Oct

6

Rand Announces Advanced SEO Analytics Engine Linkscape at SMX East

October 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment

I’ve just seen the future of link analytics and it is SEOmoz. Perhaps the most engrossing and entertaining presentation at SMX East was Rand Fishkin’s introduction of Linkscape, an advanced link intelligence engine delivering rich data to website owners and SEOs regarding inlinks, related anchor text, trust, and rank.

SEOmoz has indexed over 200M domains to deliver extensive insight on who is linking to you and how. Can’t figure out how your competitors are ranking so well? Linkscape will report for you who is linking to THEM and the value each link provides to your competitors through innovative scores reporting, among other things, page rank (mozRank), trust (mozTrust), and aggregate domain strength (Domain Juice). More, they identify links that are nofollowed, embedded in images, or 301d.

Watching the presentation, I stood in awe of the work they’d done. Believe it or not though, I was even more overwhelmed when dawned on me, while watching Rand introduce Linkscape, that Zvents’ founder Tyler Kovaks must be an unknown Rand Fishkin relative.

*screeeeeech* What!?? What does that possibly have to do with such exciting news?
It is too hard to ignore!

Consider the most significant coincidences: Both are search entrepreneurs and leaders in their respective fields - One, local search, and the other, SEO. How could two guys so successfully involved with search and so follicly gifted not be related?!? I just can’t wrap my head around the possibility of anything but their being long lost brothers.

The resemblance is uncanny and certainly, a far less disturbing revelation than the SponsoredReviews.com, clearly failed, attempt to mate Rand with Todd Malicoat.

I have to ponder though (and we’re back to SEOmoz), indexing the web is a monumental task requiring countless servers and a high-end, scalable database to manage the ever changing index of results; let alone the complex, dynamic, meta data affecting the result set. Are they really investing so heavily in advanced search technology just to usher in a new era of SEO transparency? Sure, Linkscape users have to pay for the premium features but I’m not sure the revenue stream from a few SEOs will cover the investment. With such a comprehensive index, and with the brilliant minds behind SEOmoz developing complex algorithms to report things like mozTrust, could there not be a new search engine in our future? I for one say, ‘hmmmm.’

Popularity: 1% [?]

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Leave a Comment | Permalink

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my RSS feed!

Oct

2

The Future of the Internet

October 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Having pointed out my complete ignorance of the cheerleading world yesterday (”Can I Get an S?”??), I feel I need to steer the laughs, jeers, and finger pointing as far away from me as possible in hopes of staving off the cheer hate mail no doubt being written to me even as we speak. Obviously, I meant to say, “Would you give me an S?” “Please”

Nicholas Carr, author of The Big Switch, Rewiring the World from Edison to Google has some great insights on the impacts Google and the evolution of the internet have had on our lives. At the end of the day, he, with a common-man voice on the world stage, perhaps better validates that the future of marketing is digital than the industry pundits and experts so valiantly trying to point out the same thing.

Where’s the humor in that? He shares those thoughts with quintessential American Steven Colbert. Enjoy!

Popularity: 3% [?]

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Leave a Comment | Permalink

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my RSS feed!

Oct

2

Can I Get an S? Can I Get an M? Can I Get an X?

October 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Is that grammatically correct? If S is a consonant, should it be “Can I Get a S?” an S?

Who’s going? I couldn’t be more excited; the conference is expecting over 2,000 search marketing professionals, agencies, and marketers and I haven’t been to NYC in some time. Monday through Wednesday next week, the industry converges on New York’s Javits Convention Center to yell, “No Jon Swallen, Search is not my ‘Ugly Cousin’ Her name is Telemarketer.” (Those do-not-call lists aren’t working for me, am I doing something wrong?)

Keynotes include Bill Tancer and Google’s Tim Armstrong giving us a chance to get more insider tips on the skunk works that is Google AdWords. I’m looking forward most to the Local Search discussion featuring Mike Blumenthal, Steve Espinosa, Craig Greenfield, Eric Stein (no blog Eric?), and Tony Wright. Hosted by Greg Sterling, we have an exceptional panel that I hope (no! expect darnit!) makes mention of one minor, recent announcement in particular. Second, only to the Local Search panel, is a session on search dedicated to Retail. With Vintage Tub & Bath’s Allan Dick wrangling Vic Dabricky, Greg Hintz, Ken Jurina, and Stephan Spencer (with whom I’m still fascinated by the fact that their entire website, I believe, is actually a blog). I expect to hear that great news mentioned again as there is no better opportunity for retailers this holiday season! (tell me I’m wrong) Let alone a very interesting (if that’s the right word) session on Search Marketing For Newspapers & Magazines and another on Search & Branding; and that’s just the first day!

