Getting Granular: The DigitalGrit Blog

Microsoft on Entering the Search Battleground: It'll Take Time To Catch Up to Google and Yahoo (But we'll get there!)

In a week overflowing with news and rumors about Google and Yahoo!, Microsoft has made an announcement of its own -- No, they're not buying Yahoo! (or vice/versa), on the contrary, they have announced a five-year plan to catch up to the big guys. Recognizing that they're a late entry to the game, Microsoft will aggressively attempt to grab a honkin' slice of the online advertising pie:

"I don't think you will see some overnight transformation," [Microsoft CEO] Ballmer said. "It is going to have to be longer term. It makes sense for us to talk about five years."

Microsoft is making a big push into Web services and has vowed to keep investing in a variety of technologies as it seeks to transform the way both businesses and consumers operate on the Internet.

... At the core of this plan is Windows Live, an advertising-funded, one-stop shop for services from e-mail, to instant messaging, to blogs that targets the fast-growing online ad market. Forrester Research projects online advertising will grow to $26 billion in 2009 from a current $15 billion.

"We are a little bit late in the game," Ballmer said. "But at the end of the day it is going to be about the ability to create a mass marketplace for buyers and consumers....We are hard at work on our own core services where at the heart we want the users to be in control," Ballmer said. "There is a whole set of things we are doing to let the user be in control."

The game is heating up. Let's see if Microsoft can hold its own. Read the whole article. (UPDATE: Here's an even better article.)

Microsoft + Yahoo=Worthy Opponent to Google? The Rumors are FLYING!

The Wall Street Journal "heard" that Microsoft could be considering an equity stake in Yahoo! to compete with Google. (Search Engine Lowdown suggested as much yesterday, probably the Journal's source here.)

In a nutshell, it sounds like Microsoft is interested in a deal (although historically they've been more a "build-our-own" operation) but Yahoo isn't.

Currently, talks of an equity stake in Yahoo don't appear to be active, given that Microsoft is focusing on a reorganization that it hopes will re-energize its effort to compete with Google, the fast-growing provider of search services and advertising.

Two wild cards remain: Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, who has historically shunned large acquisitions, and Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang, whose support would be key to bringing the necessary Yahoo shareholders on board for a deal. Mr. Yang and others in Yahoo would be hard-pressed to sell to Microsoft, people close to the company say.

However, people familiar with Microsoft say its top management remains open to a deal with Yahoo as pressure grows to perform better against Google.

The increasing pressure on Microsoft -- not just from Google, but also from its own shareholders, as well as from advertisers that want an alternative to Google -- could help to justify the acquisition or some kind of business collaboration, these people say.

It's clear enough that Microsoft is serious about getting a piece of the SEM pie while it's hot. Hiring Steve Berkowitz, reclaiming and revaming their search engine (Windows Live Search), integrating MSN with it's new browser, moving in on Alexa -- they're being pretty aggressive about it. John Battelle thinks Google's starting to feel the heat.

We'll see how much truth there is to the rumors. Google's growth may have slowed a bit, but they still rule search. And while there may be a Yahoo-Microsoft partnership in the works, based on Microsoft's history, it seems more likely that they'll try to build their own bigger, better, prettier version of Google.

Microsoft + Yahoo=Worthy Opponent to Google? The Rumors are FLYING!

The Wall Street Journal "heard" that Microsoft could be considering an equity stake in Yahoo! to compete with Google. (Search Engine Lowdown suggested as much yesterday, probably the Journal's source here.)

In a nutshell, it sounds like Microsoft is interested in a deal (although historically they've been more a "build-our-own" operation) but Yahoo isn't.

Currently, talks of an equity stake in Yahoo don't appear to be active, given that Microsoft is focusing on a reorganization that it hopes will re-energize its effort to compete with Google, the fast-growing provider of search services and advertising.

Two wild cards remain: Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, who has historically shunned large acquisitions, and Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang, whose support would be key to bringing the necessary Yahoo shareholders on board for a deal. Mr. Yang and others in Yahoo would be hard-pressed to sell to Microsoft, people close to the company say.

