Microsoft Street-Side Drive-By March 1, 2006

 

A virus that can spread from PCs to PDAs March 1, 2006

 

No, there's no reason to panic just yet. So far, the virus dubbed "Crossover" has not been released, but is only a so-called "proof-of-concept" bug. It's a chilling concept, though:

"When executed, the virus checks what type of machine it is running on. If it is a Windows PC, it will jump to a handheld device as soon as it detects a connection using Microsoft's ActiveSync synchronization software."

Let's hope it remains a concept for as long as possible.

Virus makes leap from PC to PDA

 

Sopranos Google Maps unveiled March 1, 2006

 

So this is what it looks like. I like it, it's a clever idea. I suspect we'll see more of these types of things in the future.

Behind the scenes: Sopranos Maps

 

A very confident statement March 2, 2006

 

Hmmm. Microsoft recently declared that they're going to release a new search engine, and it's going to be better than Google. Their exact words:

"What we're saying is that in six months' time we'll be more relevant in the US market place than Google," said Neil Holloway, Microsoft's president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa."

Why am I not convinced? Oh, I don't know, maybe because they've never kept a deadline, and because they already have a search engine and it's actually quite bad.

Tsk, tsk.

Microsoft talks up its search engine

 

MSN adCenter opening to the public - briefly March 2, 2006

 

Those of us who were lucky enough to be granted access to the MSN adCenter have found the experience to be interesting. Could it one day grow into serious competition for Google's AdWords? Maybe. Maybe not.

While availability has remained strictly limited, Microsoft are going to fling open their doors to the world (or the US based world anyway) for a whole three hours on March 6th!

Don't miss your chance.

adCenter Opens its doors to U.S. advertisers March 6

 

Windows Vista In Depth March 2, 2006

 

An article on ExtremeTech takes an extremely detailed look inside the innards of the "soon" to be released Windows Vista.

Make sure you spot the next link at the bottom of each section, and keep clicking.

Considering that this is set to become the standard operating system of tomorrow, this is well worth a look.

Why Windows Vista Won't Suck

 

Move your feet, crush that spam March 3, 2006

 

For your regular dose of Friday weirdness, I present to you the latest weapon against spam - your feet:

"Microsoft researchers are working on a way to let people use their feet to perform many routine computer tasks. By tapping buttons on a pad on the floor users can scroll through their inbox and open, close and delete messages."

Okay. I'm not sure what to say to that.

Maybe I need to reinforce the floor under my desk.

Microsoft aims to stamp out spam

 

Do your search skills need improving? March 3, 2006

 

Of course you use Google. You probably do at least a handful of searches a day, so you're fairly familiar with the whole type-and-click-search scenario. But is your searching always as efficient as it could be?

The number of pages in Google's Index is growing all the time. Although this means that more information is available, it can also make it more difficult to find the exact thing you're looking for. Unless you use a few, easy steps to narrow the results down, that is.

Are you familiar with the tilde? The little squiggle sometimes appears over Spanish n's, making them look like this: ñ? Well, the tilde has another function too: it can search for synonyms. Let's say you're looking for music online, any kind of music. By Googling ~music, you get results for music, radio, audio, songs and records. Okay, so you may have been able to think of these yourself, but sometimes the synonyms aren't so self-evident. This is a good trick when you're looking for keywords, too.

Sometimes you think of an expression, or a quote, or a proverb, and you can't quite remember how it goes. With the help of an asterisk, Google can give you the answer you're looking for. You know that animal that someone gives you, and you're not supposed to look in its mouth? Is it a pig? A zebra? A mountain lion? A quick search for "Don't look a gift * in the mouth" reveals that it is actually a horse. Who'd have thought that? Again, perhaps not the best example, but the point I'm making is that asterisks can be very useful.

Excluding terms can sometimes be a great help, too. Let's say (and I think it is pretty clear that this example comes from my wife) that you want to find out how to cook partridge. However, all the recipes you find have bacon in them, and you don't want to use bacon. What do you do? You exclude bacon with the help of a hyphen. Search for "partridge recipe -bacon", and you get the results you want. (Sadly, most of them still contain "salt pork" - it seems you can't cook partridge these days without the help of a chunk of pig. Although I suppose that could be avoided with the help of the tilde again - excluding ~bacon might help)

For some additional search tips that are particularly useful if you want to look up names and phone numbers in the US, have a look at this article by Peter Grad:

10 tips to improve your Googling

 

Keep an eye out for Relerank, and more March 6, 2006

 

Causing much speculation on the web, Microsoft is trying to trademark the word "Relerank". It's not difficult to guess that this somehow ties in with search engines and relevancy. It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

As an entertaining and not entirely related side note, I want to share something that I recently came across. Remember the Google Page builder that was recently released, making it quick and easy to build and host small websites? Well, apparently Sergey Brin felt left out - why should Larry Page be the only one to have a tool named after him? And so the Google Brins was created. Create your own Sergey Brin, quickly and easily.

Oh, those wacky search engine people.

Microsoft Seeks Search-Engine trademark

 

Microsoft says "we never said that" March 6, 2006

 

Microsoft says "we never said that"
Remember last week, when Microsoft boldly stated that in just six months they would release a search engine that would be twice as good as Google? Well, now it seems it was all just a big misunderstanding. What they meant to say was that there is room for improvement, that they are committed to innovation, but that they won't forecast when they might take the lead.

Funny how it came out so different.

Customer Focused... Humble... Under Promise/Over Deliver

 

Yahoo as relevant as Google? March 7, 2006

 

If you have a moment, have a quick look at this study, which apparently shows that Yahoo and Google are tied when it comes to relevance.

