Could click fraud be the end of PPC? January 2, 2006

 

Old tricks die hard January 2, 2006

 

There's an interesting study of a website on Matt Cutts' blog. The site has been dropped by Google, and the site owner was concerned that they might have been "link bombed". However, the source of their troubles was very definitely their own website, which was stuffed with barely visible keywords, identical pages, and other old, spammy tricks. The site in question has now fixed some of the worst problems, but Matt has some nice screenshots that show you exactly what was going on.

The discussion in the comments is worth a quick look, too. The lesson is: before you start worrying about external factors affecting your rankings, take a good hard look at what's happening on your own pages.

SEO Mistakes: Not checking your site

 

2006 - Year of Opportunity January 2, 2006

 

The start of the year is traditionally the time for making lists of things that we won't do for very long. It's also the time of year when we re-arrange our homes and offices, look back over the year that was, and try to predict the year that lies ahead.

2005 was an interesting year for software marketing. The "try before you buy" concept continued to grow from strength to strength, PPC grew even more interesting, RSS flourished, and previously obscure words like "blog", "wiki" and "podcasting" started to become mainstream.

2006 also looks set to be an interesting year, so without further ado, my predictions for the year that lies to ahead, subject to alteration, amendment and selective amnesia.

2006 will be the year of PPC development.

PPC (pay per click) has now been around for quite a few years, yet I still rate it as the single most significant development in online marketing since the creation of the web itself.

MSN's adCentre is still in beta, and in fact we're testing it ourselves. Results so far are quite neutral, but I can't see Microsoft dragging their heels for too long on this one.

As adCentre grows and eventually opens to the public, it's bound to act as a catalyst to the ever-developing Google AdWords. As always, the consumers (you and I) will benefit here.

As for the others (Yahoo Search Marketing, Flak, Espotting etc), unless they pull something reasonably miraculous out of their hats, it's safe to say that they've missed the boat.

Lesson: fail to keep up with your competition at your own peril.

2006 will be the year of Vista pain.

If you haven't yet tried your software under Microsoft's "soon" to be released operating system, then you should probably do so. Some developers are finding that their software only requires minor tweaks and alterations. Others have discovered that serious modifications are required.

My prediction is that for the consumer and developer alike, Vista will be the source of great pain. Code will need to be adapted, drivers will need to be created and updated, and I suspect that a great deal of hardware and software will instantly be rendered obsolete.

If you think my doom and gloom prediction is unlikely, cast your mind back to Windows 2000. I personally threw away a number of graphic cards, webcams and applications that were either not supported or required my paying to upgrade them. Let's hope that the developers and hardware manufacturers have learnt from the past.

2006 will be the year of security.

Security issues are nothing new, yet every year the problem gets consistently worse, and an increasing number of businesses and consumers are burnt. 2005 saw Microsoft dip their toes into anti-spyware and anti-virus software solutions, and although the marketplace is brimming with alternatives, none seem to offer what the consumer is looking for.

I fear that 2006 may well see the greatest security threat (or threats) of all, and that this will finally push security into the foreground, where it should have been all along.

My advice: Stay ahead of the trend. No matter what you're selling or how you're selling it, start focusing on security. The sooner the better.

2006 will be the year of VOIP.

Skype is slowly but surely becoming a very well known name, but the fact is that most people are already using VOIP; without their PCs and without even knowing it.

Some of the telecommunication companies around the world are starting to worry about the advantages that VOIP offers, and I suspect that further developments lie ahead.

My prediction is that VOIP will receive significantly more press attention than in 2005, and by the end of 2006 will have more or less become a household name.

2006 will be the year for your company. Or your competition.

With the phenomenal growth and spread of the internet, the increase in connection speeds and the willingness of people to purchase online, this truly is the age of online selling.

And if the wares that you sell are deliverable within minutes or seconds of purchase, then the world is yours to sell to.

The question boils down to whether the year will belong to you or your competition.

Look back on 2005. Identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and plan for the year that lies ahead. Formulate your ideas, schedule their actions, and make sure that 2006 is a happy, successful and prosperous one for you and your company.

I hope to hear from you soon!

 

A new way for consumers to pay January 3, 2006

 

From businessweek.com:

"Gary Marino is giving e-shoppers an alternative to credit cards -- and his Bill Me Later service is catching on. Is it an idea too good to survive?"

Big Plastic's Online Challenger

 

Stats from the Google Blog January 3, 2006

 

From googleblog.blogspot.com:

"This is the 201st post to be published on the Google Blog in 2005. In closing out the first full year of our company-wide effort to share news and views, we thought you might be interested in a few factoids. Since we've had Google Analytics running on this blog since June, some of these numbers reflect only half a year. In that time, 4.3 million unique visitors have generated 8.7 million pageviews. Readers have come from all over the world, not just English-speaking countries: 53,001 visitors from Turkey have stopped by, for example; so have 155,691 from France, 29,614 from Thailand and 8,233 from Peru."

A year of Google blogging

 

No Wikipedia ads January 3, 2006

 

From ClickZ:

"Contrary to a news report that circulated in the blogosphere last week, Wikipedia has no plans to implement advertising on its burgeoning consumer generated encyclopedia."

Wikipedia's founder Jimmy Wales declares that he remains opposed to advertising on the popular reference site. However, he also states that he has "never said there would absolutely never be ads on Wikipedia." Hmmm.

Clarity: Definition.

No Ads in Wikipedia Says Wales

 

The cost of software piracy January 3, 2006

 

From Channel News:

"Reducing UK software piracy by just 10% would generate 34,000 jobs, £11bn in economic growth and £2.8bn in tax revenue, new research claims. The findings come from a report commissioned by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) which also found that a 10% drop in illegal software worldwide would lead to 2.4 million new jobs, £230bn in extra growth and an additional £34.5bn in tax proceeds."

