Can Microsoft Get Natural Language Search to Work at MSN?
According to John C. Dvorak of PC Magazine, Microsoft may face a tough challenge if it plans to offer natural language searching.
The biggest mess-maker will be Microsoft, which suddenly thinks this is somehow its business too. It intends to release a new search service using natural-language queries, much like Ask Jeeves. Ask Jeeves has never impressed me, and the company has invested years in this idea. What is Microsoft going to do differently?
To see how poorly natural-language parsing works, use Google's translation function. If companies can't create decent machine translation, how can they use natural language for search queries? Still, Microsoft will do what it does best in areas outside its core competency: muddy the waters. Andy Beal
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Vivisimo Adds New ClusterMed Search Engine Tool for Medical Research Vivisimo today announced the release of ClusterMed(TM), a powerful research tool that allows biomedical and life sciences researchers to search the MedLine database far more productively and efficiently.
ClusterMed(TM) organizes the long list of results returned by PubMed(R) into hierarchical folders allowing researchers to hone in on the most relevant results quickly. By organizing results into categories, users discover the main themes relating to the subject of the query and can easily reach relevant articles buried deep in the chronological list. In addition, similar articles are grouped together, rather than scattered throughout the results.
Vivisimo is certainly one of the smaller search engine companies trying to influence the future of search technology. We asked President & Co-founder, Raul Valdes-Perez to share his views on what to expect in the future, as search engines evolve.
[Andy Beal] Tell me about the Search Engine Technology being developed that excites you?
[Raul Valdes-Perez] Technology that partially automates the intelligent reasoning that goes on in users' heads AFTER they get search results. Such technology makes users more efficient. For example:
- Build a readable, one-paragraph profile of a certain person based on their web results.
- What are the non-obvious relationships between, say, Joe Blow and Otto Normalverbraucher? This expresses an information need that starts with two distinct input topics rather than just one.
- What are the major themes in these results? (Vivisimo does this) [AB] What do you see being devloped in the coming years?
[RV] More machine intelligence built in to the search process that acknowledges what people do after they get search results and better acknowledgement of the information overload that users potentially suffer.
[AB] Do you foresee a time when commercial search results will be seperate from information search results?
[RV] On the web, it's hard to draw a good line between informational and commercial. I don't think this will happen. But the reasons for placement should be made explicit.
[AB] Do you think that search engines will start asking for personal information in order to provide better results?
[RV] This is doubtful, except for small improvements. People have fleeting interests when searching on the web. Their actions are not as unambiguous as is, say, purchasing a book on Amazon.com.
[AB] Do you think that the search engines are in danger of providing too many results?
[RV] The problem of information overload is actually handled pretty well by simply IGNORING most information, e.g., ignore everything after page 1 of the search results, or ignore most of the books in the library, etc. But this has a cost which we can call information overloook.
The challenge is not to eliminate information overlook, which isn't feasible, but to enable users to be more intelligent in the information they elect to ignore, and to let them see more during their time allotment of say, ten minutes, than they can now. Andy Beal
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ClickTracks Launches New Version of Web Analytics Tool
Congrats to John Marshall and his team over at ClickTracks for the launch of v.5.0. Andy Beal
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Measuring ROI with Paid Search Engine Ads
Over at Search Engine Watch, Arnaud Fischer (AltaVista product manager from 1999-2001 and currently leading search product planning for Infospace's Search & Directory division) writes about the importance of tracking ROI with PPC campaigns. Andy Beal
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What to Expect from Search Engines in the Future
I'm glad that there is a lot of interest in the future of search technology. I've enjoyed speaking to industry insiders and getting their thoughts on the future and now USA Today columnist Kevin Maney, offers his view.
"At a conference last week called PC Forum, Google CEO Eric Schmidt essentially told the audience what he wished Google could become.
"I keep asking for a product called Serendipity," he said, making up the name. This product would have access to everything ever written or recorded, know everything the user ever worked on and saved to his or her personal hard drive, and know a whole lot about the user's tastes, friends and predilections.