This goes directly against my own experience (which is that Yahoo is absolutely awful, most of the time), but it's interesting nonetheless.

Just as interesting is the discussion between the French Professor behind the study and usability expert Jacob Nielsen in the comments section on John Battelle's blog.

Study: Yahoo and Google Tied

 

The virtue of bloggers March 7, 2006

 

There's an interesting piece over at CNET News about how bloggers are being enlisted to help and promote the interests of large corporations. After so many stories of bloggers damaging the reputation of big-name brands, it was only a matter of time before someone started turning this to their advantage.

This particular story concerns Wal-Mart, who have been busy convincing various bloggers to join the fight against new state legislation regarding employee health insurance.

"Under assault as never before, Wal-Mart is increasingly looking beyond the mainstream media and working directly with bloggers, feeding them exclusive nuggets of news, suggesting topics for postings and even inviting them to visit its corporate headquarters."

It's an interesting story. What bothers me is the fact that anyone still refers to "bloggers" as a solid, homogenous group "who pride themselves on independence". Maybe that was true a couple of years ago, but I think it's time to wake up and face the truth. There's no such thing as a typical blogger anymore. When everybody and their grandmother has a blog, when there are blogs monitoring everything from ugly celebrity clothes to pictures of cute kittens, when there's an abundance of splogs, you can no longer make any sweeping statements about what a blog is or isn't. You certainly can't say that it's "wrong" of anyone to try to make money from their blog, whether from AdSense or Wal-Mart "gifts". A blog is whatever the writer wants it to be - nothing more, nothing less.

Wal-Mart enlists bloggers in P.R. campaign

 

Google and GDrive March 8, 2006

 

Apparently, Google wants to store ALL our information in the future. Files, emails, pictures, bookmarks, you name it. At least, that's the theory after some "secret" plans were "accidentally" released.

Allegedly, the idea would be that if your computer crashed and you lost all your data, you'd be completely fine because you'd have a perfect back-up on your GDrive.

Would I want to store all my data with Google? Hardly. But I suppose a lot of people would find it useful, if it happens. It remains to be seen.

Google planning "total storage"

 

Origami photos March 8, 2006

 

If you're interested, have a look at these minitablet prototypes that have been developed as part of the Microsoft Origami Project. They were first shown at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco yesterday.

They look nice enough, but not exactly groundbreaking. Bigger than a handheld, and smaller than a laptop. I'm still waiting for one that magically folds into itself and becomes smaller than a box of matches.

Photos: Origami minitablets

 

The value of good customer relations March 9, 2006

 

However much you know about your own software, there will always be customers out there who use it in ways you never even considered. This is why it's so important to try to create a good relationship with them - if they're happy with your product, they can reveal things that turn out to be invaluable. Even if they're simply letting you know how your software has helped them or made their life easier, this information can be turned into a testimonial or a case study.

Marcus Tettmar of Mjtnet knows exactly how to do this. His blog features an interesting posting, written by one of his customers, extolling the virtues of Macro Scheduler.

Your customers' words speak much louder than your own - make the most of any testimonials that you receive, put some time and effort into creating good, solid, case studies.

MacroScheduler Success Stories

 

SEO for podcasts March 9, 2006

 

SearchEngineWatch features an interesting article about optimising your podcasts for the search engines. It includes some very solid, practical tips, and is well worth a read if you have some podcasts you'd like people to listen to.

Search Engine Optimization for Podcasts

 

Google settles click fraud suit March 9, 2006

 

The news is everywhere today - Google has agreed to a $90 million dollar settlement fund in a class action lawsuit. The suit was filed in April last year by Lanes Collectibles and several other advertisers.

This is what Google say on their own blog:

"Under the agreement with the plaintiffs, we are going to open up that window for all advertisers, regardless of when the questionable clicks occurred. For all eligible invalid clicks, we will offer credits which can be used to purchase new advertising with Google. We do not know how many will apply and receive credits, but under the agreement, the total amount of credits, plus attorneys fees, will not exceed $90 million."

In other words, those $90 million certainly aren't going to Lanes Collectibles - they are the to cover ALL click fraud claims in the US. To me, this seems like a very good deal for Google.

Updated: Google About to Settle Click Fraud Class Action Suit

 

Google buys Writely March 10, 2006

 

Prompting much speculation about increased levels of competition with Microsoft, Google announced yesterday that it has acquired Writely.

"Writely is a hosted word processing package that allows users to edit and publish documents online. The package was created by Silicon Valley software development company Upstartle, which was started by three software engineers Sam Schillace, Steve Newman and Claudia Carpenter."

The general opinion appears to be that this is a big step towards taking on Microsoft's Office and Office Live.

Google lays foundations for Office rival

 

An intriguing link March 10, 2006

 

For your Friday reading pleasure, here's a link that is so puzzling that you'll simply have to click it to find out what it's all about! It's quite a bizarre story.

Source code demand saves drunken drivers

 

AdWords goes Demographic March 10, 2006

 

If you log into a Google AdWords account as often as I do (ie. 10+ times per day), you'll notice that the AdWords interface is being updated on a constant basis.

Two examples from yesterday alone.

The first is only active in some accounts. Go into one of the ad groups, and you may or may not see a new column - Show Settings - that allows you to sort/edit the listings by bid or URL.

Is it useful? No. I don't think so. But what do I know?

The second new feature was Demographic Site Selection.