Squeeze in to that Searchbash, and a song AND dance I’ll be doing at 1 from the show floor on Tuesday, and you have the makings of what might be the year’s best search marketing conference. They even dabbled in that old fashioned, print marketing world to promote this thing! (*shudder* risky I know… how are they tracking ROI?!) I’ve got a booth on the floor so grab a map and come say hello or I hope to catch you at one of the networking events - drinks are on… well… I don’t know? Danny?

Popularity: 4% [?]

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Leave a Comment | Permalink

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my RSS feed!

No related posts

Sep

30

Local Search Engine Zvents Raises $24M

September 30, 2008 | 6 Comments

Let me diverge from my usual contemplations to share with you some news about the company that keeps me busy, in a rare post about Zvents. Today, the local search engine announced $24M in funding, secured with Nokia Growth Partners, AT&T and NAVTEQ.

“Zvents has spent four years building a world-class local search service,” said Ethan Stock, Zvents CEO and founder. “This funding will enable us to dramatically scale the value of that service to our network of media partners, local consumers, and local advertisers.”

What Ethan has briefly highlighted is that Zvents is a unique local search engine. Now powering for a network of hundreds of web and mobile partners, including MSN, an index that features event listings to promote your local businesses. Simply, the company enables local businesses, merchants and retailers, and restaurants to submit both free and paid listings to the network. And most importantly, note we’re not talking about the business listings that get so much of the attention in Local Search, Zvents promotes your local promotions, weekly specials, in-store events, you spend your tight budgets to promote offline.

Let’s take the Bay Area for example, San Francisco, CA. Saks Fifth Avenue is hosting a charity fashion show and party on October 2; an event like any you might have, to be promoted in the San Francisco Chronicle, Oakland Tribune, San Jose Mercury News, and the dozens of other local media outlets that reach Bay Area customers. I’d be generous in saying that managing such a campaign, PLUS promotion on MSN, was a mere challenge. The fact is, coordinating such a great number of outlets, let alone outlets that can effectively reach enthusiastic customers, is nearly impossible (more so, perhaps, lately?).

Yet, that’s exactly what Zvents does through its evolution of online, local promotion.

Zvents creates for local businesses the opportunity to promote their locations online in ways that match their established media buying patterns. Events motivate consumers to engage with local businesses – a fact that local advertisers have utilized in print promotions for decades. The Zvents network is an enormous online distribution channel by which merchants can distribute these proven, effective marketing messages to engage local consumers.

As you make plans for this evening or this weekend, before concerning yourself with what your friends have planned or reviews about a business, you ask a more fundamental question; “where can I best spend my time?” Your plans are shaped the special events the are being held; those sales, specials, celebrity appearances, and attractions. Local, and local search, is not about places but the nuances between place and time that matters most; that going somewhere today or tomorrow may make all the difference in the world. A difference that makes your valuable time spent, that much more rewarding. Zvents is enabling this; as much as we’ve learned, as online marketers, that Google best connects websites with customers, Zvents leverages search to connect offline buyers and sellers. Bringing marketers and local businesses, the most qualified audience imaginable: An audience that wants to engage.

The new strategic investors include Nokia Growth Partners, the growth capital arm of Nokia, the world’s leading mobile phone supplier; NAVTEQ, the world leader in premium-quality digital map data; and AT&T, the largest U.S. wireless company which, through its YELLOWPAGES.COM subsidiary, is also the leading U.S. internet yellow pages search directory. And Nokia’s John Gardner reveals the greater opportunity,

“We are delighted to have led this round of funding for Zvents, enabling them to bring their world-class local search service to the converged worlds of internet and mobility,” said John Gardner, managing partner of Nokia Growth Partners. “We believe that the combination of next-generation mobile devices and powerful server-side search services will be a powerful channel to deliver local information to consumers. Zvents has found an innovative way to connect local search to the marketing needs of local merchants, offering a compelling means of driving exciting, context-based mobile experiences.”

I’d love to help you (yes, my finger is pointing at you); to help you make this holiday shopping season a success, to make it much easier to do your job by getting those events, local promotions, sales, and weekly specials, in front of engaged local customers. If dealing with just a few promotions, you can add them directly to the index yourself [insider tip, the few extra dollars to get an enhanced listing, highlights the listing in the search results throughout the network]. If managing multiple stores or dozens of classes and sales like an Apple Store, Home Depot, or Macy’s, drop me a line, add a comment, or get in touch with Zvents here.

Popularity: 6% [?]

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

6 Comments | Permalink

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my RSS feed!

Sep

26

Online Shopping Expectations This Holiday

September 26, 2008 | 1 Comment

eMarketer has a great jump on the holiday shopping season (it isn’t even Halloween yet!) with brilliant perspective on the increasing demands made by online consumers.

