just existing site pages for PPC traffic, you may be missing ROI boosts. If you're serious about PPC search and have enough traffic volume to support testing, get rolling. Test everything, and don't rely on organic search engine position alone."

Conversion and Control: Organic vs. PPC Clicks

 

Search Engine Ranking Factors October 7, 2005

 

From seomoz.org:

"This article contains a large list of the factors that can influence a web document's rank at the major search engines (Yahoo!, MSN, Google & AskJeeves) for a particular term or phrase. Although it is impossible to say for certain which of these items affects which search engine or how important the factors are individually, I've created an estimated ranking importance scale as indicated by the following symbols (based on my personal opinions):"

Search Engine Ranking Factors

 

MSN adCenter Pilot Program October 7, 2005

 

From the Search Engine Roundtable:

"If you know a business-owner who would be interested in advertising their business on MSN Search, please forward this email to them and encourage them to apply to participate in the US Pilot by completing our online registration form at http://advertising.msn.com/adCenterPilot/89621.asp."

We're UK based, but have tried to get in anyway. Watch this space.

MSN adCenter Pilot Program Invites

 

Windows OneCare Service to Include Anti-Spyware Protection October 7, 2005

 

Microsoft Watch are reporting on Microsoft's plans to include anti-spyware protection in their OneCare consumer security service.

Anti-spyware, anti-virus, firewall and PC maintenance all in one.

Inspired. This is what the consumer is looking for. A one-stop solution for all their security needs, from a trusted source.

Other security vendors really should be quaking in their shoes. I fully expect them to follow in Microsoft's footsteps very soon.

Windows OneCare Service to Include Anti-Spyware Protection

 

Search Increases October 10, 2005

 

From ClickZ Stats:

"The number of searches conducted in August jumped by 10 percent over those in July. Data from Nielsen//NetRatings reported the top-ranked search engines for August."

Maybe the whole "web thing" is starting to catch on?

Search Increased in August

 

Scary Google Patent October 10, 2005

 

From the Search Engine Roundtable:

"Imagine all of your actions being constantly monitored in order to build personalized search queries. Those last words you typed in a Word document or IM window. The e-mail you just sent. What words your cursor is next to. The text you copied to the clipboard. All of it constantly monitored and processed, in real-time, locally and/or using Google's search engine in order to build search results for you in case you need them at a moment's notice."

Scary Google Patent Application & Some Gmail Patent Apps

 

Google RSS Reader October 10, 2005

 

Google have just announced their beta RSS reader. Very nice.

Google Reader (Google Account required)

 

Windows Vista Build 5231 October 10, 2005

 

The latest beta build of Windows Vista is out, and Paul Thurrott has some great screenshots.

Windows Vista Build 5231 Screenshot Gallery

 

Inside AdWords goals October 10, 2005

 

The Inside AdWords team share their goals for readership.

It's all about metrics.

Setting (y)our Q4 goals

 

Year of biggest growth October 11, 2005

 

The BBC News website are reporting that the web has grown more in 2005 than it did at the height of the dotcom boom:

"In the year to October the web grew by more than 17 million sites, says monitoring firm Netcraft.

This figure exceeds the growth of 16 million sites seen in 2000 when net fever reached its most intense pitch."

The article's picture clearly proves the point. I can see at least three if not four people all using the web.

Web enjoys year of biggest growth

 

Analysis alone isn't enough October 11, 2005

 

A nice article on the importance of combining analysis with insight from ClickZ Experts:

"On its own, analytics can identify many different issues, but integrating qualitative insight and other data types with the items identified through analytics can greatly increase the value of your Web analytics initiative. The why (qualitative) is just as important as the what (analytics)."

Combining Web Analytics and Qualitative Insight

 

Matt Cutts Interview October 11, 2005

 

Aaron Wall has a fantastic interview with Matt Cutts.

Well worth a read.

Matt Cutts Interview

 

Google factors October 11, 2005

 

I started working with search engine optimisation around eight years ago, and if truth be told, it was a whole lot simpler.

True, I had separate lists for how to rank well in AltaVista, HotBot, Lycos and others, but the process was simpler. And results were achieved a lot quicker too.

Today, most SEO companies who know what they're doing apply the same techniques for all the search engines. And they know that well over 90% of the results will come from Google.

