Search Engine Watch Blog

Thousands Turn Out for NACA's Save the Dream Event in Cleveland

Greg Jarboe — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 11:06:11 -0500

Back on July 3, I posted "Search and Community Track at SES San Jose: NACA's Save The Dream Tour." The story resonated with many of the readers of this Search Marketing News Blog, because it generated 75 tweets over the following 24 hours.

Well, I want to update you on the story as it unfolds. As Jeff Maynor of WKYC-TV, Channel 3 in Cleveland, reports, thousands turned out for NACA's Save the Dream event.

Accordiing to Maynor, "Everywhere you looked in the arena at the CSU Wolstein Center downtown, there were cheers. And there were tears. People facing foreclosure on their homes learned that their mortgages were being modified to something they can afford, and they will not lose their homes."

Check out his news video, which is embedded below.

Cleveland: Thousands turn out for NACA 'Save the Dream' event

So, yes, I plan to feature this case study in my solo presentation at SES San Jose 2009, "How to Optimize for Search & Engage the Community." But, the story doesn't end in Cleveland.

If you go to the NACA home page, which has been updated to make it easier to find information about the nationwide Save the Dream Tour, you'll see there will be more Save the Dream events in Chicago, IL, July 24 - 27, at McCormick Place; St. Louis, MO, July 31 - Aug 3, at Chaifetz Arena; and Atlanta, GA, Aug 7 - 10, at the World Congress Center. And NACA is still working on locations and dates for Save the Dream events in nine more cities around the country.

And there are lessons here for attendees of SES San Jose 2009 as well as attendees of the Social Media & Video Strategies Forum and Local Search Summit:09.

The biggest lesson is that NACA didn't rely on just SEO, or video, or press release optimization, or blog outreach to generate these kind of results. They used a combination of marketing tactics -- in what can be called "an integrated marketing strategy."

Search engine marketers, YouTube directors and entrepreneurs have always demonstrated a talent for out-of-the-box thinking. Well, the top out-of-the-box thinkers may be speaking at one of the other three events being held in San Jose August 10-14, 2009. It won't hurt to look beyond the McEnery Convention Center to check out what's being presented at the San Jose Marriott.

Confessions of an SEO Copywriter (You don't need a lot of copy)

Nathania Johnson — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:49:40 -0500

One of our very own SEW experts, Tim Ash is featured on the cover of the summer edition of Online Strategy Magazine. In it, he talks about the short attention span of web users and how too much copy or flashy graphics can detract from conversion goals.

These are things Tim has learned as a landing page consultant. And in your gut, you know he's right. You skim web pages. You abandon pages that are difficult to navigate easily. You don't feel like reading a dissertation about a new pair of shoes. Do they look good? Yes. Where's the "Add to Cart" button?

You might think it strange for a copywriter and blogger such as myself to even talk about the idea that there can be such a thing as too much copy. After all, we copywriters often charge by the word. More words = more money. (Even when we charge by the hour, longer copy means more hours = more $.)

But I have a confession to make. I know you have a short attention span. I know you're probably skimming this post right now. Many of you comment without reading the entire post you're commenting on.

I know that I need to bust out 125-250 words to attract the Googlebot while making copy work with the design and also use my magical psychological powers to compel you to click the purchase button.

I like to use bullet points (when clients allow, which is sadly not often enough) and get straight to the point because I assume that readers are smart and don't need every nuanced point explained to them.

Of course, you know what they say about assuming.

That's why landing page testing is so crucial. Don't just assume your assumptions are correct. Test them. Develop pages designed around best practices and then test, test, TEST!

Despite all of the above, there are still some niches where a good deal of copy is necessary. Generally, the higher the price or the commitment involved in a purchasing decision, the more education a consumer will want. They get their desired information through copy. But even then, there could be niches where a busy businessman simply wants someone to call them. He'd rather chat it out and then decide. That's when short copy and a contact form might be needed instead.

