As search engines go, Google has a fairly comfortable position at the top of the tree. Even Microsoft’s attempts to suggest that there is an alternative, don’t seem to be doing much to change that. So could it be that Google’s biggest challenge might come from a less likely source, like Facebook? With over 400 million active users, many experts have felt that Facebook always had some search potential, but there didn’t seem to be an obvious way to turn this into a reality. So what’s changed, and should Google and Bing be worried?

One of the biggest and most recent changes to Facebook could be a signal that they are ready to throw their hat into the ring and offer their users a search function that might become a real alternative to the usual search engines. I say “could be” because there haven’t been any big announcement that this is the plan, but it certainly seems to be becoming more and more likely.

These days, if you carry out a search on Facebook, as well as the usual Facebook pages you might expect to see, there could also be a number of links to external sites. While these are listed as pages, if you click on them, you are taken out of Facebook and into the third party’s website.

This has all come about because of the recent launch of Facebook’s Open Graph API, as well as 1 billion “Like” buttons across the whole internet – linking millions of pages to Facebook and its users. Websites that adopt the Open Graph API, and place the Like buttons on their pages, give their viewers the chance to link these pages to their Facebook profiles.

Once a site is “liked” by someone on Facebook, there is an good chance that it will show up in their, and their friends’, searches. Facebook seem keen to play down this search capability, saying that their Open Graph API and the Like buttons simply allow other pages on the net to effectively become Facebook pages, but what it could lead to has got some people quite excited.

As more and more website optimize their pages for inclusion in Facebook’s search results, the amount of third party links that will start to show up should increase, but could this really pose a threat to the other search engines. Well, the answer seems to be yes, and no.

Where Google is pushing ahead with real-time search and the Caffeine search index, to provide users with the very latest content, Facebook’s search results lag quite a bit behind. But there does seem to be more of a focus on providing search results based on a user’s location, and the sites that they and their friends have “liked”. Could this be the start of a more personalized search engine?

While Facebook might not have Google worried just yet, you can bet they’ll be keeping an eye on how things develop. And if they do develop the way many expect, it could be Facebook’s exclusive search partner bing, that actually has more to worry about.

Has Facebook Got Google and Bing Worried? is a post from: SEO Blog | SEO Marketing World

If you’re already using Google News to get your hit of all the latest stories every day, you might have noticed there’s been a bit of a change. This is a result of the fact that the way users want to receive information over the internet has changed, and we now want to see more of the stories that affect us directly – as soon as they happen. Google knows this, and has always said they’re interested in how they can provide information that is more personal to the individual viewing.

And so as well as the changes they have made to their standard search index, and the launch of Google Chrome, they’ve also improved Google News, making it more flexible, personal, and sociable.

The latest News site is being rolled out in the US to start with, and the first thing you’ll notice when you land on the home page, is that is has a slightly different appearance, but you’ll have to look a little bit closer to find the best bits. The first is a new feature Google has introduced called “News for You”. Here you will find news stories automatically selected for each user based on what Google thinks they’re most likely to be interested in.

The idea is to provide the news stories that are relevant to each person, as well as the rest of the news from around the world. To fine-tune this function even further, you can help Google out by telling them what kind of stories you’d prefer to hear about. By letting them know if you’re more interested in business or sports, health or entertainment, you get more of the news that you want.

You can even include particular subjects you’d like your own personal newsfeed to focus on. The personalization options don’t stop there. If you tell Google News which news sources you are more interested in, the content on your news page will focus on including more information and stories from the sources you rate, and less from those you don’t.

Of course, there are still news stories that effect us all, and the Top Stories section gives you instant access to the big stories being covered by all the major news agencies – without overloading you with information. Each big news topic has a single link in the Top News section, and when you click on the link, it takes you to a list of all the stories about that topic, from each of the major news outlets.

There’s also more focus on the other stories which, although they might not be breaking news, don’t deserve to get lost in the sheer volume of news that gets generated. Google created its new Spotlight feature last year, to make these “other news” stories more visible, and it’s become so popular it’s got a better position in the new layout.