The problem is that Google is so damn unpredictable.

You can apply Technique A to Site 1, and see the results of your efforts only a week or two later. Sometimes less. Technique A being applied to Site 2, however, doesn't make the slightest bit of difference.

It appears that there are so many different factors that apply, some of which are quantifiable, some of which are theoretical, some of which are factual, and most of which are unproved.

There's the ageing delay, the sandbox, the age of the domain, IP address, linking strategies, "bad neighbourhoods", expired sites issue and a seemingly infinite number of intangible, questionable and unproved factors.

Most of these are Google's attempt to stamp down on unethical, questionable or plain weird search engine optimisation "techniques". And good for them. In theory.

The problem is that legitimate websites are being penalised too. New sites are often taking in excess of six months to show up in Google because of the ageing delay. Is that really in Google's interests? Or are they cutting off the whole of their head to spite their face?

SEO has always been tricky. But Google's security measures are now hurting innocent bystanders too. And in doing so, they're holding open the doors to their competition.

There has to be a better way.

 

Yahoo!News using Blog Search results October 12, 2005

 

From the Search Engine Roundtable:

"Basically, if you do a news search, for example, on wedding via ask jeeves, on the right hand side, you will find "BLOGS BETA", with blog results followed by a link to More Blog results..."

Blog Search Results Embedded in Yahoo! News

 

More using RSS than realise it October 12, 2005

 

From ClickZ Stats:

"The number of tech-savvy Internet users who knowingly sign up for RSS syndicated content is only four percent, while another 12 percent are completely unaware of RSS. Twenty-seven percent of adult Internet users access RSS feeds through personalized start pages, though they don't know that's what they're doing on personalized portal pages."

More Use RSS Than Have Heard Of It

 

AdWords slammed October 12, 2005

 

Robert X. Cringely is the latest to join the ranks of the AdWords bashers, this time with a particularly large and heavy grudge.

The article begins with a fairly reasonable and balanced overview of how the AdWords system developed, yet soon starts to sing quite a different tune.

The writer tells of an experiment by one of his readers:

"He decided that the best way to conduct this research was not by altering variables on his existing, very profitable web site, but by creating a separate site purely to be used for these tests.

Clearly, this is a behavior that the big brains of Google did not expect."

Mistake number one. Of course Google expected this.

"So increasing the amount per word DID increase sales, though not enough to justify the additional cost. Google's revenue per word, of course, went up by 10X. But dropping the price by more than half was greeted by a huge decrease in clicks-through that could only have resulted from some unknown resultant change in GOOGLE's behavior, given that all other variables were constant."

Gasp. Surely not?

Could this mean that Google are running a business, and not merely providing a charitable service?

"If that's indeed what's happening, it isn't illegal and to some might not even be unethical (I guess) but it feels just a little bit EVIL."

Why evil? Are they stealing from the poor? Polluting the skies? Exploiting underpaid workers?

Have Google now become the Microsoft of the PPC world? Used by many, feared by competitors, and looked at with envy by all?

""It's like Vegas," said my friend. "They want you to lose. Try to game the system and they cut off one of your legs."

The friend has been watching too many movies. They don't want you to lose. They just want you to come and play the game, which is ultimately a balance between luck and skill. Basic mathematics takes care of the rest. Only you (and you alone) decide whether you want to play.

The only way you'll break a leg is by falling, either by accident, or as a result of your own actions and recklessness.

Google Goes Las Vegas

 

Office 12 Screenshots October 13, 2005

 

ActiveWin.com have posted screenshots of Microsoft's Office 12

ActiveWin.com: Microsoft Office 12 Screenshots

 

Little optimisation for the big retail sites October 13, 2005

 

From MarketingVOX News:

"Only 17 percent of Internet Retailer's top 100 sites are fully using search engine optimization and marketing, while 83 percent are not and so are missing profitable opportunities, according to a new study by Oneupweb titled "There's Still Money on the Table: Internet Retailer Study 2005." Oneupweb studied each site's meta tags, site architecture, keywords, content and other tactics."

Most Top Retail Sites Optimized Little or Not at All

 

Google bidding for AOL? October 13, 2005

 

From the BBC News website:

"Internet search giant Google is said to be in talks with media group Time Warner about a stake in its internet service provider, AOL.

