Welcome LookSmart - Latest Search Engine Lowdown Advertiser One more thing before we go...We'd like to welcome LookSmart as the latest advertiser to partner with Search Engine Lowdown.
If you want quality traffic at a lower cost than other leading pay-per-click search marketing programs, check out their LookListing service. Andy Beal
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Have a Happy Fourth of July
I'm going to be heading to the beautiful mountains of North Carolina, for the 4th. In fact, posting will be light until around the 6th.
Google Video Search Already Violating Copyright Laws Looks like Google is already violating copyright laws, with content ranging from the last "Matrix" movie to the "Family Guy" cartoons, all available.
Much of the content uploaded to Google's search tool had been in the system for weeks. A watchable copy of "The Matrix Revolutions" was stamped with a June 9 upload time, and the "Family Guy" cartoons were uploaded on June 7, according to the Web page.
Google is taking its normal stance.
"We encourage anyone who has a copyright concern or complaint to send us a DMCA content removal notice."
I'm not sure for how much longer they can get away with that policy. At some point, someone has to hold Google accountable for the content they display, whether it's video or PPC ads. Andy Beal
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Microsoft Lifts the Lid on Desktop Search
According to CNet, Microsoft is providing an API for its desktop search tool.
Microsoft has published application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow programmers to display the results of a desktop search in their choice of programs.
The APIs, which were released earlier this week, are still in beta testing. Andy Beal
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AOL Rolls Out New Video Search
AOL is rolling out its new, free video search engine today.
Highlights include:
* The AOL Video on-demand archive has more than 15,000 licensed and originally produced video assets and is continuously expanding the scope of its licensing relationships in key categories - music, movies, television, sports and news - to broaden the selection of popular content.
* Singingfish is the Web's foremost video and audio search engine with more than 1.5 million searchable video assets. Unlike traditional search engines, Singingfish only indexes multimedia formats. Currently, Singingfish handles well over 200 million video and audio searches each month across its network and has experienced 100 percent growth over the past year. Andy Beal
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Your Help Needed: Do You Know the Whereabouts of Ian Turner? I don't personally know Ian Turner, but a lot of SEO folks are concerned for his safety and whereabouts. If you know anything, please visit Threadwatch for info on how to reach the appropriate authorities. Andy Beal
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Google's Master Plan Revealed Steve Jurvetson has uploaded a secret photo of Google's master plan. Looking at the image, it appears I was on the right track with my comparisons to Virgin - the plan includes hiring Richard Branson. :-)
Google Faces Click Fraud Lawsuit
According to Reuters, Google is facing a lawsuit filed by Click Defense Inc. The company is seeking class action status and claims that Google's ads are filled with too many fake clicks.
Scott Boyenger, chief executive of Colorado-based Click Defense, said in an e-mail that his company's tracking system has detected click fraud rates of as high as 38 percent. The company sells software to prevent click fraud.
Of course, Google is denying this claim...
"We believe the suit is without merit and we will defend ourselves against it vigorously," a Google spokesman said.
So now it comes down to who's evidence is less biased. The company that earns 99% of its revenue from click-thru's or the company that is trying to sell its click-fraud detection service.
Heather LLoyd-Martin Named Chair of DMA Search Council
Congrats to search goddess Heather Lloyd-Martin, for being named chair of a new DMA search marketing initiative.
...DMA announced yesterday the launch of its Search Engine Marketing Council. The council will serve as the proactive voice for growth of search engine marketing, representing all constituencies as the main source of education, exchange of ideas, guidelines, information and interaction, the DMA said.
Heather Lloyd-Martin, director of search strategies for WebSourced Inc., chairs the council.
Thanks for your interest in Google Earth, but we're sorry we can't offer you a download right now. As you know, Google Earth is in beta, and we're still building out our ability to take on new users. We're making good progress, and expect to be able to accept new downloads shortly, so we recommend you check back daily at earth.google.com. We hope to be able to welcome you and other new planet surfers soon.