"Then when I'm typing a paper, it would know what I'm writing about and say, 'Hey, you forgot this,' " Schmidt said.
That's where search has to go. Eventually, search will be like a direct connection between your brain and all the world's information. It will grasp so much about you and your immediate circumstance that it will often know exactly what you need, perhaps even before you do. It will be an electronic Radar O'Reilly." Andy Beal
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March 30, 2004
Is Google Winning Search Engine Wars?
WebSideStory reported Google's share of search engine referrals increased this month. Measuring the number of referrals from a database of 25 million unique browsers, Google was the clear leader with 41%, Yahoo dipped to 27% and MSN remained steady at just under 20%. See the full details at CNet.com. Andy Beal
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Search Engines Are Setting Their Sights on Local Search
Nice report in the LA Times discussing the evolution of local search. Why has local search faced difficulties?
The challenge for search engines is figuring out where an Internet user is. Only about 7% of searches conducted in the U.S. include a local modifier such as a ZIP Code, city or area code, according to ComScore Networks Inc., a market research firm. Andy Beal
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Google's New Look
It appears Google has changed their look again. Take a look at the new style homepage. Ok, so maybe it's a little early for an April Fools joke. The link actually shows Google back in 1997 and if you want to see more, head over to WebProNews. Andy Beal
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How Topix is Making a Reputation for Itself in Local Search
John Battelle talks with the execs over at Topix, a local advertising portal. Andy Beal
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Overture Delivers Search Engine Ads to UK Cell Phones
Overture has signed agreements with Vodafone and Orange to display text ads on their WAP portals.
At launch, Overture will sell WAP page adverts on the mobile operators' travel portals. A mobile phone user searching for say airfare can navigate with a few key taps to an advertisers' specially designed WAP page and make a purchase by tapping a "call this number" link. Andy Beal
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Google Is Sued by Digital Envoy
Look's like Google is starting to become the target of those looking to cash in on the search engine's success. Another company has filed a law suit against them, this time Digital Envoy claims that Google stole some technology from them. Andy Beal
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March 29, 2004
More on New Google Search Features
Danny Sullivan provides a comprehensive summary of the changes announced by Google today. He includes a guide to the new Ad Format, Web Alert Service and the demotion of The Open Directory. Andy Beal
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CEO Eric Schmidt Discusses Google Growth
Mylene Mangalindan has a great interview with Google CEO, Eric Schmidt in today's WSJ. The full article is available online to subscribers, but here is a snippet...
WSJ: You've been quoted saying that an IPO would simply be a financing event. If you're profitable, why do you need a financing event?
Mr. Schmidt: What I always say is that we are fortunate at Google that our business generates enough cash that we have not had the kind of pressure to raise money that many other companies have legitimately had. And the board had the wisdom to not do anything prematurely.
There are always other reasons to go public -- either liquidity, venture returns, the ability to do acquisitions. These are well-known. But one that typically forces it is not present at Google and we don't foresee it to be present. So we've had the luxury of thinking about this question and we continue to think about it.
We've told the company that we will run the company the same way, whether it's a private or public company.
WSJ: Has the preparation for a possible IPO gotten in the way of running the business?
Mr. Schmidt: The IPO discussion has not materially changed the way we do anything except that we're more careful within public settings. I think inside the bigger change has been that we now have hundreds of engineers and so it's not quite as informal a communication style. But that's not related to this IPO question. At the board meetings, in the management meetings, we don't talk about the elephant in the room. I know this is hard to imagine.
Analysts said the market fever has been driven in part by the early success of paid search services pioneered by Yahoo's Overture Services subsidiary and Google's Adwords service. Sales from keyword searches increased to 31 percent of the total $1.75 billion in online ad revenue in the third quarter of 2003, according to online-advertising trade group the Internet Advertising Bureau. Andy Beal
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Yahoo and MSN Build Partnership
According to CNet, Yahoo CEO, Terry Semel believes that there is room for Yahoo and MSN to work together.
