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In This Issue
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+ Upcoming Search Engine Strategies Events
+ Editors' Notes
+ Top Stories Since Our Last SE Update
- Organic Search
- Paid Search
- Link Issues
- Analytics & ROI
- Vertical & Specialty Search
- Social Media
- SEM for Small Businesses
- In-house & Big Brand SEM
- SEM Industry Issues
+ Our Search Newsletters & Feeds
+ About The Newsletter
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Upcoming Search Engine Strategies Events
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- SES Munich: March 26-27
- SES New York: April 10-13, 2007
- SES China: May 25-26
- SES Italy: May 29-30
- SES Toronto: June 12-13, 2007
- SES Miami: June 18-19, 2007
- SES San Jose: August 20-23, 2007
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Editors' Notes
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To start out this issue, I'd like to put the spotlight on the Search Engine Watch Discussion Forums. I first came on board at SEW to launch the forums in Spring of 2004, and that means we're fast approaching our third anniversary. What's interesting about the SEW Forums is that they became a part of the Search Engine Watch site seven years after it was first started. That meant we were late to the game, so to speak, when it came to making our presence stand out among many other well established discussion forums and SEO communities. Many others had thousands of members, and tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of archived posts and discussions. I'm happy to report that in that short time, the forums are coming up on 100,000 posts, and nearly have 15,000 members registered to date. A nice benchmark of success, but those numbers don't tell the whole story, the quality of the information and sharing of knowledge is a far more important goal to us.
SEW has always been a resource for people of all levels of online marketing knowledge to come learn about search marketing. Our forums are as much a resource for beginner SEO questions as they are for professionals who have been involved in the industry for a long time. Our staff of volunteer moderators include many SEM industry thought leaders, and they work very hard at reducing the "noise" often found at online communities, making the discussions productive and educational for all members.
Several reps from the major search engines also participate in our forums, in order to get feedback from the forum members and share vital information about the performance of their products and services.
If you haven't yet spent any time on the SEW Forums, take a few minutes to do so now. It's free to signup (you'll need a different login from your SEW membership), and get involved today. It's social networking in a professional environment, and a fantastic opportunity to learn and share information with your peers.
As you'll see in the discussion forums, we have several experts sharing advice & tips for making the most out of our next major US event, SES New York.
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Since Our Last SE Update:
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Below is a recap of major articles from our daily SearchDay newsletter and important Search Engine Watch Blog postings since the last newsletter. Want to receive these stories daily or via RSS/feed? See the Search Engine Watch Newsletters & Web Feeds page for sign-up instructions.
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Organic Search
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=== SearchDay: Feb. 22, 2007 ===
Stats Show Google Dominates the International Search Landscape - Greg Jarboe details the global growth of Google in this special report from SES London 2007.
=========================== From the SEW Blog: ===========================
-
- Personalization, SEO, and Web Marketing
I don't believe that SEO is dead, but SEO in a vacuum will be dead at some point in the not-too-distant future. - Google and the Site: Command Glitch
There's something amiss with the current "site:" command. - SEO Is Easy...and Hard
Reduced to its simplest form, SEO is a four-step process -- though implementing that process is no simple task. - Value of Search Rankings Explained
What is a number one organic search ranking worth? - Flash and HTML Text Copies = Duplicate Content?
What techniques should be used to provide search engines an HTML file to chew on instead of trying to parse the Flash itself? - Google Looks at Human Brain Algorithm
Google is really pushing forward with its studies into Artificial Intelligence. So now we have to wonder if the Google future is going to be an "AI" world, or a "Terminator" world. - The 301 Redirect Headache
Moving Web pages that have been indexed by search engines to a new URL via a 301 permanent redirect can cause a headache that must be planned for. - Google Groups Becoming a Gold Mine for SEO Information
Google Groups recently relaunched with a new look and feel. One of the most popular groups in the search engine optimization community is the Webmaster Help group.
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Paid Search
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=== SearchDay: Mar. 1, 2007 ===
Google Offers More Click Fraud Data - SEW News Editor Kevin Newcomb gets the scoop from Google on their internal click fraud statistics. The amount of click fraud detected by Google remains in single-digit percentages of total clicks, and the amount that slips through to advertisers is just 0.02 percent, according to Google.