With easy access to the top stories, options to personalize your newsfeed and focus on news and information that’s local to you, the changes to Google News are designed to give you all the stories you want to see in one place. And with new options that let you share stories with your friends, by e-mail and other social networking sites, you could be breaking the news and not just reading it.

Have You Heard the News About Google News? is a post from: SEO Blog | SEO Marketing World

In a recent lawsuit filed against Google, one woman claims that Google was at fault, or at least partially at fault, for her being hit by a car while crossing a road in the dark, following Google’s walking directions on her Blackberry. At about 6am, while a highway was relatively empty, the morning was still pitch dark, and Google was touting the road by the name, Deer Valley Drive, rather than the more well-known name, Route 224, she was directed to cross the road to a supposed sidewalk that existed there and a vehicle came and hit her while she was crossing in the dark.

To make matters even worse, there was a dirt path on her side of the road, away from the highway, but it was not shown on Google maps, even though it shows up on the Street view photographs you can find online. Unfortunately, no one at the company actually looks at these photographs. They’re simply set up for users. Instead, they rely on complex calculations of only the registered paths, walkways, and streets.

Google admitted when releasing the walking directions options that they still had a lot of kinks to work out and that in many cases there might be a better, safer route, which is why the product was released in beta and they highly stressed the use of common sense and following the rules set by the law.

That’s great, and they should do that – not to mention it could be next to impossible for this system to ever be perfect. But still, it is their system, so where does responsibility end? And how useful is a service with so much room for error?

The plaintiff’s lawyer claims that if Google is “going to tell people where to go, they need to have some responsibility to warn them that might not be the way to go.” He’s got a point. And they do have warnings about the beta nature of the service on their website, but unfortunately for this woman, those warnings apparently don’t appear on the Blackberry version, or any other mobile version. That’s pretty ironic and a bit dangerous considering that mobile users would be the most like to need this.

Young also alleges that Google didn’t have the warnings even on their website when the accident took place in January of ‘09. Google, meanwhile, says that they’ve had the warnings up since 2008, but since the suit has not officially been filed yet they have not said much about the case.

This in a way reminds me of the case recently filed against Facebook by the California man who claims his privacy has been abused because recent changes go against the contract he agreed to when setting up his account. While that might seem unrelated, what I see as the similarity with these cases is that the companies are refusing to accept responsibility because they say the user has a certain level of responsibility.

I do agree, and I’ve never been a fan for people who sue based on their own lack of common sense, poor decisions, or bad habits. But these companies put a lot of money and time into getting people to use their services as if it’s second nature – to heavily rely on them, trust them, and adapt this tech as a part of life.

We’ve got so many new features hitting us on our phones and so much new technology, we just expect it too work and take care of us. Sure, consumers need to slow down a little and take another look at the role of technology in our lives, but shouldn’t the people providing all these services and promoting this new paradigm have a role in slowing themselves down a little too? Shouldn’t they have a role in education about the dangers – not with just a message on their site – which isn’t readily available to mobile users.

At the very least, they should slow their roll a little bit and fine tune a service a lot more before releasing something that has so much room for error, embarrassing them and putting users in danger.

Lawsuit Takes Google to Task on Misleading Walking Directions is a post from: SEO Blog | SEO Marketing World

We talk a lot about search on this blog, and for good reason. Search engines are a great resource for pulling in website traffic if you target the keywords with the right traffic, and there are plenty of ways to figure out how many people are searching for terms online before you put out the money and effort to rank for those terms. But many people are starting to see a trend of the Internet moving away from being a search-based system.

In fact, Yahoo itself, one of the big players in search, recently announced the results of a study that showed only 1/6th of online activity was search-based. So what does this mean for the search engines, and more importantly for readers of this blog, what does it mean for the future of search engine optimization?

What studies like Yahoo’s are starting to see is that while Internet is gaining exposure around the world and in all pockets of our communities, the mobile revolution responsible for much of that growth, a lot of new Internet users are surfing the web now through their social networks and local-savvy phone apps. They are typically being guided to their destinations through other mediums besides search.