According to a string of news agency and newspaper reports, the California based search firm could share AOL with Time Warner and US cable firm Comcast."

Google 'could bid for AOL stake'

 

Email from Google: You are being removed October 13, 2005

 

It looks like judgement day may be around the corner for websites employing "less than ideal" search engine optimisation techniques.

A thread on the WebmasterWorld forum reveals that webmasters are receiving warning letters from Google. The bottom line: fix it or be pulled from the index.

The problem is that some legitimate site owners have no idea what they're doing wrong.

"The goal of Google Search Quality Team (GSQT) is to alert whitehat sites owners/ whitehat webmasters of problem(s) which might cause their sites to be removed from the index.. permanently!

Its a chance to get things corrected and return back to the index after filing a reinclusion request.

As such all whitehat publishers should welcome such efforts."

My two pieces of advice:

(1) Google are supposedly doing this with a small number of sites that they feel are good, legitimate sites, inadvertently breaking the rules. Hence the 30 day penalty. (Try before you die?)

But just imagine what they'll be doing with sites that they decide are deliberately breaking the rules. And they will be going after these sites in due course.

If you're using some sort of trick, and think your method is too clever to get caught, then think again. Consider this a warning.

(2) If you're using anti-spam software, it may be a good time to add donotreply@google.com to the whitelist. Just in case.

I only wrote about Google factors yesterday. It appears that the purge has begun.

Email from Google: You are being removed

 

Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Update Rollup 2 Review October 14, 2005

 

From Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows:

"Fans of Windows XP Media Center now have two disappointments to face.
First, for the first time since the original XP Media Center Edition shipped in 2002, Microsoft doesn't have a major update to the popular operating system, but is instead shipping a free but minor update.

Second, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is the final version of Windows that will be specifically devoted to Media Center; in the Windows Vista family of operating systems, Media Center software will instead be bundled with a number of Windows Vista product editions.

This review deals largely with the former disappointment, though it's not fair to refer to Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Update Rollup 2 (UR2), as that update is named, as a disappointment. Instead, think of it as a final victory lap for a product that invented a new market category that even Apple is now copying."

From Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows

 

Stinky web site? October 14, 2005

 

From ClickZ Experts:

"The best SEO (define) and SEM efforts mean nothing if you attract traffic, only to lose it for lack of a relevant scent trail.

Know where prospects are sniffing, and you'll sniff some profit for yourself."

Does Your Web Site Stink?

 

AdWords success in 25 words or less October 17, 2005

 

From Inside AdWords, a summation of how to be successful in AdWords in 25 words or less:

"Targeted Ad Groups!
Specific keywords describing your products
Ads about same thing as the keywords
Send user to a highly related page on your site"

Surely they can do better than that?

AdWords success in 25 words or less

 

SEO is dead (again) October 17, 2005

 

From Mike Grehan at ClickZ Experts:

"Earlier this month, my buddy and leading "Netrepreneur," Ken Evoy, firmly put his stake in the ground by posting that SEO (define) is dead.

Naturally, it prompted an almost hostile reaction from certain quarters. Ken and I have exchanged e-mail a few times regarding the subject during the course of the year. Generally speaking, I believe SEO is not quite nailed in the coffin yet. But Ken's not far wrong in that "classic SEO," as I often refer to it, is very much a dying art."

I like Mike a lot, and really listen to what he says.

But I have no idea what he's talking about.

Our company just received a very happy email from one of our clients. Apparently our SEO efforts are working even quicker than he (and we) expected, and he's now ranking nicely for some very important target phrases.

SEO is a dying art? I couldn't disagree more.

The SEO and the Blacksmith

 

Outsourcing PPC October 17, 2005

 

A short (but interesting) discussion is emerging on the Search Engine Watch, on why a business should outsource their PPC campaigns.

"I had a conversation with a company owner today who insisted that they were the best ones to manage their own PPC campaign. That got me thinking--why exactly should a business outsource their PPC campaign to a Search Engine Marketing firm?

- A SEM firm has years of experience managing PPC campaigns.
- Automation. SEM firms have software to manage it (is that a good thing?)
- SEM firms can create targeted landing pages.
- SEM firms have sophisticated tracking capabilities and are able to specify which keywords are performing better.