From the horse's mouth:

"A demographic group is an audience that shares a particular trait or characteristic. This trait might be age, gender, income, or some other factor. If your product appeals to young women, for instance, you might want to target sites popular with the female demographic, the 18-24 age demographic, or both.

With the AdWords site tool, you can pick your preferences in up to three different demographic categories. The system will analyze your preferences and create a list of available Google Network sites that are popular with that audience. If you select multiple demographics, the AdWords system will look for sites that match all of your preferences. For instance, you might ask the site tool to look for sites popular with users who have children, or for sites popular with men earning a high income. The site tool will then return a list of sites whose audience tends to match those demographic descriptions."

I'm guessing it's in the early stages of development right now, and is of course only available for US users. But this is amazing technology.

So if you're selling Nikon compatible SLR lenses, and want to aim at British 36 year olds based in the New Forest with an addiction to Camera hardware, you'll soon be able to find me.

Watch this space.

What is demographic site selection?

 

Even more about Origami March 13, 2006

 

The hype around this product is still growing, and latest news is that they may be equipped with keyboards made of fabric. Yes, that's right - fabric. A UK firm is apparently developing "lightweight cloth keyboards" that will be used with Microsoft's new devices.

"The keyboards are made of a special conductive fabric that allows a user to easily enter data into portable devices such as smart phones and PDAs without the added weight and bulk of a traditional plastic keyboard - as the Eleksen keyboards are light and can be rolled up for easy carrying."

Last week, I said I want a device that folds into itself until it is no bigger than a matchbox. Apparently, someone was paying attention!

Ultra mobile PCs may get fabric keyboard

 

Search engine Monday March 13, 2006

 

Now I know what everyone else was doing during the weekend - building new search engines. Okay, so it probably took a little bit longer than that, but I do feel like I've woken up to a veritable swarm of little we-will-be-better-than-Google clones.

We have Accoona, who claims it uses artificial intelligence to find things that Google misses and is "different from others on the market".

Then there's the thrillingly named Finance Records, which targets the business and finance world and features stock information on its home page.

Finally, we have CompWisdom , the main objective of which appears to be to appeal to the geeky side of us by using a black search box with bright green text.

Yawn.

Maybe they're actually good, maybe they're not. And I know the last two are targeting niche markets rather than trying to take over the world. But it's still going to take a lot more than that to make me, or anyone else, stop using Google.

Read more about Finance Records and CompWisdom here.

Read more about Accoona here:

Challenging Google from Jersey

 

Gmail spam? March 14, 2006

 

Do you have a Gmail account that is getting a lot of spam, even though you've hardly used it at all? A very interesting thread over at Digital Points Forum discusses the fact that a certain Google search command digs out thousands of active gmail addresses. A real paradise for up and coming spammers?

Google Schoolboy Error?

 

Matt Cutts strikes again. March 14, 2006

 

The People's Cube is a bizarre website, a kind political satire with a left-leaning, Marxist twist. Recently, it was dropped from Google's index. Given the nature of the site, it was perhaps not surprising that conspiracy theories were flying thick in the air. A look through the comments on a blog posting regarding this topic was entertaining albeit mildly disturbing.

The general consensus appeared to be that Google won't allow Marxist mockery, while they're clearly good friends with both terrorists and Chinese communists. Comments such as "so much for the advocacy of free speech" and "I have quit Google" abounded. It was more than a bit silly, to be honest.

Then, Matt Cutts responded to the whole debacle, and pointed out that The People's Cube uses both hidden text AND hidden links on their website. That, and only that, was the reason for the site being excluded. His blog features some very clear screenshots, and it's well worth a look.

I love it when this happens. People use stupid, obviously dodgy techniques, get penalized, and then have the nerve to complain.

SEO Advice: check your own site

 

Can links to your website hurt you? March 15, 2006

 

Two interesting blog postings by Aaron Wall and Rand Fishkin discuss the question of whether or not links to your website could have a negative effect on your search engine rankings. Essentially, this involves a scenario where a competitor or someone who really, really dislikes you set up a thousands of low-quality links to point at your site. While this isn't a common problem (most competitors don't have the time, energy or serious spitefulness that is needed), it definitely appears to be possible to cause some damage.

The best protection against these types of schemes is to make sure your site is as good as it can be. An established site with a lot of good content and high-quality links is always going to be difficult to hurt.

Nevertheless, it's worth knowing that this type of thing exists.

Rand's reply: Can Too Many Links Delist a Site?

Aaron's original posting: Can I Get Penalized for Who Links at My Site?

 

Google vs. the government - the saga continues March 15, 2006

 

Yesterday, a US judge said that he is likely to order Google to hand over the search data that the government have requested. Judge James Ware has not yet made his final decision, but said that the Justice Department could expect to get at least some of the information it has asked for.

Bizarrely, he also questioned whether an Internet search should be treated as a private act.

""People who go searching on the world wide web are, essentially, exposing for the world that they want the information," he said."

If that's the case, I think that should have been made clear a long time ago - not after the fact, when people have already grown accustomed to using search engines in the privacy of their own homes. But what do I know?

Anyway, Google don't seem to upset by the whole thing, because apparently the government have already amended their request. A statement over at John Battelle's blog explains that the government now want 50,000 URLs, not billions, and 5,000 search queries rather than a week's worth.

Still. I don't like it.

US judge ponders Google decision

 

Ouch March 16, 2006

 

Matt Cutts keeps hanging people out to dry. Not that they don't deserve it - but it's almost embarrassing to watch.

SEO Advice: Clean house before press release

 

AdWords and politics March 16, 2006

 

This was bound to happen. A local public policy group in New York have started using Google AdWords to inform the public about the voting records of certain legislators. How? By buying their names on AdWords. If you Google them, you'll see an ad that takes you to their report card.