Indeed, the search engines are taking note of this trend, and in response we are seeing many of them push to integrate with social media giants like Facebook or Twitter, and even focusing on the development of social networking capabilities themselves.

What does it all mean? Well, what it means is that the search engines are not disappearing. Not by a long shot. In fact, those who follow the industry closely note that the search engines are often the drivers of change, or at least the first to respond and help guide technology to meet the hungry demand of trends. We’ve seen over and over again how they are pushing their platforms to align with localized queries and mobile capabilities.

The data shows that internet users are spending a lot more time interacting and browsing online than they are in the search engines; that much is clear. And yahoo also acknowledge that the ads, which most big search engines look to for their income, are getting the least amount of attention, meaning not finding a way to step up the game has the possibility to spell decline.

But one thing they are looking towards is the new face of searching in a society that is changed by technology as fast as its trends change technology. Many are focusing efforts on image and video search, and Google is working on the release of a feature that allows search by taking a quick photo.

To go further, all are working towards searching with spoken word, which I personally think will have a huge effect on the amount of people that take the time to submit a query; imagine how simple a search would be if all it took was voicing your concern. Combine this with the new mobile face of the Internet, and the implications for search are obvious.

So what is the answer is search engine optimization in limbo? Sure it is, but to be more exact, the whole world is constantly in limbo with the rate of change in modern society. These issues simply remind us why it is so important for businesses to work with SEO experts, who dedicate their careers to studying the changing face of the Internet, to help them change with the times.

Search isn’t disappearing; it’s evolving. Are you?

Is The Future of Search in Limbo? is a post from: SEO Blog | SEO Marketing World

Adwords has had its ups and downs in the last decade, but as more and more offline companies look to advertise online, it seems more relevant now than ever. And of course, Google sees that relevance better than anyone. One way they’ve sought to capitalize is their six-year old Google Advertising Professionals program, which works with marketing firms. Google recently announced that some new changes are being made to better meet the needs of everyone involved.

Here are the 6 main points covered.

1. A Name Change and Revamp

First off, the Google Advertising Professionals program has undergone a renovation, re-emerging as the Google Adwords Certification Program. The goal is to ensure those who sell Google services are qualified to represent their advertising clients. New criteria are being introduced into the certification process, including a much greater amount of material to be covered.

2. More Difficult Exams

In addition, the exams will not be as easy and will be more comprehensive of related skills than they were in the past. Tests in the past may have been lacking, as they consisted of lot information regurgitation. The newer tests will involve a greater emphasis on problem-solving and actual skill.

3. A Better Way to Search

In an effort to overcome the frustration expressed by many companies looking for a reliable marketing firm to represent their company, Google is also re-introducing Google Partner Search under the new name Adwords Professional Search. Advertisers can search through a wide range of criteria, including location, experience, and budget, allowing them to find the best fit for the campaign they have in mind.

4. Preferred Pricing for Marketing Firms

The Adwords API pricing has undergone some changes as well. A preferred pricing process will walk you through to find out if you are eligible, and development companies bringing in more clients, and thus responsible for more dollars, will receive a certain amount of free API units. This means certified professionals can continue bringing in more business without worrying too much about their increasing expenditures.

5. A Higher Bar for Previous Partners

If you were a Google Adwords Professional already, you will maintain your status, BUT now you have to step up and meet the newest requirements as well. You have half a year to get it taken care of.

Every firm that wants to be recognized must put a minimum of one employee through the certification process and they must pass the fundamentals exam as well as one of the four advanced exams offered. The firm in question is also required to spend $10,000 within the first 90 days in order to maintain their status.

6. A Linkable Badge

A redesigned certified partner badge and a linked profile page where advertisers can find out more about the marketing firm will provide even more transparency to the end advertising clients. This will also immediately add credibility to a provider’s website while giving the information to advertisers.

I have to say I like the changes Google has made in this case, and it seems they are really getting the program in shape to make some things happen. Hopefully, this time around we’ll see less abuse from marketing providers and a little more room for trust for those who want to put Adwords to use but lack the expertise.