"It's important...for companies like Yahoo and Microsoft to start working more together, because we have a common goal--to take a greater and greater share of the marketplace," he said, speaking to Microsoft MSN's more than to the 500 advertising clients gathered here for the software company's fifth annual ad summit. Andy Beal
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Dogpile Enhances Toolbar with News Feeds
Search Engine Watch features an article written by Gary Price in which he reviews the new toolbar options provided by Dogpile. Andy Beal
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Google Adds New Search Engine Options Just found the official Google press release that announces the new changes at Google. These include:
New Froogle home page and search results page. The new Froogle homepage also features links to recent popular product searches, such as iPod cases or airzooka instead of categories.
A new number range (numrange) advanced search command enables users to specify that results contain numbers in a range they set.
Google News now displays thumbnail images of photos that relate to news stories. Andy Beal
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Microsoft Adding New Tools, Could Take Years
According to USA Today, Microsoft could take up to 3 years to introduce some of the new tools it has announced for MSN Search. Andy Beal
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New Google Look Launched
You may have to wait until July 1st to see the new MSN interface, but you can see the new Google one today. Google has launched its much rumored new look, which includes a new Froogle tab and search engine results page. Andy Beal
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March 27, 2004
Microsoft to Create MSN Blogbot, A Blog Search Engine
According to the Mercury News, Microsoft has announced that it will create a special search engine just for weblogs that will debut sometime in the first half of the year.
Blogbot will not index all blogs, just the ones that MSN determines provide the most useful information, a company official said. Andy Beal
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March 26, 2004
Hang on a minute....
Is this a regurgitation of a story that ran a few months back, or have have the stories on Google become one big blur? How many times can the same thing be reported? Andy Beal
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Can Smaller Search Engine Companies Fill Google Void?
The Associated Press comments on the gaping whole that needs to be filled, if search engines are to index the entire web.
Users who consider Google exhaustive are only fooling themselves, experts say. Today's search engines may be capturing as little as 1 percent of the Web, largely because of how they find and index online resources.
The article features a whole host of smaller companies who claim to be able to fill the gap. Andy Beal
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Mapquest Beta Tests Local Search Engine Tool
Gary Price reports that Mapquest is quietly rolling out a local search function linked to their maps. Andy Beal
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Alltheweb.com Switches to Yahoo! Search
The folks over at Webmaster World are reporting that AllTheWeb.com has switched to Yahoo results. Andy Beal
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YukonSoft Corporation receives Internet search engine patent
And the news keeps on coming...
YukonSoft Corporation announced today the receipt of an Internet search engine patent for the Method for Indexing and Managing a Searchable Community of Non-HTML Information. The patented technology, which has been utilized in YukonSoft's Y.E.S.!(tm) software platform, allows an Internet search engine to search Internet sites and retrieve information within an e-commerce website at the product or inventory level rather than by website homepage. Andy Beal
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Top Ten Reasons Why Search Engine Marketing Will Grow
In true David Letterman style, Geoff Ramsey CEO of eMarketer gives his Top 10 reasons why search will grow:
10. The economy is growing.
9. Search will attract more B2B advertisers to online marketing.
8. Search is expanding to include multi-media and graphics.
7. Search will get smarter.
6. Search will expand through contextual advertising.
5. Search will grow faster outside the U.S. market.
4. The number of online shoppers and buyers continues to grow.
3. The number of searchers, and usage of search, will continue to grow.
2. Search will go local.
1. Search marketing will get more sophisticated. Andy Beal
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Interpreting search
CNET's Michael Kanellow takes a look at some lesser know developments in search. Andy Beal
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Let's start from the beginning...
Who needs a shrink, when I have Sid Yadav from Internet Explained ready to offer his couch and let me tell my story from the beginning. Thanks Sid. Andy Beal
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More Microsoft Search Engine News
Reuters has additional comments from Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer...
"Ballmer conceded that Microsoft made a strategic mistake when it chose to use outside companies for Web search rather than making its own investment in the up-and-coming technology.
"That's probably the thing I feel worst about," he said.
Nevertheless, Ballmer vowed that Microsoft would more than make up for lost time. "We're committed to do it very, very, very well. I think you'll see a lot of good competition in the area," he said, vowing that Microsoft would become "absolutely the best" in search.