The only way you'll know for sure is through landing page testing. I can't emphasize this enough. Yes, analytics are good. Yes, keeping an eye on your campaigns are good. But you won't know if you could squeeze even more money out your ad campaigns until you test.

Local Search Summit:09 Joins SES San Jose and Social Media & Video Strategies

Greg Jarboe — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:45:42 -0500

Right after I posted Optimized Schedule for SES San Jose Plus Social Media & Video Strategies I discovered that there's going to be another event that week. It's was like hearing Ron Popeil tell me, "But wait! There's more!"

That's right, I just found out that Local Search Summit:09 will be held on Thursday, August 13, 2009, at at the San Jose Marriott. To put this in context, SES San Jose 2009 will be held next door at the McEnery Convention Center from Monday, August 10, to Friday, August 14. Meanwhile, the first Social Media & Video Strategies Forum will be held on Tuesday, August 11, at the San Jose Marriott.

Get it? Got it? Good!

The featured sponsors of Local Search Summit:09 are Localeze, which powers some of the most successful Internet Yellow Page companies on the net, and Citysquares, one of the premier local community sites on web. Other sponsors who made the event happen include:Search Influence, Universal Business Listing, David Mihm, and eLocal Listing.

The speakers at Local Search Summit:09 include: Atif Rafiq from Yahoo! Local, Steve Stukenborg from Google TV, Steve Espinosa from LocalSearchNews, and Jason Calacanis of Mahalo. Other featured speakers include: Greg Sterling, a local search analyst and blogger, Andrew Shotland, former VP of Product of InsiderPages and former head of Showtime.com, and Court Cunningham, CEO of Yodle.

The agenda for Local Search Summit:09 kicks off at 9:00 a.m. with a keynote by Stukenborg. At 10:30 a.m., there is a session entitled, "Local Search Ranking Factors." At 11:05 a.m., there is a session entitled, "What Kind of Online Products do SMBs Need?" At 12:45, there is a panel discussion entitled, "Q&A: Google Maps, Yahoo! Local, and Bing." At 1:30 p.m., there is a panel discussion entitled, "Using Facebook and Twitter to Drive Local Leads." At 2:15 p.m., there is a session entitled, "LBS and Mobile: What to Realistically Expect." At 2:50 p.m., there will be a conversation entitled "Up Close and Personal with Yelp!" And at 3:45 p.m., the final session is entitled, "Local Search: Where Are We Today?"

Okay, so there's going to be a lot going on in San Jose that week. Earlier this week, I joked about getting a Segway Personal Transporter in order to ride back and forth between the co-located events. Well, now I'm actually looking into renting one!

But, if you think about it for a moment, the multiple events reflect both the growth and segmentation of the market. We've come a long, long way since my first Search Engine Strategies, which was held in Boston in the Spring of 2002.

Back then, everything you needed to learn fit into one keynote and 27 sessions, organized into three conference tracks over two days. Today, SES San Jose 2009 consists of three keynotes, 65 conference sessions, and 12 training workshops organized into five conference tracks over five days. Add to that the Social Media & Video Strategies Forum, which consists of a shared keynote and six conference sessions, plus the Local Search Summit, which consists of one keynote and seven conference sessions.

Yes, this makes optimizing your schedule even harder, but it also reflects the expansion and specialization of our industry. What it really drives home is this message: You can't do it along anymore.

Let me try to put this in human terms: A team of three people could attend Search Engine Strategies 2002 Spring and learn everything an organization needed to know in two days. Now, a team of seven people could attend SES San Jose 2009, the first Social Media & Video Strategies Forum, and Local Search Summit:09 and learn everything an organization needed to know in five days.

Frankly, I think this is a good thing ... even if it means that I have to start looking for a Segway PT.

