Search Engine Optimization

• SEM Rush – a great statistic tools that collects data from various databases and gives ranking reports for any domain. Sometimes rankings can be off, while most times it is very accurate. Perfect for tracking down competition, learning their bid and estimating bid prices. There are more tools that offer similar service, however SEM Rush is the leader.
• Spy Fu – another great competitive analysis tool. Track competition, their approximate bid prices and more. I have not used the tool much, but you might find it useful.
• Hitwise – data on steroids. Prepare to dish out $20,000 – $50,000 and be armed with one of the most formidable analytics and competitive tools on the web. Google, Amazon and other giants use it to spy on competition.
• Compete – another great competitive analysis tool. For mere 20 bucks you can purchase keyword reports for any website in the States and know keyword strings that refer traffic to them.
• Majestic SEO – find out link profile of any website on the web. The tool is amazing. They maintain their own index of the web (like search engines) and allow you to purchase link intelligence data for any domain.
• Linkscape – another link analysis tool. Purchase link reports for any domains along with page rank and other trust estimates. The tool got some fire since Rand lied about their database, however, it is still extremely useful.

Here’s a list of some good keyword research tools.

• Google Keyword Research Tool – my favorite keyword research tool. Does not show much long tail but gives high quality results.
• Wordtracker – second favorite keyword research tool. Both free and subscription based versions.
• NIchebot – search all keyword databases at once, from one spot. Personally I’m not a big fan of the tool however you might find it useful.
• Wordze – another good keyword research tool. They buy their data from various companies.
• Keyword Discovery – their free tool is very noisy and they have admitted its needs big cleaning. They treat their paid subscribers a lot better.
• SEO Book Keyword Tool – SEO book gets keywords from word tracker, but provides links to a number of other tools in one place such as: Yahoo suggest, Google trends, Quintra and more
• Yahoo Buzz – learn hottest and latest trends as Yahoo sees them.
• Google Hot Trends – find out latest and hottest trends as big G sees them. Updated regularly.
• SEOMOZ Term Extractor – extract terms from any URLs
• Adcenter Tools – keyword tools from Microsoft.

Here’s a list of Analytics tools from around the web. Some are free, while others are subscription based.

• Google Analytics – probably the most well known analytics tool on the internet. It has many advanced and enterprise level features. Best of all its free. Downside is – once you install analytics Google knows everything there is about your website.
• Piwik – open source analytics project. They use AJAX like Google. A good alternative if you don’t want to share info with the big brother.
• Clicktracks – enterprise level analytics software.
• Omniture – measure everything to death… really. You can track virtually everything you can imagine.. then imagine some more and track that as well. Omniture is one of the most powerful analytics tools on the market. Designed for enterprise level clients it comes at large figures.
• Sitemeter – another analytics tools.
• WebTrends – from the same company that makes Web Position (advanced SEO rank checker) comes the analytics solution. It’s quite expensive.
• Have a Mint – they shamelessly stole Mint design and made analytics software.
• Clicky – fun looking tool. I have not looked into to it, but you can give it a try.

More Tools: Semphonic | Analog

Coming Soon

• Yahoo Analytics
• Microsoft Adcenter Analytics

Both are coming very late to the scene. Google came at the time all quality analytics tools were quite expensive, so it turned tables around in favor of the small guys (making analytics vendors struggle).

Google, Microsoft and Yahoo united on the new canonical link tag. From Search Engine Land Vanessa Fox reports:

• Today, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft (links are to their separate announcements) have united to offer a way to reduce duplicate content clutter and make things easier for everyone.

Example of cannonical link tag:

<link rel=”canonical” href=”http://www.example.com/product.php?item=swedish-fish”/>

Why Use Canonical Tag?

Dynamic websites tend to produce multiple URLs for the exact content, causing search engines to flag domains with duplicate content penalties or causing crawl bot abandon website altogether. Canonical tag will hint search engines that URL is absolute, and should be considered over others, while bot can ignore other URLs.

There are some rules to the tag:

• You can only use the tag on pages within a single site (subdomains and subfolders are fine).
• You can use relative or absolute links, but the search engines recommend absolute links.

This tag will operate in a similar way to a 301 redirect for all URLs that display the page with this tag.

