Search Engine Marketing Blog by FullTraffic

Google and Yahoo Search Ad Deal Canceled

2008-11-05T15:23:12-03:00

Google is ending its search advertising partnership with Yahoo. It was never even implemented. Concerns over antitrust issues rose fast and furious since Google + Yahoo = an enormous chunk of the search ad market.

Groups of advertisers spurred on by Microsoft lobbied the Department of Justice to oppose the deal. But they might have just facilitated the search market going from 5 major engines to 4, providing less competition.

Yahoo is in dire straits and desperately needed this influx of cash. It's looking more and more likely that their stock could drop (fairly or unfairly) to single digits, at which point Microsoft could get a great deal on a company they once offered $31 a share for.

Take that number 4 and reduce it to 3 if a Yahoo-AOL merger occurs before the acquisition.

Both Google and Yahoo are saying that the cancellation of the deal won't affect their commitment to search innovation.

Firefox Reaches 20% Market Share

2008-11-05T15:20:20-03:00

They reached the number for 2 out of 4 weeks in October. For a browser that doesn't come pre-installed on most computers, that's quite impressive.

The new privacy feature is included in a pre-release version of Firefox 3.1. It's called "Private Browsing" and you can turn it on via the Tools tab. When you do, it won't store data such as history, cookies, and cache. But it only prevents such storage for the browsing you do when the feature is turned on. To store that info again, just turn it off.

What Private Browsing does NOT do is keep you anonymous on websites or your ISP. It also is not a security tool to prevent spyware downloads and such.

A good use of the tool is if you're looking online for Christmas gifts but you don't want your husband to find out what you're getting him! (Just make sure to take note of the things you want to remember.)

Marketing & PageRank: New Rules

2008-11-05T15:17:34-03:00

Several of the TopRank Online Marketing team attended a Social Media Breakfast last Friday, along with about 150 local business leaders, code warriors, internet marketers, agency peeps and social media enthusiasts, to hear a presentation by David Meerman Scott, author of "The New Rules of Marketing & PR". TopRank CEO Lee Odden posted a short write up and video interview with Scott as well.

David started his presentation with an impromptu survey, asking the audience to respond with a show of hands to questions like:

How many of you have been to a tradeshow as a participant, not an exhibitor, in the last year? (very few people in the room raised their hands)
How many of you have responded to a Direct Marketing piece in the last year? (very few people in the room raised their hands)
How many of you have seen an advertisement, either magazine or TV, and made a call or purchase based on the advertisement? (again, very few show of hands in an overly packed room)
Now, how many of you have done a search on Google to find answers or information about a product? (almost everyone in the room raised their hands to answer this question)
How many of you have reached out to your network for answers, either by using Facebook, LinkedIn, or other online venues? (about 95% of the room raised their hands)

From traveling around the world and talking to professionals in multiple industries, David gets the same response rate to these same questions. Only 20% of the room responds to the first three questions, while 95% respond to the last two questions, yet companies continue to market via the first three channels (ie: trade shows, direct marketing, and advertising).

The idea of a World Wide Rave, as David presents, is that others will tell your story and share your ideas for you. An example of a brand that is leveraging a creative concept that others have been able to share is the Cadbury Dairy Milk campaign. Cadbury created the Gorilla Drummer video for YouTube, which has seen over 3 Million views to-date. Others have taken this content and made it apart of their own campaign, sharing the Cadbury logo strategically placed at the end of the video.

David shared a quote with the group: To be successful online, "You must unlearn what you have learned." -Yoda

The old rules of Marketing and PR:

Buy your way in with advertising
Beg your way in with PR

The new rule of Marketing and PR:

Publish your way in directly

You have to stop thinking like a marketer, an advertiser and a communicator and start thinking like a publisher. Create information your consumers want, and they will share it, this is the idea behind creating the World Wide Rave content. "On the web, you are what you publish."

The rules of the World Wide Rave:

1. Nobody cares about your products (except you)

There are so many overused words in marketing collateral today. These "gobbledygook" words are used so often that they no longer have meaning. You have to stop creating your own language and use the language your customers are using. David shared the top ten overused words from a recent study:

Next generation
Robust
Flexible
World class
Easy to use
Scalable
Cutting edge
Well positioned
Market leading
Mission critical

2. No coercion required

Viral marketing is getting a bad name. Don't get sucked into the gimmicks (ie: Ad banners stating: You have won $1,000). Because of misleading advertisements, the back button is the 3rd most clicked button online.

3. Lose control (let your customers have control of your content)

Remove the gate and let people have your content without requiring their contact information, and in return people will share your content.

4. Put down roots

Treat bloggers just like mainstream media. Create a connection to share your story.

5. Create triggers that encourage people to share

As an example, Trip Advisor spent two days creating the 'Cities I Visited' application for Facebook. More than 5 Million people use this branded application to share with others the cities they have visited.