Can anyone add any more reasons to outsource a PPC campaign to a search engine marketing firm?"

The years of experience is certainly an important factor.

But having software to manage the task? Sorry. I don't think so.

We use software to employ the keyword research, and I'm permanently looking for software to generate some funky reports for me. But we will never use software to manage our clients' AdWords accounts.

Why? Because it can (and does) sometimes go wrong, and we like to play it safe when it comes to spending our clients' money.

One comment in the discussion took me by surprise though:

"Does the company have adequate time to effectively manage a PPC campaign? That really is the question because if they do, a company can certainly employ a person to learn the ins and outs of PPC management and spend their time managing the company's PPC campaigns."

Admittedly, as a Qualified Google AdWords Professional, I'm a little biased. But since when does this approach work for businesses?

I could find the time to manage my company's accounts, but I choose to let a professional handle the task for me. He does so quicker and more efficiently than I could. And a whole lot better than employing a person to learn the ins and outs.

Time isn't the issue here. Just having time to do something doesn't mean that developing the necessary expertise is inevitable. Far from it.

Like any aspect of your business, if you don't have the time, skills and experience, hand it out to someone who does.

Expertise is worth paying for. Especially when it saves money and generates sales.

Why Should a Business Outsource a PPC Campaign

 

Web Analytics Terminology October 18, 2005

 

Digital Web Magazine have written a great article on the terminology of web analytics. Well worth a read if you don't know your visits from visitors and/or hits from sessions.

Dollars & Sense of Web Analytics

 

More Vista Info October 18, 2005

 

As per usual, Paul Thurrott has done an excellent (and thorough!) job of delving into Build 5231 of Windows Vista.

Microsoft Windows Vista Build 5231 (Community Technical Preview 2) Review

 

Drastic Google Tricks October 18, 2005

 

Are there no limits any more?

"we've heard from Walid Elias Kai, a PhD search engine marketer, and, it must be said, an avid fan of our company. Mr. Kai and his wife Carol live in Kalmar, Sweden, and he wrote to inform us that his new son, who was born September 12, is named "Google Kai." About this choice, Mr. Kai writes, "When we first knew that my wife Carol is pregnant, I said, 'we will name our child Google.' Everyone laughed and did not take me seriously.

Two things to consider.

(1) Picture the poor ten year old child at school today, getting tormented for being called AltaVista Smith.

(2) The child's website has a PageRank of zero.

Tricks never work!

Google KAI is the name of our SON

 

More Matt Cutts on Google Updates October 18, 2005

 

From Matt's blog:

"These days rather than having a large monolithic update, Google tends to have smaller (and more frequent) individual launches.

...

Just to give you a heads-up, I think a new set of backlinks (and possibly PageRank) will probably be visible relatively soon; I'm guessing within the next few days."

Here we go again.

More info on updates

 

Ready for behavioural search? October 19, 2005

 

ClickZ Experts have a very interesting article on one of Google's many patent applications:

"A headline caught my eye last week as I scrolled through an article list from Search Engine Journal: "Google Advertising Patents for Behavioral Targeting, Personalization and Profiling."

Why would Google's portfolio of intellectual property assets matter to me, as an advertising media person?"

Search Goes Behavioral

 

Do tables affect SEO? October 19, 2005

 

The Search Engine Roundtable have raised the issue of whether or not tables can have an adverse effect on your search engine optimisation or optimization efforts.

Impact of Tables On Search Engine Optimization

 

AntiSpyware in Vista October 19, 2005

 

From the Newsfactor Network:

"Following the release on Monday of the latest beta of Windows Vista, Microsoft has confirmed that it plans to integrate its antispyware software into the operating system. The move could set Microsoft in a pitched battle against Internet security vendors and potentially government antitrust regulators as the company prepares for the 2006 release of Windows Vista."

Vista To Include Antispyware Software

 

Google Accounts Information October 19, 2005

 

You've almost certainly seen the notice in your Google AdWords account about the so-called "Google Account".

From Inside AdWords:

"To give you more information straight from the source, we asked Ann-Lee, from the Google Accounts team, to answer several questions we thought our advertisers might have."