Ballmer said it was premature to comment on whether the company will build its own search advertising technology, but said that any such effort would take a back seat to Web search." Andy Beal
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Microsoft Rues Search Engine Decision
The Seattle Times reports that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer regrets not getting involved with search a lot sooner.
"That's probably the thing I feel worst about over the last few years — not making our own (research and development) investment," he said. Andy Beal
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Yahoo Buys Kelkoo, Strengthens European Shopping Search According to Reuters, Yahoo has agreed to buy European price comparison Web site Kelkoo SA for about $575 million in cash to expand its range of Internet commerce portals.
"Commerce has emerged as a key component of search,'' said Yahoo Chief Executive Terry Semel in a statement on Friday.
Kelkoo, which has been profitable for more than a year, has long been tipped by European bankers as a potential candidate for an initial public offering or a sale to a company such as Yahoo or Google. Andy Beal
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Could we see Google Acrobat?
I bet the above headline got you to think there's going to be a merger between Google and Adobe, didn't it? (No?, maybe I'm not as clever as I think then).
Anyway, in an ABC news snippet, Sergey Brin reveals what career path he may have taken if he had not "stumbled" into search.
"I like to do a variety of kind of acrobatic things," said Brin. "I even did flying trapeze for a little while." Andy Beal
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March 25, 2004
Does Ruling Suggest Problems for New Microsoft Search Engine?
The recent European Commission decision to force Microsoft to unbundle its Windows Media Player from Windows, could be a blow to the company's plans to integrate search technology into the new Longhorn operating system, according to Mercury News.
"The big question is how precedent-setting'' the decision is, said Joe Wilcox, senior analyst at Jupiter Research. ``We've got a precedent that says . . . bundling is not acceptable in some circumstances. If it could apply to media player, it could be applied to other technologies.'' Andy Beal
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MSN Launches New Look in July, Not New Search Engine A couple of weeks ago we posted a link to a Reuters article that suggested that, along with changing the way sponsored listings were displayed, MSN would also be introducing their new search engine in July.
I hadn't heard this, and neither had anyone else. Today, Danny Sullivan answers the question, confirming that the changes in July are purely to the way sponsored listings are displayed and not the actual index. MSN will continue to use Yahoo for the time being. Andy Beal
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March 24, 2004
Got Questions About the New Yahoo Paid Inclusion?
Over at WebmasterWorld, "Yahoo_Mike" (who we assume is a Yahoo employee) anwers a whole host of questions relating to Yahoo's paid inclusion and free crawl.
Some quotes:
Yahoo! still serves results to MSN. However, each portal may have slightly different configurations which can affect the results for a search. Also most portals will periodically run tests. These tests can also affect what you see between portals and even if you do the same search within a portal.
If your site is in the directory it will be also be crawled. That crawl will happen on the same frequency as other sites on the web. It should be crawled within about 7 weeks.
If you PPC budget runs out, your Site Match URLs will no longer be available until you add funds to your account. The exception is that if that same URL was previously crawled, then the URL will continue to appear because it remains in the crawler’s index. Andy Beal
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Eurekster Discusses Combining Social Networking and Search Engine Technology If you keep tabs on the latest search engine news, you’ll no doubt realize that we are getting closer to a merging of search engine technology and social networking. While Google may have created the sizzle with its recent launch of Orkut along with rumors that it may one day roll it into its search engine, there is a company already making headway with social searching.
Although Eurekster may technically still be in Beta testing (launched in January of this year), there is no doubt that the offspring of SLI Systems and RealContacts is making major advancements in combining social networking with search engine technology.
Eurekster makes use of its own SearchMemory™ technology which remembers the sites a user finds useful and presents them higher in the results the next time they search. Then, Eurekster lets a user and their friends share their searches and sites, so when they do a “hotel� search, for example, they'll see the hotel sites their friends also found useful, moved up in the results and marked with an icon.
I had an opportunity to discuss with Eurekster CEO, Grant Ryan the future of social searching and find out what Eurekster is doing to get a step ahead of Google, Yahoo and MSN.