6. Point the world to your virtual doorstep

David gave an example of how Stride has leveraged a very simple concept by sponsoring: Where the Hell is Matt? A video created for YouTube, viewed by more than 11 Million people around the world. The campaign received national media coverage and continues to drive visitors to the Stride website.

David wrapped up the presentation stating that sincerity is something that is impossible to fake and hard to come by, but something people respond to. When you develop marketing campaigns, how sincere is your message?

The idea behind the World Wide Rave is to reach buyers directly online. What do you have to lose?

Microsoft's Income Increases by 2%

2008-10-26T13:49:51-03:00

Microsoft announced its earnings for the fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2008. For them, it's the first quarter of their fiscal year, while other companies go with the traditional calendar and call it their third quarter.

Their net income increased by 2%. This was due largely in part to XBox360, a gaming console which recently received a price slash.

It has been widely noted that Microsoft has a bunch of cash on hand, especially since they didn't end up acquiring Yahoo after all (yet). MSFT was up .28 at the time of this post. Though with the markets as volatile as they are, that could change at any minute.

Here's the press release:

Microsoft Reports Record First-Quarter Revenue
Thursday October 23, 4:10 pm ET
Revenue surpasses $15 billion with healthy sales of enterprise software and Xbox 360 consoles

REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. today announced revenue of $15.06 billion for the fiscal quarter ended Sept. 30, 2008, a 9% increase over the same period of the prior year. Operating income, net income and diluted earnings per share for the quarter were $6.00 billion, $4.37 billion and $0.48, respectively.

Microsoft showed particular strength in multiyear annuity sales, which grew more than 20% during the quarter from the combined businesses of Client, Microsoft Business Division and Server and Tools.

"Our customers are asking how they can save money and do more with less," said Kevin Turner, chief operating officer at Microsoft. "Microsoft is uniquely positioned to help our customers save money through supplier consolidation, increased productivity, and a low total cost of ownership through the depth and breadth of our product portfolio and solutions."

Microsoft continued to add to its product and services portfolio with innovative offerings such as Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 and the first service update to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.

"In a challenging economic environment, the first-quarter results exhibit the strength and diversity of our business model," said Chris Liddell, chief financial officer of Microsoft.

Business Outlook

Microsoft's business outlook reflects a balance of risks and the likelihood of a continued economic slowdown. The trends seen late in the first-quarter are now forecasted to continue, whereas previous expectations were for the economy to improve in the second half of the fiscal year. In this economic environment, the company is focused on three main actions; working with customers to provide high value products at the lowest total overall cost of ownership, increasing focus on expense management and targeting investment into the highest priority strategic opportunities.

Microsoft management offers the following guidance for the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2008:
-- Revenue is expected to be in the range of $17.3 billion to $17.8 billion.
-- Operating income is expected to be in the range of $6.1 billion to $6.4 billion.
-- Diluted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $0.51 to $0.53.

Management offers the following guidance for the full fiscal year ending June 30, 2009:
-- Revenue is expected to be in the range of $64.9 billion to $66.4 billion.
-- Operating income is expected to be in the range of $24.4 billion to $25.5 billion.
-- Diluted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $2.00 to $2.10.

Liddell noted that "we feel extremely good about our relative competitive position and our ability to continue outgrowing IT spend. We believe our exceptionally strong cash flow, product pipeline and financial strength will allow us to weather economic conditions well."

Webcast Details

Microsoft will hold an audio webcast at 2:30 p.m. PDT (5:30 p.m. EDT) today with Chris Liddell, senior vice president and chief financial officer, Frank Brod, corporate vice president and chief accounting officer, and Bill Koefoed, general manager of Investor Relations, to discuss details of the company's performance for the quarter and certain forward-looking information. The webcast will be available for replay through the close of business on Oct. 23, 2009.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - News) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this release that are "forward-looking statements" are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors such as:

-- challenges to Microsoft's business model;
-- intense competition in all of Microsoft's markets;
-- Microsoft's continued ability to protect its intellectual property rights;
-- claims that Microsoft has infringed the intellectual property rights of others;
-- the possibility of unauthorized disclosure of significant portions of Microsoft's source code;
-- actual or perceived security vulnerabilities in Microsoft products that could reduce revenue or lead to liability;
-- government litigation and regulation affecting how Microsoft designs and markets its products;
-- Microsoft's ability to attract and retain talented employees;
-- delays in product development and related product release schedules;
-- significant business investments that may not gain customer acceptance and produce offsetting increases in revenue;
-- changes in general economic conditions that affect our investment portfolio or demand for computer hardware or software;
-- adverse results in legal disputes;
-- unanticipated tax liabilities;
-- quality or supply problems in Microsoft's consumer hardware or other vertically integrated hardware and software products;
-- impairment of goodwill or amortizable intangible assets causing a charge to earnings;
-- exposure to increased economic and regulatory uncertainties from operating a global business;
-- geopolitical conditions, natural disaster, cyberattack or other catastrophic events disrupting Microsoft's business;
-- acquisitions and joint ventures that adversely affect the business;
-- improper disclosure of personal data could result in liability and harm to Microsoft's reputation;
-- outages and disruptions of online services if Microsoft fails to maintain an adequate operations infrastructure;
-- sales channel disruption, such as the bankruptcy of a major distributor; and
-- Microsoft's ability to implement operating cost structures that align with revenue growth.

