Thursday, July 5, 2007

Powerset Meets the Press

Search Engine Watch Blog
Provides constant updates of the latest search engine marketing and other search news from Search Engine Watch and across the web.
  1. Powerset Meets the Press - 2007-06-29 15:55:16-04

    Powerset, the most talked about semantic search engine that no one has seen, is slowly opening its doors to scrutiny. Last night, the company hosted an event for bloggers and tech media at its San Francisco headquarters.

    Some coverage of the event:

    The company gave attendees a look under the hood, and introduced a new developer platform called Powerlabs. Both the search engine and partner program are expected to launch in September. "We want as many people in Powerlabs to help us build and test the product. Powerlabs tells us when we are ready to go. We could have 50,000 people QAing our product," said Steve Newcomb, COO and co-founder of Powerset. So far, Powerlabs has 10,000 users, according to ZDNet's Farber.


  2. Search Headlines & Links: June 29, 2007 - 2007-06-30 00:42:21-04

    Want a snapshot of the day's search marketing news? Here we've collected today's top news stories posted to the Search Engine Watch Blog, along with search-related headlines from around the Web:

    Click to read the rest of this post...


  3. SEW Experts: Zen and the Art of Paid Search Maintenance - 2007-07-02 01:00:30-04

    In today's Search Ads column, " Zen and the Art of Paid Search Maintenance," Tony Wright shows that discipline is the key to achieving paid search enlightenment – aka success. He provides tips for implementing some regular processes to ensure top performance from your paid search campaigns.


  4. New Call for Case Studies - 2007-07-02 09:55:47-04

    It's time once again to put the word out that I am looking for interesting case studies to write about for my weekly "By The Numbers" column on Search Engine Watch. All participants will get at least one link, and the visibility of being in SEW. So if you have an interesting SEO or PPC optimization story to tell, let me know, using this form. The best case studies will have the following elements:

    1. A solid description of the original state of the site, or the PPC campaign, before any changes were made. This should include metrics, such as traffic, rankings, ROI on campaigns, or whatever. Some form of numbers is essential (the column is "By the Numbers!")
    2. A description of the changes made that created the most impact. A complete description of these changes is required. The timing of when the changes were made should also be included.
    3. A detailed description of how the metrics changed after the changes, as well as how long it took for the changes to the metrics to become visible.

    If you have a good story to tell that will help our readers better understand some facet of SEO or SEM, let me know. I will get back to you quickly on whether or not it's a fit, and whatever other information I may need.


  5. Interview with Vanessa Fox (Her Last at Google?) - 2007-07-02 10:00:00-04

    I did an interview together with Vanessa Fox, just before she left Google. We talked about what was going on with Google Webmaster Tools, features that people have been requesting, duplicate content, and the renaming of the re-inclusion request form to the reconsideration request form.

    I was intrigued in particular by the renaming of the re-inclusion request form. Vanessa clearly defined this form as something to be used in the event that you had been violating a webmaster guideline, and that you had fixed it. Here is her exact wording:

    That form is really for situations where you have violated the guidelines in some way, and you've fixed it. Then you can use those forms to have someone take a look at it as opposed to just waiting over time for things to naturally pickup again.

    It's a fascinating statement. It suggests that you can send in an appeal for any penalty that you have become subject too (once you have fixed it that is), and the value of this appeal is not necessarily limited to appealing manually applied penalties. Keeping in mind Google's recent statements that ALL forms submitted with the reconsideration request form within Webmaster Tools ( i.e. you are providing your identity as you make the submission) will get looked at, this is a powerful statement. Just be careful to really address the issues before you make the submission


  6. Yahoo SmartAds: Super-Targeted Display Ads - 2007-07-02 11:32:31-04

    Yahoo has launched a new SmartAds display ad unit that uses behavioral, demographic and geographic targeting capabilities to create ads from submitted elements based on the user.

    SmartAds expand on the targeting capabilities of search ads, and make it easier for advertisers to customize ads for multiple users by allowing an advertiser or agency to submit art and provide a direct feed of offers to Yahoo, which will create an ad from the best combination of components based on the targeted user.

    SmartAds makes heavy use of "customer insights" extracted from data Yahoo keeps on visitors, including their shopping, searching and Web surfing behaviors, as well as registration information and location data. Ads will be sold on both CPC and CPM pricing models, and will roll out first on Yahoo's travel sites. Retail and automotive are the next likely verticals, according to ClickZ.

    If Yahoo can successfully match ads to users based on search and browsing behavior, and make the process scalable and easy to use, it should gain some traction from both search marketers looking for more inventory and richer ad units; and from display advertisers looking for better targeting.


  7. Google Blogger Attacks Sicko, Backtracks - 2007-07-02 12:18:27-04

    On Friday, Google Health account planner Lauren Turner tried to rally healthcare advertisers against Michael Moore's latest documentary, Sicko, by advising them that they should increase their presence in the search results in a blog post on the Google Health Advertising blog, " Does negative press make you Sicko?"

    The post was an attempt to educate healthcare advertisers of the benefits of search in reputation management, but many accused Google of going too far with its apparent partisanship, and by Sunday, Turner was forced to recant.

    Click to read the rest of this post...


  8. Matt Cutts Offers Corporate Blogging Advice - 2007-07-02 12:28:36-04

    Joining the damage control of the Google Health Blog vs. Sicko incident on Sunday, Google blogger extraordinaire Matt Cutts outlined some guidelines for company blogging 101 as an explanation for Turner's actions, and guidance for avoiding future incidents.