However, people familiar with Microsoft say its top management remains open to a deal with Yahoo as pressure grows to perform better against Google.

The increasing pressure on Microsoft -- not just from Google, but also from its own shareholders, as well as from advertisers that want an alternative to Google -- could help to justify the acquisition or some kind of business collaboration, these people say.

It's clear enough that Microsoft is serious about getting a piece of the SEM pie while it's hot. Hiring Steve Berkowitz, reclaiming and revaming their search engine (Windows Live Search), integrating MSN with it's new browser, moving in on Alexa -- they're being pretty aggressive about it. John Battelle thinks Google's starting to feel the heat.

We'll see how much truth there is to the rumors. Google's growth may have slowed a bit, but they still rule search. And while there may be a Yahoo-Microsoft partnership in the works, based on Microsoft's history, it seems more likely that they'll try to build their own bigger, better, prettier version of Google.

Excellent Tips on Blog Promotion

Saunderslog has posted an awesome little manifesto on blog promotion. Incorporating some well thought-out SEO tips and general blogger sensibility, this post is a keeper for anyone serious about increasing traffic to their weblog. Here's a snippet:

The majority of my traffic comes from Google.  I optimize my site for Google searchability:

1. Optimize your page count.  Google ranks sites with lots of pages as having more authority than sites with few pages....
2. Use a Google Sitemap.  Again, this is easy to do with WordPress.  Arne Brachhold has written a great little plugin which re-constructs your sitemap each and every time you post. 
3. Make sure every post has a title....
4. Make the titles eye-catching!....
5. Link and trackback to others.  The point of blogging is to have a conversation.  Make sure you’re having conversations, then....
6. Make sure you have a top level domain.  Buying http://saunderslog.com increased my traffic dramatically over being http://radio.weblogs.com/0111520....

There's much more. Definitely click through and read the whole post. Then print it, cut it out, and stick it on your fridge.

(Via Randy at KbCafe.)

Excellent Tips on Blog Promotion

Saunderslog has posted an awesome little manifesto on blog promotion. Incorporating some well thought-out SEO tips and general blogger sensibility, this post is a keeper for anyone serious about increasing traffic to their weblog. Here's a snippet:

The majority of my traffic comes from Google.  I optimize my site for Google searchability:

1. Optimize your page count.  Google ranks sites with lots of pages as having more authority than sites with few pages....
2. Use a Google Sitemap.  Again, this is easy to do with WordPress.  Arne Brachhold has written a great little plugin which re-constructs your sitemap each and every time you post. 
3. Make sure every post has a title....
4. Make the titles eye-catching!....
5. Link and trackback to others.  The point of blogging is to have a conversation.  Make sure you’re having conversations, then....
6. Make sure you have a top level domain.  Buying http://saunderslog.com increased my traffic dramatically over being http://radio.weblogs.com/0111520....

There's much more. Definitely click through and read the whole post. Then print it, cut it out, and stick it on your fridge.

(Via Randy at KbCafe.)

What Search Engine Feeds has done RIGHT with their best blog contest - besides nominating us!

Search Engine Feeds has proven they're worth their salt by launching an SEO-friendly, viral campaign...and they've nominated us as one of their "Featured Feed Sources" in the process.

Before I go any further with this post, be sure to vote for us.

The SEF blog has employed a time-tested and always smart marketing tactic -- the contest. This is the kind of marketing idea I love. It's clever, it's easy, it's cheap (or free) and it's effective on so many levels. Just a few of the things Search Engine Feeds has done -- and that anyone can do -- to make an online contest work.

Capitalizing on the fact that everyone wants to win something, SEF made their contest a battle for "most useful" engine marketing blog. Here are some of the crafty tactics they've employed. Read and learn:

1. They created a hyperlinked list of contestants -- Outbound links are an SEM staple, and key for attracting spiders.

2. They asked everyone to include a link to the contest post on their blog. Assuming their request is honored by all nominees, this brings in the ever-so-important inbound link, the "ying" to the outbound link's "yang."  By having an abundance of both, your site becomes very attractive to spiders. Lots of relevant inbound links also raise your Google page rank, which brings me to ....