Software piracy - a victimless crime?

Software piracy stifling UK growth

 

Software Vendor Awards January 3, 2006

 

Sharon Housley's Software Marketing Resource have just announced their Software Vendor Awards:

"We felt it was time to recognize software industry vendors. As a result we are launching Software Vendor awards. This will help new developers, Micro-ISVs and others marketing software give insight into the specific solutions and customer service the Software Vendors provide."

Nominations are now open until January 27th, and the voting lasts from February 1st to the 15th.

Nominate a software vendor for each category

 

Google to unveil OS and hardware January 4, 2006

 

From latimes.com:

"Google will unveil its own low-price personal computer or other device that connects to the Internet.

Sources say Google has been in negotiations with Wal-Mart Stores Inc., among other retailers, to sell a Google PC. The machine would run an operating system created by Google, not Microsoft's Windows, which is one reason it would be so cheap - perhaps as little as a couple of hundred dollars."

Industry Feeling Presence of the 800-Pound Google

 

Beware of the blog January 4, 2006

 

From CNET News.com:

"In May 2003, the consumer advocacy group Ban Trans Fat sued Kraft Foods, demanding that the comestibles giant stop selling its Oreo cookies in California."

This suit was eventually dropped, but a study by BuzzMetrics showed how much damage it had done: online forums, discussions groups and blogs were flowing over with comments about trans fats - more than 2.6 million comments, in fact.

"Kraft and Oreo were mentioned in 17 percent and 26 percent of the 2.6 million comments about trans fats, respectively, showing that the public clearly linked the dangers of consuming processed oils with the company and one of its most famous products."

Why companies monitor blogs

 

Sketch and search January 4, 2006

 

You may already have come across this, but if you haven't, it's worth a look. At the moment, retrievr doesn't work too well, but what an interesting idea! Basically, you search a selection of Flickr images by drawing a rough sketch. Simple is best - try a blue ball, a green triangle, or a red cross. A bit pointless for now, but fun!

Search images with retrievr

 

Blog Ad Network January 5, 2006

 

From clickz.com:

"Independent blog network 9rules has reorganized its member sites into vertical communities, paving the way for its upcoming blog ad network.

The new organizational structure, dubbed 9rules Communities, sorts the more than 120 sites in its 7-month-old network into 30 categories, with more sites and categories being added daily, according to Paul Scrivens, president and CEO of 9rules Inc."

9rules Paves Way for Blog Ad Network

 

Paid Search to Grow 41% January 5, 2006

 

From clickz.com:

"The paid search industry, which generated an estimated $10 billion globally in 2005, is expected to grow 41 percent in 2006, with Google growing its net revenues by more than 58 percent during the year, according to two research notes released this week by Safa Rashtchy, senior research analyst at Piper Jaffray."

Paid Search to Grow 41% With Google Leading the Way

 

Update on the Google PCs January 5, 2006

 

From searchenginewatch.com:

"We ain't selling no computers at Wal-Mart. So says Google PR chieftain David Krane, in response to rumors about Google Cube personal computers or hardware devices being announced this week or coming out at all. Krane says that Google rather partner with existing companies (a number of whom are also big Google advertisers, don't forget)."

No Google Cubes Coming, Says Google

 

BigDaddy - get used to hearing the name January 5, 2006

 

Matt Cutts' blog features a posting about Bigdaddy (the Google update/infrastructure change that lies ahead), what it is, and what it's likely to entail.

"I do expect Bigdaddy to become the default source of web results. The length of the transition will depend on lots of different issues. Right now I'm guessing 1-2 months, but if I find out more specifics I'll let you know. [.] It has some new infrastructure, not just better algorithms or different data. Most of the changes are under the hood, enough so that an average user might not even notice any difference in this iteration."

At the moment, you can see live Bigdaddy results at 66.249.93.104. I noticed some minor (positive) changes in ranking for certain sites that we work with, but most don't seem to be affected at all.

Feedback on Bigdaddy data center

 

Duff software that could land you in trouble January 6, 2006

 

From internetnews.com:

"Two companies selling alleged bogus anti-spyware software and services settled Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges Thursday that the firms' claims were deceptive and violated federal law.

The owners and operators of Spykiller and Spyware Assassin each claimed to detect spyware -- even when none was on a user's computer -- and then sold consumers anti-spyware software that either did not work or did not work as advertised."

Bogus Spyware Vendors Settle FTC Charges

 

I want a robot that will cook hamburgers! January 6, 2006

 

From wired.com:

"In a memo to his top executives in November, Gates acknowledged that Microsoft should act quickly in offering web-based services to best formidable competitors.

But in a phone interview preceding his address, Gates downplayed a Google threat.

"I hear they're coming out with a robot that will cook hamburgers, too. Let's spread that rumor - there's nothing they can't do," Gates said in jest."

Gates Opens CES With Scorn

 

Google Analytics January 6, 2006

 

From computerworld.com:

"More than six weeks after renaming and upgrading its Web analytics service and cutting its price to zero, Google Inc. continues to labor to make the service meet its own expectations as well as those of users."

Google Analytics still off limits to new users

 

$11 Billion fine January 6, 2006

 

From ZDNet News:

"A US-based ISP has been awarded $11.2bn (£6.38bn) in a judgement against a Florida spammer who sent millions of unsolicited emails to its users."

Florida spammer faces $11bn fine

 

Credit Card Fraud and Click Fraud January 9, 2006

 

From Got Ads?:

"Marketing Sherpa has a good article for business who have merchant accounts and process credit cards - "6 Tips for Minimizing Chargebacks".