• Links to all URLs will be consolidated to the one specified as canonical.
• Search engines will consider this URL a “strong hint” as to the one to crawl and index.

Vanessa Fox does good coverage of the topic and we recommend you read more to learn about this new tag in detail.

Search Engine Roundtable reports slow down in traffic from Yahoo Search Marketing. According to the blog, advertisers are complaining at Webmaster World that YSM is not sending as many visitors as it used to. Here are some snippets from the forum:

• Talked to a couple of other people and they see the same thing. Can anyone else confirm the same, or did we somehow get picked out from millions of accounts to have a down traffic day across a few different markets?
  
• Yeah, across the board ysm is waaaay down. Wonder what’s up?
  

Yahoo recently closed down their content network in UK and is likely to make similar moves in other countries.

The Decline of Yahoo

Yahoo is slowly dying as a competitor to Google. It’s clamping publisher network (which advertisers complain about), it’s search ads do not covert as well as Google and its market share keeps dipping. Some of the best talent is migrating to Microsoft, while the work force feels very discouraged. Yahoo is so desperate it goes as far as editing existing advertiser accounts, without permission in order to make some extra cash. The company is in deep trouble and getting out is going to be tough.

Forthcoming January traffic data will reportedly show that Google Maps has taken the lead from MapQuest as the top mapping site in the US. According to the numbers that I received (I’ve asked comScore to verify), MapQuest’s January monthly unique visitors were 41.5 million and Google’s were 42.2 million. – Search Engine Land

This is the first time Google overtaken MapQuest, something search community predicted for a while. I personally believe that the trend will continue, with Google becoming the dominant player, slowly but surely eating away at MapQuest market share.

Local Battle

Local search goes hand in hand with Maps and Google is winning this battle over all competitors, including Yahoo, AOL and Microsoft.

Google has very distinct advantage over all competitors:

• it promotes Maps on its own search results and sends a large bulk of map traffic trough search
• it has richest feature set, such as Streetview and walking/transit directions

Though Microsoft invested as much money as Google did on Local, Big G is the leader primarily due to its market share, self promotion on search result and some offline advertising.

MapQest is placing all bets into user loyalty – bad strategy if you ask me. Sure, there’s a large number of users who are accustomed to the brand, but there are people who will trade up if it’s more efficient, and Google is currently more efficient than MapQuest.

Expect ComScore to report another dip in MapQuest market share.

in 2007 Google removed map links from search results to competing websites such as Map Quest, Yahoo Maps and Maps.

Google is testing Search Wiki feature on Adwords! Here’s a screenshot by Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Land:

Search Wiki - if you’re not familiar with the subject, Search Wiki a new way to edit search results on Google. Anyone with a Google account can delete, add and move search results the way they like. Now it seems Google is testing Search Wiki on Adwords on select users (like with search results).

A Bald Move

Adwords is Google’s bread and butter. Testing Seach Wiki on Adwords is pretty bald, as it can affect their bottom line! I personally think that the move proves that Google is quite an open minded company.

As with search results, collected data can be used to filter and improve search results for various terms, find theme leaders and more.

• Discussion on Shpinn
• Original report on SEL

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According to CNET Google has struck a deal with TrueSwitch, an online account migration tool that streamlines migration process from one account to another. Google hopes to lure in more users from Hotmail and Yahoo to Gmail, who do not want to migrate because of loss of valuable emails and contacts.

In order to migrate users will be able to access TrueSwitch feature in Gmail, which will ask to input email address and password of the account they would like to be imported. The application also allows imported messages and accounts to be labeled as such in order to avoid confusion.

It is not clear if TrueSwitch will be branded as such or go under the disguise of Gmail.

Email Wars

3 Internet Giants Microsoft, Google and Yahoo are fighting for email user base on top of search and advertising dollars. Currently Microsoft is a leader, followed by Yahoo and Google in the third spot. Google hopes to catch up, but Microsoft is putting stick into its wheels, making migration directly from hotmail to Gmail virtually impossible.