Groundhog Day: Yahoo! and Microsoft Said to Be Nearing a Search Deal

Nathania Johnson — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:57:21 -0500

Yahoo! and Microsoft are reportedly at it again. According to Kara Swisher's mole at Yahoo!, a team of Microsoft search execs (some of which used to be Purple People) have flown to Sunnyvale (sans Ballmer) to hash out the finer points of technology involved in the deal.

Now, there's all sorts of speculation flying, from how much Microsoft will dish out to Yahoo! to which roles each company will have in the deal. Apparently, Microsoft will take over Yahoo!'s search advertising while Yahoo! will handle display.

For a few months now, Yahoo!'s new CEO Carol Bartz has been touting the strengths of Yahoo! Search is often left out while the focus is on their portals, which rank #1 in several categories.

Somehow, though, it feels like this deal could just end up handing an even bigger search share over to Google. Microsoft hasn't (yet) proven that they should be taking over an even larger competitor in this niche. I want to trust Bartz's judgement on the matter based on what she did for Autodesk, but I kind of wish she powered up some of that fiery tenacity to stay in the search game.

What do you think? Should Yahoo! keep plugging away in search? Let us know in the comments.

Do you like this post? If so, click "like" in your Google Reader.

SEW Awards Deadline Extended - Now July 21

Kevin Newcomb — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:49:41 -0500

My phone has been ringing off the hook today with last-minute submitters to the Search Engine Watch Awards asking for an extension to today's deadline.

In an effort to get all these great submissions included in our awards, we've decided to extend our deadline through Tuesday, July 21. Besides that, it will allow me to get something done today without answering my phone or e-mail about this every few minutes. :)

To make your submission, or for more information, visit the SEW Awards page.

Anyone that rushed their submission to meet today's deadline and would like to add more to theirs can do so by contacting us and letting us know which submission you'd like to revise.

Thanks again for your interest in the SEW Awards. I hope this extension will help you all get your best submissions in for consideration.

Twittergate: Hacked Docs Stir Up Questions of Ethics and Security

Nathania Johnson — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:18:48 -0500

Recently a hacker obtained confidential documents containing information about Twitter's business plans as well as user accounts and passwords. The hacker sent the documents to two blogs: Silicon Valley's TechCrunch and Korben, a tech news site in France.

TechCrunch has spent the better part of a week publishing a few of the documents one blog post at a time. (Can we just call them TwitterCrunch at this point?) They claim to be working with Twitter and their legal team to determine which ones to post, but Twitter has denied giving permission for publication of any of the documents. Many comments left on TechCrunch's blog were in opposition to the publication, as well.

Twitter and TechCrunch have agreed on one thing - the documents were not ready for prime time. Many of them were handwritten notes, for example.

I personally haven't read the documents that have been released, though obviously it's been hard not to catch a whim of what was included here and there. They were stolen. They're confidential. I suppose that makes me a bad blogger/journalist, but I've got this "Do unto others" philosophy that I try to live by.

Taking ethics out of the question, I'm primarily more interested in what IS rather than is hoped for. After all, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray." (Have you seen Pirates of Silicon Valley? What were Jobs' and Gates' original plans? Where was Apple in the late 1990s?)

What would you have done if you had received the documents? Publish them? Blackmail Twitter? Let us know your gut reaction in the comments below.

Google Reader's New Sharing Options (Plus a Shared Items Twitter Sharing Tip!)

Nathania Johnson — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:52:00 -0500

Google Reader unleashed new sharing options this week, continuing the slow but steady trend of turning the newsreader into a social media platform.

Let's say I'm reading the Search Engine Watch expert column feed. I now have the option to "Like" the post. Google Reader tracks the number of people doing so and places the tally under the subject line.

If you click on the number of people liking a post, you'll get a list of those people. Click on a name and you'll be taken to their Google Profile page. From there, you can connect with that person depending on what they have shared. Users can share their Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed accounts and more.

This is a great way to find followers on Twitter. I've started to follow those of you liking SEW posts. And I'm getting return follows as well.