The Problem with Yahoo Social Search
Greg Linden sees some problems with Yahoo's new social search engine, My Web 2.0.
First, this is a hell of a lot of work. Not only do I have to list my entire social network at Yahoo, but also I have to manually tag vast numbers of web pages. Who has that kind of time? The benefits would need to be absolutely extraordinary to convince people to devote this much effort to seeing improved search results.
Second, as Chris Anderson said, social networks don't work well for personalization because "the assumption that there's a correlation between the people I like and the products I like is a flawed one." Personalized search should find like-minded people from the entire community who can help you find what you need.
Tagging, the New Research Tool for Search Marketing?
Over at our sister brother site, Garrett has some interesting thoughts, sparked by Steve Rubel's comments on tagging.
According to Garrett...
I think if you're a search marketer and you're following the tags people use to label pages in Yahoo (or pictures in Flikr or blog posts in Technorati) you'll have a cutting-edge vision of how people think and label their world.
You'll be able to bid on the keywords people are likely to be using for your products/services in their searches, especially if you're offering something new to the market.
In short, tagging could be a way to augment your keyword research.
Miva Plans Pay-Per-Call for U.K.
According to ClickZ, Miva and Ingenio will begin building a pay-per-call lead-generation solution in the U.K. It's expected to launch in the third quarter. Andy Beal
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Google Maps API Now Available
Google has just announced the availability of a Google Maps API.
The Google Maps API is a free toolkit that enables developers to create computer programs that interact directly with the Google Maps system. With the Google Maps API, developers can embed Google Maps in their own web pages with JavaScript. Specifically, developers can add their own overlays to the map, including markers and shadowed "info windows, " just like Google Maps.
The API is open to commercial and non-commercial websites that are free to consumers. Google will include the Google logo on the map, a link back to Google Maps and may show ads in the future on the maps. More info about the Google Maps APIs can be found at http://www.google.com/apis/maps/ Andy Beal
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Yo, Search Engines! Can We Slow Down on the New Product Launches?
Guys, guys, I'm impressed by your willingness to improve the search engine experience, but could you take a little breather and let us get to grips with the half dozen products launched in the past few days?
I live and breathe search, yet I haven't been able to fully digest all of the new product launches. Do you think the average search engine user is any different?
It's like London buses. You wait ages for one, and then six come along at once! I'm not going to ride all six, am I? :-) Andy Beal
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Yahoo Launches Social Search with My Web 2.0
Wow...seems like the search engines are cranking-up the R&D these days (must be the glut of summer interns).
Anyway, Yahoo has just announced My Web 2.0 - which they are calling an "early beta", nice - a social search engine that complements web search by enabling users to search the knowledge and expertise of their friends and community in addition to the web.
Google Asked to Delay Plans to Digitize Books
The Association of American Publishers has asked Google for a 6 month moratorium on its plans to digitize books from 5 major libraries, according to News.com.
The Association of American University Presses and others representing publishers and authors have also questioned the legality of Google's Print for Libraries project over copyright issues.
Google is taking the right approach. They want to make sure the association understands exactly what it is Google intends to do.
"We want to make sure we understand thoroughly the issues and that they understand our program well? before we come to any decision," said Susan Wojcicki, director of product management at Google. Andy Beal
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MSN the Best at Blocking Web Porn
A new report by the House Government Reform Committee looks at how well the top search engines handle porn blocking.
Filtering technology used by Microsoft's MSN search engine, however, more effectively blocks pornographic and erotic images than filters used by Google and Yahoo, the Government Accountability Office said in a report issued Monday.
That may sound like good news, but I think MSN might have just lost that most important demographic - single guys with nothing to do on a Saturday night. ;-) Andy Beal
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New Study Shows the Search Engines Have a Lot of Indexing Left to Do
Danny Sullivan has details of a new study that tries to estimate the size of the web and what percentage the search engines have indexed.