[Andy Beal] Tell me about the search engine technology being developed by Eurekster?
[Grant Ryan] The Internet is a huge place - how do we know what is interesting out there? Word of mouth is the most common way for new ideas to spread and the "What's Hot" function of Eurekster allows users to see what is going on with their contacts without seeing exactly who does what. This has already worked in interesting ways. There was an earthquake in my home town and someone immediately did a search for that to find out how big it was. Two people I know who were overseas at the time saw this in the "Recent Searches" area of Eurekster and rang home to check that everything was ok. It is a great way to share information with your contacts.
We've also shown how search engines can now also remember that you or your friends liked one particular search result over the thousands of others, and deliver it on top of the results for all future searches performed by your network of contacts.
[AB] What new developments in search do you see happening in the couple of years?
[GR] We think that personalization will be the main area of improvement. Search technology has evolved from computers deciding what is relevant (e.g. Infoseek, AltaVista), to paid editors deciding what is relevant (e.g. Yahoo, LookSmart), to webmasters deciding what is relevant through link analysis (e.g. Google, Teoma).
The next logical step is that users decide what is relevant based on their knowledge and experiences. Search engines that learn and adapt results based on your behavior, giving personalized results is the next big opportunity and challenge.
Another big opportunity is local search - this is a form of personalization - delivering search results based on one's location. This is, to some extent, like merging the yellow pages with search. This has a lot of potential commercially, especially since there still are greater numbers of yellow page advertisers out there than search engine advertisers.
[AB] What impact do you see social networking having on the future of search engine technology?
[GR] Word of mouth or social networking is the most commonly used method for filtering information in everyday life. We use it every day to get recommendations for doctors, lawyers, places to stay on holiday, and so on. As the quantity of information explodes, word of mouth information filtering will become even more important. It is inevitable that this natural social process will be used to filter information on the Internet and search engines are the logical place to start.
The reason that social networks are important for information filtering is that there are billions of people in the world with different views about what is important and interesting. One of the ways we choose people with whom to associate is based on the fact that we either enjoy something about their perspectives of the world or share similar views. In either case, this is a useful way to help work out what is likely to be more relevant to you.
[AB] Do you foresee a time when commercial search results (product/services) will be separated from informational search results (white papers/educational sites)?
[GR] Yes it may head that way. I can naturally see that there will be more tabs on search engines to allow users to focus only on products or just on educational information, etc. Most users simply want to type in a search query and have results appear -- so I suspect they will continue to be mixed by default.
[AB] How do you see search engine technology impacting our use of portable technology such as PDAs and Cell phones?
[GR]I would be surprised if PDAs and Cell phones will ever be used as a primary source for searching given the requirement for small screen size. Mobile search engines of the future are likely to take into account your precise location when serving results as you are more likely to be looking for directions, local news, sport etc.
[AB] If search engine users gave up a little of their privacy and allowed their search habits to be monitored, would this allow the search engines to provide better, customized results?
[GR] Yes - if users want truly customized services then the provider has to know something about their preferences. The level of service you can get from a travel agent or investment advisor would be severely limited if you had to start from scratch every time you needed something. Most search engines assume that everyone typing in a term is looking for the same thing and give them exactly the same results!
[AB] Grant, tell us what Eurekster is doing to personalize the search experience?
[GR] At Eurekster we have developed a way to learn from your past search history and that of your contacts in a way to provide personalized and more relevant search results. There are strong incentives for search engines to keep their promises on privacy given there is more value in keeping a long term quality relationship, compared to the negative publicity and loss of customer trust.
[AB] How can Eurekster compete with Google or Yahoo?
[GR] I have been involved in the search business for over 6 years now and every year have read articles about how the search wars have been won (different companies over time e.g. AltaVista/Infoseek, Yahoo, Inktomi, Google). It is inevitable that companies will continue to come up with new technologies that offer consumers greater choice and new improvements. That is what we are doing at Eurekster, so have a play and tell us what you think -- and what features you want us to add next.
[AB] Many thanks for your time and I look forward to seeing the continued success of Eurekster in the future.
