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SearchWrite SearchNews
Caching Better Results in Search Marketing
Vol IV, Issue 037 10.20.05
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CACHING THE LATEST RESULTS IN SEARCH MARKETING....
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MSN AdCenter Gearing Up
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Microsoft's answer to Yahoo and Google's ad platform has been a long time coming, but they are finally gearing up right here at home (MSFT launched AdCenter in Singapore and France - an alpha of sorts - earlier in the year). This week marks AdCenter's pilot launch in the US.
According to most industry pundits, the question is not "will advertisers want to test AdCenter?" Or "will Microsoft innovate in massively scaled advertising platforms?" The clear answer there is yes. (Microsoft is offering audience targeting, for example, and far more detailed reporting).
The real question is will Microsoft have enough traffic of good intent to satisfy advertisers' demands - or put another way, will Microsoft be able to "scale" on the traffic side of the equation? To do so, it needs to enter the syndication business, meaning Microsoft needs more than MSN Search traffic if it is going to compete. It has to learn to play nice with others - and partner with "the long tail." Yahoo has already made a play for the long tail with YPN (its new Yahoo Publishers Network), and Google is king of syndication with AdSense. For now, AdCenter is only available for MSN Search.
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AdWords Adds Image Ad Flash Support
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All AdWords advertisers are familiar with the text ads that show alongside Google search results and across the Google Network. However, not everyone is aware of the power of image ads. These graphical AdWords ads are served on content sites in the Google Network and allow you to reach your customers in a whole new way.
You can create image ads in both keyword and site-targeted campaigns, so you have control over the reach and placement of your ads. Creating a keyword-targeted campaign will allow your image ad to be placed on relevant content sites across our network, while you are able to choose the specific sites where you'd like your ad to show with a site-targeted campaign.
Google accepts image ads (.JPEG, .PNG, .GIF), as well as Flash (.SWF), which is a new addition. Animated image ads must follow the same editorial guidelines and specifications as standard image ads, including the 50K size limit. In addition, the following guidelines apply.
While many advertisers believe that Flash ads convert better, this could cause problems for publishers who keep their sites Flash-free. And it could result in problems when Flash ads attempt to display for those surfers who do not (or chose not) to have Flash installed on their computers.
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HealthLine Medical Search Engine Debuts
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HealthLine, a very smart medical search engine has launched. The specialty engine offers high-quality, authoritative information that's easy to find, even if you don't speak medicalese. For starters, the engine translates normal language into medical terms, and refinement options are shown for related information. For instance, a search for breast cancer shows refinement options for “treatment” and “symptoms”, as well as links to the broader search of “cancer”.
Content-wise, HealthLine focuses exclusively on reliable, doctor-vetted information, covering 62,000 web sites with between 45-50 million pages. The site also features hosted content licensed from reliable content providers.
A HealthMaps visualization feature is incredibly useful. Health maps resemble flow-charts, showing phases of diagnosis, treatment, alternatives and so on. Click the relevant box on the flowchart and a new search is run.
Healthline also offers browsing by health category channel, with topics ranging from Acne to Yeast Infections.
http://www.healthline.com/
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The Oldest Domains
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What a fun list. Spotted via Threadwatch, the 100 oldest domains. The Top Ten:
1. 15-Mar-1985 SYMBOLICS.COM
2. 24-Apr-1985 BBN.COM
3. 24-May-1985 THINK.COM
4. 11-Jul-1985 MCC.COM
5. 30-Sep-1985 DEC.COM
6. 07-Nov-1985 NORTHROP.COM
7. 09-Jan-1986 XEROX.COM
8. 17-Jan-1986 SRI.COM
9. 03-Mar-1986 HP.COM
10. 05-Mar-1986 BELLCORE.COM
http://www.jottings.com/100-oldest-dot-com-domains.htm
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Contacting Google
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Google engineer Matt Cutts aka "The Google Guy" passes along this information on ways to contact Google if you have a problem or spot a problem in your Web search travels.
Reporting spam in Google’s index
Google wants to hear about webspam that you see in Google. The best place to do that is to go to http://www.google.com/contact/spamreport.html .
Reporting non-spam issues or problems in Google’s index
Do the search that you’re interested in on google.com, then click the “Dissatisfied? Help us improve” link at the bottom right of the page.
You think your site has been penalized
If your site is not showing up at all, and you recently had something like hidden text or hidden links on your pages, I would recommend doing a reinclusion request. Note that a reinclusion request won’t make much difference if our algorithms/scoring are what is affecting your site though.
Re-inclusion request link: http://www.google.com/support/bin/request.py
Select "I'm a Webmaster inquiring about my Website."
You see a low-quality site that is running AdSense
If you run across a site that you consider spammy and it has AdSense on it, click on the “Ads by Goooooogle” link and click “Send Google your thoughts on the ads you just saw”.
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Three Spiffy RSS Hacks
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1) Build Feeds for Your Favorite Writers
Wouldn't it be great to have a feed for your favorite columnist or journalist? Here's a trick. Search for their byline and/or their column title on Yahoo! News and then subscribe to the search as a feed.
2) Got a Car? Subscribe to its RSS Feed
Topix.net has a plethora of topical news pages on virtually any subject. Every one of its 300,000+ topical news pages has its own RSS feed. This includes feeds for dozens of automotive make/models, like the Honda CR-V (aka Steve's Micromobile). You can also use Topix to track many top sports stars and even celebs.
3) Build a Library of Search Feeds in a Heartbeat with gada.be
Last week I wrote about gada.be by Seattle's opwn Chris Pirillo - a new metasearch tool. Gada.be is terrific for setting up a series of blog, news and web search feeds with just a single step instead of ten. I am going to use this method for every new client we sign. Simply type the search term and tack on gada.be/opml. For example, microsoft.gada.be/opml. Save this page to your desktop as an OPML file (be sure to add an “.opml” extension). Then just import this file into your favorite aggregator and bingo, you're set.
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SEO Tip of the Week: The Top 5 Mistakes in Search Engine Optimization
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1) Lack of Targeted Keywords and Phrases
A lack of targeted keywords and phrases can make or break your site.
2) Poorly Written Content
Site content is the absolute number one draw for both search engine spiders and search engine/directory users. If your content is badly written, is never updated, or is not relevant to what you want to be found for, than your site is neither search engine friendly or user-friendly.
3) Black Hat SEO Techniques
Black Hat search engine optimization techniques include keyword stuffing, doorway pages, invisible text, and more. These practices actually do raise your site ranking. However, search engine spiders have become very aware of Black Hat seo techniques and can spot them pretty easily (and ban your site). Don't go for the quick fix; learn how to optimize your site for the long haul.
4) Using Meta Tags Improperly or Not At All
Meta tags include title tags, keyword tags, and description tags. While not the absolute most important component in search engine optimization (that spot is reserved for keywords and content), they do have an important part to play.
5) Badly Designed Sites
Ineffective site design includes lack of clear navigation, poorly designed frames, and large,load-intensive graphics. Search engine spiders can actually be blocked from crawling sites that are not well-designed, so it's a major part of search engine optimization.
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