3. They've kept they're contest extremely relevant. This is a Search blog creating a contest (and inbound and outbound links) for other Search blogs. Does it get anymore SEO-smart than that?

4. Of course they've syndicated their contest post via RSS, which will ensure that the contest appears in any relevant searches in both Google and Yahoo news.

Add the fact that they've created a viral element by emailing notification to the nominees -- and encouraging us to email it to our friends and colleagues...and you've got a very clever and no-cost marketing campaign.

When you get down to it, good marketing boils down to creativity, hard work, and common sense. This campaign just reminds me of how much fun it is to roll up your sleeves, put your thinking cap on, and create something from nothing.

What Search Engine Feeds has done RIGHT with their best blog contest - besides nominating us!

Search Engine Feeds has proven they're worth their salt by launching an SEO-friendly, viral campaign...and they've nominated us as one of their "Featured Feed Sources" in the process.

Before I go any further with this post, be sure to vote for us.

The SEF blog has employed a time-tested and always smart marketing tactic -- the contest. This is the kind of marketing idea I love. It's clever, it's easy, it's cheap (or free) and it's effective on so many levels. Just a few of the things Search Engine Feeds has done -- and that anyone can do -- to make an online contest work.

Capitalizing on the fact that everyone wants to win something, SEF made their contest a battle for "most useful" engine marketing blog. Here are some of the crafty tactics they've employed. Read and learn:

1. They created a hyperlinked list of contestants -- Outbound links are an SEM staple, and key for attracting spiders.

2. They asked everyone to include a link to the contest post on their blog. Assuming their request is honored by all nominees, this brings in the ever-so-important inbound link, the "ying" to the outbound link's "yang."  By having an abundance of both, your site becomes very attractive to spiders. Lots of relevant inbound links also raise your Google page rank, which brings me to ....

3. They've kept they're contest extremely relevant. This is a Search blog creating a contest (and inbound and outbound links) for other Search blogs. Does it get anymore SEO-smart than that?

4. Of course they've syndicated their contest post via RSS, which will ensure that the contest appears in any relevant searches in both Google and Yahoo news.

Add the fact that they've created a viral element by emailing notification to the nominees -- and encouraging us to email it to our friends and colleagues...and you've got a very clever and no-cost marketing campaign.

When you get down to it, good marketing boils down to creativity, hard work, and common sense. This campaign just reminds me of how much fun it is to roll up your sleeves, put your thinking cap on, and create something from nothing.

Optimizing your Press Releases for Search - from Search Engine Lowdown (and DigitalGrit)

Search Engine Lowdown, one of the best blogs in the space, offers some excellent tips on optimizing your press releases for the search engines. I'll give you a byte, but definitely read the whole post:

Tips for Maximizing Your PR Efforts in Search Engines
• Include company name and your most important keyphrase in the title of the press release.
• Include company name and keyphrases in line with your PR and SE presence goals throughout the release, though not conspicuously and not to the detriment of readability or sense
• If you're publicly traded, include your ticker symbol in the title of the press release.
• Link your keyphrase in the body of the press release to the page on your site that's optimized for this keyphrase.
• Include contact info and a paragraph targeted specifically towards bloggers

Now, I've been writing what I thought were optimized releases for years... and these no-nonsense tips include ideas I hadn't even considered. For example, the idea of specifically targeting bloggers is beyond clever. As the line between consumer-generated and traditional media (i.e. bloggers v. reporters) grows ever blurrier, we PR folks should consider how to best reach bloggers. Fashioning news releases in a way that appeals to both, while it may be challenging, is definitely smart. (I'll have to look for examples of releases that have successfully managed this -- for my own benefit and yours.)

Anyway, I'd like to add some additional suggestions for optimizing your press releases:

First of all, check out PR Web, particularly if you're not using one of the larger PR services at this point. PR Web allows you to keyword optimize your releases by inserting your own keywords into a dialogue box.  It also, for a small fee, guarantees inclusion in Yahoo and Google News.