Google tops the list with 69.6% of all web pages indexed. But, as Danny points out, that does not include the many billions of pages referred to as the "invisible" web - content that is password protected or in databases. Andy Beal
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T-Mobile Selects Google for Mobile Internet Reuters reports that T-Mobile has selected Google to provide surf and search technology to European cell phones.
The Google deal is part of a campaign in which T-Mobile, Europe's second-largest mobile operator, will offer full access to the Internet on its phones, abandoning the "walled garden" concept in which operators hand-pick Web sites.
It looks like this is initially for German and Austrian markets. Andy Beal
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Google Searches for London Office
According to the London Evening Standard, Google is getting ready to open a new London office.
Google, the search engine floated for $23.1bn (£12bn) last year by founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, is understood to be in final-stage negotiations for up to 53,000 sq ft at Belgrave House, Victoria from landlords Grosvenor Estates and private property firm JER. Andy Beal
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June 28, 2005
A Look at Google Earth
Over at Internetnews.com, Susan Kuchinskas takes a look at the new, free version of Google Earth.
Some of the cool features include:
...if a blogger reviewed a restaurant, a snippet from the blog item might appear when the icon showing that restaurant's location on the map was clicked. The searcher could click on it to read the rest of the entry...The service includes video playback of driving directions, so that users can practice the route before getting on the road.
Some think that Google Earth will attract marketers from the outset...
Robert Charlton, an independent consultant on search engine optimizing, said marketers definitely would buy placements on Google Earth. "Marketers will use it more and more, because [Google Earth] is going to be harder to optimize for than regular search will be. If you're a national company with local outlets, you want to buy ads that fit into that system."
I think it might not happen until the product is available without needing to download...
"It will be tough to monetize Google Earth as a stand-alone product," he said. "As bandwidth increases, you could see Google Earth available as a Web service without having to download the application first. This would no doubt increase the use of the product, which would bring more consumers looking for local search results. Wherever Google can attract the consumers, they'll attract the advertisers."
Now, please excuse me while I go ask Susan to change our company name from "WebSources". ;-) Andy Beal
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Goodbye Algorithm Chasing, Hello Google Personalized Search
Well, it looks like traditional SEO is about to be shaken-up. Those of you who've been relying on "reverse-engineering" or spamming, in order to get better search engine traffic, are about to enter a new age of search marketing.
All of the major search engines have experimented with personalized search (although some didn't inhale) and today see's Google's next iteration of personalized search results.
Personalized Search is an improvement to Google search that orders your search results based on what you've searched for before. Learning from your history of searches and search results you've clicked on, Personalized Search brings certain results closer to the top when it's clear they're most relevant to you.
As the search engines start crossing over to different platforms, add local results and personalize the SERPS, traditional SEO will no longer be about PageRank, Hilltop or any other algo. Instead, it will be more about marketing, copy, branding and usability. Are you ready for a new era of SEO?
Google Traffic Hits High
Google's stock may be hitting an all-time high, but that's nothing compared to it's search referral traffic.
Google’s U.S. search referral percentage hit an all-time high, climbing above 52 percent for the first time. According to independent research that was collected and analyzed by WebSideStory, Google’s search referral percentage – the percentage of search traffic it sends to other sites on the web – is more than double that of its nearest competitor and culminates a meteoric, four-year rise. Andy Beal
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Compare Google News and Yahoo News
Newsiness jumps on the "compare search results" bandwagon, except with a twist. Their GoogleYahooNews tool allows you to compare news results between, you guessed it, Google News and Yahoo News. Andy Beal
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Google Earth Available for Free
Google Earth (previously called Keyhole) is now available for download and it's free, baby!
Google Earth puts a planet's worth of imagery and other geographic information right on your desktop. View exotic locales like Maui and Paris as well as points of interest such as local restaurants, hospitals, schools, and more.