=========================== From the SEW Blog: ===========================
- Panama from a Big Agency Perspective
Avenue A | Razorfish put Yahoo's Panama platform through the paces this month, and has shared some data from 33 search clients. - More Search Engine Wishes
Kevin Lee continues his look at search engine wish lists, asking search engines for things that would help search advertisers. - Forbes.com Joins Quigo's Ad Network
Contextual ad provider Quigo has signed Forbes as a distribution partner. - Search Engines Are Allowed to Reject Ads
A court decision made it clear that search engines are allowed to reject an ad as part of their protected right of free speech. - Google Content Will Report Publishers, Allow Separate Bidding
The New York Times reported today that Google will soon allow advertisers separate bidding for individual publishing partner sites. - comScore Defines Panama Effects
ComScore Networks has found that Yahoo's new ranking model has increased click through rates on its ads, at least initially. - MSN Rectifies CPC Bug
Microsoft adCenter fixed the bug that boosted many people's CPC bids late last week. - Google Mixes Videos in Organic Result
Google is experimenting with including videos in the organic results. - Is Google Gearing Up For Assault On Traditional Media?
An advertiser survey from Google asks questions that span traditional and interactive media, and hint at the tools and methods Google may have in the works. - Marchex Adds Conversion Tracking
Marchex's new conversion tracking feature allows advertisers to designate and track five different types of conversions in its PPC advertising platform. - Adify To Provide Ads for Washington Post, Newsweek
Adify's "Build Your Own Network" ad platform will be used by the Washington Post and Newsweek for their online publications. - Search Engine Advertisers' Wish List
What changes do you wish the search engines would implement to make PPC search advertisers' lives easier? - Google Quality Score Now Live
The quality score update to Google's ad ranking algorithm announced last week is now live. - BusinessWeek: Search Ads Getting Too Pricey
The business magazine explores a "fallout from a new online ad rush," where commerce giants are increasingly muscling out smaller businesses from the ad pool. - Ask.com Renews Deal with LookSmart
Ask.com will renew its license with LookSmart AdCenter for Publishers through 2009.
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Linking Issues
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=========================== From the SEW Blog: ===========================
- 11 Guidelines for Getting Authoritative Links
Authoritative links bring value to your Web promotion strategy that goes beyond the surface. - What is the Value of a Link?
What's a link worth to you, to buy or develop? - Becoming a Successful Web Entrepreneur
The Web world is very competitive, and winning attention (and inbound links) requires that you bring something new to the table.
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Analytics & ROI
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=========================== From the SEW Blog: ===========================
- Clicktracks CEO Interviewed
While many people are familiar with Google Analytics, fewer people are aware that Clicktracks offers a free analytics solution as well. - Avinash Kaushik Interview
From an SEO perspective, getting clear data about what's happening on your site can be a very powerful way to focus your efforts. - Search Biz Lends A Hand
In the analytics area, the big search and portal businesses are lending a hand to the display ad marketplace.
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Vertical & Specialty Search
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=== SearchDay: Feb. 28, 2007 ===
Autobytel Hopes to Usher in Second Phase of Automobile Search - Greg Jarboe highlights features of the new vertical search site MyRide.com, aimed to help consumers find automotive info and provide marketing opportunities for the automotive industry.
=========================== From the SEW Blog: ===========================
- Using MoLo to find a Mocha
There has been widespread agreement that location-based services will only work with an opt in model, hence the increased discussion over Mobile Local Search (MoLo). - Microsoft's Appeal to Hollywood
Microsoft is reaching out to Hollywood studios to offer their assistance on anti-piracy efforts for its MSN Soapbox video sharing platform. - ReportLinker: Vertical Search Engine For Marketing Research
The engine addresses the problem of "how to quickly find and access relevant information using general public tools." - Autobytel's MyRide.com: The Future of Automobile Search?
Is the company that invented the automotive Internet now reinventing it? - Mobile, Video Search Ads Set to Grow?
