May
30th

Dull Knives and Sharp Tools

Posted by Tim on May 30, 2008 at 9:51 am

Sure, we took a week off. What of it? Even after a year and a half hiatus, we needed some time alone to think, read the classics, ponder the intricacies of Mozart, etc. Who am I kidding? We were watching 80’s movies!

Regardless, we wrangled ourselves back into the studio this week for another episode of StraightUpSearch the Podcast!

Here’s the rundown for today’s show:

Site of the Week: Cutco Cutlery, otherwise known as Vector Marketing?! (1:46)

Cool Tool: Firebug (13:16)

Do It!: ALT Attributes (23:10)

Today’s show is just shy of heavy-weight status at: 28:45

And, as promised, here’s a photo of Lisa’s classic camping rig:

Camping Rig or EM-50 Clone?

Which in our warped minds, looks strangely similar to a certain EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle:

EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle from Stripes

Want more StraightUpSearch the Podcast? You can listen to past episodes of StraightUpSearch, subscribe to the show via iTunes or add our RSS Feed to your favorite reader.

Enjoy the show and we’ll be back next week, unless there’s a Dan Akroyd movie marathon we just can’t miss.

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May
30th

Visual Search – A Primer for the New Search Age?

Posted by Luke on May 30, 2008 at 8:04 am

Traditionally, visual search has referred to strictly image searches. Search engines simply scanned the web for keywords in the ALT attributes attached to images, similar to a text search. Lately, however, visual search has begun to embody the entire presentation of search results.

These new visual search engine startups are constantly being portrayed in the media as ‘going up against’ Google. I certainly don’t feel this is the case. These engine platforms are more concerned with allowing users to create their own user experience, pulling results from their preferred engine/data sources. Clearly, Google’s strength is relevance and rather than attempt to compete with their powerful algorithm, these visual search companies are looking to enhance and/or build upon what’s already there.

To paint a better picture, I’ll focus on one of these startups. SpaceTime is a 3D browser application which organizes your Google, Yahoo, Ask, eBay and other search results into a 3D tabbed view.

As online shoppers and information seekers, we’ve been trained over the last decade to visually recognize quality web pages. Personally, I’ll disqualify pages I know will not contain the information I seek from a quick glance. SpaceTime allows users to quickly browse through screenshots of top results. The added value here is eliminating those additional clicks. There is no need to click through to each of the search listings or click through to additional search engine results pages (SERP).

Here are a few screenshots of SpaceTime search results:

Searchme, a similar startup, takes it one step further and actually highlights keyword density within the screenshot. We’re all interested in finding what we’re searching for with the least amount of effort possible. That’s what these visual search engines are attempting to do; take away some of that effort.

Ultimately, SpaceTime and Searchme are inventing an entirely new category of search, which can, in turn, create new and innovative online marketing opportunities outside of text and display advertising. Despite these startups having a long way to go to catch up with some of Google’s even smallest competitors, they’re something you may want to keep your eye on.

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May
29th

Weigh Your PPC Options Before Using Google's Automatic Matching

Posted by Adam on May 29, 2008 at 8:07 am

By now most SEM professionals have either heard of, or are currently opted-in to, Google’s newest campaign optimization feature called Automatic Matching. If you haven’t already heard of this AdWords feature, I recommend checking your accounts’ campaign settings because it’s an opt-out feature.

We discussed Automatic Matching when Google first announced the new feature as a way to gain additional targeted traffic if your keyword inventory isn’t reaching daily budgets. When this feature is enabled, Google matches your ads using an algorithm similar to broad match.

Here’s an example: If you sell Vans skateboard shoes and are bidding on [vans shoes] (exact match), Google could potentially serve your ad on queries like “moving van service” or “rental vans” when Automatic Matching is enabled. Trust me, I’ve seen stranger things happen.

In addition to serving your ads on search queries that loosely match your keyword lists, Google will automatically review your landing pages and display your ad based on keywords pulled from landing page content. If you’ve done a good job of keyword research when building and optimizing your campaigns, Google isn’t going to make any magical keyword discoveries on your landing pages. This additional traffic is very likely to come from unqualified keywords that appear on your landing pages.

Before you consider testing Automatic Matching first consider other, more targeted ways to gain additional exposure in Google’s paid listings. Also, consider expanding your PPC efforts into additional search engines such as Yahoo, Microsoft adCenter or Ask. While these three engines see lower overall volume than Google, they can also be very profitable as well as highly targeted. manual transmission If you are a B2B marketer check out Business.com. If you are an e-commerce site, do a little research on comparison shopping engines. There are currently more than 150 comparison shopping engines that accept product feeds.

Any of the options listed above could provide more qualified traffic to your site than letting Google choose how to match your ads. Automatic keyword matching and/or automatic keyword list creation will never replace the judgment or logic of a seasoned SEM professional. It’s like competing in auto racing with an automatic transmission.

If anyone has any amazing success stories using Google’s Automatic Matching feature, I’d like to hear about them below.

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May
28th

1 Billion Online Video Viewers Served by 2013

Posted by Keirsun on May 28, 2008 at 12:12 pm

YouTube may soon add signage similar to the golden arches. That’s because the number of people who watch video via the web is expected to quadruple in the next 5 years, rising to at least one billion viewers worldwide in 2013.

mcdonalds sign by daquella manera on flickr A new study from ABI Research, a New York state-based research firm, attributes the increase in online viewers to greater broadband availability and internet connection speeds.

ABI’s study is designed to attract pay-TV service providers looking for ways to migrate their services (and revenues) to the growing online audience. And if pay-TV providers aren’t thinking that far ahead, this study should be their wake up call.

ABI senior analyst Cesar Bachelet also makes the case for avoiding the same path the music industry took, and recognize right now that consumers are going to get their content from non-traditional sources:

Pay-TV providers should refrain from knee-jerk responses, or adopting defensive measures aimed at discouraging consumers from using those services. That would only produce resentment from subscribers and likely defections from their services.

But what does this all mean for the average website owner? It means you can use video to push your product/service/message to an audience that continues to grow each and every year.

Personally, I can’t wait to see which TV network finds global success online. NBC and News Corp’s Hulu is still going strong. And ABC recently won a 2008 Webby Award for its streaming video player.

Ultimately though, it’s the YouTubes of the world that will challenge pay-TV providers to create an online video experience that will satisfy the appetites of next generation video consumers.

Image: Daquella Manera

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