• Updating MozBar For Chrome
    Apparently, SEOmoz engineers have been hard at work. Karen Semyan tells us about updating the MozBar for Chrome. The tool allows search marketers to research sites in the Chrome browser. The tools have been redesigned for better integration with the Chrome user interface; more highlight options available for links and keywords; the ability to define custom searches by search engine, country, and region or city; and more. Marketers can expect nearly a dozen enhancements.
  • Optimizing YouTube Videos
    Harrison Jones tells us that YouTube allows for one followable link on the channel page. While that link holds a "very high link value," there are a few non-followable links that contribute to the video's optimization. Jones explains the importance of video optimization, along with the proper method to tag and promote videos.
  • Google Nixes Third-Party Places Reviews -- What Now?
    Rand Fishkin provides options for discovering local citations after Google removed third-party reviews and listings from Places pages in the Local/Maps results. Fishkin explains what prompted the action, notes that the companies claimed unfair practices, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, and provides details on a workaround. Some of the tips include performing competitive research using Google's standard results, and methods to query multiple businesses simultaneously.
  • Google+ Account Pink Slips
    Google has responded to the recent wave of Google+ account suspensions intended to enforce the company's common name policy outlined in section 13 of the company's User Content and Conduct Policy. Last weekend the company began enforcing the policy, deleting a large number of Google+ accounts. Ben Parr points to Google executives' admitted mistakes "with its first attempt at cracking down on fake profiles."
  • Microsoft, Yahoo Search Partnership Lacks Something
    The Microhoo search alliance isn't working. That's according to Matt Rosoff, who notes that Yahoo's search revenue declined 15% in Q2 -- the most recent quarter -- compared with the prior year. Revenue per search hasn't panned out to meet expectations for either company. There are several reasons why -- including that many searches do not serve up ads because adCenter can't match them properly. That's not a click problem, but rather a platform issue.
  • A Possible Ad Model For Google+
    Little known to those of us in the United States, Google has a series of social Q&A sites code named Confucius in more than 68 countries. Within those sites are some hints about how content submitted to Google+ may rank in Google Web search. This also highlights a possible advertising model for Google Plus detailed in a Best Paper nominee at the World Wide Web Conference in North Carolina last year. The patent filing was published at the World Intellectual Property Organization Web site rather than with the U.S. patent office, and the authors of the patent --from Google China …
  • Call Metrics For Paid Search
    Call tracking could become the newest metric to measure the success of a paid-search campaign. Jonathan Allen explains that unique numbers track every call by forwarding the consumer on a toll-free line to the business running the ad. The service launched last year, but Google recently renamed and enhanced it, and rolled the service out to all advertisers across the U.S. and Canada. Allen outlines the features of the new service, such as a new type of pricing for certain calls.
  • When Paid Eats Organic Search
    How does paid search influence organic clicks on Web sites? Chris Crum points to a post on Google's research blog explaining stats from the company's quantitative management team, which suggest traffic is generated by search ads and organic clicks. Does this mean marketers should spend more of their company's budget with Google? Crum links to the Google report explaining the methodology, the statistical analysis, and the best times to take advantage of search advertising.
  • Google Patent To Rank Queries Based On User Data
    A new patent filing from Google explains some shortcomings of PageRank and scoring approaches that the engine has used in the past. Looking for a possible connection, Bill Slawski tells us the patent was filed on Feb. 24, 2011, the same date the first Google Panda update went into effect. The patent describes an example of how user-based data might be used to rank search results. Since the patent provides details of how usage information scores might be calculated, Slawski is able to tell us how it works.
  • When Social Drives Authority
    It takes more than skillful link-building and clever keyword integration to move Web sites and pages to the top spot of the first page in search engine results. Aside from traditional SEO techniques, what type of skills do marketers need? Nick Jones tells us, providing guidance for Twitter tweets, real-time search, and experimentation.
« Previous EntriesNext Entries »