What strikes me is how similar attitudes toward online credit card fraud (specifically fraudulent chargebacks) and click fraud are from the perspective of the retailer."

How Credit Card Fraud is like Click Fraud

 

The Google Pack January 9, 2006

 

This is how they describe it over at the Google Blog:

"we created the Google Pack -- a one-stop software package that helps you discover, install, and maintain a wide range of essential PC programs. It's yours today - and it's something we hope you find to be painless, easy, and even fun (if computer setup can ever be called that). And it's free. "

The Google pack contains Picasa, Google Earth, and Google Toolbar, but also Mozilla Firefox, Norton Antivirus, Ad-Aware, and a handful of other things.

Google Pack

 

Google's Grand Plan to Take Over TV Advertising January 9, 2006

 

From i, cringely - pbs.org:

"If I'm right, Google's current business will have been nothing more than a great test-bed for what will turn out to be their real business, which will be IP-TV ads. Program choice is just the Trojan horse that will be used to sell this to viewers; the essence of the IP-TV buildout is the fully domesticated consumer.

Far scarier, of course, is that Google will be handling all political advertising, and will eventually be helping networks customize their news offerings, too."

A Commercial Runs Through It

 

Web browser stats for 2005 January 9, 2006

 

From clickz.com:

"Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) remains the largest stakeholder in browser market share, but it lost ground in 2005. Web browser statistics for yearend 2005 released by NetApplications.com indicate movement in browser market share for 2006."

The Browser Wars of 2005

 

Why geeks are cool and loveable January 9, 2006

 

Okay, my wife insisted that I should link to this. And since it's a grey and dreary Monday and we all could do with something a little lighter, I agreed.

"The wife of Microsoft's top blogger Robert Scoble has come up with ten definitive reasons why geeks are worth getting up close and personal with."

The reasons include "he can fix your computer", "he will provide you with the latest gadgets", and "he will make you look really good".

I'm not saying anything.

Why everyone should date a geek

 

Software As a Service January 10, 2006

 

Once known as application service provider (ASP) is now being called software as a service. ComputerWorld is offering an executive briefing on the whole topic of software as a service.

Software As a Service

 

Organize the world's information? January 10, 2006

 

From Got Ads?:

"Google says their mission is to "Organize the world's information". Great. What does that mean?"

Google's Real Mission

 

And on the seventh day, online retailers rested. At least some of them. January 10, 2006

 

From CNET News.com:

"Consumers have grown to expect around-the-clock pampering from Internet merchants, who have been pushed by rivals to offer customer service even on weekends and to remedy site glitches immediately, no matter when they happen."

Torah, meet the Web: Placing limits on 24/7

 

The rising price of keywords January 10, 2006

 

From ClickZ:

"Most advertisers in a recent industry survey said their common keywords got more expensive in 2005, but improvements in ROI could still justify larger marketing spends in 2006, experts say."

"The survey, the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization's (SEMPO) "The State of Search Engine Marketing 2005," found that most advertisers felt prices for their common keywords rose in 2005, with the most common estimate of how much they rose being "20 percent or more."

Search Marketers Look to Efficiency in 2006

 

Getting out of the sandbox? January 10, 2006

 

Some of the big names in SEO got together at the SERoundtable forums to discuss strategies for getting out of the dreaded Google sandbox early. It's a long and interesting thread, and most of the participants seem to agree that escaping the sandbox is not something that can be easily achieved - for most sites, it might even be impossible. I like Rand Fishkin's post:

"The sites I see that escape quickly are typically of the "internet phenomenon" category where they attract thousands of links very quickly through bloggers, forums and communities then break out of the box in 15-30 days.

That's one clear way to get out - produce a piece of content that's going to skyrocket your site to Internet superstardom - del.icio.us/popular, digg, furl, mentioned on huge blog sites, slashdot, etc."

If you can do that, you might be able to achieve great rankings for your new site. If you can't, you're just going to have to be patient.

Strategies to Get Out of Sandbox Faster

 

Questions on Miva's future January 11, 2006

 

From clickz.com:

"Pay-per-click and affiliate marketing network Miva has hired an investment bank to explore and evaluate strategic options, including a potential sale of the company."

Is Miva For Sale?

 

Google and mobile devices January 11, 2006

 

From TheRegister.co.uk:

"Sneaky Google nabbed Canadian mobile device software maker Reqwireless last Summer and didn't bother to tell anyone about the acquisition. Like the rest of the hacks, we've just learned about it now."

Google turning Canada into mobile software mecca

 

You're being served, via e-mail January 11, 2006

 

From TheRegister.co.uk:

"Emails that initiated legal proceedings were ignored as spam by a shipping firm. It was a costly oversight: the firm lost the case without taking part and an English judge has rejected a late challenge, ruling that service by email is just as valid as post or fax."

High Court approves service of a lawsuit by email

 

A good point January 11, 2006

 

From UIE Brain Sparks, regarding the fact that 1% of Amazon's 108 million holiday orders did not arrive on time:

"Even when 99% of whatever is perfect, that 1% imperfection is still a pretty big number. Almost perfect isn't perfect."

1% Can Be A Large Number

 

Amateurish Google January 11, 2006

 

From WindowsITPro:

Paul Thurrott is not impressed:

"Is this the company Microsoft was so afraid of? Seriously? An amateurish presentation by Google co-founder Larry Page late Friday at the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) revealed that the multi-billion dollar corporation still has a lot of work to do before it can be taken seriously as a tech superpower. Although few would argue that Google's Internet search technology is anything but top notch (I certainly use it regularly enough), virtually every other product and service it has announced has been lacking in some way."