Google launched new service called Google latitude. With it you can track your family, friends and coworkers on the map, learn what they are doing and even chat about it.

here’s the video from Google

How Google Latitude Works

Google Latitude works with cell phones that have a GPS tracking unit built into them. Once service is activated, Google initiates the tracking unit and starts monitoring location of the phone. To activate the service you have to go to the http://www.google.com/latitude/intro.html, and type in your phone number. Google will take care of the rest. (you do need internet connection).

Privacy

Number of mainstream outlets and internet blogs have already critiqued the service, calling it: Big Brother, Privacy Invasion, etc. On one hand they all have legitimate reasons to be concerned, on the other hand Google did everything possible to keep privacy concerns at the forefront.

Concerns: first of all, there’s no trust in the corporations, be it Google, Microsoft or Sprint. NSA was caught spying on Americans, Washington lied about Iraq, Afghanistan and elections, so anyone with some memory and a sense of judgment would put public statements through a rigorous filter. The biggest concern is that:

1. Google will misuse this data
2. Google will share it with wrong government agencies

Google Response: on the other hand Google made everything possible to keep service as friendly to the public as possible. Latitude is 100% opt in. Even if you opt in, you can turn off the service as needed and set manual locations (say you’re in Montreal, but you can set it to Toronto).

Learn more about Google Latitude| Help Forum | Help Group | Mobile Help Center

• http://searchengineland.com/privacy-critics-dont-give-google-enough-latitude-16475

Search Engine Watch reports that Google is quietly laying off engineers in the face of US recession. The report is base on Twitter conversation by people who directly know Google employees who got laid off.

Mary Hodder – or at least someone using her name at Twitter – founder of Dabble, a video search and metadata company, as well as a well known voice in the web space, mentioned that a couple of her engineering friends at Google had been let go, as well as others.

Check the article yourself to see Twitter discussions.

Google is a Corporation

Despite a good brand and a well managed public perception, we have to realize that Google is a corporation, just like Microsoft, Shell and Nike. It is not saint and does things with one core motivation – profit. This motivation which drives all world corporations have create both good and bad. At the moment, when profits are in their lowest, we can only expect the worst from all corporations.

IN 2002, Google began to drink the milkshakes of the book world.

Back then, according to the company’s official history, it began a “secret ‘books’ project.” Today, that project is known as Google Book Search and, aided by a recent class-action settlement, it promises to transform the way information is collected: who controls the most books; who gets access to those books; how access will be sold and attained. There will be blood, in other words.

Like the oil barons in the late 19th century, Google is thirsty for a vital raw material — digital content. As Daniel J. Clancy, the engineering director for Google Book Search, put it, “our core business is about search and discovery, and search and discovery improves with more content.” – New York Times

I love the way New York Times put it: Like the oil barons in the late 19th century, Google is thirsty for a vital raw material — digital content.

Digital content can be packaged and monetized with ads. Digital content is the oil well and it’s all about discovering new “oil wells”. First it was WWW in general – the search. Second was direct monetazation of WWW through Adsense. Books seem to be third “well” with potentially unlimited supply of oil, like search and content. As Daniel J. Clancy put it “because there is a ridiculous amount of information out there, and we didn’t see anyone else doing it.”

Google is scanning millions of books, libraries and university collections. Copyright issues are enormous. There will definitely be blood.

Search Engine Land and other blogs are speculating that Google is about to release a new storage service dubbed the GDrive.

The name is not official and will most likely be something else, but us users have already agreed that it will be called the GDrive (and Android is the GPhone, not Android).

Search Engine Lands points to the interview in which Todd Jackson is quoted saying:

“We know people’s file sizes are getting bigger. They want to share their files, keep them in the cloud, and not worry about which computer they’re on. Google wants to be solving these problems,” Jackson said.

This suggests that something is in the works and we can expect news very soon. The question is – will it be free? With tough economic times it does not make sense to invest millions in storage facilities without clear guarantee for revenues. Google has been monetizing Image search, news and everything else. It has also cut workforce and other costs. My guess would be they are not in position to spend millions on Gdrive and service will be partially free, with few gigs of storage and an option to get more for money.

• GDrive: It’s Alive! — Or So It Appears
• More Proof Of The Existence Of Google’s GDrive

Apparently Google Streetview killed a little dear, captured the incident on camera and then posted it live on Google maps. The incident was photographed, with the live dear running across the road and then poor thing lying dead.

