I wanted to inform you that the “Google Dance” has begun. This is for April’s update, even though we are now in May. Google has just performed a massive, and I mean massive flush of their database. As I reported last month, Google was looking to remove all affiliate links and Guestbook entries from their […]
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ODP Updates
ODP Updates: DMOZ has just performed a long awaiting update to their directory. This occurred on the 24th. If you have made a submission to the ODP in the past, now is the time to check to see if your submission has been included. Overture Outperforms Google: Since Google AdWords hit the market, we have […]
Google & Amazon
It was just announced that Google and Amazon have reached an agreement to allow Google to display Premium Sponsored Listings on Amazon.com. Premium Sponsored listings are the two results in different colors at the top of the search results in Google, do not confuse them with Google AdWords which appear on the right part of […]
Microsoft Aims at Google
Microsoft Aims at Google: This is fresh off the press. Please note that we have not seen the new crawler on any of our servers as of this morning, but we wanted you to be aware of it so you can watch your logs over the next few weeks. Microsoft has reportedly released “Microsoft Prototype […]
Google Completes Update
Google Dance Completes: Google’s data center is again stable and the update completed this week. As I reported to you when The Dance started, Google was purging their database very aggressively. I saw affiliate links removed, guest book signings removed, and duplicate pages removed from Google’s data center. While not all of these types of […]
March Search Engine Review
The following is a summary of the major changes in the search engines in the month of March: March 10th: Google takes over the Go Network as the primary search feed. Google AdWords dominate the search results, displaying from 3-10 paid listings on each page. March 17th: Overture’s “grandfathered” bids of less than five cents […]
Yahoo! Upcoming Change
As you know, Inktomi was acquired in December 2002 by Yahoo! and I have been waiting for Inktomi to be included in the Yahoo! search results. Recently, and quietly, the acquisition was finalized. It was expected to be finalized within 90 days of the buy-out. Just as Yahoo! began testing with the change-over to Google […]
Site Structure Tips
Due to the ever changing criteria of the search engines, some new methods have been discovered and some old ones are listed here for a reminder. Don’t forget the importance of a solid site architecture. Site Architecture As a standard rule, any page below the second level of your site architecture may not be indexed. […]
Mid-March Search Update
The New York Post today broke a rumor that Yahoo! is interesting in acquiring Espotting.com, a European paid listing service. At this time, Espotting is denying the rumor, but if it does occur, it looks as if Yahoo! is serious about running it’s own cost per click paid listing service. Currently, Yahoo! outsources for its […]
Words to Avoid: Email Spam Filters
If you run an email newsletter, one of your biggest issues is email deliverability. Avoiding certain words is vital or you will get your email filtered. And getting your email filtered means your message is never seen – often even by those who have opted in. If this is an issue for you, I would […]
March Search Engine Market Share Numbers
The new search engine market share numbers were just released. Here is the current breakdown: Google: 28.4% Yahoo!: 27.6% MSN: 18.4% AOL: 9.1% Ask Jeeves: 3.1% Overture: 2.7% InfoSpace: 2.4% Netscape: 2.2% AltaVista: 2.1% Lycos: 1.1% Earthlink: 1.0% LookSmart: 0.8% Total share of the above: 98.9% (Source: StatMarket) According to these new figures, Google has […]
February Search Marketing Summary
Here is the summary for news and notes that happened in February: Feb. 17th: Google announced it bought Pyra Labs, makers of Blogger Software. This will allow Google to post their AdWords network into content sites. Feb. 18th: Overture announces their acquisition of AltaVista. Feb. 25th: Overture announces their acquisition of the Web Search Unit […]
Overture Strikes Again
You may have heard the early announcement this morning that Overture has struck again, acquiring Fast. While it was announced that there would be consolidation between the three companies to make it easier to manage your paid inclusion and PPC campaigns with Overture, AltaVista, and Fast, there is always something else that is in the […]
No Google Dance Yet
Despite much talk in the search engine forums all week, the Google Dance did not start yesterday. I am still predicting a start on Monday. I will watch it closely over the weekend and when I can verify that it has actually started, I will notify you by email. I will then do my prediction […]
Overture Acquires AltaVista
Overture has just announced plans to acquire pioneering search company AltaVista. From Overture, “This acquisition reinforces our commitment to search and to providing you with new and powerful ways to connect with potential customers on the Internet. It also represents yet another step in our drive to accelerate and enhance our product development capabilities for […]
Overture Acquires AltaVista
Overture has just announced plans to acquire pioneering search company AltaVista. From Overture, “This acquisition reinforces our commitment to search and to providing you with new and powerful ways to connect with potential customers on the Internet. It also represents yet another step in our drive to accelerate and enhance our product development capabilities for […]
AltaVista Spidering New Yahoo! Directory Listings
It appears that AltaVista is spidering the “What’s New” listings at Yahoo! within 24 hours. So, if you have a new site and have paid to get into the Yahoo! directory recently, AltaVista should spider and index your listing, without going through their pay inclusion program or “free” submission area. What This Means For You: […]
Yahoo! Update
Yahoo! Update: Earlier in the week on Tuesday, there was an interesting change with Yahoo! and their search result page. They listed ten ads down the right-hand column, in a very “Google AdWords-ish” look. But these ads were not from Google AdWords, rather they were from Overture. On Monday, Yahoo! extended their deal with Overture […]
Overture Price Increase
It was announced yesterday as a rumor on an online forum, and I verified it this morning through a very reliable source, that Overture will be increasing their minimum bid of 5 cents to 10 cents per click. This is mainly due to decreasing profits, despite a sharp increase in revenue. The problem lies in […]
Google Search
I concluded testing on a method to help your site to get “deep crawled” more often by Google. What is a “deep crawl”? It is where GoogleBot goes deep into your site and indexes every page, or 90% of your site’s pages. Often, this can rocket your search engine referral traffic, by getting your specific, […]