They expect retail Websites to provide powerful search and navigation, quality product information, simple checkout and cross-channel shopping options—at a minimum.

Surprisingly, according to a survey by Retail Systems Research, 56% of online merchants can’t figure out how their customers use their sites!? Troubling, as today’s site should be designed by metrics and performance, not focus groups and theories. In this day and age when everything can be tested and optimized, you have no excuse. (funny, I wrote that last sentence before reaching the end of the eMarketer article; that is, the point where it highlights that “customer behavior tracking” - no explanation of what that is by the way - is both the most effective and most disappointing priority. At least, I think that’s what the chart is meant to say - please comment if I’ve misread it).

Worse, the study suggest that nearly half, haven’t figured out how to coordinate channels to create a shopping experience that creates synergy rather than conflict. I don’t want to get into this topic now other than to say look to your friendly neighborhood search engines and social media to effectively promote both.

Now, how’s this for a challenge:
While you are busy meeting increasing customer engagement and performance online, the DMA finds that your old fashioned print catalog still accounts for, on average, 50% of sales. Dealing with channel conflict with a catalog is certainly much more of a challenge, but not impossible. The real question is where you put those resources. Significant development work to support performance based online marketing and conversion improvements as well as rich and social media solutions to increase online engagement OR attention on maintaining half of your revenue stream? The answer is again, “effectively both.”

I’ve seen tremendous success in using online insights and performance to drive catalog optimization. How? Search behavior is perhaps the best leading indicator of consumer demand and trends while a catalog can easily blend product promotions with online resources, promoting the opportunities you create for customers to socially interact with your brand.

What else has your attention? I’m not aware of too many other priorities that can have as significant an impact on your holiday season but I’d love to hear from you.

Popularity: 6% [?]

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

1 Comment | Permalink

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my RSS feed!

Sep

25

AdBrite Continues to Impress, Making Rich Media Turnkey

September 25, 2008 | 2 Comments

How does one best distribute online video promotions, rich format advertisements, or engaging interactive banners? With the incremental cost of media creation, marketers need the most efficient and effective means of delivery and targeting available. Adbrite has announced that it now supports rich media across a network of 70k sites. I’m told by Paul Levine, AdBrite VP, Products & Marketing,

“Marketers are constantly looking for ways to get their messages out there in an increasingly noisy market. Especially marketers with experiential messages (like TV premier trailers) trying to pierce the noise on intensely experiential sites. The reason why paid search CTRs are insanely high (20% CTR plus) is because the ads blend in with the content in format, relevance, etc. Boring text ads on engaging content sites don’t stand a chance. But engaging entertainment messages on social sites seem to be working nicely, for our customers at least.”

The #3 fastest-growing advertising company is quickly turning in to the must-use advertising platform for marketers with its performance based costs and exceptional use of behavioral and re-targeting to pinpoint advertisements to your preferred audience. A leading indicator of their value to you is that Fox Broadcasting has signed up as their debut rich media advertiser, promoting my personal favorite new X-files / Medical Investigation like thriller, Fringe.

“Advertising with AdBrite’s network was a key part of our FRINGE fall season premiere campaign,” said Laurel Bernard, SVP Marketing, Fox Broadcasting Company. “Combining unique rich media experiences with advanced targeting, a broad range of distribution, and full transparency made AdBrite a great media partner for our launch.”

Rich media ads, of course, allow advertisers to create engaging, unique experiences. AdBrite has partnered PointRoll, EyeWonder, and EyeBlaster to offer a variety of rich media formats. If you haven’t tried AdBrite yet, give it a shot now; my experience has always been positive.

Popularity: 6% [?]

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

2 Comments | Permalink

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my RSS feed!

Sep

18

Book of the month club?

September 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Should I start one? I don’t read enough but I feel like I keep coming across books that are worth your while. We’ve taken a random walk through search about books, caught up with Lance Loveday, and even plugged a little ole book that features me (teehee!). I get a kick out of my Amazon reports that show you actually take some of my recommendations so thank you for trusting me; I’ll do my darnedest to continue to deliver only insights and recommendations that make your time spent with me of value.

This time I’ve learned something from Josh Greene who has pointed out that Hitwise’s Bill Tancer has reached the NYTimes bestseller list with his book, Click: Unexpected Insights for Business. So, why Bill’s book? Hands down, the conference speaker with which you can ALWAYS count on fun insights, an entertaining presentation, and some brilliant work on search behavior, is Bill. I’m buying the book on title alone (yes, I admit I haven’t yet read it) knowing what he usually uncovers and the “Unexpected Insights” apparently therein.

Click (I’m laughing inside at my little play on words - if you catch it you and I are like *this* - imaging me crossing my fingers or something) for more on the book or buy now!

Popularity: 7% [?]

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Leave a Comment | Permalink

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my RSS feed!