Live Search September 2008 Update Underway from the Search Engine Roundtable reports discussion at WebmasterWorld that Live Search is undergoing a major index and ranking update.
The Live Search results seem to have changed, and webmasters and SEOs are taking notice. I personally noticed referral increases and drops from Live Search on some of the sites I monitor. The update seemed to have started at about 9:30am (EST) yesterday, but we currently do not have any official word from Microsoft on this update.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Who gives better answers, people or computers? Ask ChaCha
(CNN) -- You're in a bar with a group of friends when an argument breaks out about Neil Diamond's age. Your friend is positive that he's, like, a hundred. You know he can't be more than 70. With no Internet access, how do you find out how old the balladeer is?
Text-message answer service ChaCha, launched in January, has received a product innovation award.
Text-message answer service ChaCha, launched in January, has received a product innovation award.
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You can ask the mobile search engine ChaCha. And the answer sent to your cell phone will settle the debate: "Neil Diamond is 67 years old." Your friend now owes you a beer.
Computer-automated text message answer services like Google SMS have been around since 2004. But when ChaCha launched its text messaging service in January, it paired human employees with technology -- a method that has won the company several awards.
ChaCha co-founders Brad Bostic and Scott Jones were discussing the overload-of-information age in 2005 when the idea for their corporation emerged. Every search engine returns thousands of Web sites, but what if you could always get a simple, one-sentence answer to your question?
Users text message ChaCha (242242) on their mobile phone or call 1-800-2ChaCha. The question can be on anything -- from local weather forecasts to who starred in the 1960 suspense classic "Psycho" to how many children Angelina Jolie has now.
Questions are sent to a worker, or "guide," who searches the Internet using sites preapproved by ChaCha. When the guide finds the answer, he or she text messages the user back in less than 160 characters -- all for free. ChaCha's Web site promises answers within "just a few minutes."
"The benefits of having a real person on the other end is that they can save you time by sifting through the results to find the most relevant information," said Brian DeLoach, an independent search engine optimization specialist.
ChaCha announced this week that it now has more than a million users. In the year's second quarter, according to Nielsen Mobile data, ChaCha was the fastest-growing mobile search service.
And ChaCha isn't the only player hoping to carve a piece of the $30 billion online search market. Kgb, an Internet information company, recently launched a beta product that offers a similar service. Kgb, though, will charge 30 cents for each question text messaged to 542542.
"There's a certain frustration, in the Web community, of search engines that give you pages and pages of results," Kgb CEO Robert Pines said. "We've found that if you can actually provide an answer, people will pay for it."
Still, people like DeLoach are skeptical about the need for such services. Do ChaCha or Kgb employees actually dig up the right answer, or just pick the first one they find? In other words, do they do what anyone searching Google would do?
"With the rise of Internet-equipped mobile phones, specifically the iPhone, why would I go to ChaCha to search for me when I can just do it myself?" DeLoach asked.
Well, some people use ChaCha for trivia games when they're bored. Others use the service to get jokes or riddles. But the lack of a million search results is most important, Bostic said.
"Regardless of how Internet-capable a phone is, the form factor is small; and while you are on the go, you have no desire to surf," he said. "You want to ask questions and get [quick] answers."
ChaCha's 25,000 guides are mostly college students or stay-at-home moms looking to earn some extra cash. Guides can work whenever they want, anytime of day, for any length of time.
Susan Bowman, a mother of four from Pennsylvania, works for ChaCha because she loves the flexible schedule.
"I'm not really an office-type person," Bowman said. "It kills me to have to sit in a room or a cubicle. I work out of my kitchen with everything around me."
New guides are given tests and put through "Search University" with Mark Malseed, author of "The Google Story." Bostic said that because of this training, ChaCha's accuracy rate is 93 percent. The company has a process for evaluating the correctness of its guides' answers, he said. Some ChaCha employees, however, have complained that company policies emphasized the quantity of answers over quality.
Guides are paid per question, which generally earns them between $3 and $7 an hour. ChaCha guide Joel Brooks was outraged when recent policy changes cut his pay from 20 cents a question to 10 cents a question. Brooks went to the company's online employee forums and found out he wasn't the only one upset.