Which Are The Best News Sources on Google? In a Search Engine Watch article, Greg Jarboe introduces Newsknife, a service which evaluates and ranks the quality of the news sites that show up on Google news.
According to Newsknife, "The Google News web site features major news items, each with links to hundreds of the world's news sites carrying their versions of that item. These sources are sorted by relevance by Google News. The ones they judge the most relevant are at the top for readers' easy access." Andy Beal
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Google Working to Introduce Voice Activated Search
Craig Silverstein spoke to ZDNet UK about the possibility of using voice activation in search. Andy Beal
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Google Concerned About Orkut Spamming
In a USA Today article, execs of social networking sites voice their fears for the future.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt worries that spammers will figure out how to hijack social networking. "All of a sudden, you might have a thousand 'friends' trying to sell you something you don't need," he says.
It won't be long, I'm already getting messages from people who send email offers to "friends of friends". That being said, my biggest concern would be "what the heck do we do with Orkut now?" I haven't used the site in weeks, because it has no value to me. Andy Beal
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News Search Engines About to Get a Lot Smarter
According to The Mercury News, Microsoft is working on a project called NewsJunkie which could help MSN compete with Google News.
Using principles of artificial intelligence and information retrieval, NewsJunkie keeps track of what a reader has already seen. It reorganizes news stories to rank those with the most new information at the top and push those with repetitive information to the bottom, or filter them out entirely.
This is great news. Can I request that they also use this technology on any email alerts you sign up for? While I love Google News Alerts, I get so many duplications each day due to the same story being repeated at different sources. Andy Beal
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South Korea Bans Keyword "Suicide" From Search Engine Results Police in South Korea say they are determined to close down all suicide websites and to eliminate the word "suicide" from search engines for portal sites, after five people were found dead as a result of forming an online suicide pact. (Thanks Vigilant.tv) Andy Beal
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March 23, 2004
Shopping.com Files to Go Public
According to Reuters, online comparison shopping company, Shopping.com has filed for an initial public offering worth $75 million. Andy Beal
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WebSourced's KeywordRanking.com to Offer Pay-Per-Click Search Engine Services
WebSourced, Inc., the global leader in search engine marketing (www.websourced.com and www.KeywordRanking.com) - today announced it has signed an agreement with Did-it.com to utilize the company's pay-per-click (PPC) search campaign management technology platform, Maestro, and is also working closely with the Google AdWords(TM) program to further facilitate keyword buying. In addition, the company has secured direct relationships with other leading search engines to provide paid advertising services to WebSourced clients.
WebSourced's KeywordRanking.com division, the largest provider of search engine optimization services in the world with over 1,200 clients, will utilize Did-It.com's Maestro software to create and implement pay-per-click campaigns and keyword buys on behalf of customers.
Andy Beal, vice president of search marketing at WebSourced, stated, "This move effectively ensures KeywordRanking's continued growth in both search engine optimization and pay-per-click. We now offer clients an integrated approach to website marketing by providing them with comprehensive optimization as well as PPC services."
KeywordRanking.com uses optimization to ensure search engines can read and index client websites consequently increasing the ranking of these sites. Now, the organization is offering clients pay-per-click advertising services wherein a position in the sponsored listing section of search results is secured via payment.
Pat Martin, president and CEO of WebSourced stated, "KeywordRanking's experience in securing top placements for client websites using optimization is unsurpassed. Customers can expect to receive the same insight, expertise and proven results from our PPC service." Andy Beal
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Looking for the best SEO?
I don't often report on forum threads, but there is an interesting one going on at WebProWorld.com. It started off with someone asking who are the legitimate SEO companies. Naturally, members were reluctant to give specific names, which is when someone suggested searching Google for "search engine optimization" and calling the top ranked companies.
This is never a good practice and Aaron Wall of SEOBook, summarizes perfectly in his post why this is not a good idea:
"The search results are the absolute worst place in the world to look for a search engine optimization expert.
I say this, and if you search for "search marketing" in yahoo or google I rank at #1, but that means nothing. It means I was able to capture 1 term. I rank decent for "search engine marketing," "professional search engine marketing," and a ton of other terms.