(Thanks to Marcus Tettmar for the tip!)

CES 2006: Google Underwhelms with CES Announcements

 

Confused and unhappy January 11, 2006

 

From Computing:

"A study from TowerGroup warned that the increasing use of technology has distanced banks from their customers, causing confusion and mixed messages."

The study itself is clearly doing everything in its power to do away with confusion and present readers with a clear and understandable message. Like this:

""Faced with a preponderance of self-directed financial services channels, consumers now view banks as purveyors of undifferentiated commodities and can easily choose products from alternative financial services providers based on price," the report stated."

Anyway, the reason I'm bringing this to your attention is that the message itself is important enough to be repeated every now and then. Don't bewilder your customers with unnecessary technology and complex procedures. Just don't do it.

Technology alienating banking customers

 

Google Analytics is opening backup January 12, 2006

 

From Google Analytics:

"We're pleased to announce that we've begun re-opening signups for Google Analytics on an invitation basis. For more information on when you might receive an invitation, please read our Progress Updates page.

We will continue to send out more invitations to sign up as we add additional capacity to Google Analytics. If you'd like an invitation, please submit your e-mail address on our signup page.

Thank you for your patience and for your interest in Google Analytics."

We just got ours. Oh the excitement!

Google Analytics

 

The people of search January 12, 2006

 

From searchenginewatch.com:

"Search marketing has come under fire in the mainstream press and elsewhere this year, and that's not good for the industry, said Danny Sullivan in his keynote address at Chicago's Search Engine Strategies conference."

Search Marketing's About People and Principles, Not Just Algorithms, Part 1

 

MasterCard to cut transaction rates January 12, 2006

 

From computerworld.com:

"MasterCard International Inc. today announced that it is lowering transaction charges for merchants that use its SecureCode service to authenticate online customers.

The company also said that it will offer free network vulnerability scans for merchants under a new program to get merchants to adopt policies designed to protect consumer data."

MasterCard offers incentives to merchants that beef up security

 

Matt Cutts attacks again January 12, 2006

 

Over at Matt Cutts' blog, it's time for another site to serve as an illustration of what NOT to do. This time, it's a German website, and Matt makes it very clear that Google is going to crack down on spam in all sorts of languages this year. Keyword-stuffed pages and JavaScript redirects are a terrible idea - and that's exactly what we've been saying for years.

SEO Mistakes: Spam in other languages

 

Dissatisfied shoppers January 12, 2006

 

ClickZ reports that online shoppers spent more money than ever during the holiday season, but the levels of satisfaction dipped compared to the beginning of the year.

"Overall satisfaction dipped 4 percent from spring through the end of December 2005. Out of a possible 100, the score fell from 76.7 to 73.5. The winners of the season were Netflix, Amazon.com, L.L. Bean, and QVC. Each held satisfaction scores of 80 or above. ToysRUs, Old Navy, Sears.com, and JCPenney experienced the greatest loss in score, while CompUSA.com, Kmart.com, and Sears.com maintained the bottom of the list."

Holiday Season Dragged Online Customer Satisfaction Down

 

Google Vision January 13, 2006

 

From gotads.blogspot.com:

"Do you want to know what Google's gonna do in the next 5 years? I've made some guesses in recent posts - i.e. the omniscient ad targeting from Minority Report."

Google Vision: Straight from Larry Page

 

How important is customer evangelism to Netflix? January 13, 2006

 

From Church of the Customer Blog:

"Well, 85% of new subscribers say they signed up for the DVD-rental-via-mail service because they heard about it from an existing subscriber."

Netflix's customer evangelism

 

Open-source software and new pricing strategies to get an edge January 13, 2006

 

From CNET News.com:

"Ismael Ghalimi started software-maker Intalio with a solid business plan and leading-edge technology. But like many software entrepreneurs, Ghalimi is finding that isn't enough.

After six years without showing a profit, company executives decided it was time for plan B: Rather than sell customers pricey, high-end software, Intalio decided to sell open-source software instead, cutting the price from about a half-million dollars to zero. The company would charge for support and a license fee when its software is deployed on closed-source databases and middleware."

Software start-ups feel the pinch

 

Can't they just get along? January 13, 2006

 

From Search Engine Roundtable:

"As some of you may know, Bill Gates unveiled Windows Vista at the CES Keynote address early this year in Las Vegas. There, attendees and users that followed via webcast (thanks Gary!) and other news stories all around. What Bill didn't talk much was about Google on Vista, so here is a peak."

What? No Google on Vista? Google Strikes Back on IE 7!

 

A law against annoying people January 13, 2006

 

Some of you may have already seen this, but it's still worth another look. In the US, annoying someone online is now a federal crime - but only if you don't reveal your true identity. If you're willing to use your own name, you can be as annoying as you like. This is what the law states:

"Whoever...utilizes any device or software that can be used to originate telecommunications or other types of communications that are transmitted, in whole or in part, by the Internet... without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person...who receives the communications...shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."

I understand and fully support the law against abusing, threatening or harassing people - but annoying them?

Create an e-annoyance, go to jail

 

Microsoft turns to China for adLab help January 16, 2006

 

From redherring.com:

"Software giant establishes lab in China to figure out ways to beat Google at online advertising."

Microsoft Opens Ad Lab

 

Personalised Google homepage for mobiles January 16, 2006

 

From Vnunet:

"The service offers a portal-like website featuring optional services including email messages from users' Gmail account, news headlines, weather information, stock quotes or RSS feeds."