After once promising employees they could work as much or as little as they wanted, ChaCha announced that only workers who answered at least 300 questions a week would earn 20 cents. After complaints flooded the forums, ChaCha cut the requirement to 200 questions per week, or about six work hours.
"If they hadn't lowered it, I wouldn't be working for them," said Brooks, a University of Michigan student. "But the new quota is much more reasonable."
Bostic takes growing pains like these in stride as the president of a company that answers 10 million questions per month. To boost revenue, ChaCha soon hopes to incorporate advertising into its text-message answers, he said. Bostic also wants to continue focusing on customer satisfaction.
"People know how to ask questions," he said. "It's one of the first things they learn how to do when they talk. What they want is an answer."
Text-message answer service ChaCha, launched in January, has received a product innovation award.
Text-message answer service ChaCha, launched in January, has received a product innovation award.
Click to view previous image
1 of 2
Click to view next image
You can ask the mobile search engine ChaCha. And the answer sent to your cell phone will settle the debate: "Neil Diamond is 67 years old." Your friend now owes you a beer.
Computer-automated text message answer services like Google SMS have been around since 2004. But when ChaCha launched its text messaging service in January, it paired human employees with technology -- a method that has won the company several awards.
ChaCha co-founders Brad Bostic and Scott Jones were discussing the overload-of-information age in 2005 when the idea for their corporation emerged. Every search engine returns thousands of Web sites, but what if you could always get a simple, one-sentence answer to your question?
Users text message ChaCha (242242) on their mobile phone or call 1-800-2ChaCha. The question can be on anything -- from local weather forecasts to who starred in the 1960 suspense classic "Psycho" to how many children Angelina Jolie has now.
Questions are sent to a worker, or "guide," who searches the Internet using sites preapproved by ChaCha. When the guide finds the answer, he or she text messages the user back in less than 160 characters -- all for free. ChaCha's Web site promises answers within "just a few minutes."
"The benefits of having a real person on the other end is that they can save you time by sifting through the results to find the most relevant information," said Brian DeLoach, an independent search engine optimization specialist.
ChaCha announced this week that it now has more than a million users. In the year's second quarter, according to Nielsen Mobile data, ChaCha was the fastest-growing mobile search service.
And ChaCha isn't the only player hoping to carve a piece of the $30 billion online search market. Kgb, an Internet information company, recently launched a beta product that offers a similar service. Kgb, though, will charge 30 cents for each question text messaged to 542542.
"There's a certain frustration, in the Web community, of search engines that give you pages and pages of results," Kgb CEO Robert Pines said. "We've found that if you can actually provide an answer, people will pay for it."
Still, people like DeLoach are skeptical about the need for such services. Do ChaCha or Kgb employees actually dig up the right answer, or just pick the first one they find? In other words, do they do what anyone searching Google would do?
"With the rise of Internet-equipped mobile phones, specifically the iPhone, why would I go to ChaCha to search for me when I can just do it myself?" DeLoach asked.
Well, some people use ChaCha for trivia games when they're bored. Others use the service to get jokes or riddles. But the lack of a million search results is most important, Bostic said.
"Regardless of how Internet-capable a phone is, the form factor is small; and while you are on the go, you have no desire to surf," he said. "You want to ask questions and get [quick] answers."
ChaCha's 25,000 guides are mostly college students or stay-at-home moms looking to earn some extra cash. Guides can work whenever they want, anytime of day, for any length of time.
Susan Bowman, a mother of four from Pennsylvania, works for ChaCha because she loves the flexible schedule.
"I'm not really an office-type person," Bowman said. "It kills me to have to sit in a room or a cubicle. I work out of my kitchen with everything around me."
New guides are given tests and put through "Search University" with Mark Malseed, author of "The Google Story." Bostic said that because of this training, ChaCha's accuracy rate is 93 percent. The company has a process for evaluating the correctness of its guides' answers, he said. Some ChaCha employees, however, have complained that company policies emphasized the quantity of answers over quality.