Secondly, use analytics to track your release. Most wire services offer basic tools. We use our own proprietary tracking tool, InsightGrit. Every link I included in our releases is coded so I can track every visit and conversion that comes in from the release, no matter where it's been picked up.

Third, be sure to keep your release straightforward and relevant. SEO has certainly taken all the joy out of writing press releases -- the challenge has gone from writing a snappy headline to incorporating as many of your important keywords as possible and still keeping it understandable and somewhat eye-catching. But the clear, concise, well-written release catches the search engines AND the reporters, so stay the course.

Finally, post your release -- or a key portion of it -- on your blog. Seems obvious, but even I forget to do that sometimes.

Incidentally, I love SEL's tip about linking the release's keyword phrases to a landing page specific to that page. Very, very smart stuff.

Although it may seem that PR and SEO are counterintuitive, disciplines stemming from different sides of the brain, they really can -- and need to -- work together. Making it happen is a tough exercise, but it's in your company's best interest to give it a shot.

Optimizing your Press Releases for Search - from Search Engine Lowdown (and DigitalGrit)

Search Engine Lowdown, one of the best blogs in the space, offers some excellent tips on optimizing your press releases for the search engines. I'll give you a byte, but definitely read the whole post:

Tips for Maximizing Your PR Efforts in Search Engines
• Include company name and your most important keyphrase in the title of the press release.
• Include company name and keyphrases in line with your PR and SE presence goals throughout the release, though not conspicuously and not to the detriment of readability or sense
• If you're publicly traded, include your ticker symbol in the title of the press release.
• Link your keyphrase in the body of the press release to the page on your site that's optimized for this keyphrase.
• Include contact info and a paragraph targeted specifically towards bloggers

Now, I've been writing what I thought were optimized releases for years... and these no-nonsense tips include ideas I hadn't even considered. For example, the idea of specifically targeting bloggers is beyond clever. As the line between consumer-generated and traditional media (i.e. bloggers v. reporters) grows ever blurrier, we PR folks should consider how to best reach bloggers. Fashioning news releases in a way that appeals to both, while it may be challenging, is definitely smart. (I'll have to look for examples of releases that have successfully managed this -- for my own benefit and yours.)

Anyway, I'd like to add some additional suggestions for optimizing your press releases:

First of all, check out PR Web, particularly if you're not using one of the larger PR services at this point. PR Web allows you to keyword optimize your releases by inserting your own keywords into a dialogue box.  It also, for a small fee, guarantees inclusion in Yahoo and Google News.

Secondly, use analytics to track your release. Most wire services offer basic tools. We use our own proprietary tracking tool, InsightGrit. Every link I included in our releases is coded so I can track every visit and conversion that comes in from the release, no matter where it's been picked up.

Third, be sure to keep your release straightforward and relevant. SEO has certainly taken all the joy out of writing press releases -- the challenge has gone from writing a snappy headline to incorporating as many of your important keywords as possible and still keeping it understandable and somewhat eye-catching. But the clear, concise, well-written release catches the search engines AND the reporters, so stay the course.

Finally, post your release -- or a key portion of it -- on your blog. Seems obvious, but even I forget to do that sometimes.

Incidentally, I love SEL's tip about linking the release's keyword phrases to a landing page specific to that page. Very, very smart stuff.

Although it may seem that PR and SEO are counterintuitive, disciplines stemming from different sides of the brain, they really can -- and need to -- work together. Making it happen is a tough exercise, but it's in your company's best interest to give it a shot.

Friday Fun: The Future of Search (Scott Delea's Presentation from eComXpo)

Well, education can be fun, too!

Want to see where search is heading? Watch this multimedia presentation on the Future of Search. Learn how local search and consumer-generated media will change the face of "the searchosphere." 

Download scottdelea_the_future_of_search_evolving_seo_ecomxpo_presentation_april_4.pps

Then start thinking about how you need to update your approach to search engine marketing and optmization to stay ahead of the curve -- and at the top of the SERPs !