New Changes for Adwords Pros Stress Increased Responsibility is a post from: SEO Blog | SEO Marketing World

Google has introduced an interesting yet subtle new feature in their system in order to recognize the tragedies that strike nations in which they do business. It first appeared recently in the unspeakable tragedy that occurred over Russia. A plane crashed and a good number of important figures from the Polish government lost their lives while traveling to a memorial for the Katyn forest massacre, an incident in which over 20,000 Polish were killed by Soviets.

In order to recognize the tragic nature of the event and join the country in their mourning, Google displayed a white logo on their search engine site in the country. A colorless, ghostly version of their brand, the white logo is in stark contrast to the colorful Google trademark as we know it.

This was the first time the feature was introduced, but it has already been used once again on Google Hong Kong. This time, the show of respect and mourning was put into action to recognize the deep losses of the Chinese to the massive earthquake in Quinghai, an unexpected event that has once again ravaged a region prone to earthquake tragedy.

While some may raise their eyebrows to the fact that Google was showing it on Google Hong Kong, it makes perfect sense for those who know about the problems Google recently had with China, which resulted in them moving to Hong Kong and serving Chinese customers from a location where the communist nation’s privacy restrictions would (hopefully) not affect them.

Back to the issue at hand, Google says that this is an effort to show they are thinking about the people who face tragedy and recognize their suffering. It will be shown when a nation declares a state of mourning. But what sort of raises my eyebrows is the fact that Google never mentioned anything to the public about this decision when they made it and why they didn’t include some kind of note about what the ghostly version of their trademark represents.

Especially with the case of Google Hong Kong, it would have been helpful to include a reference and explanation that it was really about China and possibly some kind of direction to a site where people could learn more and donate money to help those suffering.

I try not to be too cynical, especially about Google which seems to get a lot of bad rap that may sometimes be undeserved, but it almost seems like the introduction of the Google logo in this manner without a peep from the company could be about publicity. Their intentions might have been good to begin with, but it’s not a stretch to think someone may have realized throwing up the mysterious logo without a word would create a stir.

With all the heat they are getting, they could certainly use some bolstering of their image as a compassionate organization. Hopefully just a cynical thought, but it is a thought.

Goggle’s Mysterious Ghost Brand – Is it in Good Faith? is a post from: SEO Blog | SEO Marketing World

Google seems to be getting quite a lot of heat these days and accusations from a broad range of entities about what many see as a monopolization. Not to mention the frequent challenges from privacy groups around the world who are enraged by some of the company’s newer technological advances and how they encroach on the privacy of citizens in various countries. Even the Department of Justice has gotten in on the flaming.

One well-known consumer advocacy organization called Consumer Watchdog has been expressing increasing concern over Google, and the conglomerate has been on their agenda for quite some time. They are planning to ask the Federal government to launch a deep investigation into the company and take a close look at what they view as breaches of antitrust laws.

In fact, as Google faces up to increasing attention in recent years, they are spending 1,500% more on lobbying every year than they were 5 years ago. This is a direct reflection of the opposition they face, and it goes to show that the challenge may only get more difficult.

They have also gotten a lot of attention with the fact CEO Eric Schmidt holds a position on the board of Apple, creating a situation that many say consists of a director holding position on firms that directly compete. Google doesn’t seem too concerned about all the attention, though this could certainly just be their public face.

The company claims that Schmidt takes no part in the dealings where both Google and Apple maintain more than a 2% interest; however, with the complicated integration of modern technologies and their dependence on each other, it is a long shot to imagine he is able to pull this off.

The Assistant Attorney General that takes care of the Antitrust Division, Christine A. Varney, seems to be quite concerned with Google as well, and she could certainly prove to be their greatest adversary in this issue. Varney maintains that she does not believe Google has aimed to acquire a monopoly but that it occurred in a natural manner. Still, her concern is that the situation creates limited competition and threatens the state of the current economy.

