Yahoo Gets Into the TV Business (Kinda), While TiVo Gets Into Search (Sorta)

The news coming out of this year's CES is turning out to be a showcase for the way things are changing for the internet, which in turns affect how people use search (for both searching and marketing).

First, Microsoft had its major Live Search announcements. Then, we saw a device with Android to compete with the iPod Touch.

But another major topic is the merging of TV with the Internet. This isn't anything new, it's just getting cooler. You or your grandma may have used Web TV before. Remember those good ol' days? But it's online video sites like YouTube and now Hulu which are really driving the convergence.

Electronics companies such as LG and Samsung are debuting new televisions that are Internet connected. Yahoo is taking advantage of the opportunity.

Yahoo has developed a Widget Channel for these new devices. The channel is powered by their Widget Engine. Developers can create widgets to enhance a viewer's TV watching experience.

Here's what a Yahoo! weather widget looks like:

eBay, CBS and MySpace have widgets on the channel, with more expected soon from Netflix, Twitter, the New York Times and more.

“Yahoo! has combined key attributes of the Internet, including openness, community, and personalization, with the power of television,” said Patrick Barry, vice president, Connected TV, Yahoo!. “By creating this revolutionary new Internet experience, and combining our technology with the global distribution of major consumer electronics partners, we enable consumers to access the relevant information and content to enhance their television watching experience.”

Last but not least, TiVo has updated the search on their digital video recording service.

"What Google did for the Internet, TiVo is now doing for the TV, bringing people a combination of excellent search results and innovative discovery that can't be found anywhere else," said Tom Rogers, CEO and President of TiVo. "TiVo has always been known as the best way to watch what you want, when you want it. Now we're taking that to a new level, using TiVo technology to find just the right program from hundreds of channels and thousands of broadband options, all in seconds. It is clear TiVo is leading the way in providing more choice, and also leading the way in finding content quickly. TiVo Search is a new way to find what you've been missing."

With the marriage of TV and the internet, TiVo could rise as a player in search.

What do you, dear reader, think about these new developments? Share your thoughts on the convergence of TV and the internet in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 8, 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related: New/Cool

Web Application Delays of 5 Seconds or More Significantly Affect Business Performance

If you have web applications as part of a linking strategy or other online marketing strategy, be sure you don't have delays of 5 seconds or more. That's the moment when business performance really starts being affected, according to new data released by Aberdeen Group.

For every second after the 5 second mark:

Page views decline by 11%
Conversations decline by 7%
Overall customer satisfaction decreases by 16%.

"As the importance of managing performance of Web applications is increasing, some of the power that traditionally was reserved for technology vendors is shifting to the end-user side," states Bojan Simic, research analyst, Aberdeen. "Going forward, market leaders in this space will be defined not by features and functionalities of technology solutions, but by the willingness to understand end-users' expectations, usage patterns and needs for new types of Web content."

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 8, 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related: Stats

GiiNii's Movit Mini is like the iPod Touch for Android

Last week, we talked about the idea of putting Google's mobile operating system Android on a netbook. This week at the Consumers Electronic Show (CES), a device akin to the iPod Touch is also running Android.

The GiiNii Movit Mini is basically a small tablet running Android. It's Wifi-enabled, has a touch screen and of course, can play music. The screen is 4.3 inches with a resolution of 480 x 272. It only comes with 256mb of storage, but a microSD slot allows users to add memory cards.

Engadget got to play with the device at the trade show and when they asked about pricing, they got a very vague answer about the device costing less than an iPod Touch.

With less internal storage, lack of multi-touch and a not-so-sexy design, pricing it below the iPod Touch will be a necessity!

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 8, 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related: Google

Going to Search Engine Strategies? In a New York Minute!

Are you going to Search Engine Strategies New York, which will be held March 23-26, 2009? Of course you are. It takes less than a New York minute to make that decision.

SES%20New%20York%202008.jpg SES New York is a not-to-be-missed event in the search industry. I’ve been attending each and every year since 2004. And I attended SES Boston in 2002 and 2003, before the spring conference and expo was moved to the Big Apple.

Why do I keep coming back year after year? Because search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising are not static fields. You can’t learn the industry best practices in a week and then continue applying them without getting an annual update.

Let me share a recent conversation I had with an unnamed organization. (All I can say is that it’s big, which is why it wouldn’t want its name dropped in a blog post.)

This organization’s website was built seven years ago. And it was “optimized” back in 2002. But nobody inside the organization could understand why the website didn’t have high rankings anymore.

I diplomatically observed that the website had been optimized back when AltaVista was the leading search engine. Who knows, maybe it still ranks well in AltaVista – but that doesn’t matter anymore.