Clever. I bet we'll see more of this in the future.

AdWords as Political Weapon

 

Vista rates your PC March 16, 2006

 

Apparently, Microsoft's new operating system will include a tool that will rate your PC based on how well it's running and how it can handle Vista's capabilities. The "Windows Performance Rating" will evaluate the processor, the hard drive and other components, and then give the PC a 1-5 rating that appears in a large blue circle on your screen.

They're also working on another tool, the Windows Upgrade Advisor, that will recommend changes that can make your PC run better. Unfortunately for the consumer, we're not talking about easy things like defragging or cleaning out the dust - no, the Advisor is most likely to tell you to go out and buy more memory or an improved graphics card.

Computer stores are going to love Vista.

Will your PC keep pace with Vista?

 

Struggling to find an SEO firm? March 17, 2006

 

A well-written article over at RankSmart breaks some taboos by claiming that the customer may not always be right. In fact, sometimes the customer or potential client is completely wrong in every way - to the point where nobody wants to work with them. If you have contacted a number of SEO firms in the past, and nobody seems interested in working with your site, the 15 Reasons Why Nobody Wants You As An SEO Client could be well worth a read.

My personal favorites include: you have a new website, you have unrealistic expectations, and you want a written guarantee.

It's also worth noting that most SEOs require a minimum fee of $10,000. This makes our own SEO package extremely good value, as we frequently charge less than 10% of that.

What to do if you're the SEO client nobody wants

 

The danger of PPC, courtesy of Overture March 17, 2006

 

PPC is the single greatest development in online marketing. Yet the growing issue of Click Fraud represents a very serious threat to this otherwise rock-solid and reliable form of online advertising.

My own experience has been that Google handle the matter reasonably well. And despite their recent $90m settlement, I do think that they are on the ball, and take the matter seriously.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same of Overture/Yahoo! Search Marketing, or whatever else they may be calling themselves by the time you read this.

One of our clients recently noticed a sizeable surge in traffic from Overture. When we dug a little deeper, it turned out that all of these visitors came in a very short period of time, and none went beyond the original landing page. No clicks. No downloads. Nothing.

We then compared the data with other samples from recent time periods, and it soon became clear that this was down to some form of click fraud.

We contacted Overture, and so began the long-winded run around.

Overture were not hasty to respond. But when they did reply, it was to point out that nothing was out of the ordinary, and nothing was wrong.

After further emails and phone calls, they agreed to look into the matter, even though they were still quite adamant that this was normal, qualified traffic. I was told that I would be contacted by phone that very day. The phone call never came.

After a few more days, some more emails and yet another phone call, Overture said that they would look into the matter further. Again. They also refunded some of the extra charges, but this was, in my opinion, quite inadequate.

Note the contradiction here. They were still insisting that everything was fine, but refunding some of the charges anyway.

After giving them more than enough time to resolve the matter, my emails were still being ignored.

But it gets worse.

During the course of my contacting them, they introduced a new system. So now, the only way for me to contact them is through a form on their website. In practice, this has meant that all my previous correspondence with a number of different Overture staff has been more or less lost.

But being the somewhat determined/obsessive person that I am, I persevered. Despite my earlier phone calls and emails, I no longer knew who I was writing to, but quoted their own tracking number for this issue.

And the reply?

Let me save you some time.

Here's my reply to their reply:

Dear NAME WITHHELD,

You have sent me an auto responder. This is not a reply.

> We have received your e-mail requesting more information on our
> click protection system that is attached to all of our advertisers
> accounts.

I did not ask for this information.

> We have a click protection system that runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a
> week and vigilantly monitors click activity

It doesn't work. We have proved this.

> Comprised of sophisticated click review software, this system is
> designed to prevent unqualified clicks from being charged to our
> advertisers by using a variety of proprietary techniques to review
> clicks on a near real-time basis.

Very good. But it doesn't work. We have proved this.

> This means that if we deem a click to be unqualified, it will not
> show up on your click reports and you will not be charged for it.

It doesn't work. You charged us for fraudulent clicks.

> Please understand that limiting the details of our click protection
> systems benefits all Yahoo! advertisers by helping to prevent
> breaches of our security system.

I do understand. But your system is wasting the money of some of your
advertisers. You are off-loading the burden of a system that does not
work onto your paying advertisers.

> Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any further
> assistance.

I have been trying. For so long.

We have been patient long enough, and are now advising our clients
that they close their accounts with Overture.

We are also sharing our experiences with others in the industry.

And just when you think it can't get worse, there's more.

We let our clients know about this issue yesterday. It turns out that more than one company has been affected. None were surprised.

One company we work with have discovered that they are facing similar issues. They also received a surge in traffic and charges, and are waiting to hear back from Overture.

This company called Overture, and were assured that they would be contacted within two hours. 16+ hours later, there was still no response. As far as I know, nothing has changed.

Before you think that this is a case of Overture bashing, please understand that I have repeatedly pointed out to Overture that we work with a variety of different companies, and will be sharing these experiences with our clients unless the matter is resolved. I have repeatedly urged them to take the matter seriously and to respond to my questions.

The matter has not been resolved, nor does it appear likely that it will be anytime soon.

We have now advised our clients to look carefully at their Overture charges, and have recommended that they at least consider closing their accounts.

Click fraud is a serious threat. My own experience has been that Google take the issue very seriously, and have been responsive when contacted.

My experience with Overture has demonstrated an extreme reluctance to protect their clients. This is unacceptable.