For further information regarding risks and uncertainties associated with Microsoft's business, please refer to the "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Risk Factors" sections of Microsoft's SEC filings, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, copies of which may be obtained by contacting Microsoft's Investor Relations department at (800) 285-7772 or at Microsoft's Investor Relations Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/msft.

All information in this release is as of Oct. 23, 2008. The company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the company's expectations.

Microsoft Corporation
Income Statements (In millions, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
September 30,
2008 2007

Revenue $15,061 $13,762
Operating expenses: Cost of revenue 2,848 2,675
Research and development 2,283 1,837
Sales and marketing 3,044 2,683
General and administrative 887 718
Total operating expenses 9,062 7,913
Operating income 5,999 5,849
Other income (expense) (8) 367
Income before income taxes 5,991 6,216
Provision for income taxes 1,618 1,927
Net income $4,373 $4,289

Earnings per share:
Basic $0.48 $0.46
Diluted $0.48 $0.45

Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic 9,084 9,380
Diluted 9,183 9,513

Cash dividends declared per common share $0.13 $0.11

Microsoft Corporation
Balance Sheets
(In millions)

September 30, June 30,
2008 2008 (1)
(Unaudited)

Assets
Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $9,004 $10,339
Short-term investments (including securities pledged as collateral of $1,011 and $2,491) 11,718 13,323
Total cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments 20,722 23,662
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $168 and $153 9,535 13,589
Inventories 1,640 985
Deferred income taxes 1,974 2,017
Other 3,331 2,989
Total current assets 37,202 43,242
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $6,622 and $6,302 6,552 6,242
Equity and other investments 4,381 6,588
Goodwill 12,291 12,108
Intangible assets, net 1,899 1,973
Deferred income taxes 1,041 949
Other long-term assets 1,751 1,691
Total assets $65,117 $72,793

Liabilities and stockholders' equity Current liabilities:
Accounts payable $3,351 $4,034
Short-term debt 1,975 - Accrued compensation 2,138 2,934
Income taxes 514 3,248
Short-term unearned revenue 11,815 13,397
Securities lending payable 1,070 2,614
Other 3,520 3,659
Total current liabilities 24,383 29,886
Long-term unearned revenue 1,662 1,900
Other long-term liabilities 5,478 4,721
Commitments and contingencies Stockholders' equity:
Common stock and paid-in capital - shares authorized 24,000; outstanding 8,977 and 9,151 61,655 62,849
Retained deficit, including accumulated other comprehensive income of $877 and $1,140 (28,061) (26,563)
Total stockholders' equity 33,594 36,286
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $65,117 $72,793

(1) Derived from audited financial statements

Microsoft Corporation
Cash Flows Statements
(In millions)
(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended September 30, 2008 2007
Operations Net income $4,373 $4,289
Depreciation, amortization, and other noncash items 585 435
Stock-based compensation expense 443 333
Net recognized losses (gains) on investments and derivatives 36 (187)
Excess tax benefits from stock- based payment arrangements (44) (69)
Deferred income taxes 376 357
Unearned revenue 4,186 3,821
Recognition of unearned revenue (6,044) (4,965)
Accounts receivable 3,985 2,806
Other current assets (558) (235)
Other long-term assets (116) (11)
Other current liabilities (4,552) (1,189)
Other long-term liabilities 700 493
Net cash from operations 3,370 5,878
Financing Proceeds from short-term debt 1,975 - Common stock issued 228 646
Common stock repurchased (6,493) (2,930)
Common stock cash dividends (998) (938)
Excess tax benefits from stock- based payment arrangements 44 69
Net cash used in financing (5,244) (3,153)
Investing Additions to property and equipment (778) (510)
Acquisition of companies, net of cash acquired (377) (5,396)
Purchases of investments (4,246) (5,997)
Maturities of investments 464 330
Sales of investments 7,075 9,120
Securities lending payable (1,543) 196
Net cash from (used in) investing 595 (2,257)
Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents (56) 58
Net change in cash and cash equivalents (1,335) 526
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 10,339 6,111
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $9,004 $6,637

Microsoft Corporation
Segment Revenue and Operating Income (Loss)
(In millions)
(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended September 30, 2008 2007
Revenue Client $4,218 $4,139
Server and Tools 3,406 2,900
Online Services Business 770 671
Microsoft Business Division 4,949 4,117
Entertainment and Devices Division 1,814 1,929
Unallocated and other (96) 6
Consolidated $15,061 $13,762

Operating Income (Loss)
Client $3,267 $3,388
Server and Tools 1,151 959
Online Services Business (480) (267)
Microsoft Business Division 3,311 2,700
Entertainment and Devices Division 178 167
Corporate-level activity (1,428) (1,098)
Consolidated $5,999 $5,849

Source: Microsoft Corp.