Generally this means 1 of 3 things.
1.) I am an amazing source of information on the topic. OR
2.) I have no clients and spend tons of time optimizing my site. OR
3.) I have tons of money and buy links to get my rankings. I will be passing this cost on to you."
Keep Track of Google Ranking Shifts
If you're obsessed with changes in Google's index, head over to RankPulse where they track more than 1,000 different keywords. Andy Beal
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Will Google Go Public In Light of SEC Filing Deadline?
Google may be keeping quiet about their IPO plans, but according to CBS MarketWatch, they may soon face increased pressure to consider going public.
If Google has $10 million of total assets and more than 500 stockholders, it will have to file a Form 10 with the Securities and Exchange Commission, under section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Both of those Form 10 triggers appear to be easily within reach of Google, which discloses 1,000 employees and stock option benefits on its Web site, and at least $50 million in venture backing as of 1999. Stock options are included in the stockholding threshold.
Such a filing will make public Google's earnings and revenue information. It would also trigger the need for other public filings such as proxy statements and annual reports.
Voice Operated Internet Browser from Opera and IBM Opera Software is developing a new Internet browser that allows users to talk to their computer. The new browser incorporates IBM's ViaVoice technology, enabling the computer to ask what the user wants and "listen" to the request. Andy Beal
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Affiliate Programs: Moneymakers or Brandbusters?
Search Engine Watch guest writer Anne Kennedy summarizes the SES New York session that discussed Affiliate Marketing. Andy Beal
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Time to give up and go home...
Darn it, just when the SEM industry was growing nicely, GoDaddy.com goes and releases Traffic Blazer v2.0 which offers to "increase your visibility-and your profits-in no time". All for just $29.95.
In case my dry sense of humor has passed you by, please don't be fooled into thinking that for $29.95 you can get any decent search engine results. But if you do happen to believe that, let me know, as you may also be interested in a machine I have that turns lead into gold. ;-) Andy Beal
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Kanoodle Uses Click Rate for Ranking Content Listings
According to DMNews.com, Kanoodle said it would begin to use click-through rates to help rank its contextual listings, as opposed to determining position based only on bid price. The new system, called ClickFactor, is very similar to Google AdWords. Andy Beal
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FindWhat.com Completes Comet Systems Acquisition
A little faster than their acquisition of Espotting. Andy Beal
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What do Google and KFC Have in Common?
They both have a secret recipe that others try to copy, according to Business Report. Andy Beal
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March 22, 2004
Google Updates Deskbar
Thanks to Webmaster World for letting me know that Google has released a new version of their deskbar. Andy Beal
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Google Plans to Use Orkut in Search
Google CEO, Eric Schmidt indicated that Google will likely use Orkut technology as part of Google search results within the next 12 months, according to CNet.
Schmidt declined to comment on whether any IPO was coming for Google. "We are fortunate that our business model is such that we can generate enough cash from operations so that we have not needed to go public," he said. Andy Beal
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Google and Yahoo Challenging Microsoft
Finally, a fresh view on the "search engine wars". Michael Liedtke flips the typical search engine questions and asks if Google and Yahoo are a threat to Microsoft's grip on computer desktops. With the Internet becoming an intrinsic part of our lives, are we more reliant on the best search engine than we are operating system?
"The Web has created the equivalent of an operating system layered on top of the computer's operating system," said John Battelle, a former high-tech magazine publisher who is writing a book on the rise of online search. "There is some question how important that underlying operating system is going to be in the future." Andy Beal
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Google Indexing Private and Confidential Content
The Boston Globe reveals the type of content you perhaps don't want Google to index.
"Google kind of makes it easy to connect all the dots together," said Richard M. Smith, former chief technology officer at the Privacy Foundation. "I think Google is the biggest privacy invader on the planet, no doubt about it."
Some people have searched using the term "confidential" to find embarrassing memos.