And one of the industry best practices back in 2002 was changing the Meta keywords tags. Hey, I still remember those days like…they were yesterday.

So, I had to explain politely that no one in the organization had made a mistake in the spring of 2002. It’s just that AltaVista dropped its support for the Meta keywords tag in July 2002, prompting Traffick.com’s Andrew Goodman to declare “the end of the metatag era, full stop."

Oh, and during 2002, Google charged past AltaVista to become the leading search engine. And Google never supported the Meta keywords tag.

In other words, things change in the search industry.

A couple of years back, I tried to get a handle on the pace of change and discovered that about half of what I had learned the previous year was obsolete. That’s why I had to go back to SES New York each year to discover which half.

And then the pace of change increased. Today, I estimate that about two-thirds of what I learned last year is now obsolete.

Hey, anyone still optimizing the video on their website for Google Video and Yahoo! Video?

Well, according to comScore Video Metrix, YouTube.com accounts for more than 98% of all videos viewed at Google Sites. (This means Google Video accounts for less than 2%.)

As for Yahoo! Video, while it began as an internet-wide video search engine, it added the ability to upload and share video clips in June 2006. And Yahoo! Video launched a re-designed site in February 2008 that changed the focus to Yahoo-hosted video only.

Meanwhile, comScore just reported that 97 million viewers watched 5.1 billion videos on YouTube.com during November 2008, ranking it as the top U.S. video property. MySpace.com ranked second, with 52.5 million viewers watching 371 million videos that month. Neither are video search engines.

And this is just one example of the kind of changes that can fly past you like a stealth jet under the radar.

This is what makes SES New York 2009 a not-to-be-missed event in the search industry. Even if you’ve attended in the past, you can’t afford to miss the latest twists and turns in this ever-changing business.

So, you know you’re going to Search Engine Strategies New York. It’s a no brainer.

Then, here’s a tip: Register by Friday, Jan.9, 2009, and you’ll save up to $700 with the Early Bird Rate. That's tomorrow! Just do it.

Now that I’ve done you a favor, maybe you can do me a favor.

At SES New York 2009, we plan to do some more “Escalator Pitches” like the ones we did last year. An Escalator Pitch is like an elevator pitch – except the escalators at the Hilton New York move much faster than the elevators. Check out the YouTube videos below to see what I’m talking about.

Escalator Pitches at SES NY 2008

So, if you’ve got a story to tell that can be told in the time it takes to get from the bottom to the top of the escalator (or the other way around), just let me know. You can email me at Greg (dot) Jarboe (at) SEO-PR (dot) com.

Get it? Got it? Good!

Posted by Greg Jarboe on January 8, 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related: SEM Industry: Trade Shows

Google Street View Aids Cops in Finding Missing Child

We often hear about the bad stuff about Google's Street View on its mapping product. People are concerned about privacy and some have been photographed in a less than flattering light. Google's street view vehicles have also been banned from U.S. military bases.

But today Street View is getting some good press by way of a happy ending to a missing child case.

Nine year old Natalie Matlais was picked up from her legal guardian's house by her biological grandmother last Saturday. Some comments made by the grandmother alarmed her guardians and they notified police.

Cooperating with a cell phone company, they were able to track GPS coordinates. One smart officer plugged in the coordinates to Google Maps, and found a hotel near the given coordinates using Street View.

It was their best bet, and their hunch turned out to be right. You can read the entire story at the Worcester Telegram and Gazette.

Related Reading:
Street View and Walking Directions Added to Google Maps for Mobile
Google Releases Updates to Google Earth; Includes Street View

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 8, 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related: Google: Maps

Three Major Announcements from Microsoft Regarding Live Search

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and President, Entertainment & Devices Division Robbie Bach took to the stage at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to make three major announcements about Live Search.

They are:

Dell: Beginning February 1, Dell will offer Live Search on the majority of its consumer and small business PCs in 23 countries around the world. Live Search will be the default search engine in the browser, and Dell will also include a Live Search-powered toolbar and Windows Live Essentials on new PCs. Last year, Microsoft struck a deal with HP to ship the Live Search toolbar on 2009 PCs.
Verizon Wireless: Verizon Wireless has selected Microsoft to provide portal, local and Internet search as well as mobile advertising services to customers on its devices beginning the first half of 2009. Microsoft beat out Google, who was also courting Verizon.
Live Search for Mobile: Microsoft is releasing an update to the Live Search for Mobile client for Windows Mobile phones. The update will include several new features, including Query Autosuggest, Bird’s Eye View imagery, and LocateMe, which helps people automatically know their approximate location, even without GPS.

What do you think about these announcements? Let us know in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 8, 8:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Related: Microsoft: Live Search

Microsoft Could Win Mobile Search With Verizon Deal

While Google may own the web search market, Microsoft's announced deal with Verizon could put them at the top of the mobile search space. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced the partnership at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas yesterday.