100% Ads Revenues for Users in Stumpedia

2008-10-20T12:23:08-03:00

Knol is getting now its direct competition: content creators are now allowed to publish authoritative articles about a specific topic and earn 100% of the advertising revenue, if they do it with StumpediaArticles.

This is an innovative initiative, since most of the online publishers share the ads revenue with the creators. In this case, Stumpedia give to the user total control and management of his ads.

However, the idea seems to lack some important points. How can a regular user manage his ads? Why should do it? And if so, how can he know about the community preferences? These are issues that professional publishers can manage, being more difficult for the users.

Anyway, it could be good to try it and see the results. Any of you have already done it?

Compare your Blog to your Competitors with Review My Web

2008-10-20T12:18:50-03:00

Do you want to compare your website with your competitors? There is a new online tool that allows this: Review My Web. As in other online comparison tools, you enter your site's URL, your competitors' URLs and your email address. You won't get the result in the same search, but you will get an email with a link to your report.

Each website is ranked in 4 areas:

Competitive Traffic Rankings
Search Engine (SEO) Competitive Analysis
Competitive Site Analytics
Social Media Analysis

In each area you get a rating out of 5. At the top of the report you get an overall rating and at the bottom of it you get a 'ReviewMyWeb Detailed Report'.

Now you can go and try it. It may not be the best one, but it is a helpful tool if you want to add comparative tools to understand your site or blog position.

Yahoo! Adds Local Business to Enhanced Search Results Through its SearchMonkey Program

2008-10-20T12:13:59-03:00

Local business content has been added to CitySearch and Zagat through the application of SearchMonkey program. This means local business content is enhanced in search results and users won’t have to opt-in because it's now turned on by default, as announced by Yahoo.

Other applications that have now enhanced listings for all users are Yahoo! Local and Yelp, as it was announced.

By this enhancement, users have access to a picture of the business, its working hours, reviews, ratings, service categories, and address and phone number.

But it depends on how the provider created its SearchMonkey application to see different details. For example, Yahoo Local includes links to Maps/Directions, Reviews, and a "Send to Friend" link. CitySearch shows business hours, while Yahoo Local doesn't.

Now imagine how productive could this advantage be for local businesses. They can take advantage of the program through different ways, such as be visible in the lists, show their details or even enhance their relationship with the customers and their fidelity, by encouraging them to leave ratings and reviews on these sites.

In an earlier announcement about SearchMonkey applications, Yahoo said their internal tests showed an increase in click-through rate of as much as 15 percent.

In addition to these on-by-default applications, users can visit the Yahoo Search Gallery to install other SearchMonkey applications.

ChunkIt and See It: A New Useful Search Toolbar

2008-10-13T11:53:38-03:00

TigerLogic has launched ChunkIt, an innovative toolbar that may allow users to simplify their search process.

As they explain at their site:

Discover an innovative new way to surf Google and the Web. With a single click, ChunkIt! searches the contents hidden behind the links on any Web page to extract the valuable "chunks" of information that really matter

The toolbar searches on the big five search engines and displays results it in a new way. You will see results on the right and their textual content on the left.

Then you can click on a paragraph on the left and the paragraph will be highlighted; then, the full page will be loaded on the right side.

Here you've got a promotional and explaining video of the service we found in YouTube:

Edit your Search Results with URank

2008-10-13T11:48:51-03:00

Microsoft has launched U Rank, a beta that allows users to edit results, as well as share them with friends and add comments to listings.

In order to be active, you have to register using a Windows Live ID. Once you are in and make a search, you may want to focus on what shows up on the right:

These options that allow you to:

Move an item up or down.
Copy an item to another search.
Add a note to any item.
Delete a result.

Edits that you do then are recorded and appear the next time you do a search. If, for example, you move a result higher, you'll see it higher next time you search. But then you will see also a little flag indicating you did an edit.

Sharing of searches is on by default, so you will share any search you do with those you friend on the service. Of course this is a tool that allows Microsoft to turn U Rank an actual social search site.

Friends are able to move results that influence what you see, so you will see their edits in your own results. Moreover, you can see what others are searching if you use a tag cloud.

The question now is if Microsoft will put it on Live Search or not. According to Microsoft's email about that:

Live Search has absolutely no intention of implementing this... The goal of the research project is to learn more about "how" people use search technologies, like whether they take advantage of the ability to edit search results and how they share the results over time with friends and family

Just let's wait how this actually develops...

First Images from GeoEye-1

2008-10-13T11:40:55-03:00

One month ago we announced the GeoEye satellite that will eventually provide better quality images to Google Earth and Google Maps.