There's one last little gem. As a result of my experiences, I want to use up the remaining credit in our own Overture account, and then close it for good. The irony is that in trying to close our own account, I cannot for the life of me work out how to do this! I have filled out a form on the Overture site, and should receive a reply within 48 hours. Hopefully.

This is an absurd and potentially costly situation.

Finally, I came across an article that may be of interest:

"The problem of Overture click fraud has been the topic of hundreds of discussions on Internet message boards, and by any estimate has cost advertisers millions of dollars...

In the end, if you do use Overture be prepared to pay for nuisance clicking. Think of it as a tax on those people who are too lazy to learn search engine optimization."

I prefer to think of it as a tax on those people who trust Overture's system to protect them.

Overture Click Fraud

 

Vista and spyware March 20, 2006

 

Vista is likely to spell a bleak future for both spyware and anti-spyware creators. Microsoft have announced that their new operating system is going to shut the door on spyware with the help of a three-pronged attack. Using User Account control, a "protected mode" for Internet Explorer and a special Windows Defender that blocks and cleans up spyware, they're planning on making sure that spyware becomes a thing of the past.

""The aftermarket for Windows anti-spyware is going to dry up almost completely," said Yankee Group analyst Andrew Jaquith. "Windows Defender is going to become the default anti-spyware engine, certainly for most consumers that have Vista machines.""

Spyware-killing Vista could take out rivals

 

Kosmix again March 20, 2006

 

I know I've mentioned new search engine Kosmix in the past, but now that they're no longer restricted to the subject of health, I feel they deserve another push. The two new subjects, Travel and Politics, are still in Alpha but I'm already impressed.

If you're planning a holiday, Kosmix makes everything a whole lot easier than Google. Really. Just search for your destination, and the results are arranged into clear, sensible groups like Hotels, Restaurants, User Reviews, Travel Guides and Museums. Very impressive, and a real time-saver.

Kosmix

 

Judge tells Google to hand over data March 20, 2006

 

As predicted, the judge did indeed order Google to hand over some of the search data that the US government wanted. However, only the URLs, not the actual search terms. And although the government initially asked for millions of addresses, this was scaled down to a mere 50,000.

"The ruling said the request for 50,000 web addresses, or URLs, was relevant for use in a statistical study the government is undertaking to defend the constitutionality of its child anti-pornography law."

The whole thing seems really dumb, frankly. Why did they have to take Google to court to get hold of 50,000 URLs? Apparently, the point of this exercise is going to be to prove how easy it is to stumble across porn on the net.

I'm all for protecting children on the web. But this seems like a ludicrous way to go about it. Someone, somewhere has far too much time on their hands.

Google ordered to hand over data

 

Fine finances with Google March 21, 2006

 

It's everywhere today - Google Finance has finally launched. Well, it's still in Beta, but that goes without saying, really. So exactly what is it?

"a Web site aggregating information about public and private companies and mutual funds that features an interactive chart correlating news and other events with stock price spikes and falls."

Google Finance also includes links to news about companies, blog postings, discussion forums and more.

Google to roll out its on Finance site

 

Beware of the cold call SEOs March 21, 2006

 

A very interesting thread over at the High Rankings forum tells the sorry tale of a so-called SEO professional who has been calling people up and telling them that their site is about to be banned from Google. How can they avoid this? Why, by paying him of course! When they prospective customers declined his offer, this charming "professional" started threatening them:

"I make sure to report you to Google for link farming. I'm sorry. Your website will be banned and you will not be able to be found on Google not even with your company name."

Nice. Lovely.

I'm sure this is just a particularly disturbed and desperate individual, but there's a lesson to be learned. Nobody knows what Google are planning, apart from Google. If someone calls you up and tells you they can save you from impending Google-doom, hang up. Quickly.

Cold Callin' Slick Talkin'

 

Google AdWords lesson 03 - ad position part 01 (the theory) March 21, 2006

 

Today's entry in the Google AdWords series looks at where your ad is displayed.

The next entry will look at how to raise your ad position, but in order to do so, you'll need to understand the principles involved. Don't worry. It'll be quite short and painless.

Before we dive head-first into the murky waters, a little background. We already know that one of the key elements of Google's success has been relevance. People go to Google looking for answers, and they find them quickly and easily. It's that simple.

Google AdWords is no different.

When you bid on a specific keyword, Google should at some point display your ad when the people you are targeting search for it.

If you're lucky, no-one else will be bidding on that keyword, but that's quite unlikely.

What's more likely is that your ad will be displayed with others.

Google decide what order to display the ads based on two main criteria:

The amount you are prepared to pay for the keyword - maximum CPC.

How well your ads perform for the keyword - CTR.

The basic formula is simple:

Ad position = max cpc x CTR.

Let's illustrate this with some data.

Two accounts bidding on the same keyword.

Account 1 isn't particularly good at AdWords management, but has enough money to spend a lot:

Max cpc = $5.

CTR = 0.1%.

Account 2 is a whole lot smarter, and has probably been reading this blog for months:

Max cpc = $0.50.

CTR = 8%.

Account 1 scores 0.5. Account 2 scores 4.

Ads are displayed in order of score, so Account 2 gets displayed above Account 1. And look at how much Account 1 would have to pay to get that position!

It's the Google AdWords version of brains beating brawn. Don't you love it when IT people create the rules?

In other words, you have two options for getting your ad position higher. Throw more money at it, or perfect your technique.

And the icing on the cake? By the very nature of how the system works, the higher the ad, the higher the CTR. It's a snowball effect of sorts, but we'll look more at that next time.