Google makes personalisation mobile

 

A year of spam? January 16, 2006

 

From ClickZ:

"December closed the book on a year with a significant increase in the number of targeted attacks on businesses and organizations, according to the "MessageLabs Intelligence 2005 Annual Security Report" published by MessageLabs."

"MessageLabs noticed an increase in the number of Trojan-borne e-mail messages over the past year. Virus writers have shifted from sending mass-mailing viruses to sending more targeted Trojans through botnets".

The Deadly Duo: Spam and Viruses, December 2005

 

Website first impressions count January 17, 2006

 

From nature.com:

"Like the look of our website? Whatever the answer (and hopefully it was yes), the chances are you made your mind up within the first twentieth of a second. A study by researchers in Canada has shown that the snap decisions Internet users make about the quality of a web page have a lasting impact on their opinions."

Web users judge sites in the blink of an eye

 

Online Shopping and Security Confidence January 17, 2006

 

From internetnews.com:

"With all the chatter about viruses, phishing attacks and all the other mischievous maliciousness online today, you'd think that consumers would be afraid to shop online.

Not so, reports a new Business Software Alliance (BSA) study conducted by Harris Interactive.

According to 70 percent of the respondents, security concerns did not inhibit them from making online purchases. In fact, 38 percent reported that they actually spent more online in 2005 than they did in 2004."

Online Shopping Boosted By Security Confidence

 

Internet sales tax January 17, 2006

 

From internetretailer.com:

"Two proposed federal bills submitted in the Senate that support mandatory collection of Internet sales tax are likely to be forged into a single bill that will settle issues like exemptions for small retailers, John Logan, senior state tax analyst at CCH Inc., tells InternetRetailer.com"

Internet sales tax bills headed for compromise, expert says

 

Quaero, anyone? January 17, 2006

 

John Battelle links to the latest news about the future search giant of Europe, Quaero.

"Project Quaero is considered to represent France's and Germany's response to Google and Yahoo, meant to lift Europe to the United States and Japan's research and development status."

Good luck with that. Personally, I'm far from convinced. And as John Battelle correctly points out, they might want to start by buying the domain Quearo.com. Because if they're going to be stubborn about it and only use Quaero.fr and Quaero.de, they might as well give up now.

Quaero headed by Bertelsmann

 

A quote to remember January 17, 2006

 

Over at Seobook.com, Aaron Wall discusses the fact that the price of your product only matters if people are buying it. I'm especially fond of the following paragraph:

"If your software / information product / etc. has little to no incremental cost per user and is brand new you are not losing money giving it away in exchange for market exposure. Two years ago I gave away the first version of SEO Book. The first version really was not all that good, but I realized that feedback had value and I should spread it far and wide to get whatever feedback I could get."

I cannot overemphasise how important and true this is. Time and time again, I have told people to be generous with their software. Those magazine editors were never going to buy it anyway, so you really have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Seriously.

Retail Only Matters if You Have Reach and People Are Buying

 

Online ad spending up last quater January 18, 2006

 

From mediapost.com:

"A MARKETING PUSH DURING THE holiday season propelled online ad spending to increase by a greater-than-anticipated 15 percent in the fourth quarter, according to a new study conducted by Deutsche Bank in conjunction with MediaPost.

Pricing also increased, although not as dramatically: the cost of premium inventory increased by an average of 6 percent from the third quarter to the fourth, while the price of run-of-network inventory increased by about 3 percent during that time, and pay-per-click prices went up by 5 percent."

Online Ad Spending Surpasses Expectations

 

Google and Radio January 18, 2006

 

From RedHerring.com:

"The search giant pays $102 million for dMarc to help take its ad machine to the airwaves.

Online advertising leader Google said Tuesday it's moving into radio advertising by paying $102 million for dMarc Broadcasting, which offers advertisers an automated way to buy and run radio ads."

Google Gets into Radio Ads

 

Quaero in hiding January 18, 2006

 

Apparently, all the attention the future search giant of Europe has been receiving has made it very nervous. For the time being, it has gone into hiding. The people behind it still have big plans, though:

"Quaero appears not to be a single product but rather a project to develop search and content management technologies for end users, media companies and service providers, to address the growing volume of digital multimedia content on the Web. They will include technologies for annotating and searching all kinds of content, including video and text, and even translating results into other languages, according to a description from the Franco-German Economic Cooperation Working Group. "

I'm still not convinced. And as for the name - surely they could have picked something that doesn't include four vowels and a q? I can't see it becoming a verb, for example. "I Googled him" rolls off the tongue, "I Quaeroed him" really doesn't.

Europe's 'Google killer' goes into hiding

 

Another website study January 19, 2006

 

If anyone still believes that your website is of secondary importance as long as your product is great, you may want to read about an interesting new study that is being discussed over at ClickZ:

"Critical to making a decision to purchase goods on a Web site are site navigation (37 percent); the checkout process (32 percent); and product descriptions (38 percent). Perspective buyers left e-commerce sites without purchasing for a few key reasons. Twenty-nine percent didn't want to register with the site; 22 percent of online shoppers found it difficult to locate products; and 17 percent left to find other e-tailers because they didn't believe the site they were on was trustworthy or secure."

Web Design Key for Online Shoppers

 

Chinese search market and Google January 19, 2006

 

From RedHerring.com:

"Online benchmarking firm says Google has potential to conquer Chinese search market.

Google is in a strong position to gain share in the fast-growing Chinese market against native competitors such as Baidu, Alibaba, and Sohu's SoGou search engine, according to a report released Wednesday.

Online benchmarking measurement firm Keynote Systems found that Chinese Internet users reported a high level of frustration with their search experiences."