If you want to share your Google Reader shared items with your Twitter followers, I recommend using Twitterfeed.com. Just use the RSS feed from your shared items page.

Do you like Google Reader's new sharing options? Click "Like" to this post in Google Reader if you do.

Zobrist Offers Search Friendly URL Service for IBM Websphere Commerce Customers

Nathania Johnson — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:33:21 -0500

E-commerce sites are prone to be developed by systems that employ dynamic URLs. You know, those long URLs with numbers and gobbledy gook. Now, Zobrist Consulting is offering a SEO friendly service for customers of IBM Websphere Commerce.

One of their customers is The North Face. An example of how Zobrist's service works can be found on the Jackets & Vests page in the Women's section, on the U.S. site. Check out this short but sweet URL:

http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/women-s-jackets-vests.html

It gets even better. Clicking on the "W Grace Jacket" takes you to this gloriously SEO-friendly URL:

http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/womens-jackets-vests/womens-grace-jacket.html

Now, I know there's debate on whether such "little" things like dynamic URLs really hold that much weight in the SEO game anymore. But if you don't want to take your chances, this service from Zobrist is great for those of you using IBM Websphere.

But, hey, what's YOUR opinion? Leave it in the comments section below.

Like this article? Reading Google Reader? Click the "Like" button and share it with your contacts!

Google Revenues Increase 3% Year-Over-Year in Q2 2009; Paid Clicks Hold Steady

Nathania Johnson — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:55:50 -0500

Google released second quarter earnings for 2009 today, and the news was relatively positive. Revenues increased by 3% year-over-year, coming in at $5.52 billion.

Paid clicks were 2% lower than Q1, but 15% higher than the second quarter of 2008. Meanwhile, the average CPC (cost-per-click) increased 5% over Q1 2009 but decreased 13% from Q2 2009.

Revenues shared with partners, primarily Adsense partners, totaled $1.45 billion in the second quarter, which was down ever-so-slightly from Q2 2008's $1.47 billion.

Considering the volatile economy going on around the world, you would think this earnings report was good news. But after hours trading on Wall Street was punishing GOOG:

Google PSA: News Publishers Can Use Robots.txt to Block Us

Nathania Johnson — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:38:57 -0500

Google is once again reminding news publishers that they do not have to be indexed by the search engine. All they have to do is slap some simple code on a robots.txt file to block the Googlebot.

News publishers, for whatever reason, can't seem to understand that Google doesn't host their content. Perhaps they think that the web is a system of interpipes that are built high in the clouds where they're burning holes through the ozone layer or something. Sigh.

The truth is that news publishers want to charge for access to their sites, just like they charged for print editions. So, they want Google to pay to index their site. If they were truly concerned about the Googlebot, they would simply block it. But they know how much Google sends traffic to their sites. They're just playing dumb.

Remember when newspapers did charge for access to online content? And that didn't work out? So they offered it free with ads? Because they don't own the news and it's going to spread around the interpipes no matter what they charge?

So here's my PSA to news publishers: The web has largely been built on the path of least resistance. And thou protesteth too much.

Microsoft Steals Tiny Share from Yahoo! in comScore's June 2009 Rankings

Nathania Johnson — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:00:31 -0500

comScore has released their June 2009 rankings and the search market share landscape looks the same as it has for a long time. Yahoo! lost 0.5% of share, which Microsoft picked up the majority of, presumably with the launch of Bing.

Another little nugget of hope for Microsoft: while the volume of search queries declined for Google and Yahoo!, Microsoft saw a 3% increase in June.

Here's the raw data:

Search Market Share

Query Volume

YouTube is continuing its trend of surpassing Yahoo! in search query volume:

Optimized Schedule for SES San Jose Plus Social Media & Video Strategies

Greg Jarboe — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 07:40:09 -0500

One of my Twitter followers, b_young of California, asked me to put together an optimized schedule for both the Search Engine Strategies (SES) San Jose Conference & Expo, which will be held at the McEnery Convention Center August 10-14, 2009, as well as the Social Media & Video Strategies forum, which will be held next door at the San Jose Marriott on August 11.