Now first images are arriving. As a preview of the new quality, you can see the example GeoEye has released:

According to GeoEye, this is the first image taken by GeoEye-1 - a picture of Kutztown University, Pennsylvania. When was it collected? On October 7, 2008, from 423 miles in space.

As you may remember from the previous post, GeoEye-1 can take pictures at a resolution of up to 41 centimeters, but due to federal law in the United States, Google will "only" get images that have a 50-centimeter resolution.

Anyway, these will still be the best resolution images ever. According to the unofficial Google Earth Blog, Google's agreement with GeoEye will replace a contract with DigitalGlobe for mapping imagery, and Microsoft will get satellite images from that firm, as announced this week.

No more Directory Submission to rank at Google

2008-10-03T13:39:38-03:00

Google's suggestions for webmaster must be seriously considered for page ranking. In this case, the last suggestion looks like the end of an era and the beginning of a new one: Google's Webmaster Guidelines Help Center has removes two central suggestions related to directory submission:

"Have other relevant sites link to yours."
"Submit your site to relevant directories such as the Open Directory Project and Yahoo!, as well as to other industry-specific expert sites."

Remember when Google has condemned buying and selling links that pass PageRank? Remember when Google encouraged listing in paid directories like Yahoo? This reality dominated the Internet for years, but now it seems it will collapse.

Now we have to wait to see if this recent move reflect a renewed emphasis on rooting out paid links passing PageRank and/or low quality links by Google.

You can see the previous "state of the things" in the older version of the Google Guidelines.

And these are the new guidelines.

Google Becomes Mobile and Localized with Search with My Location

2008-10-03T13:34:01-03:00

If you have ads in your blog or your website, there is a chance that it will be even more efficient in the near future, since Google has developed Search with My Location.

Basically, this new tool enables to more physical localized results show up, depending on the location of the browsing user, thus making the advertising more localized and mobile. Or, as explained by the Internet giant in GoogleMobile blog:

"Now, using the Gears Geolocation API, Search with My Location approximates your actual location using the same Cell ID technology used by Google maps for mobile".

Once upon I time there was a Google's mobile search results showed up based on the last location entered into the search engine. Now, if a user is standing on another part of the citiy or anywhere, when searching with his smartphone Google will return results catered to where he is exactly standing.

This also has an advantage in the advertising market, because while Google is becoming more and more localized, it can't be long until advertisers start to pay to the search engine so their results so their results appear on the top of the list for a specific zipcode. Remember that Google is intuiting a user's zip code when they search for things like "beer", "weather", "sushi" or "gym".

SEO: Beware the Traps!

2008-10-03T13:30:39-03:00

SEO is a main attitude webmasters or site owners must consider if they want to be tracked by the search engines. Sometimes, little or no knowledge on this issue leads to some mistakes which make SEO much more difficult in the long run. It a matter of care, since SEO is not just do the right things, but also to avoid the pitfalls.

Photo from: http://flickr.com/photos/jbat/2812275801/

No Search Engine Friendly Content

This is the first general mistake. If you want to build a new website, think its content must be indexable for the search engine. For example, images can be indexed and even ranked, but they must shown up with an important quantity of text aside in order to gain good Rankings and drive reasonable levels of search engine traffic.

Improper Keywords

Many sites with high quality content fall in this trap. Webmasters should know that not all the available keywords are relevant, since while they can be useful, they can also be inserted in a highly competitive keywords market. You can't assume your intuition is the best tool; by doing a good keyword research you can find out a "keyword niche" with less competitive but well searched keywords.

Failing To Update A Site And Its SEO

Keywords change over the time. They are in a highly dynamic ocean, filled with new products, news and seasonality, all impacting on the trend. SEO must be a permanent and fluid process, which includes following the trend. If you do not do it, you are out. Consider that some changes are short lived, but some can reveal a trend. So stay tuned to changes and keep doing regular keywords researches.

As a general conclusion, remember you should not only follow the guidelines but also avoid mistakes in order to do a good SEO!

Twitter Gain Importance in Your SEO

2008-09-26T13:21:44-03:00

Twitter has launched an Election2008 bar in its site, which leads to ElectionTwitter, a sub-domain where you can find Twitter Search tweet results appearing for the election term of your choice.

Twitter has this statement posted on the page:

The importance of this bar does not lie on the issue, but on the results it might have: it will get mainstream media attention and with it a jump in Twitter use. This means that if you are now posting about USA 2008 Presidential Election you will get attention, but more important, you will stay tuned to future topics that Twitter will package up, so that you can optimize your SEO.

In the case that Twitter creates a whole news site with all of the hot topics, this jump will be even stronger and higher. It could also be a great idea to Twitter to integrate its search box into the primary Twitter page.

Google Book Search in Your Site

2008-09-26T13:15:38-03:00

Google has launched a new tool that allows publishers embed its Book Search results in their sites.

