Posts Tagged ‘search results’

Hey, you're new. We like you already! You obviously have great taste! If you like what you read here you'll probably want to subscribe to our RSS feed (or the audio RSS feed). Stick around and be sure to speak up and post a comment or two!

Google Labs recently introduced an experimental Digg-like “voting” system in which users are able to vote up or bury results. This idea stems from social news sites like Reddit and Digg, in which users are able to vote on links that are appealing or give a thumbs down to less appealing items. It seems as though Google doesn’t ever want to be left out in the cold, so they’ve jumped on the bandwagon (experimentally of course).

According to Google, the feature works like this:

Click here to keep learning

I spent some time today reviewing a link-building service called Text Link Revolution (TNX). The company specializes in rapidly buying / selling links for websites and blogs. I know lately the paid links ethical issue has been increasingly controversial, but this post is simply for review purposes, not a treatise on Google’s paid-link confusion.

TNX attempts to create an advertising system that will garner better search results for websites while offering publishers bigger profits via links on their site. The site uses a system of “points” to which users can convert to money or reinvest back into their site to buy more links. TNX could be useful for your site whether you are a webmaster or publisher.

Click here to keep learning

A friend of mine sent me an email last week, asking about optimization for his personal website. My reply was long winded (which is typical coming from me) and I after I sent the email I thought it was decent fodder for a blog post about very basic SEO.

Here’s our exchange, or at least most of it …

What is the name of the files you work on? I started my web-site and wanted to start getting people to check it out. I know that is what you do. I wanted to research how to do it. If you wanted I could pay you to help.

Click here to keep learning

Not every site needs, nor should have, an on-site search feature. But those that do must be sure that the search isn’t just an after-thought. It needs to be more than something to add because you think visitors want it. Adding a search function is not necessarily good for on-site usability. Implementing a search function improperly is often a greater source of frustration than not having one altogether.

For this reason your on-site search function should not be taken lightly. In fact, it’s better that no search option be present than one that potentially gives the searcher a “false impression” as to the availability of products/information on your website. Much time and consideration (and development) needs to go into the search option to ensure that it not only returns accurate results, but is fully comprehensive in interpreting the searchers intentions.

Click here to keep learning

People often associate brands with money. And lots of it. Generally, if you try to run a branding campaign such as you see from big companies like Target, you certainly will have to fork over a big chunk of change. But we small business owners don’t have that kind of money. And from my examples in last week’s installment of this column, you might conclude that full-scale SEO or PPC is the only way to brand yourself online. But that’s just not true. As you will see, some SEO will come into play, but cheap and easy SEO will get you started on the path to brand recognition in search results. Continue reading at Search Engine Land…

My Small is Beautiful article for the month has been posted at Search Engine Land. The (edited) article discusses the benefits of branding for the small business. And you don’t have to spend money on branding they way big companies like Target does. It can all be done cheaply via search results.

Read the article, The Power Of Branding For Small Business, Part One and then Sphinn it.

So what edits were made before publishing? The title for one. I have a hard time coming up with clever titles and the published one is shorter and sweeter than mine which you see as the title of this post. Which one do you like better?

Click here to keep learning

It seems as though the search engine landscape continues to grow. Recently, at SES 2007, I learned that the top four engines make up nearly 98% of all searches. This communicates to me that adding another search engine to the mix isn’t going to create a great difference. Sites like Ask.com have chosen to become more unique in its search style. The design is more eye-appealing than Google, and actually has much to offer. In this Google world we live in, it’s imperative that smaller engines fill a specific niche to help gain market share.

Enter Tafiti beta.

Click here to keep learning

I spent some time looking at several of the Search Engine Strategy speakers and how well each of them brands themselves in the search results. What I found was quite fun and in some cases pretty fascinating. Read Part of A Look at Search Engine Strategies Speakers and How Well They Brand Themselves over at Search Engine Guide…

Searcher Track, Monday 2:00 - 2:30 PM
Personalization, User Data & Search

Moderator: Chris Sherman, Co-Chair, Search Engine Strategies, San Jose
Jonathan Mendez, Chief Strategy Officer, OTTO Digital
Richard Zwicky, CEO, Enqisite
Dave Davies, CEO, Beanstalk Search Engine Positioning
Gordon Hotchkiss, Presiden & CEO, Enquiro Search Solutions
Sepandar Kamvar, Google

On a personal level, I’ve never had much use for personalized search. If I know my results are being personalized, I always want to know what I’m missing… what is it that the search engines think that I don’t care about? The most basic level where I have seen personalization implemented is my online DVD rental accounts. What I find is that I never like the movies they way that think I’ll like them based on my movie rating history. I’ll concede that Google is far more advanced than Netflix, but this does seem to be some pretty basic stuff here.

Click here to keep learning

Searcher Track, Monday 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Universal & Blended Search

Moderator: Chris Sherman, Co-Chair, Search Engine Strategies, San Jose
Greg Jarboe, President, SEO-PR
Sherwood Stranieri, Search Marketing Director, Catalyst Online
Bill Slawski, Director of Search Marketing, Commerce 360
Daniel Read,VP of Product and User Experience, Ask.com
David Bailey, Google

Greg Jarboe started out by saying unequivocally that Universal search is the biggest thing to happen to the search industry since Google’s Florida update in November 2003. He says that Universal search has so dramatically changed the search industry that newbies are at no more of a disadvantage than those of us who have been in the industry for years. I’ve written before on my take on Universal search, which isn’t necessarily favorable (quick synopsis: Ask does it better!). I’m not sure I fully agree with Chris regarding the advantage/disadvantage, but I do believe that blended/universal search has changed the landscape significantly.

Click here to keep learning