My first optimization tip is to get a Segway Personal Transporter ("Segway PT") in order to ride back and forth between the two co-located events. If that's not possible, then look closely at the agendas for the two events because it's going to be hard to schedule every session that you will want to attend.

It's also important to understand that an optimized schedule for you may differ significantly than an optimized schedule for b_young. The SES Advisory Board and Search Engine Watch, which organized SES San Jose, as well as ClickZ, Google and YouTube, which organized Social Media & Video Strategies, have tailored different tracks for people with different levels of experience and different search or social media specialties.

So, which sessions would I recommend for b-young, who is interested in advanced-level search engine optimization (SEO)?

On Monday, Aug. 10, I'd recommend checking out a couple of the Partnered Training Workshops. One is a full-day Search Engine Optimization Training workshop taught by Bruce Clay of Bruce Clay, Inc. In addition, I'd recommend the two half-day DMA Certification Training workshops taught by Matt Bailey of SiteLogic and Lee Odden of TopRank Online Marketing.

On Tuesday, Aug. 11, I'd recommend "Search: Where to Next?" at 10:30 a.m. (SES San Jose); "In the Now: Conversational & Real Time Marketing" at 11:45 a.m. (Social Media & Video Strategies); "How to Turn Your Web Analytics into a Money Making Machine" at 1:45 p.m. (SES San Jose); "Meaningful SEO Metrics: Going Beyond the Numbers" at 3:00 p.m. (SES San Jose); and "Launching a Global Website" at 4:30 p.m. (SES San Jose).

On Wednesday, Aug. 12, I'd recommend "Duplicate Content & Multiple Site Issues" at 9:00 a.m.; visit the Expo Hall and take in the added bonus of an Express Site Clinic at 10:45 a.m.; "Google Analytics and Website Optimizer, Secrets Revealed!" at 2:30 p.m.; and "The BuyerSphere Project: Understanding B2B Buyer Patterns" at 4:00 p.m.

On Thursday, Aug. 13, I'd recommend "SEO Through Blogs & Feeds" at 10:30 a.m.; "News Search SEO" at 12:45 p.m.; "Advanced SEO Roundtable: What is it Really? And Where is it Going?" at 2:15 p.m.; and "In-House SEO: Structuring the Organization for Success" at 3:45 p.m.

Finally, on Friday, Aug. 14, I'd recommend two SEM/SEO training workshops. One in the morning is the "Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Workshop" taught by Shari Thurow of Omni Marketing Interactive, and the other in the afternoon is "Managing Complex Search Programs" taught by Bill Hunt, formerly with Global Strategies International.

The conference sessions and workshops should provide the advanced SEO best practices and techniques that b_young needs to remain a top performer in the field.

Remember, your mileage may vary. So, look at the SES San Jose agenda and the Social Media & Video Strategies agenda very closely.

Scour Incorporates Real-Time Results into Regular Results

Nathania Johnson — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:22:20 -0500

Real-time search is all the rage lately, with Twitter fueling the movement via its search of user feeds. Of course, this all really started with universal search and the addition of news results to timely keywords.

Social search engine Scour is getting into the real-time search game with a rather nice approach. Instead of revamping their site or having a separate little section for news-y results, they're simply notifying users of a real-time result with an icon containing an exclamation mark. Otherwise, the results just hang out with the "regular" results.

Check out this search for Tiger Woods. You get the Wikipedia page, his official site, and his PGA tour profile. Then you see the first "real-time" result, a press release on the PGA site for July 14, 2009.

A few links down you see a result for one of many articles talking about how Woods is favored to win this week's British Open.

Despite the pleasantness of the integration, it would be nice to see Twitter results. Perhaps a widget on the sidebar or something.