This will allow readers to easier find books they are interested in and publishers to promote theirs. The new tool brings all Google Book Search usages into the site, which make easier to the readers to decide if they want a book or not, since they can preview it as they would do in store.

This is how Google presented the tool:

"We're launching a set of free tools that allow retailers, publishers, and anyone with a web site to embed books from the Google Book Search index. We are also providing new ways for these sites to display full-text search results from Book Search, and even integrate with social features such as ratings, reviews, and readers' book collections. By providing tools that help sites connect readers with books in new and interesting ways, we hope publishers and authors will find even wider audiences for their works".

Who's using the Book Search APIs?

Arcadia Publishing
Livraria Cultura
WorldCat
aNobi
alBooks
Apress
Blackwell
bookjetty
BookRabbit
The University of California
Goodreads
Stanford University Press
The Book Depository

So how do you embed the Books Search?

Plug in the book ISBN, along with the size you need, and the system generates four lines of code, which you embed in your post or blog or website. That's it.

A more exhaustive explanation of how the tool works can be found in the Google Book Search Blog.

The Uncertain and Flexible Policy of the Ads Regulator

2008-09-26T12:45:06-03:00

Although many of the online publishers use automated systems to choose which ads to embed in their sites, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) thinks that they bear responsibility on the ads that actually appear alongside their content. However, it might be flexible when analyzing certain polemic cases, giving the publishers an interesting margin of action.

The ads regulator has said that the publishers must take responsibility for the ads that are shown in their sites, even if they use systems like AdSense or Yahooh!'s Publisher Network.

The problem is that some ads may offend some readers, precisely because those systems are automatic. This means that an article about sexual health might be accompanied by sex-related products, since the words inside the article might trigger those adverts.

For the ASA, it is of no importance how the ad was chosen. "If ads are generated automatically there should be checks in place, people need to be responsible for the ads they show and they need to meet the requirements of the Code," an ASA spokesman said to the site Out-Law.

However, one case seams to contradict this position. An article about former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's resignation, published by The Guardian, appeared with an attached ad of "Pakistan Girls in Photos at Great Prices", which generated a complaint of a reader, who considered it inappropriate and tasteless.

This is how the ad appeared:

"Our Codes can only be applied to the content of the ad itself and not to the decision to show it", answered ASA to the complaint, explaining that it "can't intervene simply because the automatic search displays a particular ad".

The explanation lies on the fact that although the publisher was responsible for the ad, the editorial context finally defines the ASA's adjudication of the issue.

"The context is key – we take into account taste and decency and do regulate the content of ads and will take the context into account," said the spokesman to the site. "If ads for a sex site appeared in the context of a story on child abuse then it would be a breach of the Code, but then some ads might be inappropriate in any context. It is to be decided on a case by case basis", he added.

Besides, Google says that publishers do have control over the ads, and that that lets them stop particular ones to be published. In addition, Google itself carries out some work to avoid insensitive matches.

"Google automatically uses technology to stop ads appearing around sensitive issues", said a spokesman to the site, and added that technology recognizes sensitive topics and does not serve ads which might seem insensitive. This is done in an 'Ad Review Center' of AdSense, which can block individual ad groups and advertisers, as well as filter ads by type: text or image.

Google Ad Placement At The Bottom

2008-09-17T13:35:50-03:00

Google ad placements is appearing at the bottom of the page, which is a signal that Google is testing their performance.

Ad placements do not appear at the top. Now, there will be seen how this one weighs out, and if they institute this across the board.

Here is a screen cast:

10 Useful Tools for SEO

2008-09-17T13:32:09-03:00

Did you think that SEO depended ONLY in your content generation? Well, here you have a list of 10 useful tools that will let you know that there is a universe of actions you can take in order to make your SEO more efficient.

Search Status

Semantic Data Extraction. Know exactly how well the search engines really know your site.

SEO Book Keyword Research. Another tool for keyword research.

SEO for Firefox. A plugin that reveals all kinds of stats about a page in search results.

SEO Link Analysis. This tool lets you know this data so that you can use it properly.

Site Link Analyzer. You can check out your internal and external links’ anchor text.

Technorati Reactions. Lets you know how many people "reacted" to your blog.

Text Analysis. Are you sure you are being understood by the search engines?

Trifecta Score.

Google Chrome: The New Vulnerable Browser

2008-09-07T15:04:53-03:00

Google has launched last week Chrome, it's new browser, and hundreds of posts have been written since then worldwide.

It seems that the idea of downloading a new browser the moment it is launched is not the best one for those who need the Internet to work – bugs are everywhere. It happened with Mozilla Firefox 3 and it is happening with Chrome. This time, however, it is much more massive, because of the huge impact of Google on everything related to the web.

So, what's the first conclusions of the Chrome's launching? That it has important vulnerabilities. The great majority of the posts talk about them, especially about the security vulnerabilities.

As posted by ZDNet, we can concentrate on trying to understand what these bugs are about.