One other issue, while we're on the subject of ad position.

In case you ever wondered how you buy the top spots, the ones highlighted in blue above the search results, the answer is simple. You used to be able to buy these separately, but nowadays these are simply AdWords results.

Google select some of the highest performing AdWords ads, and display them above the search results, instead of on the right hand side of the browser.

Note the wording. Some of.

Why? Again, it's all about relevance. Google will only show the ads that they deem the most relevant to their users. How do they decide what's relevant? The same as before. How much you're prepared to pay for it, and more importantly, the ad's performance.

By now you're probably catching on to an important principle; what I call the AdWords Spiral Theory. As in life, success opens more doors and opportunities, and good performance leads to reward. More of that next time.

Google AdWords Management

 

Is the quality of software decreasing? March 22, 2006

 

A very thought-provoking post over at Ed Foster's Gripelog has created an interesting discussion. Basically, Ed feels that software is buggier than ever. He backs this up with several examples of letters from disgruntled software customers, ranging from problems with ACT to TurboTax issues.

Why is it, Ed asks, that even large software companies can't control or prevent these types of quality issues? And why is it so common that customers are supposed to pay for buggy updates, and then pay even more for the privilege of getting help when the problems mount?

Good questions. In the Comments, certain people feel that it is impossible to create quality software because the environment in which it's supposed to operate has become so complex. Others (predictably) blame the Microsoft methodology of releasing buggy software, and fixing things later.

It's an important subject, and one that deserves more attention. One thing is certain: there is no other area where consumers have to, or are prepared to, put up with such appalling quality. It's not often you see Phillips, Honda or Nikon releasing faulty products only to shrug it off with an "oops, we'll fix that later, if you pay us".

Is software quality getting worse?

 

Microsoft delays Vista March 22, 2006

 

It's true - Vista has suffered yet another delay. This time, the release date has been put off until January 2007. The corporate version will be available in November this year, but the later general release date means that PCs with the new operating system won't be available until after the holidays.

Apparently, the main reason behind this delay is security issues. "We're trying to do the responsible thing here", Windows chief Jim Allchin stated, more than a little defensively if you ask me.

Okay, I can't say that I'm surprised. But this will have an enormous impact on the PC industry. Had Vista been released before the holidays, there would have been a massive increase in purchases. Now, market analysts predict that some of those sales will be lost completely, as consumers won't be as eager to buy new PCs in January. And there may be a knock-on effect for software sales as well, for the same reason.

Vista delay could sting PC makers

 

The value of an old website March 23, 2006

 

A thread over at Search Engine Forums made me think about how differently Google treats websites depending on how old they are. We all know that having a brand new site can be a nightmare - it can easily take up to a year before you start ranking of anything remotely competitive.

What people often forget is the other side of the coin: how valuable older, established websites are. Time and time again, I see how sites that have been around for a long time rank highly on Google for a multitude of different phrases - even though their content isn't always the greatest, or their PageRank the highest. It appears to be a question of trust. If you've been ranking for a certain phrase for three or four years or more, chances are you're doing something right. Because of that, those sites appear to be given a certain amount of leeway. You can change the textual content, you can change or even remove your title for a few days, you can simply get away with a lot more - and you still have a far better chance of getting great rankings than other, younger sites.

Where am I going with this? It's simple: don't undervalue your site. Don't dream of getting new, catchy domains, or perhaps setting up a second, additional site. Stick with your establish, trusted website and make the most of it.

Is a site's age a factor?

 

The original Lego Google March 23, 2006

 

You've probably heard the story, but have you actually seen the original? CNET News has some nice pictures of the original Google storage, Lego-clad and garish and apparently only taken offline in 1999. Worth a look - and the photo gallery includes a whole collection of other blasts from the past, too, including a Commodore Pet and an Apple II.

A time capsule of computing

 

Stupid lawsuits March 24, 2006

 

You may already have heard about this, but it's worth repeating. A parental advice website called KinderStart is suing Google because their search rankings dropped in the latest algorithm change.

Yes, you read correctly - the sole reason for the law suit is that their rankings fell "without reason or warning" resulting in a 80% drop in revenue. Apparently, this violates their constitutional right to free speech. Free speech!

I don't even know what to say. Do you think these same people sent gift baskets and donations to Google to thank them during the time that they were providing 80% of their revenue? Of course not. But when the free traffic disappears, they start crying about the unfairness of it all.

When are people going to realise that Google owes them nothing at all? That if you pay nothing, but simply benefit from a free service, you can't make any demands?

I'm glad it's the end of the week. Stupidity makes me tired.

Kinderstart sues Google over lower page ranking

 

A picture isn't worth a thousand words March 24, 2006

 

Every now and then, we get an SEO request for a website that we simply can't work with. Why? Usually because it's image-based with very little textual content, or because it uses frames. In both those scenarios, it simply isn't worth our time or the client's money to attempt to optimise it in its current state.

As appealing, unique and descriptive as an image might be to you and me, to a search engine spider it is worth nothing at all. Nada. For search engines, your site content is all about text. Text displayed on images (we've all seen those sites) is worthless.

Frames also bring up red flags. Sure, there are ways around it, and there are some framed sites that rank well, but in the vast majority of cases you'd be far better off without them. Why use something that you know is going to create trouble with the spiders?

A thread over at the High Rankings forum discusses the same issue, where somebody is trying to optimise a website based on jpg. images. Jill Whalen's advice?

"The only solution is a complete redesign."

No, that's not what anybody wants to hear. But sometimes it's the only answer.