Google's strategy is interesting. Buy lots of companies, that offer great products, then either greatly reduce or remove any fees associated with it. It suggests that Google has plans to monetize these products by adding AdWords to them. Andy Beal
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UK Search Continues to Mature
MediaWeek (UK) offers a mind-numbing recap of the history of paid search. Fortunately, you don't have to read the entire thing since they added a "key points" section at the end of the article.
For those of you who don't want to read (or even click-thru) to the article, here they are:
* Online media owners saw the value of guiding web users direct to the information they wanted, and then charging advertisers for doing that. * Online advertising has evolved rapidly from the days of skyscrapers and popups. Pay-per-click and ideas like Google's Ad words are now driving revenues for the search businesses. * As an advertising vehicle, search is incredibly targeted as you're not relying on planner/buyers' ability to hit a target in the way you do for other media. You know exactly how many people have responded to your ad and can track ROI thoroughly. * The size of the online advertising market has overtaken cinema and is closing in on outdoor, according to Newton. Andy Beal
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June 27, 2005
Microsoft Believes it Can Match Google Relevancy - Does it Matter? Gary Price points to ZDNet article that has Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer claiming that "in the next six months, we'll catch Google in terms of relevancy.
Gary adds his thoughts, which I strongly agree with...
Of course, relevancy is very important but to "catch" Google, MSN needs to build mindshare. This might be their biggest challenge. No matter what Google does, it seems to get press attention and buzz everywhere (not only in the tech press). Plus, I have the gut feeling that many users have the belief that no matter what MS does, it could never be as good, cool or useful at compared to what Google provides.
Relevancy is dead. All of the top search engines are relevant! What matters now is convincing users that your experience is better than your competitor's. Andy Beal
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Andy Beal Does Podcasting...Finally
Ok, so Gnomedex shamed me into creating a Podcast. Here is my first attempt, which I am calling "In Search of News". I have lots of learning ahead of me.
Please leave your feedback in the comments section (and be gentle, please).
If you want to listen to future podcasts, you'll need to subscribe to this audioblog feed, in addition to the normal blog feed.
Seaside SEO
Bill Slawski and Loren Baker are planning a seaside get together for search marketers in Havre de Grace, MD (on the Chesapeake Bay) for August 20th, 21st.
Download Google's New Video Viewer
The Google Video Viewer is now available for download. Better get it now, before they launch Google Wallet and charge you for the download. ;-) Andy Beal
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Is Google the Next Virgin? The Christian Science Monitor, has an interesting look at the growth and maturation of Google. In the article, Gregory M. Lamb asks what type of company does Google want to be when it grows-up?
Grand vision seems to be the touchstone for the seven-year-old company, which earned more than $1.2 billion last quarter and is growing so fast and in so many directions that many observers are left scratching their heads. Just what is Google? Does the company itself even know? If it does, will its supersecret culture allow that vision to flourish?
I offer up some thoughts...
Developing a PayPal-type service could open up new opportunities and revenue sources, Mr. Beal says. The possibilities might include an auction service, a video-on-demand service, or even its own version of iTunes. Think about it, he says. "You'd use the world's best search engine to find music, and then use Google Wallet to pay for it."
OK, I know I am quoting myself, bear with me...
Google's rush to put its brand on a slew of online services takes advantage of its "feel-good factor," Beal says. It already offers maps, a shopping guide, and specialized searches, such as news and images on the Web. The approach is similar to the way Richard Branson marketed his Virgin brand across a wide variety of products, he says.
This is something that has occurred to me over the past few weeks. Being a Brit - and in total awe of Richard Branson - I'm very familiar with the successful (and some not-so-successful) brand stretching that Virgin has been able to do. The name "Virgin" has been associated with everything from music, to airlines, to weddings and cell phones (in fact, dozens of unrelated products). Virgin achieves this because the brand has that "feel-good factor", consumers just implicitly trust the "Virgin" brand.