Smith said someone might post a memo using a complex address that only insiders are supposed to know, but somebody else "inadvertently links to it, and then it's ... 'game over.'" Andy Beal
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Hotbot and Dogpile Release New Search Engine Toolbars
Both Hotbot and Dogpile release their toolbars today. I like the sounds of Hotbot's which includes the ability to search your hard drive for files. I'll download and let you know what I think.
Accountant `Googles' Himself, Sues for Libel
A South Bay accountant is suing Google for libel.
"Specifically, the search results falsely represent that plaintiffs Maughan and/or Brown & Maughan have been disciplined for gross negligence, for failing to timely submit a client's claim for refund of overpayment of taxes, and for practicing as a CPA without a permit," according to the proposed class action filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
It will be interesting to see where this goes. Andy Beal
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Rivals nip at giant Google's heels
In case you missed the news. Google is successful, Yahoo is catching up and, oh yeah, MSN is getting ready to launch a search engine.
Who Can Take on Google? Newsweek takes a look at the success of Google (yawn) and asks who can win the search wars. One interesting nugget; the results of a survey they conducted online:
Google Updates Adsense Tracking
According to WebProNews.com, as part of Google’s upgrade of Adsense, the search engine giant has modified the ability in which Adsense users can track the results of their ads. Andy Beal
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March 21, 2004
Microsoft's MSN plans new search engine in July?
I saw the original reports that MSN would change the way is displays paid advertising on its search engine, sometime in July. Did I miss something or is Reed Stevenson using creative license in his Reuters article that starts...
Microsoft said on Friday that a new engine for its MSN Search service will start up in July.
He seems to suggest that MSN's new crawler will be introduced in July as well. Anyone else heard this? Andy Beal
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A Google IPO or Not?
The Boston Globe discusses the excitement surrounding a potential Google IPO and talks with anaylsts about when (and if) it might happen. Andy Beal
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March Madness Extends to the Search Engine According to the New York Post, search engine companies have seen fantastic market gains in March.
"The beginning of March has arguably been one of the better times for the group," said Mark May, an analyst at Kaufman Brothers.
Someone should start a bracket for the search engines. Who will make the final four? Yahoo, MSN and Google are the #1 seeds, but who will join the top 3? Andy Beal
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Don't Mess With Google
A California man threatened to sell software that would cost Google millions of dollars in bogus click-thrus on Google Adwords campaigns.
Michael Anthony Bradley, 32, appeared Friday in federal court in San Jose on charges of fraud and making threats against Google in an alleged attempt to extort $100,000 from the company. A magistrate judge released Bradley on $50,000 bond on the condition he not use a computer and avoid any contact with Google.
These people have always existed, they just don't normally ask Google for a pay-off. Andy Beal
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Smith Barney Internet Analyst Answers Yahoo Questions Smith Barney analyst, Lanny Baker answers New York Times' questions about Yahoo's future in search. The first question is great news to all of us involved in the search engine industry.
Q. How rapidly do you see the search market growing?
A. Even from 2004 levels, you are looking at 25 percent to 27 percent growth over the next four years. Andy Beal
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March 19, 2004
Yahoo's New Web Rank Determined Algorithmically
According to Web Pro News, the new Yahoo Web Rank is calculated by algorithm and not popularity (unlike Alexa's ranking which is calculated by the number of people who view the site).
PR at Yahoo flatly stated that Web Rank is not determined by the number of visitors with tool bars. Andy Beal
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MSN to Clearly Label Search Engine Ads
According to CNet, MSN is planning to better mark those search engine listings that have been paid for.
On July 1, MSN plans to overhaul the way its search result pages appear. The top three listings, instead of four, will be highlighted with a box, marking them as "sponsored" results. These will be sold by MSN sales staff. MSN will also replace Overture sponsored listings from underneath with one editorial staff-recommended site. Following that will appear natural or algorithmic search listings, provided by Yahoo-owned Inktomi. Andy Beal
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Vivisimo 
[Andy Beal] Tell me about the Search Engine Technology being developed that excites you?
Just found the 
According to 
A couple of weeks ago we 
If you keep tabs on the latest 
In a 
According to the 
Smith Barney analyst, Lanny Baker answers