Hard Answers to Questions About Optimizing Image-Only Web Sites

 

Where Vista goes, Office follows March 24, 2006

 

Unsurprisingly, Microsoft have announced that the mainstream launch of Office 2007 will also be delayed until early next year. Supposedly because they believe that coordinating the launch with that of Vista will "provide an easier experience for consumers and retailers alike."

Let's hope that they manage to meet this deadline. It would be quite embarrassing to release Office 2007 in, let's say June or July. Or, touch wood, 2008.

Microsoft announces Office 2007 delay

 

A panda! On a human hair! March 24, 2006

 

Fridays always need a dose of pointless, frivolous information, and it doesn't come much more pointless than this, if you ask me. A Chinese "micro-painter" has painted an image of a giant panda on a single human hair.

Apparently, it took ten days to achieve, and he used a single rabbit hair as a paintbrush.

Remind me again why we work with software, when the world of micro-painting is so very tempting?

Sigh.

Panda painted onto single hair

 

AdWords reporting just got easier March 24, 2006

 

If you've been reading this blog for a while, heard me speaking at the various conferences, or "know" me through the newsgroups, you'll probably already know that I'm a big fan of Google AdWords.

But I don't think the system is perfect. Far from it.

One of the biggest issues that I have with the system is the way that it handles reports. The options are quite inflexible, and generating them can sometimes be painfully slow.

I've shared this opinion many times. And for the past few years, whenever I've spoken about Google AdWords at the conferences, I've dropped what I thought was a very good hint for software developers. Make software to fill the gaps that Google are leaving open.

Last year, at the European Shareware Conference, Thomas Wetzel from Wisco told me that he was going to do just that. I was lucky enough to be involved with the beta testing, and the software is now available.

AdwordsReporter is a reporting tool for your Google AdWords account/s. You simply export your data from Google to an XML file, then let the software loose on it.

What can it do? Lots.

Do you want to compare the number of impressions with daily costs? For a specific time period? For a specific ad group? A specific keyword? All your ads together?

Perhaps you want to plot the click through rate against the CPC? To see whether changing the price of your bids resulted in an improved ROI?

You can visually compare any two items at the same time on a graph: Impressions, position, cost per click, click through rate, cost per conversion, max CPC and much more.

And as you can do so over time periods of your choice, you instantly get to see any trends and patterns that may be emerging.

Best of all, it's very fast, very easy to use, and extremely flexible.

Having used pretty much every Google AdWords application I've come across, this is the only one I've seen that really blows me away.

Well worth a look. Oh and for the record, we have no affiliations whatsoever with the author or company. I just know good software when I see it.

AdwordsReporter

 

Gaining a competitive edge March 24, 2006

 

In the interest of continually bombarding your mind with useful information, we are delighted to announce the launch of our Competitive Edge Newsletter.

Q: What is Competitive Edge?

A: An in-depth look at the most important issues facing independent software developers today. The focus will be on useful and actionable information, on everything from marketing and Google AdWords to new operating systems and general business development.

Q: What isn't Competitive Edge?

A1: Rehashed content. We write everything ourselves, with our own opinions, experience and expertise.

A2: Theorising. The classroom will only get you so far. Acquired knowledge, wisdom and experience is what counts.

A3: Self help. Closing your eyes and visualising success is good for daydreams. We'll concentrate on your business reality.

Q: Why should I get it if I already read this blog?

A: Competitive Edge is a more in-depth look at the subjects that matter, and only comes out once a month.

Q: How do I subscribe?

A: Funny you should ask.

Competitive Edge

 

Be grateful you're not a lawyer March 27, 2006

 

Do you think you're paying a lot for your clicks? Think again. A list of the highest paying AdSense keywords reveals that the one at the top costs a staggering $54.33. Yes, that's right - fifty-four dollars and thirty-three cents.

What is the keyword? "Mesothelioma lawyers". No, I didn't know what "mesothelioma" was either, but it turns out it's a form of lung cancer that you can get by being exposed to asbestos. Sadly, that seems be a particularly worthwhile keyword for the legal community at the moment, since it appears in the top three keyword phrases.

Other expensive terms include "tax attorney", "car accident lawyer", "criminal defence attorney" and "medical malpractice attorneys".

Hmmm. Looking at this list, I can't help but think that these might just be the highest paying keywords in the US - the rest of the world hasn't quite reached the same level of litigation lunacy yet.

Highest Paying AdSense Keywords

 

Join the fight against phishing! March 28, 2006

 

Are you the type of person who loves to play an active, responsible role in your community? Do you patrol the streets at night with your fellow Neighbourhood Watchers (yes, we have it in the UK too, and yes, we spell it with a u!)? If so, you might be interested to know that you can now do a very similar thing online.

The Phishing Incident Reporting and Termination squad (PIRT for short) has been set up to keep and eye on and report the growing number of phishing sites on the web. PIRT volunteers receive reports from consumers who have come across one of these scams, and contact the host of the website as well as the company whose customers are being targeted.

It sounds like a good idea. They also have a very cool, sheriff-star-type logo if that kind of thing appeals to you.

Neighborhood watch for phishing launches

 

Using useful utilities? March 28, 2006

 

PC Magazine have put together a list of their favourite, most-useful utilities. If you're lucky enough to be able to call one of them your own, congratulations! But even if you're not, it's interesting to go through the list just to experience all the smiling and nodding - yes, I'm using that one, and that one, and that one too!

Some of them are obvious (can you say WinZip?), others might not be as familiar to you. Personally, I'm a big fan of both Directory Opus and Roboform, and definitely think that they deserve to be on the list.

