• Customizing Google
    Retro Links, a Greasemonkey script, adds new search options to Google's search results page. The idea was to recreate a feature at the bottom of Google's search page in the early days that offered nine other search engine suggestions if you couldn't find what you were looking for, according to Matt Cutts. "Unlike the original feature, Retro Links lets you select which search engines to show from 42 different Web sites and search engines [and] then saves those preferences," Cutts writes. "It's also very easy to add a new search engine in the JavaScript file." Although not an …
  • AdWords: Diagnose This Keyword
    A new AdWords feature can give you a list of inactive keywords. Amber writes that the tools isn't available to everyone, yet, but should be in the next few weeks. The tool allows you to find all the keywords in your campaign or specific ad groups that don't display ads -- and the reasons why. Amber believes the tool can save you from having to click on each individual keyword ad diagnostic icon to see if that keyword displays ads. The tool also offers options to drill down by domain, geographic address, language or IP address. She also …
  • Log File Analysis 101
    If you don't actively review your log files, you are missing out on valuable data, according to Eric Lander. The post provides step-by-step instructions on analyzing server log files. Some of the reports Lander describes include Google, Yahoo and Microsoft Live Search spidering; stolen content; an extensive list of 400 error codes; and 300 server redirects. While the 404 error is among the most frequent, there are other useful not found errors to note.
  • Debunking More SEO Myths
    True of false: There is some mystical secret formula that SEO professionals use to calculate, analyze and optimize a Web site and/or Web page. Answer: False. James Morris explains most methodologies for analyzing SEO factors are very scientific and based on readily quantifiable data."As changes occur in search engine algorithms, so do these formulas," he writes. Aside from debunking a handful of common SEO myths, Morris provides several "credible resources" for building SEO skills and defining campaigns. He also lists seven missions of a SEO professional. They include determining the client's ideals and goals, and defining the target …
  • 7 Pre-SEO Questions
    Stoney deGeyter helps you control costs and manage ROI when outsourcing SEO projects with seven questions to ask potential SEO partners. Some of the questions, especially those based on pricing, are not easy to answer. The question "How much should a SEO project cost?" is similar to asking "How much should a car cost?" Well, that typically depends on the make, the model and the extra built-in bells and whistles, deGeyter explains. "The answer varies a great deal and there are many factors involved in coming to any conclusions," he writes. "A few things that will be a …
  • What Google Team Is Learning About Twitter
    Better interaction with passionate users, quick communication of issues and bug fixes were among the benefits Google's Blogger team had hoped to gain by launching a page on Twitter. Project Manager Rick Klau details what the team has learned so far. For example, setting up a username makes monitoring buzz on Twitter much easier. "Setting up a persistent query for 'blogger' yielded far too many hits per minute to be worthwhile... weeding through all of them to find the few that were specifically about big-B Blogger would take all day," he writes. "Searching for '@blogger,' by contrast, is …
  • Improving Non-U.S. Search Rankings
    If you offer products and services that appeal to consumers around the globe, here are a few tips for reaching consumers through Google's search engine. Among the factors Victoria Edwards suggests tweaking are the servers that host the site, domain names, links, spelling and language, and the content that provides location information on the company. One point to keep in mind: Don't forget the spelling of keywords can play a major role in who finds your site. Remember that the United Kingdom and the United States have variations in spelling such as "organization" vs. "organisation."
  • Personalizing A Request For Links
    Wiep Knol believes the perfect email template for link requests doesn't exist. While the template he shares includes a place to insert greetings, introduction, explanation of why your Web site is relevant, close and signature, he reminds us that individuals read these letters and every individual is different. Gaining links from another site require you to make a personal connection with the individual who supports the Web site. Cutting corners should not be an option. Spend time cultivating the relationships, he writes. Rather than save time by using templates, Knol suggests other ways to request links, including outsourcing …
  • Optimizing SuperTweets
    If you are frustrated with the character-count limitations on Twitter, read this post by Edward Lewis, who has found a way to increase the number of characters a tweet can hold. While Twitter limits viewable tweet to 140 characters, the maximum is 250, he writes. Lewis spent time experimenting with SuperTweets and the indexing potential. He writes that everyone can see the first 140 characters, so that's where you want to insert the important message. Save the last 110 characters for additional information, "back loading." Lewis steps through the process to disable JavaScript, in order to bypass the …
  • New Insight From Google Insights
    Recently released features in Google's Insights for Search have made the tool more useful for paid and organic search marketers, according to Erica Barth. The new features offer the ability to filter by region and search type, as well as break down the percentage of search volume by category. For instance, iGoogle loyalists can now monitor top and rising searches for specific categories, sub-categories or sub sub-categories from their iGoogle home page, Barth writes.
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