Vulnerability researcher Robert 'RSnake' Hansen about Google's decision to build its own browser:

"If you build a browser in isolation, you don't get the benefits and knowledge of the smart people who have come before you. Yes, Google's browser is open source, like Firefox. But even Firefox came from Netscape, which had tons of background in the browser world, and Mozilla, too, has learned from a mistake or two. It is easy to call into question Google's ability to build a safe browser given its rather poor track record in other areas of security. And no, you shouldn't download it — not if you care about your security. So, like cryptography, you shouldn't build a browser unless you really, really know what you're doing".

ModSecurity's Ivan Ristic has a different reaction to the news of Google Chrome security hiccups:

“The whole point of having a public beta release is expose a product to a wide audience and deal with the discovered problems prior to a stable release. The existence of security issues in Chrome is in line with our current inability to develop software free from security issues. Thus, people should not be distracted by the small problems that are now discovered. We should be looking at the big picture instead. Chrome is a browser that's been designed from the ground up with security in mind. That's bound to have a positive impact. We'll know more about the impact once the details of its architecture surface”.

Ristic however called on Google to stop abusing the "beta" tag because it unacceptably blurs the line between beta and stable. "How else are users going to be able to judge what is acceptable for production use and what isn't?".

And this is Google's answer to the problems:

"We became aware of this vulnerability last night and began working on a fix immediately. We expect to release the fix soon through an automated update to the browser, so users will not have to take any action to be protected. As always, Google asks researchers to practice responsible disclosure, so potential vulnerabilities can be evaluated and fixed before they become public and before users are subjected to unnecessary risk. Security bugs for Google Chrome can be filed at code.google.com/p/chromium."

Google Significantly Raises The Resolution Of Its Maps and Earth Images

2008-09-07T14:54:07-03:00

Google will start receiving exclusive satellite images from GeoEye, which will bring higher resolution to Google Maps and Google Earth images.

Google has reached a deal with GeoEye, according to a report from news agency Reuters. GeoEye planned to launch a $502 million satellite on last Sep. 4, but it finally delayed it to last Saturday, Sep. 6. Google will begin receiving the images after 45 to 60 days.

Google's logo was embedded on the Delta II rocket that propelled the new satellite, although the company did not have any direct or indirect financial interest in GeoEye, according to GeoEye vice president of corporate communications and marketing Mark Brender.

Brender said that "Google is interested in collecting the highest quality satellite imagery available and as a Google Mapssymbol of this commitment has agreed to put the company logo on the first stage of our launch vehicle.

Despite the technological possibilities of the deal, Google will be limited by governmental policy to showing a maximum resolution of half-meter -or about 19 inch-images.

"The combination of GeoEye's high-resolution, map-accurate satellite imagery from GeoEye-1 and Google's search and display capabilities provides users with access to rich, interactive visual image maps of the Earth", Google's spokeswoman Kate Hurowitz said.

She added: "It is our goal to display high-resolution imagery for as much of the world as possible, and GeoEye-1 will help further that SearchEngineWorldgoal".

Images from the satellite, which will orbit some 423 miles above the earth, are expected to replace images Google has used from an earlier GeoEye orbiter called IKONOS. Google also uses satellite images from Digital Globe, one of GeoEye's rivals.

How to Calculate PPC Bids

2008-09-07T14:46:30-03:00

PPC is one of the main ways some of you capitalize your increasing traffic. But, don't you feel sometimes that you overbid or underbid in some terms? What is the best way to calculate PPC bids?

If you are wondering that, then here is a 3 minute video that can help you clear your doubts:

So now you know:

Predict the sales from each click on a given term,
Determine what fraction of sales you want to invest in advertising,
Multiply those together.

But remember: stay focused on step 1, which determine all the others.

Internet Summit 08: Registration Opened

2008-09-01T01:13:45-03:00

If you are one of those who like to get offline in order to acquire more knowledge about what happens online, we have a good new for you: Internet Summit 08 registration is underway.

The event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Wednesday, November 19, 2008.

This conference is built to promote thought leadership on topics related to the Internet economy and Web oriented technologies, and will be the first event of its kind to be held in the Southeast region of the U.S. It will be limited to 600 attendees, and you can register on the summit site.

The main issues that panelists will talk about are: search engine optimization, Internet entrepreneurship, social networks, search engine marketing, online advertising, online reputation management, blogs, the mobile web, software as a service, e-commerce, email marketing and Internet security.