That is the exact enviable position Google finds itself in. They're adding the Google brand to just about anything that comes to mind, and you know what? It's working. Search, email, music, videos, payment systems...Google could launch just about any new product and it would be held in high-regard, simply because of the Google name. Even the grumbling surrounding Gmail, was nothing more than a speed-bump for the Google brand-juggernaut.
I think the Google name has a lot of stamina. Forget the quality of their search results or the many scientists they employ, Google's most prized-asset is surely their name. If they can keep that clean, they'll be able to launch just about anything they desire, and be successful! Andy Beal
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Ask Jeeves and Answers.com Champs at Trivial Pursuit Over at BusinessWeek, Michael Liedtke decides to challenge the search engines to a game of Trivial Pursuit, in an effort to see which one offers the correct answers.
My mock game pitted the avowed prowess of Answers.com and Ask.com against the Internet's most widely used search engines -- Google, Yahoo and Microsoft Corp.'s MSN.
The findings: Answers.com and Ask.com appear to be a small step ahead of Google and noticeably smarter than Yahoo and MSN when dealing with such esoteric questions as "What glass beads are created when a meteorite strikes the Earth's surface?"
Now, if I could just get the search engines to help with the crossword puzzles, my life would be perfect! ;-)
Google To Launch Online Video Playback
John Battelle reports that Google will launch a new video feature today.
...Google will launch an in-browser video playback feature based on the open source VLC media player. This is the logical next step for Google's video search and upload function, which began taking uploads from anyone who cared to submit back in April.
The new in-browser feature is something that will surely send a shiver down the spine of Microsoft, as will the ability to search inside a video clip. Andy Beal
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June 25, 2005
Are You Ready for Your Christmas PPC Campaign?
Over at MarketerToday.com, Greg Ives has everything you need to get your paid search campaigns up and running in time for the Holiday season.
If you've been marketing online for the past year then you're well familiar with the holiday CPC wave. It begins in late October/early November when rookie marketers remember how important holiday sales are and begin flooding the paid search engines with bids.
They have no strategy. They don't test their ads. They don't measure their results. These are clods throwing money at paid search and creating the CPC wave.
The paid search engines love them. Andy Beal
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June 24, 2005
Microsoft's Longhorn to Provide RSS Support
Microsoft has announced support for RSS in the long-awaited Longhorn and IE 7.0. More details and screenshots at Blogvangelism.com. Andy Beal
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Chris Pirillo Kicks-Off Gnomedex 5.0 I'm currently battling a very poor wi-fi connection to bring you some coverage of Gnomedex 5.0 in Seattle. Any search engine announcements will be posted here, but most of the coverage will be at Blogvangelism - in fact, why not head over there? go on, we'll still be here, when you get back. ;-) Andy Beal
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Google Graffiti in Vancouver
It's amazing what you spot when walking around new cities.
I found this piece of graffiti on the way back from Vancouver's Stanley Park.Why bother trying to explain your graffiti protest, when you can direct people to look it up on Google?
Publishers Ask Google Hard Copyright Questions, Put Halt on Book Scanning
Does Google's plans to index excerpts of books violate copyright law?
The Association of American Publishers wants to find out and they've requested that Google stop scanning books for at least six months while they investigate.
Monier to Google Rumor Indicates Possible gBay
It's pretty he-said she-said, but I'm never one to squash interesting industry rumors. Batelle points to Om Malik who says he heard it from Silicon Valley insiders that eBay's director of advanced technology group Louis Monier's heading over to work at Google.
Mike Grehan Speaks at WebMasterWorld
Mike Grehan, the godfather of search marketing, spoke today at the Webmaster World conference with other leading search brains.
Pay-Per-Call To Reach $4 Billion by 2009?
The Kelsey Group thinks that pay-per-call could become a $4B industry by 2009. Greg Sterling, the study's author, said the driving force is a phone call's value compared to a click. Greg Ives thinks PPCall has a way to go before its value is realized. Garrett French - MarketSmart Interactive
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Google's CEO Confirms Payment Service, Denies it Will Compete with Paypal
According to a report filed by Matt Hicks at eWeek, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that the company does not plan to offer what he called a "person-to-person stored-value payments system."