Here are the pictures:

More Funny Google Streetview Pictures

And here you can find a picture of 2 “working girls” on the street corner, apparently waiting for the bus =))).

Could Yahoo “optimization program” and their recent blog post in its protection be used by Microsoft (or Microsoft and Yahoo together) to wield public support for acquisition?

The initial acquisition was met with FEIRCE resistance by the public. Could Microsoft and Yahoo execs be plotting to get different reaction from public, before acquisition? Even demand it? Let’s take a look.

A Covert Move?

Lets look a little at a tactic widely used by government and covert agencies.

Problem – Reaction – Solution is a system used by governments, corporations and other entities to get public to WANT an agenda otherwise they would oppose (war, loss of civil liberties, etc). For example war in Vietnam, which was started as a result of an attack on an American cruise ship by Vietnamese forces. It is now admitted that the incident is a fabricated lie and was used by the government as an excuse to start the war. The attack was spun by the media as the “problem”. The public reacted with “what are you going to do about it” and the government replied with: we will take action since you asked, and invade. The reality of the picture is – invasion was the end goal, and the incident was used to fuel public support.

Another example is the Reichstag Fire in Germany. To seize power of the government Hitler burned German parliament building and blamed it on “communist terrorists” (problem). As a result terrified public begged him to take action and do something about it (reaction). After Hitler got the reaction he wanted, he moved swiftly to pass the “Enabling Act” which gave him dictatorial powers, sold to the public as necessary for “protection” against the “evil” that burned the Reichstag.

The more recent examples of a false flag include War in Iraq. Weapons of mass destruction were use as the “problem”. Public got scared giving their “reaction” (what are you gonna do?). And the solution was to invade. In reality the solution (war) was the goal of the masquerade, and weapons of mass destruction were simply used to get acceptance of the war by the public. War itself was most likely planned well in advance.

There are countless examples of false flag around the world, but 3 above should give you an idea of the basic principles.

1. Problem – create a large problem. The more dramatic the better (deaths). The goal is steer EMOTIONs of ANGER and FEAR.
2. Reaction – public response to the problem. Get the public to look up and ask “What are you going to do about it?”
3. Solution – offer solution to the problem that you have created. Public usually perceives solution as a logical or “necessary” move, while in reality the solution was the initial goal, and 2 preceding stages were used to get the public to accept the solution.

Influence on the Inside

Yahoo’s “optimization program” is absurd. A company must be going mad to implement something like that and protect it on their blog. Advertisers hate it. Bloggers are on fire, hating Yahoo. Yahoo is loosing advertisers. Any leadership with functional gray matter between their heads would kill the program 100% or at VERY least offer an EASY opt out.

So, what the F*** is going on with Yahoo?

• They are F*** in the head big time and need a couple of hits with a baseball bat, and a kick in balls to the male population of the decision making team (women cant possibly mess up that much).
• They need money so much they are willing to lose it all, which proves the point above.
• This is a move by Microsoft insiders to get public acceptance of the merger.

Remember ALL THE HATE of Flickr? Remember all the blog posts saying go to hell Microsoft? Look back, ENTIRE BLOGOSPHERE WAS ON FIRE, AGAIST THE ACQUISITION. Anyone with 2 fingers and a blog was typing something against the acquisition. Just look back, you’ll remember it.

Look at what’s going on now. Bloggers are begging for Microsoft to purchase Yahoo. The ACQUISITION seems inevitable. We want something to happen.

So my question is? Could this “account optimization” program be in part used by Microsoft to wield public support of the purchase? Think about it. Advertisers hate it. Bloggers hate it. Everyone hates it. What’s the point? Maybe, get public to support, or even get public to demand the purchase.

EXACTLY what’s been going on.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Yahoo is in deep shit with or without the program, but the move is so bald and stupid that it makes me question the intention, because they will lose more advertisers than the money they will earn from “optimization”.

The question intelligent mind would ask, how can Microsoft pull this off?

• Microsoft pulls the right strings
• Yahoo and Microsoft have accepted that deals is inevitable and are working together to get public support.

How this can be possible is the weak point of my argument, so anyone with knowledge of corporate structure and workings is welcome to leave their ideas.