Guides are paid per question, which generally earns them between $3 and $7 an hour. ChaCha guide Joel Brooks was outraged when recent policy changes cut his pay from 20 cents a question to 10 cents a question. Brooks went to the company's online employee forums and found out he wasn't the only one upset.
After once promising employees they could work as much or as little as they wanted, ChaCha announced that only workers who answered at least 300 questions a week would earn 20 cents. After complaints flooded the forums, ChaCha cut the requirement to 200 questions per week, or about six work hours.
"If they hadn't lowered it, I wouldn't be working for them," said Brooks, a University of Michigan student. "But the new quota is much more reasonable."
Bostic takes growing pains like these in stride as the president of a company that answers 10 million questions per month. To boost revenue, ChaCha soon hopes to incorporate advertising into its text-message answers, he said. Bostic also wants to continue focusing on customer satisfaction.
"People know how to ask questions," he said. "It's one of the first things they learn how to do when they talk. What they want is an answer."
Friday, July 11, 2008
Boot Camp for Google Analytics
Did we say, "Boot Camp for Google Analytics?" How does that work, one might ask? Do I have to get up at 5am to have someone yell at me about goals, funnels and filters, now repeat! Get that bounce rate DOWN mister! Conversion rate UP, lady! Now give me 5 industry benchmarking metrics and hit the showers.
Whoa, whoa...not at all...
It's more like boot camp for your online-marketing brain muscle, highly enjoyable, in an idyllic New England setting, with the coolest folks around. Get into scary good shape (knowledge-wise) with the Online Marketing (OM) Boot Camp, hosted by EpikOne and co-sponsored by Google at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont.
For four days (June 17-20), you'll learn how to use the latest Google marketing and analysis products, get informed about the online advertising industry, and network with Google Analytics experts. Instructors include Google's own analytics evangelist Avinash Kaushik, Ben Bullock and Alex Ortiz from the Google Analytics team, and Justin Cutroni, Seminars For Success instructor and author of Google Analytics Short Cut.
Our users often ask us about training opportunities, and this is a great one for both beginners and advanced users, including agencies. The boot camp has various course levels on topics such as Adwords, Google Analytics and Website Optimizer.
Day 1 is a thought-leadership summit where attendees will hear analytics evangelists speak and enjoy a cocktail networking opportunity in the early evening. Days 2-3 will encompass various course levels of Google product training taught by industry experts.
Only 70 seats are offered for this education-only camp, so you'll get lots of discussion and hands-on training. For more information and to register, visit www.OMBootCamp.com.
Posted by Eva Woo, Google Analytics Team
Whoa, whoa...not at all...
It's more like boot camp for your online-marketing brain muscle, highly enjoyable, in an idyllic New England setting, with the coolest folks around. Get into scary good shape (knowledge-wise) with the Online Marketing (OM) Boot Camp, hosted by EpikOne and co-sponsored by Google at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont.
For four days (June 17-20), you'll learn how to use the latest Google marketing and analysis products, get informed about the online advertising industry, and network with Google Analytics experts. Instructors include Google's own analytics evangelist Avinash Kaushik, Ben Bullock and Alex Ortiz from the Google Analytics team, and Justin Cutroni, Seminars For Success instructor and author of Google Analytics Short Cut.
Our users often ask us about training opportunities, and this is a great one for both beginners and advanced users, including agencies. The boot camp has various course levels on topics such as Adwords, Google Analytics and Website Optimizer.
Day 1 is a thought-leadership summit where attendees will hear analytics evangelists speak and enjoy a cocktail networking opportunity in the early evening. Days 2-3 will encompass various course levels of Google product training taught by industry experts.
Only 70 seats are offered for this education-only camp, so you'll get lots of discussion and hands-on training. For more information and to register, visit www.OMBootCamp.com.
Posted by Eva Woo, Google Analytics Team
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Does keyword density matter in Google Search
The question was asked if keyword density was important in search results. The quick answer is yes. Keyword density is the number of times a specific keyword is used on an entire page. The bigger question is there a minimum or maximum amount of times that you want to use a targeted keyword in a particular page.