Google Poised to Gain on Baidu

 

50 milliseconds again January 19, 2006

 

Remember our posting about how it only takes a website visitor a twentieth of a second to decide whether they like the look of your site or not? Well, now you can see for yourself exactly how brief that moment its. This page lets you look at Bank of America's homepage for 50 milliseconds. I see what they mean now - it's not enough time to make any actual sense of it, but it's enough to see that there's no black background, no flashing purple lights, and no ridiculous bright-yellow fonts.

A very quick look at a page

 

Has Google's stock peaked? January 20, 2006

 

From BusinessWeek.com:

"Downgrading its stock to sell, S&P's Scott Kessler explains why the search giant is vulnerable on several fronts. Key among them: click fraud"

Is Google Out of Steam?

 

Google and Yahoo preferred in North America January 20, 2006

 

From SearchEngineWatch.com:

"For the second year running, a Keynote Systems study says Google provides the most satisfying search experience among North American users, despite competitive maneuvering from all of the other major search services.

The Keynote Customer Experience Rankings for Search Engine Sites tracked the search behavior of 2,000 users on AOL Search, Ask Jeeves, Google, MSN Search and Yahoo. The study is a follow-on to last year's survey of North American searchers, and is similar to the Chinese survey that I reported on in yesterday's SearchDay.

The study captured more than 250 metrics for each site and benchmarked 13 key business success measures, including user satisfaction, home page design and appeal, future usage and other factors. In addition to looking at general web search, this year's study also looked at local and image search."

Survey: Google, Yahoo Still Favorites in North America

 

Amazon talk show January 20, 2006

 

From ClickZ:

"Authors, actors and musicians frequently hit the talk show circuit when they're promoting their latest endeavor, so why not put the program inside the store? That's the thinking behind a 12-part video talk show series in development by Amazon.com, which the retailer will stream live on its home page every Thursday starting June 1."

Amazon to Develop Online Talk Show

 

Twenty years since the first PC virus January 20, 2006

 

From Silicon.com:

"The first PC virus was discovered 20 years ago this month. Dubbed Brain.A, the virus got onto computers via floppy disk and infected the boot sector of PCs, according to Finnish antivirus maker F-Secure, which devoted a blog post and news release to the occasion on Thursday."

F-Secure marks birth of first PC virus

 

A story to keep an eye on January 20, 2006

 

There's been a lot of coverage of the fact that the US government have demanded that Google, MSN, AOL and Yahoo hand over millions of search records. Google have said no, and Matt Cutts has declared that this is a story that could be quite interesting.

So why does the Bush administration want all this data? Apparently, it is because they want to revive a child protection law, by estimating how much pornography children might come across online. While this commendable, it is hard to understand how this data will help them. What they want is a random list of one million URLs, and records of all Google searches for one week. As SearchEngineWatch says:

"Since the data is divorced from user info, you have no idea what searches are being done by children or not. In the end, you've asked for a lot of data that's not really going to help you estimate anything at all."

The general consensus online seems to be kudos to Google for saying no. The administration might not have asked for any personal data right now, but what's to stop them from doing so next time? And what are the US government going to do now? Give up? Go away? Somehow I don't think so.

The coverage over at SeachEngineWatch is great - they keep updating it with postscripts.

Bush Administration Demands Search Data

 

You may be overpaying on your ad bids January 23, 2006

 

From clickz.com:

"Paid search advertisers who bid what they're actually willing to pay end up paying more than they need to, according to research by economics scholars at Stanford Business School.

The research paper by Michael Ostrovsky, assistant professor of economics at Stanford; Benjamin Edelman, doctoral candidate in economics at Harvard; and Michael Schwarz, RWFJ Scholar at UC Berkeley, blames both the naivete of bidders and the "generalized second price" (GSP) auction mechanisms used by Google and Yahoo!"

Search Ad Auction Models Flawed, Economists Say

 

MSN and the government's request January 23, 2006

 

Following on from Friday's posting, in which we discussed the fact that Google has refused to hand over search data to the US government, I thought it would be interesting to link to the MSN blog. MSN did provide the administration with the data they asked for, and this is what they have to say about it:

"Specifically, we produced a random sample of pages from our index and some aggregated query logs that listed queries and how often they occurred. Absolutely no personal data was involved."

Privacy and MSN Search

 

Vista, then Vienna January 23, 2006

 

It's nice to know that those Microsoft people are keeping busy.

"Vienna, once labelled Blackcomb, is the new code name for the successor to Vista. It is not clear when Vienna might ship or what features it might contain. Microsoft confirmed the name change on Friday, but declined to comment on Vienna's stage of development."

Ah. Okay then.

Vista's successor rechristened Vienna

 

The most influential brands in 2005 January 23, 2006

 

From CNET News:

"Internet search engine Google has retaken first place in the 2005 global poll of the world's most influential brands, while the eBay-owned Web phone service Skype makes its debut at No. 3."

Really? Skype at no. 3, ahead of Starbucks and Ikea? I'm not convinced.

Google tops Apple in 2005 brand poll

 

While internet search is changing, core search engine optimisation tactics remain the same. January 24, 2006

 

From prweek.com:

"Some day, children may look back and laugh at how a keyword on a search engine returned the same results for every American. Others might express shock at how search engine optimization (SEO) coding was invisible in website infrastructure, as opposed to being easily accessible and alterable by the community. The search industry is in a position where many changes are being considered and uncertainties are being discussed.

But SEO and search engine marketing (SEM) experts agree that while there is so much change underfoot, there are still bedrock principles that remain."

Marketers: Start your search engines

 

Top Google executives $1 per year in base salary January 24, 2006

 

From ZDNet News:

"Top executives of Google have once again agreed to be paid annual salaries of $1 each in 2006, counting instead on stock options and grants of the company's volatile stock for their pay."

