Seo Alchemist

Traditional keyword research should always include:

• exploring keyword combinations and their potential (with tools like Google Adwords Tool);
• learning your competitors‘ keywords;
• tracking the keyword performance via internal analytics.

But how to brainstorm for new unique keywords in your and neighboring niches? (more…)

After Yahoo-Microsoft madness, a bit of a lull. So I’m cleaning out my inbox
and wanted to mention a few items that might be of interest. Below, a way to
quickly search blogs & social media sites all at once, a new video search tool,
a study into automatic search queries, an awesome Twitter search tool, a way to
track search rankings over time, a compilation of Google help info for site
owners, from Google, in PDF form. Plus, a way to see headlines from blogs and news sites in a variety of subjects, including search marketing.

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We don’t know for sure if Google pays much attention to the site 404 pages but it does show them within Webmaster Tools report as an error that makes many webmasters nervous.

Anyway handling your 404 page properly is an essential part of on-site optimization that is helpful both for your site visitors and search engines. (more…)

My last Search Engine Land post, In-house SEO functionality resonated with many in-house SEOs. “Eletitor” commented on the necessity of getting the entire management team on board for in-house SEO success. Kevin Cheng mentioned the need for preparations prior to hiring any in-house SEO, as well as the bureaucratic red tape that can hinder its progress. I’d like to further elaborate on these issues, as they certainly must be dealt with to achieve optimum in-house SEO functionality.

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Sprint, the troubled, third largest US wireless carrier has been mulling a spin off or sale of Nextel and has been the subject of takeover rumors itself. It had ambitious plans to roll out a national WiMax network that had seemingly been placed on the back burner. However, today, the company announced a major deal involving Intel, Google, Clearwire, TimeWarner Cable and Comcast, which are all investing (roughly $3 billion) in a joint venture that will be majority owned by Sprint.

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It’s Red Sox season again in Boston. That means we’re at that meteorological intersection of winter and summer: it could very well be 80 degrees or it could snow. While most other parts of the country experience a season called spring, we get a small window of opportunity to change out the clothes in our closets and do our spring cleaning. But regardless of the weather, it’s a great time to get your “SEO house” in order. A big component of that is focusing on those keywords that have the most potential to deliver the greatest results. Below are a few tips on how to do just that.

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The landscape of corporate public relations is changing fast. First the press release died and we told you how to write a press release for the social media audience. Now the elevator pitch is dead and here’s how to adapt.

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Below is what happened in search today, as reported on
Search Engine Land and from other
places across the web

From Search Engine Land:

• 
  Search Month: April 2008 Search News, In Review
  Search Month is a monthly newsletter that recaps stories covered on Search Engine Land over the past month. It’s also available by feed here. Below, news about Search Engine Land itself, then our 10 most popular stories from April 2008, then a major story for various search topics along with…
• 
  April 2008: Search Engine Land’s Most Popular Stories
  Below are Search Engine Land’s 10 most popular stories from April 2008:…
• 
  Live Search’s New Design Goes Live
  After weeks of Microsoft testing a new home page design for Live.com, the new design seems to be live now. When I visit Live.com, I see:…
• 
  It’s Hip To Be Link Square
  We recently had a great turn out at our quarterly lunch meeting of the Virginia SEO MeetUp. The afternoon flew by as the group talked and shared ideas on everything connected to SEO. There were lots of questions on things like which conference should they budget to attend and…
• 
  Related Searches Comes To Google News
  The Google News Blog announced the addition of “related searches” at the bottom of Google News search results. Related searches are “automatically generated based on an algorithm to determine terms related to your search,” said Google. It might be a good way to learn what is related in the news…
• 
  Google Testing Showing Google Product Images In Search Results?
  The image above shows how Google seems to be testing placing product images in place of the Google Product shopping bag on the web search results. It seems like Google is showing the first product result’s image in that location. For example, the jordan almonds search returns the image…
• 
  Myanmar Cyclone Maps, Paid Search Ads & Other Disaster Resources
  This past weekend a cyclone hit Myanmar (formerly Burma), killing at least 15,000 with many more missing. It’s a massive tragedy. Now data on the cyclone and its path, from the UN Institute for Training and Research Operational Satellite Applications Programme, are available as a layer in Google Earth. But…
• 
  SMX Advanced: Speakers Announced, Early Bird Expires Friday
  If you’re planning to attend Search Marketing Expo - SMX Advanced in Seattle next month, now is the time to register. Here’s why:…
• 
  Search Illustrated: 301 And 302 Redirects Explained
  Moving a website from one domain to another? The safest way to make the move is to use “redirects” which alert the search engines, so that you don’t damage or lose your current rankings after the move. But redirects always inspire questions. Which type should I use? What will…
• 
  Google Loses PR Chief Elliot Schrage To Facebook
  It’s going to be harder for Google to spin they haven’t lost the mojo to Facebook with news of the latest exec to depart the Big G — that being chief spinmaster Ellliot Schrage bailing from being vice president of global communications at Google to become VP of communications and…
• 
  Aftermath: Yahoo Still Open To Deals; Stock Largely Survives
  With the first day over since Microsoft bailed on Yahoo, I find myself chuckling with agreement over Valleywag’s "Post-Microsoft, Yahoo shares ‘plunge’ from $19 to $24.60" headline. Yahoo fared far better than many had predicted. Part of that may be due to thoughts that it is not all over yet…
• 
  Yahoo Adds SearchScan Alerts to “Risky” Search Results
  Yahoo Search has begun a partnership with McAfee, Inc. to provide SearchScan, which uses McAfee’s SiteAdvisor technology to flag URLs it deems "risky" in the search results. Results are flagged with the type of danger below the title. This new feature is primarily aimed at preventing spyware and other…

