Nov

27

Douglas Karr has money. Yahoo doesn’t want it.

Filed Under Search Marketing News | 1 Comment

Read the full story on how Yahoo’s expensive direct-mail campaign for their keyword-based advertising grabbed and then lost a customer.

Nov

25

Elliot Jay Stocks says: “Destroy the Web 2.0 Look”

Filed Under Web Design | Leave a Comment

In a visually arresting presentation at the Future of Web Design event in New York City, Elliot Jay Stocks dissassembles the Web2.0 “look” very effectively.  Stocks makes some very good points here - I’ve had to deal with clients who only understood the very superficial aspects of “Web 2.0.”  

Before talking about any other aspect of a site, it should be a basic understanding that a basic catalog on the web isn’t going to get more hits just because it’s shiny; it has to be built with search and end users in mind, something that a reflected logo and beveled edges aren’t going to do on their own.

Nov

22

Rob Garner talks Search Engine Copywriting

Filed Under General Advice | Leave a Comment

Rob Garner’s Search Insider column discusses search engine copywriting, offering up some common-sense advice for those who may be practicing search engine copywriting using the old methods:

Most of the professional search engine friendly copywriters have since backed off of the concept of practicing search engine friendly copywriting styles that incorporate excessive repetition of search engine friendly keywords, and are writing search engine friendly copy that is more easily read by humans, while still being “search engine friendly.” This is a good thing, because even though copy may be deemed “search engine friendly,” it doesn’t necessarily make it readable, or sound intelligent enough that someone might want to actual convert to a customer, no matter how “search engine friendly” the copywriting may be.

It’s a fine balance and not an easy one but we’ve discovered that a little practice can lead to more conversions from the greater number of hits you’re getting.

Nov

21

Jeff Atwood’s Guide To Hyperlinking: Well Worth Your time.

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Take a few moments to read this fantastic guide to hyperlinking. it should be noted that the methodologies mentioned shouldn’t just be applied to outbound links; providing clear navigation throughout your internal links only helps visitors and search engines get the information they’re looking for.

(He also shares my deep and abiding hatred for the Snap plugin.)

Nov

20

Google AdWords “Accidentally” Uses Facebook Users’ Personal Information

Filed Under Search Marketing News | Leave a Comment

Google has confirmed that its AdWords campaigns received data from a popular Facebook application called Compare People, including users’ age, gender, city, ZIP code, favorite music, favorite movies, favorite TV shows, favorite books, “about me,” activities, interests, and political views. While it appears that no personally identifiable information has been stored, it’s in clear violation of the social networking site’s TOS.

Thanks to Nick O’Neill at AllFacebook, who brought the story to my attention.

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