With the purchase of Alltell expected to be completed soon, Verizon would have the largest market share of the mobile space in the United States.

"Under a five-year agreement, Microsoft Live Search will become the default search service on cellphones and smartphones running on the Verizon Wireless network. Verizon’s customers will still be able to access other search services through their mobile Web browsers," the New York Times reported.

Though they can access other engines, just like the browser installed on a computer, most would likely use the default. Given the growing use of mobile devices in place of computer use this could be a major play by Microsoft in what could become the future of search.

Posted by Frank Watson on January 8, 4:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related: Microsoft: Mobile

SEW Experts: Don't Overlook These Link Building Opportunities

Search Engine Watch Expert - Justilien Gaspard With each passing year, link development becomes increasingly difficult. Yet we sometimes tend to overlook good link opportunities that are right under our noses. In today's online promotion & linkbuilding column, "Don't Overlook These Link Building Opportunities," Justilien Gaspard outlines a few types of links that may not seem worthwhile, but could turn out to be a useful link.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on January 8, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Related: Link Building, SEW Experts

Two New Free SEO Tools Released by Bruce Clay

The folks over Bruce Clay have released two new SEO tools and the best part is that they're free.

The first one is called the Search Engine Optimization/KSP tool. It helps you know how competitive the keyword term or phrase is that you wish to optimize for. Just type in the keywords and the results appear in a chart below. Here's a screenshot of how it works.

The second tool is the SEMToolBar. It's only available for Internet Explorer. Use the search box with the toolbar to conduct a search for the keyword or phrase you're interested in. Once the regular results load, wait a few moments as the toolbar performs its magic. Underneath the results, you'll see a variety of competitive intelligence data including page rank and inbound links.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 7, 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Related: SEM Tools

Facebook Reaches 150 Million Users Worldwide

Facebook is starting off the new year with a bang. Today, the social network announced that it has reached the 150 million user mark. Members speak in 35 different languages and represent 170 countries and territories.

But how many of those users are active? Facebook says half of them use the social network every day. That's remarkable.

Writing on the Facebook blog, founder Mark Zuckerberg said, "The full potential of the web is to make the world more open, so everyone has a voice and can share what is important to them. With 150 million voices and counting, we can't wait for the rest of 2009, and we look forward to offering even more ways for you to connect with the people who matter most."

This should make Microsoft happy as well. Last year, they struck a deal to become the search engine for Facebook.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 7, 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Related: Social Media

Google Maps for Mobile Updates Servers for Easier Local Business Search

If you've ever typed in the name of a business into Google Maps for Mobile, you may have been a bit frustrated. Google would return results of street names that contained the search term you typed in instead of finding the business itself.

That all changes today. With a new update to their servers, Google Maps for Mobile is smarter. Type in Starbucks and find a local Starbucks store.

If you're using a smartphone such as a BlackBerry, Nokia S60, T-Mobile G1, or iPhone, you do NOT need to download anything new to see the change.

If you don't have Google Maps for Mobile downloaded on your phone but would like it, click here. Warning: it won't be available for all devices.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 7, 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related: Google: Maps, Google: Mobile

Paid Search Spend up 12% in Q4 2008

Paid search spending was up 12% in the fourth quarter of 2008 compared to the same quarter in 2007, according to SearchIgnite.

We've been hearing that advertising dollars were being shifted online, with the strategy accelerated by the rough economy. But is that trend slowing?

SearchIgnite says October's spend was up by 15% and November was up by 43% year-over-year. But December's spend dropped 14% from the previous year.

It could be a reaction to consumer behavior. Conversion rates increased by 11% in October, but dropped 2% in November. They went back up in December but just by a 4% increase.

Still, Roger Barnette, President of SearchIgnite, suggests that in all the confusion there is opportunity for the technologically innovative.

“Retailers were more aggressive with their paid search spend in the first half of the quarter compared with the year earlier in an effort to capture more consumer dollars ahead of the holidays.” said Barnette. “This is evidence that the challenging and changing economic environment is requiring retail marketers to adjust their online marketing strategies accordingly. As such, tools for testing and understanding how both search and other online media are performing together will become increasingly important for retailers as they look to make more nimble, data-driven decisions about where to allocate their media spend.”

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 7, 9:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related: Stats

SEW Experts: Writing Sales Copy for Conversions

Search Engine Watch Expert - Tim Ash One of the most common components you can test is sales copy. In today's By the Numbers column, "Writing Sales Copy for Conversions," Tim Ash explains that changing your approach to writing can often lead to a double-digit increase in conversion rates.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on January 7, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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