Google Accounts for AdWords

 

No Gmail for the UK October 19, 2005

 

From the BBC News website:

"Gmail, the free e-mail service run by internet search giant Google, will change its name for new UK users.
Following a trademark dispute the mail account will be renamed Googlemail.

London-based Independent International Investment Research says it started using the Gmail name for a web-mail application two years before Google."

Google drops Gmail address in UK

 

A plague of shareware sites October 20, 2005

 

Sharon Housley's Software Marketing Resource has noted that new shareware and software sites are popping up at an alarming rate.

Sites like DownloadGrid and Free-Software-Programs usually appear to be built on PAD files. And there are a *lot* of these sites around.

Do they matter? Have they diluted the effect and impact of the software sites as a whole? Or does it really not make any difference?

Shareware Download Sites Popping Up Everywhere

 

MSN Adcenter Beta October 20, 2005

 

The Search Engine Lowdown have written up their preview of MSN's Adcenter for those who just can't wait.

Myself included.

"Microsoft has begun its paid search pilot program by rolling out its' beta pay-per-click interface, a product they call AdCenter. In order to review thier product I signed up for an account via their Singapore page."

MSN Adcenter Beta - Preview

 

New Google AdWords Keyword Tool October 21, 2005

 

If you've logged into your Google AdWords account within the last 24 hours or so, you might have noticed the new keywords suggestion tool.

It's a serious step up from their old (quite basic) tool, and offers features that should set your heart racing.

Have a look at the screenshots below:

You simply put in your keyword or keywords, and Google suggest alternatives. Nothing to get too excited about, right? So far.

Now it starts to get a little more interesting. For each of their suggestions, Google show how much competition there is, and give an indication of the search volume. Note that the actual figures aren't given, but the bars give relative indications:very low, low, average, high, very high. Even without the figures this information is priceless.

Pretty self explanatory, but massively useful. At a glance, you can see the average CPC, estimated ad position, and see the effect that different max CPC levels will have. Fantastic.

Here's where it gets really interesting. Instead of researching your own keywords, why not let Google pull up suggestions from your competition's website?

Google just made AdWords a lot more competitive.

The best just got that little bit better.

 

Collecting Debts via Google AdWords. Legal? October 24, 2005

 

An intriguing idea on the SearchEngineWatch forums; using AdWords to collect unpaid debts.

Collecting Debts via Google AdWords. Legal?

 

Taking on the big boys October 24, 2005

 

From vnunet.com:

"A small UK graphics software house is desperately trying to fight its corner against Microsoft by giving away its software to any Linux user prepared to help the company."

David vs. Goliath is always such an interesting scenario. More so when both are software companies.

UK graphics firm takes on Microsoft

 

BBC on Google October 24, 2005

 

From the BBC News website:

""If consumers see a perceptible quality difference [with rival search engines], they will disappear," admits Mr Arora.

And suddenly all of Google's little tools make perfect sense.

Microsoft relies on computer users being too sedate to download rival web browsers.

Google, for its part, hopes that its useful desktop tools will be sticky enough to keep people within the virtual Googleplex.

But with both Yahoo and Microsoft giving chase, Google must hurry to merge its disparate tools."

Has the Google juggernaut got a roadmap?

 

Yahoo drop minimum monthly spend October 24, 2005

 

I've always criticised Yahoo! Search Marketing (aka Overture aka GoTo) for being to slow to respond to market changes, and being unaware of the concepts of innovation and adaptation.

But it now appears that they can do more than just change their name. They've finally removed the $20 minimum spend rule.

I take it all back.

That should change everything.

 

Cracking down on BitTorrent October 25, 2005

 

From the BBC News website:

"A Hong Kong man has been convicted of movie internet piracy in what is believed to be the first case involving BitTorrent file-sharing software."

BitTorrent user guilty of piracy

 

BlogSearch PageRank October 25, 2005

 

A discussion on The SearchEngineWatch forums is reporting that Google's BlogSearch page jumped from a PageRank of 0 to 9 in a matter of days.

This sort of thing is shocking. A company using their own system to suit their own plans?

Whatever next? Where will it stop?

The so-called Jagger update has had the predictable effect of causing many people's PageRank to fall and blood pressure to rise.

And while the actual reasoning behind the update is left to speculation, it does appear that hidden text has been penalised, especially when used in invisible CSS layers.

