Highlights from the SEW Blog: March 31 - April 4, 2008

By Kevin Newcomb , April 7, 2008

We've collected all the search marketing news from selected posts to the Search Engine Watch blog in the past week.

From the SEW blog:

Organic Search

• Optimization Tips for PDFs: Great Advice for B2B Search Marketers
  PDFs are particularly significant in B2B marketing, which makes optimizing them for the web is an important piece of SEO strategy in that sector. Thankfully, Galen de Young of Francis Marketing has a new post on optimizing PDFs on their B2B marketing blog.
• Title Tag Copywriting Tips for Newbie SEOs
  The title tag is one of the most important pieces of content when it comes to search engine optimization.
• SEW Experts: Should Your SEO Strategy Target the Head or the Long Tail?
  If you're focused on ranking for that one major keyword, having a deep Web site full of great content is necessary to achieve authority in the eyes of the search engine.

Search Advertising

• Google Updates Trademark Rules for UK/Ireland AdWords
  Beginning on May 5, 2008, the AdWords trademark policy for the UK and Ireland will change. The new policy will be aligned with the current one established in the United States and Canada.
• Is Google Looking to Kill Affiliate Marketing?
  Google had started their version of affiliate marketing some time ago with their CPA ads. But grabbing experienced affiliate marketing consultants could turn this into the hope they once saw in it.
• Will We Pay More For Google's Fewer Clicks
  The drop in AdWords clicks over the past two months has created a bump Google's ongoing success. But not to worry, CEO Eric Schmidt told Business Week, people will eventually pay more for the better quality clicks.
• Google + DoubleClick = 69% of Online Advertising Market
  When Google raised concerns over a possible Microsoft-Yahoo merger, it may have just been the pot calling the kettle black. According to new stats released by Attributor, Google's acquisition of DoubleClick gives them a whopping 69% of the online advertising market share.
• Even for Google, Conversions Matter More Than Clicks
  Wall Street is acting with caution when it comes to Google based on months of reporting that the search engine giant's paid search clicks are declining. But Google insists that the click reductions are due to improvement in the quality of the ads, not because Google is somehow losing its luster.
• SEW Experts: Content Ad Campaign Keyword Strategy Revisited
  The keywords you choose for a content ad campaign should play a different role than they do for search ads. That's a point that's often tough for search advertisers to grasp.

Linking Issues & Social Media

• SEW Experts: Afraid to Link Out? Think Again
  Both people and search engines place more value on information that cites multiple sources. By refusing to link to other sites you are harming your site's relevance and ability to gain links.
• SEW Experts: Don't Be Afraid of Social Media -- Your Customers Aren't
  Savvy big brand marketers know that the junction of social media and e-commerce, or "Socialommerce," is the next big thing. But many are wary, and want to sit back and see how it plays out.

Local & Mobile Search

• Google Opens Up About Spectrum Auction
  The gag order on details surrounding the recent FCC spectrum auction has been lifted, and Google is revealing some behind-the-scenes information about their participation in the bidding.
• SEW Experts: Leveraging Traditional Media Placements in an Online World
  Online media and Internet-based search continue to grow at the expense of their offline counterparts, newspapers and magazines. Because media placement options are continuously growing, smart local marketers need to leverage this major transformation of how people consume media in some creative ways.
• Former Citysearch CEO Heads to Idearc
  Former Citysearch CEO Briggs Ferguson has been tapped to become President of Internet/Web products and pay-for-performance advertising at Idearc.
• Yahoo Unveils Upgrades to Mobile Search Platform
  Yahoo has announced upgrades to its mobile search platform, oneSearch. The 2.0 version of the service includes brand spankin new features to make searching on the go a little easier.
• Medio to Add Mobile Content Partners
  Mobile search and advertising company Medio Systems has announced the launch of a new content partnership. The Medio Mobile Content Partner Program will add high-quality content to the over 300 existing feeds on Medio by signing companies who are strong in a given niche.
• ChaCha Refocuses Business Model on Mobile Text Search
  ChaCha is refocusing its business to center around its mobile voice and text search business.

Vertical & Specialty Search

• Recent Google Updates Have SEOs Scrambling
  Like a celebrity sitting down with Barbara Walters, Google News has decided to clear up rumors surrounding how articles are included and ranked.

Small Business/Big Brand SEM

• SEW Experts: Small Business SEM Takeaways from SES NY
  Search Engine Strategies New York had something for everyone, including tips for small business marketers.

In-House & Outsourcing

• SEW Experts: Recruiting the Right People for Your SEM Business
  If you've been a one-man operation until now, hiring your first employee is a major milestone. However, making the wrong choice can seriously impact your business.
• Work With Your IT Staff, Not Against Them
  By equipping IT with SEO knowledge, they can truly understand the problems that search engines face with your site, and then come up with their own solutions that are technically feasible (and they are willing to implement).

SEM Industry Issues

• SEW Experts: SEO Standards Signal the Maturing of Our Industry
  Call them standards, rules, advice, best practices, or whatever you want, but they're a necessary step in the evolution of the search industry.
• Standards Is A Dirty Word For Search Marketers
  For the past two weeks our industry has been debating the need for standards, many of the regular blogs have weighed in as have most of the major players in our space.
• Microhoo's Second Date Doesn't Go Very Well
  Executives from Microsoft and Yahoo reportedly met this week, but both sides came to the much anticipated second date with stubborn stances.
• Microsoft to Stay Firm in Original Yahoo Offer
  According to published reports, Microsoft is unlikely to raise its bid for Yahoo. It seems that Microsoft doesn't think Yahoo's recent projected revenues provide any reason to raise purchase price from the original $31 per share offer.
• Google Gets Out of the SEO Business
  Google is getting itself out of a somewhat sticky situation by deciding to sell Performics Search Marketing, which it acquired as part of the DoubleClick deal.
• SEW Experts: How to Survive a Recession In Search
  If you listen to the media, you'd know that a recession is nigh, and you should be locking yourself up in an underground bunker and hiding out for the next year. If you're a bit more selective in what you choose to believe, you may be thinking it would be wise to be prepared, in case an economic downturn does come.

Searching/Search Technologies

• Reinstalling My PC, Part 1: Top Timesavers
  Since I'm rebuilding my home PC, I've come up with a list of about 15 programs I really need on my computer to be good at my job.

More from the SEW Blog

• Google Loses Rock Star CIO to EMI Music
  Douglas Merrill, Google CIO and VP of engineering, has accepted a new gig: president of digital at struggling EMI Music, home of the Beatles and former home of Radiohead.
• Yahoo! also Loses Rock Star; Music VP Ian Rogers Moves to Start-up
  Two months after acquiring FoxyTunes, and setting in place a bold new plan for Yahoo Music, Vice President Ian Rogers has resigned from Yahoo Music to join stealth start-up TopSpin Media.
• Geary Interactive Acquires Fathom Online
  Full-service digital marketing agency Geary Interactive has acquired Fathom Online, a search engine marketing firm.
• Yahoo Wants Women Now
  Yahoo just announced Shine, and is hopping on the bandwagon that says women are a great target. Why now?
• Constructive feedback on online reputation management
  companies probably do not need 'War Rooms' today and instead incorporate reputation monitoring as a regular course of business.
• China Antimonopoly Law Could Derail Microsoft/Yahoo Deal, Google
  The Chinese government is activating legislation that may give problems to the possible Microsoft Yahoo purchase.
• Is Google's Price Drop A Reflection Of Recent Media Coverage
  The value of Google's stock has taken a bit of a beating recently from their high of $747 last year to yesterday's close at $438. Is pervasive critiquing of Google having an impact of investors' confidence?

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