When looking at keyword density there is no magic number. How could there be? Let’s say the magic number is 10 times for a specific keyword. If this were true then ever person wanting to rank for that term would use it 10 times and then how would Google understand who to rank.
To determine what is the right now number for a keyword, we have to look at many factors. If you want to rank for “I like Authority SEO blog posts” you probably only have to put that phrase in the title. Though if you want to rank for highly competitive terms like supplements, seo, or watches, you need to do more than just add it a few times in one page. The more competitive the term the more you need a site dedicated to that term.
The true number for keyword density is an ebb and flow depending on the term targeted. What is important is pay attention to how you are using your targeted term and how your rankings are being affected. There are also many other more important factors that can affect a term’s rankings, so don’t put everything in that basket. The goal is always just to do it better either lower or higher than the next guy.
When looking at keyword density there is no magic number. How could there be? Let’s say the magic number is 10 times for a specific keyword. If this were true then ever person wanting to rank for that term would use it 10 times and then how would Google understand who to rank.
To determine what is the right now number for a keyword, we have to look at many factors. If you want to rank for “I like Authority SEO blog posts” you probably only have to put that phrase in the title. Though if you want to rank for highly competitive terms like supplements, seo, or watches, you need to do more than just add it a few times in one page. The more competitive the term the more you need a site dedicated to that term.
The true number for keyword density is an ebb and flow depending on the term targeted. What is important is pay attention to how you are using your targeted term and how your rankings are being affected. There are also many other more important factors that can affect a term’s rankings, so don’t put everything in that basket. The goal is always just to do it better either lower or higher than the next guy.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
What is Google Personalize Search
There is a lot of buzz about Google’s efforts on personalizing search results. Though it is a phrase being kicked around, most people don’t know what personalize search means, and why it is important.
Why do I need to know what personalized search is?
Personalized search offers search results that are more relevant to each individual searcher, or that is the goal any way. Google uses past search behavior to better understand what websites and information is important to each user. With personalize search two users will get different results from typing in the same keyword.
Take the word personal trainer and type it into the Google search bar. Personalize search will give different people different results. You may think why would that be good. Well a broad word like personal trainer could be an individual looking to hire a personal trainer, a personal trainer looking for training ideas for clients, or an individual who wants to get certified as a personal trainer. In theory if Google based on past behavior knew more about what you were looking for it could tailor the search results to sites that would interest you.
Why are search engines moving to personalize search?
The goal of search engines like Google is to make search results the most effective for its consumers. Personalize search may allow people to find the information they are searching for faster and easier.
Right now search engines treat each search as a separate event. Personalize search may make it easier to find the information you are looking for with less searches as you narrow down the keywords you are using.
There are some concerns on personal privacy though it looks like personalize search is on its way and here to stay.
How does Google do personalize search?
Google’s personalize search comes from a startup company Kaltix which Google bought in 2003. Personalize search works by creating multiple website relevance rank lists, and then tailoring each list to interest of different people.
Google’s personalize search is learning about your patterns based on every search query you do. Using profiles that it creates, Google will use your past behavior to attempt to send you more relevant websites specific to you.
Why do I need to know what personalized search is?
Personalized search offers search results that are more relevant to each individual searcher, or that is the goal any way. Google uses past search behavior to better understand what websites and information is important to each user. With personalize search two users will get different results from typing in the same keyword.
Take the word personal trainer and type it into the Google search bar. Personalize search will give different people different results. You may think why would that be good. Well a broad word like personal trainer could be an individual looking to hire a personal trainer, a personal trainer looking for training ideas for clients, or an individual who wants to get certified as a personal trainer. In theory if Google based on past behavior knew more about what you were looking for it could tailor the search results to sites that would interest you.
Why are search engines moving to personalize search?
The goal of search engines like Google is to make search results the most effective for its consumers. Personalize search may allow people to find the information they are searching for faster and easier.
Right now search engines treat each search as a separate event. Personalize search may make it easier to find the information you are looking for with less searches as you narrow down the keywords you are using.
There are some concerns on personal privacy though it looks like personalize search is on its way and here to stay.