Once again a lesson can be learnt. Try and trick the search engines at your peril.

It also appears that links from automatic link exchanges are being (further) ignored, and some of the search engine spam has been removed.

Once again a lesson can be learnt. Try and trick the search engines at your peril.

My advice? I'll share one of my professional secrets with you, and let you follow the Dave Collins 4 Steps to PageRank Success System. Keep this gem to yourself:

(1) Ignore your website's PageRank.

(2) Focus on making your software better.

(3) Focus on marketing your software better.

(4) Don't believe anything that anyone tells you about PageRank.

Enough already.

BlogSearch.Google.com - PR0 to PR9 In Mere Days - History Of Its Backward Links Count

 

The crackdown continues October 26, 2005

 

From the BBC News website:

"A Swedish court has meted out the country's first conviction for using an online file-sharing network.

28-year-old Swede Andreas Bawer was found guilty of breaching copyright by distributing a Swedish movie online and fined 16,000 kronor (US$2,000)."

Long may it continue.

Sweden convicts first file-sharer

 

More on Google Accounts October 26, 2005

 

Inside AdWords has more information on the Google Accounts issue, and answers some of the more relevant questions:

"In order for your Google Accounts login to work for AdWords, you first need to go through the Google Accounts wizard. We'll be asking advertisers to do this over the next couple of weeks. You'll know you're being asked to update when instead of going to your account upon login to AdWords, you see the first step of the Google Accounts updating wizard."

More on Google Accounts for AdWords

 

Google Rumour Quashed October 26, 2005

 

The Google Blog has set the record straight on the rumour of the day:

"We are testing a new way for content owners to submit their content to Google, which we hope will complement existing methods such as our web crawl and Google Sitemaps. We think it's an exciting product, and we'll let you know when there's more news."

So that's set the record straight then.

Where else to get solid, reliable data on Google than SEO Black Hat.

They could be onto something.

Rumor of the day

 

Google Base October 27, 2005

 

Google have now confirmed the creation of Google Base; Google's toe-dip into the world of online classifieds.

Screenshot

 

The secrets of Smart Pricing October 27, 2005

 

From JenSense:

"Google has said very little publicly about Smart Pricing secret sauce which results in some publishers earning more money for a click while others earn less (and yes, the advertiser will also pay less accordingly).

Here is what that team member disclosed, as well as other tidbits already known about smart pricing.

- Smart pricing affects an entire account. It is not on a per page or per site basis.

- One poorly converting site can result in smart pricing impacting an entire account, even sites completely unrelated to the poorly converting one.

- Smart pricing is evaluated each week. So removing ads from sites you suspect are converting poorly could result in seeing an adjustment to a higher smart pricing percent in as little as a week.

One poorly converting site can "smart price" an entire AdSense account

 

Matt Cutts on Jagger 2 October 27, 2005

 

From Matt Cutts: Gadgets, Google and SEO:

"If things stay on the same schedule (which I can't promise, but I'll keep you posted if I learn more), Jagger3 might be visible at one data center next week. Folks should have several weeks to give us feedback on Jagger3 as it gradually becomes more visible at more data centers."

And so the fun continues.

Jagger 2 Update Info

 

What happened in Search Marketing 2005? October 27, 2005

 

From the Search Engine Roundtable:

"Time goes by so fast sometimes its hard to get a handle on just what happened over the last 10 months. A member on Highrankings Forum has been away from SEO for sometime and is just getting back into the industry and wants to know what he missed in 2005. A lot of the members come to together to outline the year in review."

Are we in holiday season mindset already? Is nothing going to happen in November and December?

What Happened In Search Marketing in 2005?

 

Microsoft on Google October 28, 2005

 

From the BBC News website:

"People are underestimating what Microsoft is doing with search technology, says Bill Gates.

The head of the software giant told the BBC that its ambition is to be bigger than Google in search."

That, of course, changes everything.

Microsoft aims to trounce Google

 

Flexible targeting with adCenter October 28, 2005

 

From ClickZ Experts:

"MSN's new adCenter PPC auction lets you select your audiences. Would you like to target women 18-25 with your advertising, because they're more likely to buy your product or they're the kind of profitable customers you dream of? If women or men of any age are a high-value segment of your overall target audience, you can boost your bid per click on any keyword for that segment alone.

