Google now offers users suggestions for refining their image search queries, with the "also try" feature that is common to text search. With a search for "Jackson" for example, Google suggests narrowing the results down by trying "Andrew Jackson," or "Jackson guitars." The feature does not come up with every query, as a search for 'granola' just turned up more than 10 pages of results. At this time there's nothing but speculation over how Google chooses which queries trigger the related searches. Blogger Philipp Lenssen poses that the search giant's algorithm checks to see if the keywords used …

According to data from a new CMS Watch report, while Software as a Service (SaaS) vendors are thriving in the delivery of services like email, they're failing at providing efficient, high-quality search for enterprise-level companies. For CMS Watch's 2008 "Enterprise Search Report," the independent research firm evaluated nearly 20 enterprise search offerings and identified industry-wide trends as well as three main reasons for why the SaaS model isn't working for search. One of the reasons is that Google's (and other vendors') push into offering enterprises a "one-size-fits-all" package of hosted services has likely dampened enthusiasm …

Enid Burns has posted charts of the top 10 search terms for 10 categories according to Hitwise, and an analysis of the data reveals what brands, Web properties and activities snagged the most user interest in October. Some of the results were surprising -- for example, in the Broadcast Media category, searches for any variation of NBC's "Hulu" didn't crack the top 10 - despite all the industry and blog buzz about the launch of NBC and Fox's joint online video venture. CNN was the clear leader, with "CNN," "cnn.com" and "CNN news" taking the first, third, and …

One of the reasons Web design and marketing pro Mitch Joel switched to Mozilla's Firefox browser is because of its extensions. He shares a list of seven browser add-ons that he uses daily to help make him a "much more efficient marketer." While Aaron Wall's extensive, go-to add-on "SEO for Firefox" is absolutely on the list, taking a look at Joel's non-search-specific extensions like "Video Downloader" (for grabbing videos from multiple aggregators and sharing sites) and FireFTP (for FTP transfers) might spark ideas

Search marketers can choose to launch new keyword campaigns with low bids, but Joe at Hanapin Marketing advocates "hitting the ground running," and testing these new paid search terms with CPCs "as high as your comfort level (and budget) will allow." While Joe isn't advocating aggressive bidding, he does note that it's easier to deflate a bid than to raise it in the hopes of getting a higher ranking, and that securing a higher position from a campaign's onset helps make the keyword-testing process much faster.

Tom Critchlow provides a detailed road map for SEOs and site owners seeking to pump up the amount of appealing, high-quality content on their site -- and have a bunch of other contributors do it. Critchlow's User-Generated Linkbait (UGL) strategy is rooted in social media, and starts with finding and contributing to a relatively popular forum in your niche. Once you've gained some credibility, post a forum topic that interests you and watch the discussion that unfolds. Wait for the thread to die down a bit, then compile all the best comments and come up with an article for …

Lately off-site SEO tactics like link building and blog commenting have been the talk of the searchosphere, but Miles Price's piece reminds Webmasters that there are a host of on-site practices that can and should be used to improve a page's ranking with the engines. Price is talking about proper use of H1 and H2 texts, Image Alt tags, as well as each page's URL and keyword density (with 8% being the magic number). And while many of his tips seem like SEO fundamentals, sometimes the basics get lost in the midst of new industry developments.

Using Web 2.0 design features like AJAX can make a site stand out and increase usability, but they can also make it much harder for the search engines to crawl and index content. In this Webmaster Central Blog post, Google offers Q&A-style advice for site owners who use JavaScript and AJAX, but still want to make their site crawlable. The tips include embedding real links within the AJAX coding, and making sure that the site also works for browsers that don't have JavaScript turned on (like the ones on mobile devices). While the search giant is …

Yahoo, MSN and Google all offer advanced searching options, giving users multiple ways to filter their queries, and Webmasters a stealthy way to use search terms to uncover how other sites are structured. John Satter posts an extensive list of nearly 60 advanced search query modifiers, most of which are shared by all three engines. The options run the gamut from MSN's "hasfeed," which pulls up documents that are storing RSS or Atom feeds on a site; to "inurl," which returns documents that contain the specific search term in the URL; to the more obscure "rphonebook," which creates …

ENetez has launched a new service aimed at making the search experience "easier than ever before." The engine interface features multiple drop-down bars for options like "country," "state," "category," and "subcategory," removing the task of entering queries in via keyword from the process. According to Bill Hartzer, eNetez's service may eliminate "the need for random Internet searches that may yield millions of unwanted and irrelevant results," since the service has the power to deliver specific, relevant information from a global level, down to granular details about specific U.S. counties. Ron Shur, eNetez.com's founder, notes that "The …