Google execs keep $1 salaries

 

Google News out of beta January 24, 2006

 

From Google Blog:

"Google News has matured a great deal, and we're proud to see it graduate from its beta status. Much remains to be done, and as always, we have many exciting ideas that we intend to take forward."

New features include Personalized Search, which lets you receive recommended news stories based on the stories that have interested you in the past.

As Matt Cutts says, that's one beta down, only 237-ish to go!

And now, news

 

More patent battles January 24, 2006

 

From ZDNet UK:

"The debate around software patents has now reopened, with the EC's launch of a public consultation into how the patent system should be changed. Although this consultation does not mention software patents directly, there are fears that the Community Patent legislation could ratify the European Patent Office's current practice of granting software patents."

Lobbyists prepare for next software patent battle

 

Good PR without spending a lot January 25, 2006

 

From SmallBusinessComputing.com:

"If you're a small business owner with a limited budget, you have probably asked yourself if you really need - or can even afford - to publicize your company, product or service. A Web site's enough, isn't it? That kind of thinking, however, could hurt your business more than help it."

Maximize PR, Minimize Cost

 

Google AdWords size trial January 25, 2006

 

Over at Search Engine Roundtable, there's a nice screenshot of an AdWords ad with four lines instead of the usual two. It's big. Apparently they've heard back from Google, who have confirmed that they're running a test of longer ads.

I think we'll see more of this.

AdWords Tries Four Lines: Super Sized AdWords

 

Analytics with assistance January 25, 2006

 

From CNET News:

"Google is partnering with Seattle-based Zaaz to offer a fee-based service for advertisers who need more support, consulting and training than they can get from the search giant's free analytics service. Zaaz will offer high-end data analysis and marketing services including accuracy audits and data collection best practices, forecasting models, competitive analysis and site optimization."

Google offers fee-based online ad analytics

 

Yahoo gives up January 25, 2006

 

Via Hawk comes this shocking piece of information: Yahoo don't think they stand a chance of beating Google to the top of the search engine world.

"We don't think it's reasonable to assume we're going to gain a lot of share from Google," Chief Financial Officer Susan Decker said in an interview. "It's not our goal to be No. 1 in Internet search. We would be very happy to maintain our market share."

Odd. I don't think they have much of a chance of beating Google at the moment, but I would have expected them to at least keep trying. Things can change, as they should know.
Yahoo! gives up quest for search dominance

 

When a poor system lets down good technology January 25, 2006

 

One of the many perks offered by a high speed internet connection is the ability to buy music online, and download it immediately.

I've been waiting for the new album by the UK's Arctic Monkeys for weeks, so when it came out I went straight to the UK's Tesco Downloads service.

I selected the album, entered my card details, and received a processing error.

Assuming that the transaction had not been processed (I know, I know), I went through the process again.

Same error. So I did what most people would do. I gave up.

Imagine my joy upon getting two receipts by email. The receipts pointed out that if there were any problems, I should contact their support, and gave an email address.

I sent an email with the receipt details, and outlined what had happened.

Over the next 24 hours, I received nothing, other than an email telling me that my email had been received. I toyed with sending them an email, explaining that their email confirming the receipt of my email had been received, but resisted the temptation.

This morning, 37 hours after the system went wrong, I just received an email from their support, asking me a series of questions. The problem is that every single one of the questions was answered in my original email.

Nothing frustrates customers more than trying to get answers to their questions, and instead getting caught up in a painfully slow and inadequate system. Actually I take that back. Being charged twice for something you are yet to receive probably rates as more annoying.

I know that I'll get my Arctic Monkeys album. Eventually. And I know that I'll get the refund for the second transaction. Eventually.

But will I ever purchase from Tesco Downloads again? No way.

One single bad experience can result in a lifetime commitment to avoiding a company. And as unfortunate as it may seem, an unhappy customer's complaining voice can travel very, very far.

 

StopBadware.org January 26, 2006

 

From ComputerWorld.com:

"Forget about the fight against spyware. Technology giants Google Inc., Lenovo Group Ltd. and Sun Microsystems Inc. are funding a nonprofit effort to combat "badware," a new term for all of the nasty spyware and viruses that users never want installed on their computers."

Google, tech companies back StopBadware.org coalition

 

Code copying and the High Court January 26, 2006

 

From TheRegister.co.uk:

"A judge has refused a developer's pre-emptive request for a High Court declaration that its software code was not ripping-off a rival's - in part because she had not seen the code or much other evidence, but also because the developer refused independent scrutiny."

English court refuses to confirm software's pedigree

 

Wise words about the million dollar home page. January 26, 2006

 

I'm sure you have heard all about Alex Tew and his million dollar homepage. Of course, copies have sprung up all over the place. So far, everyone's been too caught up in the hype to stop and actually think about this. Apart from Seth Godin, that is:

"When I see the 10,000 copycats out there, all I can do is sigh. Why do they believe this is a new trend? Why do they think it's going to become an important part of the marketing mix, and are they really so naive to believe that they, and they alone, will earn even more than Alex did?"

I couldn't agree more. Yes, the concept itself is unique, and it's amazing that it worked, but that does not mean that this is the future of the web. Quite the contrary, I believe. The phrase One Hit Wonder has been used more than once, and I think it's very accurate.

Rulebreakers, and makers

 

New look Google January 26, 2006

 

From PC World:

"Some Web users are reporting seeing a reformatted Google results page that has the links to specialized search pages listed in the left-hand column instead of placed horizontally across the top of the search box."

See for yourself here.