A majority of North American search marketers are interested in mobile and video search, but few were willing to pay more for those ads. - Jump On The Video Distribution Bandwagon
Rich video content can provide additional revenue streams outside your own domain. - Convera Offering New Search Tools
The Convera Publisher Control Panel is designed to help publishers integrate vertical search tools into their sites. - Niched Portals and Vertical Search: The Catch Phrases of 2007
Microsoft and Yahoo seem to be making 2007 the year of niched portals and vertical search. - Microsoft Acquires Medical Search Provider
Microsoft has agreed to acquire MedStory, a search engine focused on the medical space. - Lighten Up, Dear Video Advertiser
Given how advertisers behave on TV, maybe it’s time for them to lighten up. - Yahoo, Google and Bloglines Dominate Web-based RSS Reader Market
A report from FeedBurner finds that a few top readers are driving the majority of clicks. - Local Search Partnerships of the Day
Today saw notable partnership announcements in the local search space from Tellme and AdStar. - More Ads for MySpace
A Fox Interactive Media's acquisition could mean more graphical ads will appear on MySpace pages. - Krugle Adds Microsoft CodePlex to its Index
Hot on the heels of providing code search integrated into the Yahoo Developer network, Krugle is now working with Microsoft. - Local Search Gets its Mojo Working
MojoPages launched today, combining traditional online yellow pages listings with social media features. - IndustryBrains Continues to Grow Vertically
IndustryBrains has announced partnerships with seven new content publishers in several verticals. - Business.com to Provide WSJ PPC Advertising
Business.com has inked a deal to become the exclusive provider of pay-per-click advertising for the Dow Jones’ Wall Street Journal Online search pages. - Google News isn’t top dog in UK news search, either
Last week, we wrote that Yahoo News and AOL News have larger unique audiences than Google News -- in the US. So, what’s the story in the UK?
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Social Media
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=========================== From the SEW Blog: ===========================
- John McCain and Hillary Clinton post on Yahoo Answers
Before announcing his presidential candidacy yesterday, Republican Senator John McCain asked Yahoo users, “What would you do to stop wasteful government spending in Washington?” - Step Right Up, Start A Community Site
Now anyone can invite their extended neighbors into a closed community and begin making money, right? - Ning Launches Build-Your-Own Social Network Service
The startup has launched a customizable platform that lets users pick and choose elements to add to their hosted social networks. - Sproose to Show 'Subject Expert' Information in Search Results
The personalized social networking search engine plans for "Wiki-style" expert listings to be included in Sproose's search results. - MSN Reporter -- A Digg Competitor from MSN
MSN Reporter, in beta since October 2006, has launched in the Netherlands, Belgium and Norway markets.
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SEM for Small Businesses
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- Citysearch to Acquire Insider Pages
IAC/InterActiveCorp, parent to Ask.com and Citysearch, announced plans to acquire reviews-based local search provider Insider Pages. - The Long Tail of Local Search
In his ClickZ column today, Brian Wool takes a look at how Long Tail economics are affecting local search. - Skype's One-Two Punch
Skype rolled out an updated version which allows users to search for local businesses and call them.
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In-House & Big Brand SEM
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=== SearchDay: Feb. 27, 2007 ===
Should You Bring Search In-House? - Duane Forrester shares his experience and helpful tips when dealing with the decision to bring search marketing efforts in-house is an important topic, requiring serious thought before a decision is made.
=========================== From the SEW Blog: ===========================
- Consumer Mags Are Waking Up
Consumer magazines are finally waking up and extending their brands online.
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SEM Industry Issues
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=========================== From the SEW Blog: ===========================
- SEMPO Board Named
SEMPO has elected a new board of directors for 2007, with eight returning and five new directors. - A Look at Google Censorship
Philipp Lenssen of Google Blogoscoped has compiled the answers to several questions on Google's censorship activities. - EFF Backs Google Trademark Advertising Methods
Google's allowing of advertising on trademarked keywords has received the support of the civil rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation. - Veritas Pays $30 Million To Settle AOL Fraud Case
The SEC will receive $30 million from Veritas to settle the AOL advertising fraud case. AOL paid $200 million in 2005 to settle its part of the case, which found both companies had inflated advertising sales numbers by as much as $20 million.
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Our Search Newsletters & Feeds
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Get the latest news each day, throughout the day, alerts of new discussion threads from our Search Engine Watch Forums and more -- we have a newsletter or feed that covers all of these. See our Search Engine Newsletters & Web Feeds for a full rundown on everything we offer, as well as special buttons to let you subscribe via news readers such as Rojo, My MSN, Bloglines, Feedster, Newsgator, Pluck and My Yahoo. Thanks to FeedBurner for providing our feed tracking and management services!
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About The Search Engine Update
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