Schmidt said that Google is looking to expand its current online payment services, which is largely used to handle payments from advertisers and to Web publishers in Google's popular online advertising programs..."The payment services we are working on are a natural evolution of Google's existing online products and advertising programs, which today connect millions of consumers and advertisers," Schmidt said, in the statement. "We are building products in the area to solve new problems in e-commerce."
So Google is likely developing a payment plan for existing services and those already announced (such as video search). Still, if Google Wallet is successful, why not take on PayPal? Andy Beal
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WebmasterWorld Conference Coverage
Barry is providing good coverage of the WMW conference in New Orleans. John Battelle was the keynote today, and Barry caught some of John's wisdom.
...He realizes now that in the past, they were using old model publishing (print) in a new medium (Web). Search blew this old model up; he describes "intent before content." He said publishers are just realizing this now and they are freaking out. Ad models are shifting to intent. We have search, RSS, blogging are all redefining the model. The rise of the "point to" economy. He asks, "what about branding?" The reaction of mainstream media business is to save the old model, they fight search and what makes it work (they call Google a killer).
More interesting stuff at Barry's blog. Andy Beal
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UK Online Ad Spend Up 51.5%
Garrett has been digging into some interesting stats that suggest online adspen in the UK is on a tear. Andy Beal
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MSN to Launch Local Search Service
eWeek reports that Microsoft has announced a new MSN Local Search service that also includes use of the recently previewed MSN Virtual Earth.
The company's Internet division is expected to release a beta version of MSN Local Search. The service, which will be added as a link from the main MSN Search site, will provide geographically targeted search results about businesses and other local information, as well as online street and aerial maps pinpointing the results. Andy Beal
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Would You Trust Google With Your Money?
PC World wants to know if you would trust Google with your money? Andy Beal
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Google iTunes?
Ok, it's time for the rumors to start. Dave Winer is reporting rumors of an iTunes like service from Google (via GB). We've heard about Google Wallet, Google Browser and yesterday I predicted Google Auctions was not too far behind.
So have at it. What do you think we will see next from Google? Google Strollers? Google Toothbrushes? We'll pull the best from the comments section below. Andy Beal
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A Look at Google's Fact Checkers
Axandra takes a look at Google's fact checkers and how you too can get paid for helping clean-up Google's search results.
Yahoo and Google; One Industry, Two Different Approaches
Just in time for your lunchtime reading comes this 3-pager from CNet.com that looks at the different business styles of Google and Yahoo.
Bottom line? Google is full of engineers that throw enough betas on the wall and develop what sticks. Yahoo is a little more mature and is more like a traditional media company.
Though Google is bigger, Yahoo appears to have the upper hand when it comes to warm relations with Madison Avenue...Google's approach relies on classified advertising that is based on technology rather than relationships.
You can thank me later for saving you from having to read the entire thing. ;-) Andy Beal
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AOL Gets Ready to Launch Free Content
I've had some interesting conversations with the execs over at AOL.com, and it's clear they are getting ready to go on the offensive.
At SFGate.com, you can get an overview of some of the things AOL has planned, which mostly surrounds its plans to make a lot of its content available for free.
Starting Tuesday, a test version of the new portal will be accessible via a link at aol.com. A limited number of features will be available at first, with more added in the coming months.
AOL believes that creating a free portal will expand its audience beyond just subscribers. Online advertising will provide the revenue.
AOL's plans include heavy promotion of video and music to go along with a snazzy new look.
Visitors will be able to watch music videos, exclusive concerts and a Web-only reality show in which the participants compete for a recording contract. AOL's Singingfish multimedia search engine will be prominently featured.