Page Shows Google.com May Get Makeover

 

Image searches on different engines January 26, 2006

 

As I was reading this article on Search Engine Watch, I realised that I've been part of an growing trend. I, too, have started using image search more and more recently. Sometimes it's simply the best way of getting a quick answer. When you can't remember the difference between oryx and onyx, seeing an assortment of pictures is significantly clearer than reading a written description.

I use Google Images for my searches, but now I might have to try to some of the other engines. Ask Jeeves has launched a new image search service, and Chris Sherman has compared that and other images searches to see which one he prefers. His conclusion was:

"Ask Jeeves new image search is a step ahead in a notoriously tricky area. With the quality of its image search results, combined with the new Zoom query refinement feature, I'll be using it as my default image search service going forward."

It's an interesting article, well worth a read.

Searching For a Better Image

 

Sergey Brin speaks out on the China censorship January 27, 2006

 

From RedHerring.com:

"Google co-founder Sergey Brin on Thursday defended his company's decision to censor search results in China, a move facing a mounting attack from digital rights advocates."

Google Guru Defends Censorship

 

Microsoft sues Antispyware maker January 27, 2006

 

From PCWorld.com:

"Microsoft and the Washington state attorney general have filed lawsuits against antispyware software vendor Secure Computer, alleging that the White Plains, New York, company's Spyware Cleaner software not only fails to remove spyware as advertised, but makes changes to users' computers that make them less secure."

Antispyware Company Sued Under Spyware Law

 

We don't like to brag... January 27, 2006

 

...but we do like it when we can look at a BBC article and say "we told you so!". Remember the predictions for 2006 that we wrote at the beginning of the month? One of the main points of the post was that 2006 was going to be the year of security. Well, we're barely four weeks into the new year and so far, things are progressing very much in the way we predicted. The first three weeks have witnessed the appearance of more than 40 new Windows viruses, and the future isn't looking any better.

"Security experts see novel threats emerging on several fronts. They expect to see attacks coming from countries with little or no history of producing computer criminals.
They also expect 2006 to see malicious and criminally minded hackers embrace new technologies and exploit the more collaborative ways of working the net permits."

New year brings fresh security fears

 

Google vs. the US government update January 27, 2006

 

From CNET News:

"Google's attempt to fend off the government's request for millions of search terms will move to a federal court in San Jose, Calif., on Feb. 27. U.S. District Judge James Ware on Thursday set the date for the highly anticipated hearing, which is expected to determine whether the U.S. Justice Department will prevail in its fight to force Google to help it defend an anti-pornography law this fall."

Court date set for Google lawsuit

 

UK file sharers must pay fines January 30, 2006

 

From CNET News.com:

"The U.K. record industry is claiming a landmark victory after the High Court ordered two men to pay thousands of pounds in fines and damages for illegally distributing music downloads using file-sharing software."

British file sharers to pay record industry

 

Ad revenue up at MSN adCenter January 30, 2006

 

From clickz.com:

"Advertising revenues grew 12 percent year-over-year at MSN in Microsoft's fiscal second quarter amid ongoing investments in the area the company said would continue. Microsoft executives announced MSN's results as part of its earnings report for the quarter, which ended December 31."

MSN Advertising Up, More Investment Upcoming

 

A new Google toolbar beta January 30, 2006

 

From SearchEngineWatch:

"Google has enhanced its toolbar for Internet Explorer, introducing several new features that will appeal to regular users of the program. The new features include enhanced "suggestions" that appear on the fly as you type a query, the ability to add custom buttons to search your favorite sites, the ability to create and save online bookmarks and to share web pages with others."

Google Releases Upgraded Toolbar

 

Cyberspace - and then what? January 30, 2006

 

Over at Wired, some leading thinkers have been asked to come up with a new name for "cyberspace", which apparently is considered "dead" nowadays. Some of their suggestions are quite good, and others. well, let's say I can't see us talking about a "global brain" in the future.

"Cyberspace" Is Dead

 

Being better than your affiliates January 30, 2006

 

Aaron Wall has a great post on how to deal with the problem of having negative publicity or affiliates taking up too much space in the search results for your product name.

"If the affiliates add a lot of value of course them listing below you for your brand name is no big deal, but what happens if they are thin affiliate pages that add no value, or worse yet try to use your brand to push people to a competing product with a higher payout?"

Aaron's tips include the use of Wikipedia, press releases, software directories, blogs, and much more. Well worth a read, if this is a problem you're familiar with.

Fighting Off Negative Publicity and Affiliates in the SERPs

 

Google and data management January 31, 2006

 

From internetnews.com:

"Google made its second move into the information classification and management (ICM) space Monday, combining its enterprise search offerings with Kazeon's ICM technology."

Google's Data Management Ambitions Grow

 

Grey, square, humming January 31, 2006

 

A few days ago, my wife and I were talking about the fact that all computers still look more or less the same. Unless you're a Mac user, you usually have the options of exciting grey or attractive black when you're out buying your new system.

This seems odd, in a world where computers are so prevalent and looks seem to matter more than anything else. Why has nobody taken this to the next, obvious level? Where's Extreme Makeover PC Edition? When do we get to watch Pimp My System?

Apparently, some people have been thinking the same thing, and have gotten to work on their laptops. Known as "case modding", this used to be reserved for desktop PCs, but nowadays consumers are looking for a way to make their laptops stand out from the crowd. So called "concept" laptops in suede and leather have been showed off by Intel, but they have no intention of releasing them to the public.

To solve this problem, some companies offer customization services - have a look at these, and see what you think.

"Skulls, soldiers and scary clowns", my wife said dismissively. "You're not get