What do you think of Scour's real-time results? Let us know in the comments.

Welcome to Your Google-Branded Life

Nathania Johnson — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:44:28 -0500

It's 6:30 am. Your alarm goes off. On your Android phone. You turn it off, roll over and check your GMail before dragging yourself out of bed.

You get ready to leave but learn that your normal bus line is off schedule. You use Google Transit to navigate a different way to work.

Finally, at the office you turn on your Chrome OS-powered notebook, which provides access to company information using Google Apps. Can't find something? No problem. The Google Search Appliance is fueling enterprise-wide search for your entire company.

Getting on with your day, you open up Google Calendar to check your schedule and then it's back to GMail for a look at Tasks you need to tackle.

You open up a Google docs (that is shared with several coworkers) and contribute. Then you check the Google Sites intranet to get updates on your department and the company.

It's lunchtime. Your buddy wants to meet up for lunch so he texts your Google Voice phone number and you arrange to meet at that new Italian restaurant for lunch.

You're not quite sure where it is so you look it up on Google Maps.

In the afternoon, you work on some Google Spreadsheets and upload pictures of the company picnic to Picasa.

A message pops up on Google Talk. It's your wife. She uploaded that cute video of your daughter (recorded on her Google Android phone) to YouTube and then posted it on your family's Blogger blog.

An email arrives from your family care practitioner. Those labs from your doctor's visit the other day are in. You check them in your Google Health records.

After work, you go home. Your son needs help with his homework. You get out the Android-powered netbook and use Google search to look up the information you need to help him out. You explore Google Earth to assist with his geography and help him with SketchUp to complete a social studies project due the next day.

Before settling down for the night, you check Google News, your feeds in Google Reader and Google Finance to stay informed with what's going on in the world and your portfolio. You watch a couple of shows on YouTube and then finally hit the hay.

This all might sound extreme, but it's completely possible - right now. These are all items and offerings that currently exist in the Google product line.

Would it really be farfetched to add a few things like a Google TV, a Google gaming console, or a Google personal media player? No, not really. After all, think about the competition.

Apple has the iPod, iPhone, and Apple TV. Microsoft has the XBox 360. Yahoo! created a Widget Channel to enhance Internet on TV.

Actually, come to think of it, Google has already begun their journey onto TV. Gaming devices, the Apple TV and Vudu offer the ability to access YouTube on your television.

Then there's Google's connection with the government: their close relationship with NASA, Eric Schmidt's appointment to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), and the White House's YouTube channel. There's the support for a national broadband plan and their involvement in spectrum auctions.

For the most part, it makes sense for Google to grow as they do. They're a public company headquartered in a democratic, capitalistic society. It's their duty to their shareholders to generate profit and to preserve their role in the marketplace as best as possible.

But Google now has a lot of power. It's probably more power than any of the first hundred or thousand employees ever anticipated when Google was just a startup. Let's hope that power never becomes absolute.

Hunch Adds Shortcuts to Help Users Navigate Topics

Nathania Johnson — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:02:05 -0500

Hunch, the decision engine that launched just after that *other* decision engine, has already added an update to their site. They've added "shortcut topics," which aid in navigation.

If you haven't visited Hunch yet, then you need to know that the site serves up a decision by asking you a bunch of questions. Say, for example, you're trying to decide what type of coffee you want to buy. You type in "coffee" to the search box. A list of suggested questions and topics comes up:

As you can tell, if you already know you want to buy organic, you can select the question with ">Organic" in order to skip ahead to that narrowed-down category.

Then you can embark on a series of questions to help Hunch find the right answer for you. Here's the first question:

Conducting a number of searches, I came across few shortcuts. However, there may obviously be more in subject areas I personally am not interested in. The other factor is that Hunch is based on community contributions. So, substantive topics depend upon the users submitting content.

What do you think about Hunch's shortcuts? Tell us your thoughts by leaving a comment.