AOL has no plans to launch its own search engine index, but will be refining its smart box and clustering technology, with a new look search interface due around August. Andy Beal
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The Association of Search Engine Spammers
WebSourced's SEO is so white-hat, that if I see any speck of "black" on any of our recommendations, I'd pull a Donald Trump, faster than you can say "PageRank". So I commend Robert Wehbe's efforts to highlight known spam techniques, while keeping his tongue firmly in cheek.
Wehbe didn't set up the fake organization to attack black hat operators out of spite. Rather, he hopes to open a dialogue and encourage marketers to clean up their act.
So who's a member of this organization?
Without naming particular evil doers, ASES explains to site visitors, "We have thousands of members. They just don't realize they are members." Andy Beal
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June 19, 2005
Heading to Gnomedex 5.0 This Week If you want to keep up with the latest trends in search marketing, you head to Search Engine Strategies. When you want to keep up with the latest trends in blogging, RSS, Podcasting, etc, you head to Gnomedex. And that is exactly what I plan on doing this week (Thursday thru Saturday).
Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are all sponsors of Gnomedex, so I'm sure I'll have some search related announcements to report, but I'll try and keep most posts confined to Blogvangelism.
I'm looking forward to finally putting a face to all the great blogging names, I read each day. Andy Beal
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Google Ready to Follow Yahoo's Subscription Search?
Could Google have plans to announce a subscription search service, similar to Yahoo's Subscription Search?
Not only does it make sense, but recently registered domain names (via Price) suggest that Google has bought domain names such as "google-access.com" and "google-secure.com".
Seems to point to a forthcoming subscription search service from the world's largest media company. Andy Beal
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June 18, 2005
Google Preparing to Challenge Ebay's PayPal
According to a WSJ report(sub), Google is preparing to introduce an electronic payment system later this year, similar to that of PayPal. The service is code named Google Wallet.
Exact details of the search company's planned service are not known, the report said, but quoted people familiar with the matter as saying it could have similarities with PayPal, which allows consumers to pay for purchases on Web sites by funding electronic-payment accounts from their credit cards or checking accounts.
This could put a dent in eBay's revenue, with $233 million (23%) of its revenues in the first quarter, coming from PayPal. The move could also signal Google's desire to diversify its products and reduce its dependency on AdWords revenue, which accounts for 99% of the companies current earnings.
So how likely is Google Wallet to become a reality? Scot Wingo, CEO of ChannelAdvisor, said he believed the payment service would be launched soon.
In an interview, Mr. Wingo said he based his statement on questions from retailers with which his company works. Mr. Wingo said the retailers have asked him whether ChannelAdvisor would support the service, which some believe goes by the code name Google Wallet.
Google's Site Targeting Beta Now Available to all AdWords Advertisers
Google has expanded the Site Targeting beta it launched back in April of this year. The feature enables advertisers to target their ads to thousands of specific content sites across the Google Network.
According to Google's Barry Schnitt, "As a result of today's launch, all advertisers can now launch site targeted campaigns, increasing the competition for ad space on websites in the Google Network. Greater competition among ads will provide users more useful, more diverse, and more relevant ads for users, while enhancing the revenue opportunity for AdSense publishers."
Site Targeting offers placement on a CPM (cost-per-thousand impressions) basis instead of the usual CPC (cost-per-click). Andy Beal
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WebSourced Named Largest Internet Marketing Agency in North Carolina's Triangle Area
The Triangle Business Journal has a nice feature on WebSourced's continued growth. We're also named the largest internet marketing agency in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill area (7x larger than the #2 agency).
Google Launches Index for Mobile Search
I already use Google Local on my Blackberry - very handy for finding my way around new cities - now I have another reason to search on the go.
According to InternetNews, Google released Google Mobile Web Search on Thursday.
The new service points users of Internet-enabled mobile devices to a special index of Web pages that have been optimized by their publishers for the small screen. The XHTML-based service takes advantage of the alignments of text, graphics and tables that mobile-aware publishers have created to make them easier to navigate on a mobile phone.