Here is a list of some of the panelists who will increase our knowledge:

Bob Young - Founder & CEO, Lulu.com; Co-founder, Red Hat
Divya Narendra, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss - Founders of ConnectU.com, the idea behind Facebook
David Churbuck - VP of Global Web Marketing, Lenovo
Cliff Reeves - Emerging Business Team, Microsoft
Andy Beal - Founder, Trackur/Internet Marketing Pilgrim Blog
Brad Hill - Director, Weblogs - A division of AOL
Jordan Glogau - Search Marketing Director, 1-800-Flowers.com
Mark Rostick - Managing Director, Intel Capital
Scot Wingo - President & CEO, ChannelAdvisor
Reggie Bradford - Founder & CEO, Vitrue
Jud Bowman - President & CEO, PocketGear
Stephen Wiehe - President and CEO, SciQuest
Brian Handly - Sr VP, Atlas/Microsoft Advertising
Michael Cristinziano - VP Strategic Development, Citrix Systems
Duke Chung - CEO & President, Parature
Ryan Allis - CEO & Co-founder, iContact
Jason Caplain - General Partner, Southern Capitol Ventures
Ben Weinberger - CEO, Digitalsmiths Corporation
Igor Jablokov - CEO & Co-founder, Yap
Troy McConnell - President & COO, Batanga
Joan Siefert Rose - President, Council for Entrepreneurial Development
Greg Foster - Noro-Moseley Partners
Lee Prevost - President & Founder, SchoolDude.com
Travis Janovich - CEO, eTix
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. - President and CEO, RushmoreDrive
Mike Doernberg - CEO, Reverb Nation
Jason Trevisan - Polaris Ventures
Scott W. Devitt - Managing Director, Stifel Nicolaus
Brooks Bell - President, Brooks Bell Interactive
Jim Tobin - President, Ignite Social Media
Keith Moore - VP and General Manager, LendingTree

IE8 is Coming to Fight Against Mozilla Firefox

2008-09-01T00:56:31-03:00

Internet Explorer wants revenge from Mozilla Firefox. That big relatively new browser won a huge amount from previous Microsoft's browser, and now the latter wants to update in order to recover, if possible, at least some of those users.

Microsoft has announced that the Beta 2 version of the Explorer is now available for download. This new version, called IE8, will ship with a clone of the Firefox (which is in its 3rd version) integrated search bar to search for previously searched for phrases, however, unlike the Mozilla offering, these searches are not stored in an integrated database, but in 'windows desktop search'.

This is one of the new features IE8 is offering with the new version. Another one is an enhanced security browsing mode which will automatically scrub search history, cookies and browser cache at the end of a session. However, it does not integrate a full on proxy mode, which could have coaxed hackers out there away from Linux based browsers.

In addition, IE8 apparently carries enhanced security including protection from some cross-site scripting attacks and anti-malware.

Although Firefoxmany is on the top and rise, it is important to know what Microsoft is offering to the market, especially when we know that 50% of Internet users still work on Explorer.

Microsoft to Acquire European Price Comparison Ciao

2008-09-01T00:51:41-03:00

Microsoft's strategy of focusing on and enhancing the building up focused areas of search will reach another high point soon. The company has reached an agreement to acquire Greenfield Online, the owner of Ciao, a European price comparison and shopping site.

Ciao says it has a very strong of users: 26.5 million unique visitors per month across seven countries. This users not only compare prices but they can also read consumer reviews and ratings. More than 5 million product reviews have been generated so far.

This year Microsoft has acquired also Farecast, FAST and Powerset, as search-related sites in its portfolio.

John Mangelaars, vice president of Consumer and Online, Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: "Ciao's success has been led by a team of talented people who took a unique combination of intuitive technology and the insight that comes out of their passionate consumer community to become one of Europe's leading shopping comparison sites".

"This makes the company a fantastic asset to the future of our search offer. Integrating Ciao's capabilities into Live Search will provide a strong launchpad for our commercial search offer in Europe and enhance our e-commerce offering on MSN", added.

The Importance Of Getting a Good Position on Google

2008-08-25T08:00:30-03:00

Google top 10 ranking is tied to keywords, so there are no clear cut answers. Suppose you rank in top 10 for some of keywords. Does it mean that you will rank good for all the words? Of course not, so the question really lies in the niche keywords, that means keywords are those keywords which are searched quite often.

Take the example of keyword 'download' which is one of the most searched keyword on Internet. On average 'download' keyword attracts millions of searches in a month, not only in Google but also in Yahoo and MSN.

If you rank on number 1 on Google for 'download' keyword then you are guaranteed to get at least hundreds of thousands hits per day. So it is a matter of fact that being on No. 1 on Google can attract a lot more traffic for niche keywords than what you could get by any other way of Internet marketing, online advertisement or web promotion on print media advertisement.

As you already have thought, getting into Google top 10 for niche keywords and retaining this position is quite difficult. But doesn't it worth. Think a minute about the trend: the Internet is becoming the dominant advertising platform and in some countries, such as UK, it has already surpassed traditional advertising methods.

However, converting the hits into sales is another challenge. Irrelevant content or a poorly designed website distract visitors and thus draining all your effort in Search Engine Optimization.

The best way to increase your popularity is to strongly combine a good rank on Google Top 10 Ranking, good web design, well organized layout, web promotion and relevant content.