According to Shimon Sandler, trying to use Keyword Discovery or Wordtracker for non-English keyword research is a no-go. He also had no luck using the German version of Google's keyword tool (and suspects that the tool would be similarly ineffective for other non-English campaigns). But through trial and error, Sandler has found some ways to develop a foreign language keyword list. Try using Quantcast's "similar sites" search to find sites like yours (in terms of subject, demographics, etc.) in another language. Then use the Spyfu tool to mine their keyword data. You can also try Yahoo Babelfish for …

Recently, there has been some debate on how well the search industry leverages social media (like discussion boards, communities like Sphinn, etc.) as a platform for learning, discourse and overall communication. Tamar Weinberg hones in on search-focused forums with this post, and the debate over whether "real SEOs" use them. Some argue that "real SEOs don't go to forums," and that in many cases, blogs have taken the place of forums in terms of industry discourse. The crux of the argument is that while forums can serve as a unifier, or place to kick around ideas, they are …

PageRank (PR) sculpting is a relatively new technique in the art of SEO, but the act of using "nofollow" links to distribute "juice" (or PageRank) within a Web site and influence search rankings has already sparked a major discussion. On one side are SEOs who say sculpt away--and do it well. On the other hand are opponents like Adam Audette, who argue that PageRank sculpting should be done sparingly, if at all. Audette's POV is built on a number of factors--the first being that PR is still a gray area when it comes to Web sites. Marketers don't …

Noah Mallin makes the case for giving site visitors a free taste of the "good stuff" that you offer to subscribers at a premium price--whether it's information, Web applications, or even video clips. In addition to getting casual visitors "addicted" to your site (and ultimately converting them into subscribers), you also create a spate of brand evangelizers. Mallin uses three examples of how brands (and bands) have used this free taste to drive traffic and conversions. Radiohead, for example, allowed users to pay however much they wanted for the ordinary "In Rainbows" album, and offered the …

Part of Microsoft's antitrust penance was to allow Internet Explorer users to choose their own default search engine. To the delight of competitors like Google and Yahoo, IE users are asked to make their choice immediately after the software is installed or first launched. But in the latest version of Mozilla Firefox, users don't have that same choice--as Google comes pre-installed as the default. And if users go to the drop-down menu to set another engine as their preference, Live Search is mysteriously absent from the list. "Microsoft is a good search engine that searchers should have access …

Searchers now have easy access to the third-party search applications from Yahoo's Search Monkey, as the Web giant has added a "Customize" drop-down menu to the top of the SERP. Clicking the menu allows users to browse the 39 approved apps, including enhancements for LinkedIn, Yelp, recipe search from Epicurious and IMDB listings. Though his initial experience with the applications was buggy, Josh Catone argues that Search Monkey could be a game-changer, as "it gives web developers the ability to enhance the display of search results without the ability to influence search rankings," he says. "Who better to …

Do you enjoy sifting through spreadsheet upon spreadsheet in search of the top-performing ad group or most cost-effective use of broad matching? If so, you're probably not alone among other SEM geeks, but as Greg Meyers notes, you would likely bury your client with all that data. "If I were a client on the receiving end of a 1-2 hour weekly and/or monthly PPC status call, I would dread it," Meyers says. "Because I would not want to hear the PPC Guru or the Account Manager on the other end telling me every stink'n little change in the …

Hamlet Batista advocates using PPC "guinea pigs" to help identify the best keywords to optimize a site for. "You are finding the best candidates in multiple categories: keywords, ad text, and landing pages," Batista says. "Ad variations will eventually help you title your SEO landing pages and offer meta descriptions that appear in the search results and cause searchers to click on your link." The three-step plan starts with aggregating as many potential keywords as possible. "Set a low budget per day in AdWords so that you don't spend anymore than necessary," Batista says. "Even if it turns out …

Microsoft has scrapped new development on its Live Search Books and Live Search Academic projects. So while the book and academic search data will still be included in core search results, there will be no new indexation or digitization of books and academic research. While the move may benefit Microsoft's bottom line (as the giant will no longer be devoting resources to search verticals that don't show a "high commercial intent"), the Pandia Search team argues that it actually weakens Live Search's future potential. "The scholars and experts belong to the main opinion makers on the Web, …