Search Engine Optimization

Wallstreet Journal, All Things Digital and Advertising Age report that Microsoft is about to strike a search deal with Yahoo, in which Microsoft will power Yahoo search, while Yahoo will sell text ads, splitting the revenue with Microsoft.

According to All Things D Yahoo will continue as a text link retailer, using Adcenter (probably merger of Adcenter with Panama). Obviously the transition will not happen overnight, but over the course of next months / years.

The deal gives Bing approximately 30% of the search engine market share, against Google’s 65%. Most advertisers are happy with the event, since Google needs a stronger competitor in search and PPC space.

Some interesting quotes:

• Yahoo comes in with a larger share of the search business than Microsoft, but it doesn’t have as much financial firepower as Google or Microsoft, and observers say it will have trouble defending its share without a deal. Microsoft, on the other hand, has a vast capacity to spend on search, but an unproven ability to take share from anyone but Yahoo. Yahoo declined to comment on the deal.
• The deal will take Yahoo out of the search-technology business so it can focus on media, marketing services and sales. Microsoft, especially if it can cede search sales duties to Yahoo, becomes more of a technology and infrastructure company, its disciplines better aligned with its strengths. (It would still, however, have a massive global display-ad sales business.)

Yahoo Search Algorithms and Data

What is going to happen to Yahoo search technology? There is no answer to this question yet, but I’m pretty sure it will be passed to Microsoft for improvement of Bing, along with the merger of Yahoo`s search department. Since Inktomi (which Yahoo purchased in 2003 and went into search business) was founded in 1996, Bing will get its hands of some really old data.

read part 2…

Google Local Business Center allows local business owners control their listings on Google Maps. The center can also be used as an SEO tool, since it allows you to control the category and title of the business.

Questions

• Do I have to have local business center to show up on Google maps or in local search results? - No. Google spiders the web and extracts data from Yellow Pages, directories, contact us pages and other sources. It then cross references this information and features it on Google maps and in search results.
• What is the purpose of local business center? - with it you can control features such as operating hours, payment methods, pictures, video, and add additional descriptions, such as services or merchandize you offer.

Setting up Your Local Business Center Account

Warning: IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A PROMITENT BUSINESS LISTING ON GOOGLE MAPS, BUT YOU DID NOT PUT IT THERE, THEN SKIP TO “CLAIMING A LISTING” SECTION OF THIS ARTICLE.

Go here and sign up with your Google account for local business center. Click on the “add new listing” link and proceed with instructions (Google will ask you to provide the following information):

• Country:
• Company/Organization:
• Street Address:
• City/Town:
• State:
• ZIP
• Main phone:
• Email address:
• Website
• Description

Click “next”, and depending on whether Google already has your business information in the database, you should see one of the 2 options.

1. If Google did not have any information about your business in the database, then you will be simply given option to add more descriptions about your business (instructions below “Adding detailed business description).
2. If Google already has your business in the database, but you did not put it there, the read the next section of this article “Claiming a listing”.

Claiming a Listing

If you have a website with contact information such as a phone number, address and email address - it is likely that Google has already automatically created a listing. Even if you do not have a website, but just Yellow Pages ad, it is sufficient to be included as a business in Google maps.

Go to Google maps and put in your business name.

If Google is aware of your listing, it will return some results. In that case, you simply have to claim it. The process differs from US maps to Canadian maps. Below are the instructions for both countries (i think process for Canadian maps is the same as in other countries, except US).

US Users

If you see more than one business listing which reference to your business, than select the most prominent one. To find out which is the most prominent one, go to regular search and type your business name there (sometimes you will need to add the city you’re in, for example “Tony’s Pizza Montreal”.) The most prominent result is one you want claim.

To find other indicators of a prominent listing, go back to the maps, click on “more info”. There you should see tabs such as: Overview | Details | Reviews | Photos and Videos | Webpages and more.

This is a big indicator of prominence, and the more additional features the better.

• How to Claim your Business Listing in Google Maps

Having the selected the listing, simply click on “Claim This Listing” link and follow verification instructions.

Canadian Users

The process is different for Canadian users. There is no “Claim this Listing” link like in Google Maps US, so we have much less control.

First of all, do the same research as if you were a US user, and find the most prominent listing you would like to claim. Once through, go to Google Local, and add a business as if Google did not have it in the first place. Once you fill out all the information and click on next, Google will show you all other businesses with the same address and phone, with an option to claim them. IMPORTANT: make sure to select the most prominent listing, and then claim it (ignore others for now, if any).

Verify everything and now if you’re in control of the listing.

read part 2…