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• Share anything. Anytime. Anywhere., Official Google Reader Blog
• How to find any email with Gmail search, Official Gmail Blog

Business Issues

• Allen & Co. Pitching LinkedIn At $1 Billion, TechCrunch
• Google to expand in Kirkland, Seattle Times

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Earthlink Spamming Google Local Too?, Im Not A Doctor
• Google Maps - User edit abuses happening to Payday loan company?, Mike Blumenthal
• Google Maps Facelift, Google Operating System
• Yellowbook Launches New Ad Campaign, Screenwerk

Microhoo

• Google, From Stirrer to Spoiler, Ends Microsoft’s Yahoo Search, New York Times
• Microsoft exec on Yahoo: ‘We’ve moved on’, News.com

Paid Search & Contextual

• Inside AdSense: AdSense for search now powered by Custom Search, Inside AdSense
• Mother’s Day: Create Seasonal Campaigns to Evaluate Performance - adCenter Advertiser, adcentercommunity.com
• Paid Search Share Q1 ‘08: Google Up, Yahoo Down, Microsoft Steady, Rimm Kaufman
• Custom Search expands to AdSense for Search, Google Custom Search
• Google Adwords Showing Incorrect Spend, Justin Davy
• Google Fishing Out AdSense Arbitrageurs Through AdWords Accounts?, Search Engine Roundtable
• Looking at the effect of the new Google Trademark rules, BlogStorm
• Massive delay updating AdSense stats today, JenSense
• Screen Shots of New Google AdSense Font, Comic Sans, Search Engine Roundtable
• Tips on converting last-minute Mother’s Day shoppers to customers, Inside AdWords
• Yahoo Changing Product Submit Fee Structure to Auction Model?, Search Engine Roundtable

Searching

• Google Dictionary Tool for China?, Google Blogoscoped
• Google Still Has Long Way to Go in the Enterprise, CIO
• Sitemaps offer better coverage for your Custom Search Engine, Official Google Webmaster Central Blog

SEM Industry

• Essential KPIs for Search Engine Optimization, BruceClay.com
• SearchRev = Award Winning Search Engine Marketing!, SearchRev

SEO & SEM

• Conducting a Redirect Audit on Your Web Site - Part 2, Search Engine Watch
• Convincing the Executive Team to Invest in SEO, Search Engine Watch
• Do You Report Your Competitors?, Search Engine Journal
• Google Spam Illuminates the Algo’s Reliance on Domain Authority, SEOmoz
• Have Online Press Releases Gone the Way of the Dodo?, SEOmoz
• Redirecting Alternate Domains to Prevent Duplicate Content, Search Engine Guide
• Subdomains or Subfolders : Which are Better for SEO?, Search Engine Journal
• The Floating Four At Google: Google’s Position Four Seems Funky?, Search Engine Roundtable

Social Media

• Five New Twitter Tools You Should Know, Online Marketing Blog
• LinkedIn vs. Facebook 6 Months Later, Read/Write Web
• CNN.com Adds Mixx To Its Mix Of Bookmarking Buttons, TechCrunch
• Social Media Presence of the Technorati Top 20, ViperChill
• Social network downtime Jan-Apr 2008, Royal Pingdom

Web Analytics

• Multivariate Testing Panel, BruceClay.com

Other Items

• Doodle: Children’s Day, Googlified
• We Lost A Blogging Giant Today: Duncan Riley Leaves TechCrunch, TechCrunch
• Building the Indic web, Official Google Blog
• Celebrating National Teacher Day, Official Google Blog
• Google Rocket Pen, Schwag Addict

Recent Hot Items From Sphinn, Our Social News Sharing Site:

• It’s Hip To Be Link Square
• SEO for URLs and externally linked files on websites & ‘blogs
• Why corporate business blogs are important to your marketing strategy
• Subdomains or Subfolders : Which are Better for SEO?
• Five New Twitter Tools You Should Know About
• Be a Link Opportunist
• I Believe In the Google -60 Penalty
• How Design Impacts Social Media Success
• Findability is Bullshit! I mean SEO
• Making Sure Your Content Looks Good to Google
• Make Your Ads Better: Three Powerful Techniques
• Is Blogging Worth The Time Commitment?
• SEO has really gotten expensive
• Indexing Search Results: Why Google Is Going Against Its Own Advice
• 5 Tips To Help You Go Viral
• A Search Engine Fairy Tale
• Ask.com Misspells Cinco do Mayo on Homepage

If Google is planning on running video ads, there’s no better time than now. New data from comScore is showing an ever increasing trend in the viewership of its YouTube property. Running ads on YouTube would certainly give them some good old advertising revenues.

Based on comScore data for March  Google has emerged as the top U.S. video property, registering more than 4.3 billion videos of the total 11, 476,886 videos viewed online. This is a 2.6% increase as compared to Google’s online video market share in February. And of course, we don’t have to tell you that YouTube  accounted for most of these videos, 98% in fact. (more…)

Search Month is a
monthly newsletter that recaps stories covered on
Search Engine Land over the past
month. It’s also available by feed
here. Below, news
about Search Engine Land itself, then our 10 most popular stories from April
2008, then a major story for various search topics along with other stories
related to those topics since our last monthly newsletter through today.

Click to continue reading…