This inclination that Google holds a natural monopoly, meaning they acquired it simply by consumer choice and in no way by force and manipulation, is the main argument in Google’s favor. Supporters point out that regulating a company that claims market share simply because they provide the best products and services is simply damaging for the industry.

And they may have a point. Afterall, as Google points out, going to a competitor is as simple as the click of a mouse or typing yahoo.com in the URL box.

But these are certainly some issues that are worthy of raising some eyebrows, and raising eyebrows they are. Some very big eyerbrows. These antitrust and monopoly accusations will not be going away any time soon, and the course of this battle holds some interesting implications for other onine conglomerates and startups wondering what might be in the future for them.

Google Continues to Face the Fire – Are They a Monopoly? is a post from: SEO Blog | SEO Marketing World

Google has been bracing itself, trying to find the best strategies for profiting for the dramatic shift of local companies coming to the Internet to find streams of customers who are no longer walking though their doors. Meanwhile, a lot of people online have been discussing the decline of Adwords, and just in the last couple weeks, it seemed that the conversation got a little louder, with talk rising about the possibility of Google cancelling their local Adwords reseller program.

On initial impression, this seems to go against the other moves we’ve seen Google make in regards to local search, but the truth of the matter is that the local Google Adwords program never really amounted to much. Still, cancel it? Seems a little drastic.

It appears the rumors are getting louder. Greg Sterling of SearchEngineland.com spoke about this in a blog post March 29th, mentioning that he had “two separate confirmations” from “credible sources” that the shut-down was going through after all and that it was due to happen by the end of “this month.” The fact that Sterling says the end of this month at the end of the month leaves a little doubt about whether this is happening at the end of March or April, but I digress.
The local reseller program was a way to make it easier for local media to sell internet marketing services to local bizzes via Adwords, setting up the potential for a relationship that would bring help local businesses, provide media incentive, and bring Google more profits. Given the rising demand for online marketing for small businesses in today’s economy, you would think it have gone over well, but instead it sort of tanked.

Not so fast though. It doesn’t look like Google has given up on the program altogether, and they claim it will be available again sometime before the year is out, but with some substantial changes. According to Sterling’s sources, the problem for Google is that the independent advertisers were taking advantage of the deal they had with Google and taking too much of a cut from their local clients, thus making the services less affordable and less effective in relation to small business budgets. In other words, the greedy marketers were diluting the effectiveness of the service, thus making it a less attractive option, which could explain why it hasn’t been more successful.

Sterling goes on to talk about how Google is leaning more towards a focus on working directly with the small businesses rather than working with the middlemen. From what I’ve seen, this does appear to be true, but at the same time, I am skeptical about whether Google would be willing to take too strong of a stance on this approach. After all, I’m a marketing guy myself and I can tell you right now that local businesses do not want to bother with a lot of even the simplest online marketing stuff.

Google can surely pick up a good chunk of bold do-it-yourselfers, but the fact of the matter is most business will likely come from marketing guys working on the behalf of SMB’s, especially as the recession pinches entrepreneurs even tighter, and the marketers, recognizing opportunity, pitch their services even more.

I really don’t see the reseller program going away for good. If there is any hope for Adwords at all, it is with local businesses. And the best way to get to those local businesses is dealing with those middle-men who speak their language. Google knows that, they just want to dig their heels in a little bit, harness a little more control over a program that is getting away from them, and re-launch it in a way that serves their better interest. And I don’t blame them.

Rumor Has it Local Adwords Reseller is to be Terminated is a post from: SEO Blog | SEO Marketing World

One rapidly evolving spectrum of search engine optimization is the emerging trend of offline businesses to claim their stake in the online market, a stake that grows more valuable as the internet grows from its infancy. One characteristic of this trend is the use of Google Maps, and like every other aspect of the internet marketing world, it is a platform that is rapidly changing.

Just recently, a Google Maps addition emerged on the Australian homefront as Google put a coming feature to the test. Known as Google Sponsored Map Icons, this is an interesting new way to let businesses pay for additional coverage for their business.