    He advises:

    1. The easiest time to make a blogging gaffe is when you're starting out.
    2. Don't criticize other companies or people.
    3. Don't post when you're angry.
    4. Learn which stories matter and which ones don't.
    5. If you make a mistake, don't clam up.
    6. Include a datestamp on all your posts.

    Excellent advice from a seasoned corporate blogger.


  9. Even More Local Search Patents - 2007-07-02 13:15:01-04

    When we wrote last week about Local.com's new local search patent, we pointed out that there were far too many patents being issued in that space. That's only gotten worse this week, with another local search patent awarded to Local.com, this time for ad-supported 411 calls.

    Once again, this patent seems to be in direct conflict with an existing patent, one from Jingle Networks.

    There's either going to have to be some litigation, or consolidation of businesses or patents between the various players. In the meantime, it's the users and advertisers who will suffer, since the confusion in the marketplace and looming lawsuits will only serve to scare off advertisers and slow the growth of local search.


  10. Google Et Al Should Buy Australian Hosting, Financial Times Suggests - 2007-07-02 18:34:01-04

    The Financial Times suggests that the big three search engines should buy local hosting comapnies if they want to make inroads into the Australian market.

    Australia does not have the population of their nearby Asian neighbors, but the market is financially capable and one that the engines are not overlooking. Add to this that the telcos are more protected in Australia and the move of Google and Micrososft to establish data centers and the space gets a little crowded.

    "The likes of companies like Google and Microsoft could look to consolidate Australian hosting players to get a foothold in the market", analysts and industry executives told FT.com.


  11. Old But Not Forgotten? - 2007-07-02 23:24:28-04

    With all the focus on Gen Y and even the millennials, seniors aged 65+ seem almost completely forgotten when it comes to online marketing. We can't help but wonder why, except we admit this isn't exactly the most desired demographic for advertisers.

    Still elders are considered to be one of the fastest growing demographics for online media. It's not so much that people in their 70s and 80s are suddenly shifting to being heavy internet users; it's that a huge wave of Internet-savvy boomers, now in their 60s, will begin passing the 65+ milestone – making now the time to start planning.

    Click to read the rest of this post...


  12. Search Headlines & Links: July 2, 2007 - 2007-07-03 00:35:39-04

    Want a snapshot of the day's search marketing news? Here we've collected today's top news stories posted to the Search Engine Watch Blog, along with search-related headlines from around the Web:

    Click to read the rest of this post...


  13. SEW Experts: Can You Purchase Text Links for Big Business Sites? - 2007-07-03 01:00:53-04

    In today's Big Biz column, " Can You Purchase Text Links for Big Business Sites?," Aaron Shear offers some insights on purchasing text links for a big business site, and the subsequent effects.


  14. SEW Experts: 7 Questions for Conducting an SEO Site Review - 2007-07-03 10:36:18-04

    In today's au Natural column, " 7 Questions for Conducting an SEO Site Review," Mark Jackson offers tips for performing a professional site review and invites you to submit your own site for a complimentary review on SEW.


  15. Speaker Openings for SES San Jose - 2007-07-03 12:04:09-04

    Chris Sherman is putting the finishing touches on the Search Engine Strategies San Jose conference, coming up on August 20-23, 2007. There are currently openings for speakers on four panels: Personalization, User Data & Search; Search APIs; So You Want To Be A Search Marketer!; and SEM Pricing Models.

    To be considered for the open slots, first read the guidelines to see if you qualify, and to learn how to get in touch with Chris Sherman for consideration.


  16. Thinking About Innovation - 2007-07-03 13:01:53-04

    Greg Jarboe recently spoke at a Wharton School conference on innovation. He thought he'd be the one offering the insights on search and blogging, but found that he was just part of conversation. He shares the five questions that helped start the conversation in today's SearchDay, " 5 Questions on Innovation."


  17. Google URL Parameters Cheat Sheet - 2007-07-03 14:23:39-04

    Joost de Valk, the Dutch SEO who recently created a Firefox plugin for de-personalized Google search, has put together a one-page guide to the various Google search parameters that can be appended to a Google search.

    The list includes modifiers for many of the advanced search queries, such as date restrictions or appearance of a certain phrase in a page's title, body, url or links. It also includes result modifiers, such as the one used for getting non-personalized search results, even when a user is logged into a Google account (&pws=0). Other modifiers allow localization, from country down to latitude/longitude coordinates.


  18. Google Gives Away FeedBurner Services - 2007-07-03 14:47:08-04

    Following its usual pattern of acquiring a company and then making its services available for free in the hopes of bringing in more advertising dollars, Google is now giving away TotalStats and MyBrand, which were previously only available with a FeedBurner Pro subscription.

    Existing Pro users will not be charged for June or any month after, and new users need to sign up to access the services in their FeedBurner Accounts.


  19. Search Headlines & Links: July 3, 2007 - 2007-07-03 22:33:20-04

    Want a snapshot of the day's search marketing news? Here we've collected today's top news stories posted to the Search Engine Watch Blog, along with search-related headlines from around the Web:

    Click to read the rest of this post...


  20. SEW Experts: How Many Links Could a Link Lover Love? - 2007-07-05 01:09:33-04

    In today's Link Love column, " How Many Links Could a Link Lover Love?," Sage Lewis describes the many different ways to count and track your links. What good is link love if you don't know how many links love you?

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