AdCenter provides a whole new level of targeting by allowing marketers to better select their target audience by age, gender, geography, or daypart (time of day or day of week). This results in more relevant ads. More relevant ads create a win-win scenario for advertisers and consumers. Improved relevancy also drives up prices (monetization and yield). That makes targeting improvements a home run for publishers and ad networks alike."

Fantastic. Can't wait to give it a whirl.

Better Targeting With adCenter

 

Google AdWords - setting the record straight October 28, 2005

 

It appears that I may have caused some confusion with my comments in the Alt.Comp.Shareware.Authors newsgroup, where I said the following:

"If you haven't yet experienced a good ROI on web advertising then what are you waiting for? Opening an account with Google will cost you $5. Learn how to use the system and you really can't lose. Really."

I think that some people may have taken my remarks a little too literally, so would like to explain.

AdWords is a great, powerful and effective tool. But it doesn't perform miracles.

If you want to increase your software sales using AdWords, you need to qualify on all of the following:

(1) A good product

(2) A market for your software (aka demand)

(3) A good price

(4) A good website

If you nod your head four times to the above, then keep reading.

Assuming that you want to achieve a healthy ROI on your AdWords campaign, you need the following:

(1) A good understand of the ins and outs of the Google AdWords system. All the information you need is freely available in the AdWords Support Centre. It takes a long time to master, but is time well spent. Or considering using a reputable company to do it for you.

(2) Detailed keyword research. Find all the different keywords and combinations that people may be using when they look for your product's solution.

(3) A range of well written ads. Don't overlook the importance of this step.

(4) A knowledge of what your competition is doing with their Google AdWords campaigns.

(5) Some basic tracking for your ads, and access to your server log files.

(6) Some good landing pages.

(7) The time to administer your campaigns, track the results and stay on top of it. Or considering using a reputable company to do it for you.

Google AdWords isn't rocket science, but it is quite complex. You can either hire a company to handle the task for you, or you can learn how to do so yourself.

With a good product, a healthy market, the right price and a good website the sky really is the limit. Without any of the above, it's little more than a gamble.

 

Grab tjose typos October 31, 2005

 

The Typo Trap is a free tool designed to help webmasters find common typos and misspellings for keywords that are often searched for.

The Typo Trap

 

Google to advertise on TV? October 31, 2005

 

From the Media Buyer Planner:

"Google, recently venturing into print advertising, is considering yet another new way to extend its advertising program, this time to TV, according to the New York Post. TV would perhaps be a tough nut for Google to crack, as network executives have been successful in resisting all efforts to resell their ad time and network executives - as well as media buyers - reject the idea that "buying a TV spot can be reduced to a computer-run auction," the Post writes."

Google May Try TV Ad Sales, Media Buyers Say 'Dream On'

 

Online SEO Information: Trick or Treat? October 31, 2005

 

From Mike Grehan, ClickZ Experts:

"When I started in this industry back in the day, successful SEO (define) techniques were proven with anecdotal evidence. Although the engines are getting better at their job in many cases, much online info still relies on anecdotal evidence.

Don't get me wrong. There's some great info out there provided by true professionals. There's a whole lot of badly researched and speculative nonsense, too."

Online SEO Information: Trick or Treat?

 

Duplicate content October 31, 2005

 

An interesting thread on WewbmasterWorld.com is discussing the fact the Google may be stamping down hard on duplicate content:

"We've just done a whole bunch of analysis on the dup issues with G, and I wish to post an observation about just one aspect of the current problems:
The fact that even within a single site, when pages are deemed too similar, G is not throwing out the dups - they're throwing out ALL the similar pages.

The result of this miscalculation is that high quality pages from leading/authoritative sites, some that also act as hubs, are lost in the SERP's. In most cases, these pages are not actually penalized or pushed into the Supplemental index. They are simply dampened so badly that they no longer appear anywhere in the SERP's"

If this is the case, then most websites shouldn't have anything to worry about. Note that the posting refers to duplicate pages within a single site.

If you're trying to trick the engines with duplicate content, however, then you should be breaking out into a sweat around now.

The moral of the story? Try and trick the engines at your peril.

Haven't I said this once or twice before?

Duplicate Content Observation