Currently, listings get a simple icon depending on the type of business, and then certain landmarks have special icons that you can click to access to photos or additional information. The purpose of the special landmark icons is easy navigating in the real world when using the map, whether on a laptop or cell-phone. It helps users to acclimate to the surrounding area.

But there was no icon available to make your website stand out more when looking at the map or give more information about your business, unless the viewer used your listing to get direct access to your web page. With the Google Sponsored Map Icons being implemented in The Land of Oz, this is now starting to change.

The icons are typically based on the company logos, though it is not quite clear yet what kind of guidelines are given for icon creation. This can serve two purposes. For one, you will see when you start to notice these, should they be successful in Australia (I think they will be), that they definitely stand out, giving instant visibility on the actual maps.

The second benefit is that it also gives your business the opportunity to get a little brand recognition to viewers immediately, and if that brand directly correlates with your storefront on the street, it makes it easier for people who find you via maps to find you in the real world.

More businesses are realizing just how valuable, if not imperative, it can be to have a map position now, and this is simply another way to stand apart from the crowd as having that position becomes the status quo rather than a savvy business move. How else with this trend evolve?

I envision the Google Maps platform to increase in creativity in the future, with increasingly more exotic and outrageous icons in order to generate attention. Of course, Google tends to put a cap on things before they get too out of control, but I think it is definitely bound to be yet another interesting SEO frontier, as well as another reflection of how much our world is changing.

Pimp Your Icon: Google Maps Experiments With Sponsored Listings is a post from: SEO Blog | SEO Marketing World

As the Internet encroaches more on our lives than ever before, many people are finding themselves uncomfortable with the ability of online media to peek into our every little move. The fact that what we do online is probably personal as often as it is commercial, if not more, creates a situation where there is good reason for people to worry. Privacy concerns are a very real part of the growing internet phenomenon, and Google seems to be addressing those concerns, particularly with one recent move that is of great interest to internet marketers.

Google recently announced that they will be giving users the option to be ignored by Google Analytics, which means that data will not be gathered and stored when searching. The opt-out feature will come in the form a browser plug-in, and will be released within the next couple weeks. As soon as Google’s engineers put the finishing touches on the plug-in, it should be hitting the scene.

For many marketers, this may be cause for alarm because analytics provide a very important tool to SEO experts. In fact, when online marketers pitch their services to brick and mortar businesses, one of the biggest selling points is the ease and accuracy of online tracking as compared to traditional advertising mediums. These offline marketing tactics are often referred to as “spray n’ pray” marketing because that is essentially what people who pay the outrageous fees for some print media ads are doing if they haven’t taken the right moves to monitor ads.

This new turn of events certainly does have the potential to put a huge dent in analytics data and the ability to tailor marketing efforts to individualized Google search. The thing is that if you look at many recent actions Google has taken, you will see that before this they seemed to be heading in the direction of putting more emphasis on individualized Google search.

In other words, Google has recently been heading towards less privacy rather than more. So what gives? Why the sudden contradiction in Google’s direction?

Well, the obvious answer is that Google faces heavy opposition among privacy supporters, and even as a marketer myself, I believe these people have good reason to be concerned. That said, in my opinion, Google’s recent development is not as telling as it might seem.

This is nothing more than an “insurance” move put in place to silence the opposition. Google knows what I myself have seen about the online world—a very small percentage of people will bother with privacy measures no matter how easy you make it for them.

Consider for just a moment how willing the general population has been to give private information for everyone to see on social networking platforms. Even people who 10 years ago would have held on to their social security number for dear life have no qualms making home addresses public information or handing over private details to corporations for the smallest incentives.

And by giving that option to protect your privacy, Google minimizes the voice of the opposition without really affecting the data gather. The citizens don’t seem to care too much anymore. In my honest opinion, marketers have nothing to worry about as far as the value of their data; the percentage of those who skirt around Google Analytics will be next to insignificant. If the trend of privacy becoming a thing of the past worries you, however, you have plenty of reason to be concerned…

Google Analytics Plug-in Provides Enhanced Privacy Control is a post from: SEO Blog | SEO Marketing World