Wait Andy, how is this different from the web search Google already offers mobile users? (I feel like Dave Taylor). Well, Google does a "special" crawl of the web to create an index of sites that offer XHTML pages, which are specially designed for mobile browsers. Andy Beal
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UK Search Engine Donates Half of Revenues to Charity Netimperative reports on a new search engine that is donating 50% of all revenues to charity.
For each click that a user makes through www.everyclick.com, part of the revenue that would normally go to a pay-per-click company actually goes to EveryClick. EveryClick then gives 50% of this revenue to charity.
The company said that if just ten supporters from each of the 188,000 UK registered charities used everyclick.com regularly, more than £22m could be raised in the first year.
Although Danny Sullivan, editor of Search Engine Watch, told TechNewsWorld it is very difficult to pin down how much of what's on the Web is hidden, he did say that some experts estimate the figure to be as high as 90 percent of all content. Sullivan said he believes the new search option is very valuable.
Andy Beal, vice president of marketing, WebSourced, commented to TechNewsWorld, "I think this move demonstrates that search will ultimately become a more personalized solution. The search engines want you to provide them with as much information as possible, so they can not only provide you access to the 'hidden' Web, but also get a better understanding of what Web sites you like to view."
Search Password-Protected Sites with Yahoo Search Subscriptions
CNet reports on a handy new search tool, launched yesterday by Yahoo.
Yahoo Search Subscriptions allows you to search across seven different subscription sites, including the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal Online, ConsumerReports.org, TheStreet.com, The New England Journal of Medicine, Forrester Research, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer.
Now, before you go off thinking you can get access to all of that great content for free, their is a catch.
Users of Yahoo's service must have subscriptions at the targeted sites to access the information, said Tim Mayer, director of product management at Yahoo Search. It will initially be available only in the United States and the United Kingdom, Yahoo said.
Yahoo users can add any or all of the subscription sites to their preferences on the search page and search for results from only the subscription sites, or have the subscription results appear along with results from the rest of the Web, he said.
The Secret Google 3D Mapping Trucks?
SiliconValleyWatcher did a good job revealing the launch of Google's 3D Mapping initiative. I think they might have gotten a little obessed with this post that reveals the location of Google's trucks.
We actually have a little bit more information on the 3D mapping truck: here is a low res Treo 600 photo of the hut where the Google truck is hidden. The location is Palo Alto.
We're trying to track down the location of the Best Buy from which Google purchased their cameras. When we do, we'll have photos and an interview with the store manager. :-) Andy Beal
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Is Google Really a Media Company?
Bob McDowall questions whether Google should be givel the label as the world's largest media company, in fact, he questions whether they are a media company at all.
While it may be convenient for Stock Exchanges to categorise Google as a media company for listing purposes, it should really be viewed as a technology company. Google has yet to make the transformation it needs to make before it can be considered to be a media company. It retains its distinct technology roots. Andy Beal
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June 15, 2005
Are Your Focusing on CPC with Your Paid Search Campaigns?
Interesting article over at MarketerToday, takes a look what you should look for in your CPC.
Many marketers pull their hair out because of the rising costs per click of their pay-per-click campaigns. While rising costs are certainly something to consider they should not be the sole measure of a campaign's success.
And the fact of the matter is that CPCs are only going to rise in price as more marketers come online (and they will - analysts predicted $12.3B in online sales for 2005, with spend to reach $26B by 2010). Andy Beal
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One more thing before we go...We'd like to welcome 
I don't personally know Ian Turner, but a lot of SEO folks are concerned for his safety and whereabouts. If you know anything, please visit 
Reuters 
The Christian Science Monitor, has an 
Over at 
If you want to keep up with the latest trends in search marketing, you head to Search Engine Strategies. When you want to keep up with the latest trends in 
Netimperative reports on a new search engine that is donating 50% of all revenues to charity.