How does Google do personalize search?
Google’s personalize search comes from a startup company Kaltix which Google bought in 2003. Personalize search works by creating multiple website relevance rank lists, and then tailoring each list to interest of different people.
Google’s personalize search is learning about your patterns based on every search query you do. Using profiles that it creates, Google will use your past behavior to attempt to send you more relevant websites specific to you.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
8 Ways to Combat Email List Fatigue
Many on your e-mail list receive and read your newsletter. Other addresses fall prey to spam filters, bulk folders, and dormant e-mail accounts. Let's look, however, at subscribers who become disinterested, who no longer open your e-mails. They haven't unsubscribed officially nor do they want to sever the relationship entirely, but interest has waned. This is called "list fatigue," using a term that comes from the direct mail industry to describe a list that is less and less responsive.
You won't be able to prevent list fatigue entirely, but you can slow its erosion. Keeping active readers begins with the proper attitude -- yours! Subscribers are not yours to exploit, but are yours to serve. You promised to help them. Now you must keep your promise or lose their loyalty. Here are ways to combat list fatigue:
1. Provide Fresh, Engaging, Relevant Content
The single most important thing you can do is to provide top-notch quality content in every newsletter -- something new, fresh, relevant, important. Engage your readers with good writing. Ask yourself: Would you want to read this if someone sent it to you?
2. Avoid Over Promotion
I have a friend who used to offer interesting information about her niche topic. Now every newsletter is some kind of promotion. Promotions aren't bad, but they must be accompanied by enough great content to keep readers from "turning off."
3. Modulate E-mail Frequency
If you're sending e-mails too often, it's easy to overwhelm readers who already experience e-mail overload. Only e-mail when you have something worth saying. Don't e-mail too often, but send a newsletter at least once a month so they don't forget who you are and delete your e-mail.
4. Retain the "From:" Name and E-mail Address
People decide what to open based on the "From:" information. If they don't recognize you, they won't open your e-mail, so be consistent. Think of it as building a trusted "brand."
5. Energize Subject Lines
Your subject line will be the deciding factor between open and delete. It needs to walk the fine line between dull and cutesy, between deceptive and bland. It must be intriguing, promising, inviting. Spend time to formulate the very best subject line you can.
6. Select Co-Registration Partners Carefully
Only select co-registration partners whose readers have a lot in common with yours. Otherwise you risk rapid inactivity from these subscribers.
7. Make It Easy to Unsubscribe
Make it extremely easy for a person to unsubscribe from your list. Of course, you don't want to lose them, but would you rather have them stay on your list and never read your e-mails?
8. Grow Your List Aggressively
Since interests change, some list fatigue is inevitable. The only way to keep high your percentage of active readers is to constantly sign up new subscribers who are interested in your topic. That's not easy, but it will help keep your list from dying through attrition and disinterest.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
SEO Tips and Tricks
To get on top of a search engine list, any person or company must make the right choices and invest in the right strategy. Be willing to spend cash on what may produce the best results, as well as be observant in understanding the rules of the trade. In this way, any starting or flourishing business can say that the Search engine optimization is effective in its part.
One good example is enrolling in a link exchange program or finding a fast market affiliate. The former does not involve payment – a home site simply promises to provide a link to another page and vice-versa. This ensures that interested costumers will browse through the similar sites. The latter, on the other hand, can be relied on in advertising a certain page by providing a link for a set fee. Make sure that you find the popular or frequently visited affiliates to increase the probability that the site will be clicked.
Another way is to make the web design user-friendly: make sure the company or personal motto is encoded in the title page and content page and not just flashed on the screen or seen in images. Remember, search engines filter mostly by recognizing words, and not pictures or videos unless specified.
To be ranked high in the list requires new tactics – it is not enough to have original content, great ideas and good items. After all, many other companies may be selling the same items or employing the same advertising schemes. This is why optimization calls for different tips and tricks.
Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘
Download it free here: Secrets of Article Promotion
Sean Mize is a full time internet marketer who has written over 1574 articles in print and 11 published ebooks.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_R_Mize
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