PC Magazine Feature: Incredibly Useful Utilities

 

Matt Cutts answers questions March 29, 2006

 

There's an interesting Q&A session over at Matt Cutts blog. Well worth a look if you're interested in knowing more about the state of the BigDaddy update, RK parameters (?) and spam.

Q&A Thread

 

And then there were three... March 29, 2006

 

Yes, another Microsoft product has been delayed to 2007. This time it's the update for Microsoft Virtual Server.

The reason? "Quality always takes priority over timeline". Of course it does.

2007 is shaping up to be an incredible year, what with all the supposed good bits of 2006 being pushed into it.

Next Microsoft Virtual Server slips to 2007

 

Support battles March 29, 2006

 

Marcus Tettmar found this first - but it's so good I have to use it too. I'm sure you've all experienced your fair share of annoying support requests, but this one is outstanding. Have a look at these exact quotes:

"Unless this software is removed I will file a complaint with the FBI."

"Please, for the love of God, either let me help you or talk to a computer administrator who can help you with your problem."

The fact that this concerns free software makes it all the more entertaining/ghastly.

It's L-i-n-u-x

 

The US government wants more March 30, 2006

 

I'm sure you all remember that Google was forced to hand over thousands of URLs and search terms to help the US government in its efforts to uphold the Child Online Protection Act. It has now been revealed that the search engines aren't the only ones who were asked for assistance. Apparently, the Department of Justice wanted records from a total of 34 businesses, including Internet service providers and security software firms.

The complete list:

711Net (Mayberry USA), American Family Online, AOL, ATT, Authentium, Bell South, Cable Vision, Charter Communications, Comcast Cable Company, Computer Associates, ContentWatch, Cox Communications, EarthLink, Google, Internet4Families, LookSmart, McAfee, MSN, Qwest, RuleSpace, S4F (Advance Internet Management), SafeBrowse, SBC Communications, Secure Computing Corp., Security Software Systems, SoftForYou, Solid Oak Software, Surf Control, Symantec, Time Warner, Tucows (Mayberry USA), United Online, Verizon, and Yahoo.

The security software companies were asked for some very substantial and specific information: do they offer any content filtering, how many customers use them, how do those users configure their filters, how do the filters get updated, what's the R&D spending on these products, and more. The president at one of the subpoenad software companies revealed that it took them more than 40 hours to put all the information together.

I find the whole thing quite shocking, to be honest. Yes, protecting children online is the right thing to do, but I'm still not convinced it should be done at this level.

Justice Department Subpoenas Reach Far Beyond Google

 

More Google keyword lawsuits March 30, 2006

 

These seem to be showing up all over the place lately. Google is the only online advertiser that still lets you purchase competitors' trademarked terms as keywords, but I wonder how long that is going to last.

A court recently ruled that a case involving rival real estate companies should go to trial, which means that some kind of decision about trademark infringement liability is likely to lie ahead.

It'll be interesting to see what happens.

Google keyword infringement case to proceed

 

Take the geek quiz March 31, 2006

 

It's Friday, and everyone is in need of some time-wasting nonsense as we wait for the weekend to arrive. If you read this blog, chances are you're already aware of your geeky status - but surely you want to be able to put a figure on it?

I scored a solid 55, which means that I am very much Heading To Geekdom but not yet a complete nerd. I was proud of my wife, though, as she scored a very respectable 41 in spite of choosing The OC over Battlestar Galactica. Well done, geeky wife!

Oh, and remember: it's April Fool's day tomorrow, so keep an eye out for search engine pranks. PigeonRank is still my all-time favourite, but it'll be interesting to see what they do this year.

How Geeky Are You?

 

Cutts and the nofollow tag March 31, 2006

 

You may be familiar with the nofollow tag, which was introduced last year to try to end blog comment spam. Essentially, search engines see links which include rel="nofollow" as carrying no vote at all, so they don't attribute to link popularity or PageRank. A number of blog software makers signed up to use this tag to fight the deluge of comment spam that was appearing everywhere.

Yesterday, Matt Cutts caused quite a stir in the world of SEO when he declared that webmasters should mark any links that they sell with the nofollow tag. In other words, if you run some sort of link scheme on your site, or simply sell a few text links, you should make sure that they are "nofollow" - which basically renders them worthless. Why? Because "not doing so can affect your reputation in Google."

I don't sell, or buy, links, but I don't appreciate the fact that this sounds like a thinly veiled threat. It's also complete nonsense, of course - how on earth could Google know if someone paid you for a link or not?

For discussion on this subject, and how it might affect people who have paid Yahoo for links, head on over to the Seomoz.blog

Paid Links Under Fire... Again

 

Ask.com has a fan March 31, 2006

 

Walter S. Mossberg, principal technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal, declares in a recent column that he really likes the new Ask.com. That's quite an impressive endorsement. He's not saying that everybody should abandon Google, but he does think that Ask.com might surprise you.

Why? Because of the well organised search results, search refinement options, coloured background for the adverts, and more. Mossberg writes:

"I did many other searches, with roughly similar results. Google usually did a good job, but Ask usually did just as well, and its added features made the results more valuable. In a search for a particular digital camera, Ask's page was topped by a picture of the camera, with links to reviews and price comparisons. Google's page was topped by ads, followed by links to specific shopping sites."

Instead of heading straight to Google next time you need some information, why not try Ask.com? You might be pleasantly surprised - and if Google were to get some serious competition, it would only be good for users.

Ask.Com's New Look Scores Big Points Against Search Rivals