Archive for September, 2008

9 Keys to Successful Day-Parting

Taking advantage of intraday fluctuations in traffic value can be important to maximizing the efficiency of your pay-per-click (PPC) ad spend. We see statistically significant variances in traffic value on the order of 5% to 25% for many retailers, and much more than that for some.


Lessons in Longevity From The Original Search Engine

When you’re in an industry that is based on answering consumer needs, as all local search brands are, you’re hardwired to remain relevant. After all, the granddaddy of local search, the printed Yellow Pages, is 125 years young this year, born out of necessity in 1883 when a Wyoming business directory publisher ran out of [...]


Human Hardware: Foraging for Information

When looking to predict how MBA students and analysts would find information in a digital environment, Peter Pirolli found his answer in an unlikely place: animal’s foraging patterns. Pirolli, working at the Palo Alto Research Center, was trying to predict with some mathematical accuracy the behavior of humans when searching for information but was having [...]


A More Neutral Net - Webcology on WebmasterRadio.FM (episode 40)

Earlier today, co-host Dave Davies and I covered the Net Neutrality debate on our weekly WebmasterRadio.fm show, Webcology.


Reputation Management Issues in Court

Even the most solid reputations can be somewhat fluid online. Great and well known brands have been damaged online in ways previous generations never had to consider. From the easy sale of knock-off products and stolen inventory to the kiss-off tone of many consumer complaints, large business operations are uniquely vulnerable to the undermining influence [...]


Are You Giving Your SEO Enough Information to Succeed?

Three years ago Todd Malicoat published a blog post titled Balancing the Link Equation, which offered conditional tips about how to improve the link profile of a website. I think of that post nearly every time someone asks for SEO advice because the field has grown so complex that both yes and no are often [...]


Network Before And During SMX East

The networking activities for SMX East are shaping up. Good thing, because with more than 600 companies sending delegates, there are lots of people to network with!


xRank and the Yahoo Buzz Index

Recently, SEW Expert Erik Qualman examined Google Insights for search trends related to newly announced Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Like Barack Obama, being unknown sends people a-searching on the internet.


Incentives Key to Mobile Marketing Success

Incentives can help mobile users overcome their initial negative reactions to mobile advertising, according to survey data released by ABI Research.


Google AdWords Separates Content and Search Network Stats - FINALLY!

In the Search Engine Watch forums, user searchengineman (Does he wear a cape? I hope so!) noticed a change to his AdWords statistics. Now, he could check separate statistics for ads on the content network and ads via search.