Liveblog: SMX West 2010 Keynote – The State Of The Search Union
It’s day three of SMX West 2010, and we’re going to kick off with a group keynote conversation called “The State Of The Search Union.” The description hints that we’ll be talking about where the industry is today, and where it’s going in the future. No doubt the Microsoft-Yahoo deal will be a big discussion [...]
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Juggling Branding, Usability And SEO With Internal Links
There’s no doubt that using keyword-rich text links will help your seo efforts. However, if you’re a search marketing professional trying to convince your stakeholders to utilize the value of keyword-rich text links in your body copy, you’ve definitely encountered the following scenario at one point or another:
You: “Since we’re focused on this set of [...]
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Super Bowl 2010 Winners: Google, Yahoo & Bing Are Ready
Super Bowl XLIV is two days away, and even though it’s always one of the most-watched TV events of the year, the major search engines are also ready for anyone searching for the latest news and information. All three already have Super Bowl shortcuts/oneboxes in place.
Google
Yahoo
Bing
No doubt each search engine will keep those updated all [...]
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In-House Training: The Plan Versus Reality
As part of your job managing in-house search marketing, you’ve no doubt created a training plan. At some point, you either have delivered training, or will need to. Whether it is natural search optimization, paid search management, social media, link building or any of the other disciplines that orbit around the world of search, training [...]
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New StumbleUpon Adds Search, Social Elements
StumbleUpon wants to be a search engine. Kind of. It also wants to be more like Twitter and Facebook. Kind of. Better search and better social elements are the two cornerstones of StumbleUpon’s new web site, which was announced this week and will roll out to all during the next month.
There’s no doubt the site [...]
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Google to Apple: Can You Hear Me Now?
Google’s Android phone technology is going where no iPhone has gone before–to the Verizon network.
The two companies have announced a strategic partnership that will see more Android phones coming to market–some within the next few weeks.
Integral to this agreement is a commitment by the companies to devote substantial resources to accelerate delivery of leading-edge innovation that will put unique applications in the hands of consumers quickly…Verizon Wireless and Google plan to co-develop several Android-based devices that will be pre-loaded with innovative applications from both parties as well as third-party developers.
This is a big win for Google. While the iPhone has seen impressive market gains, there’s no doubt that it won’t realize its full potential until it can break free from its current AT&T bonds. While consumers are left waiting for the iPhone to become available on Verizon’s arguably better 3G network, Google gets to sweep in and try to make as many of them as possible convert to Android.
I’ve spoken to many Verizon Wireless customers that feel left out of the smart phone race because their desire for a reliable network outweighs their desire for an iPhone. If Apple doesn’t cozy up to Verizon soon, it could find it misses the boat. All of the hundreds of thousands of patiently waiting Verizon customers might decide the Android is good enough–locking them in for another two years and locking out Apple in the process.
Google Still Can’t Deliver Real-Time Search; Offers Warmed Up Leftovers Instead
There’s no doubt that Google’s feeling the heat from Twitter. Just about everyone wants to know what Google has planned to address Twitter’s rise in dominance for "real time" search results.
The biggest problem for Google is that it’s built its market share by being the most relevant search engine. How can it balance relevance and ranking with freshness and trending?
Enter Hot Trends for search results.
Google has announced that when your search query matches one of the top 100 fastest rising search terms, you’ll see a graph at the bottom of the search page–complete with data on just how popular it is, how fast it’s rising and…that’s about it, actually.
There are a couple of problems with this integration.
Have you seen what makes it onto Google’s Hot Trends list these days? Allow me to demonstrate Hot Trends in search results, and just how utterly useless it can be, all in one screenshot:
Huh? Acne pillowcase? I’ve seen some bizarre stuff show up in Twitter Trends, but this one tops them all!
So, if this is Google’s response to "real time" search, you have to ask yourself what’s driving this data? Yeah, it’s search queries. Let me explain. When you look at most real time search engines–or Twitter Trends–the data is based on signals, such as what people are discussing or linking to. Right? Well, Hot Trends is based on what people are searching for on Google. So the question becomes this: what prompted the search in the first place? Hot Trends is not Google telling us what content is rapidly making its way into the index. Nope, it’s just what keywords are popular among searchers.
To its credit, Google is not presenting this new feature as its answer to real time search, but it’s subtly implied…
We hope it will help you keep up with everything there’s to know about the latest trends online. No more being out of the loop at your office watercooler!
Actually, we’ve replaced the watercooler with Twitter and Facebook. Google’s still the place we go to to dig deeper into the news we’ve just learned–not the place we go to discover it.
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A Billion Reasons for Twitter to be Happy
So it looks like Twitter has entered some rarefied air for sure. According to ReadWriteWeb and TechCrunch the micro-blogging juggernaut is moving into an exclusive club by securing a new round of funding ($50 million) based on a valuation of $1 billion (yup, it’s a b). No doubt, this will begin to stir the supporters and detractors alike. Unless we have ridiculously short memories or just think that this time will be different one has to wonder how a company that no one can figure out revenue wise can be valued at that much.
While I am not an analyst I did think about staying at a Holiday Inn Express over the past year so I qualify for jumping into the fray, right? Let’s hear what the RWW folks had to say first though.
While it’s unlikely that Twitter CEO Evan Williams was wearing a Dr. Evil costume when he delivered the news, he had the pleasure of announcing his company’s $1 billion dollar valuation today at an all hands meeting. According to TechCrunch, the company has raised a $50 million dollar funding round and the money will be in the bank shortly. Given the fact that Twitter turned down an offer to be purchased by Facebook earlier in the year, it appears the two are about to tango.
So of course, this conversation wouldn’t be nearly as much fun without bringing Facebook into the mix. Facebook is starting to look almost like IBM compared to Twitter. What with actual revenue generation plans and actually having the audacity to be cash flow positive one begins to wonder if Facebook is going to actually merit its own valuation. As we mentioned yesterday, Master of the Universe, Mark Zuckerberg, has something to say in the Facebook blog.
We’re also succeeding at building Facebook in a sustainable way. Earlier this year, we said we expected to be cash flow positive sometime in 2010, and I’m pleased to share that we achieved this milestone last quarter. This is important to us because it sets Facebook up to be a strong independent service for the long term.
So is Twitter in for the long term? They certainly still have the buzz going and now there appears to be a a real Facebook faceoff looming for the foreseeable future.
In the past, ReadWriteWeb has looked at Twitter’s platform potential. The service has already been used to create meme trackers, emergency alert services, news feeds and brand monitoring tools. As the infrastructure and search have improved, Twitter has become the go-to site for real time media. But can the company make a Facebook-like leap?
Facebook has added Twitter like features so why not? So what’s your take? I bet there at least a billion opinions on this one.
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Microsoft and Yahoo Close on Search Ad Deal
Please, please, please be warned: While there is talk of Yahoo and Microsoft getting close to coming to terms on a search ad deal this is not a done deal. People in the Internet space love to see some information then make a few assumptions and then turn it into a reality. Over at All Things Digital Kara Swisher is reporting on the goings on with this deal and there is plenty of cautionary talk about the deal despite it being close to done.
The most recent talks have been unusually close to the vest at both companies, and spokespeople for both Yahoo (YHOO) and Microsoft (MSFT) declined to comment on the issue.
And, of course, they should not, since there is no certainty any deal will be struck at all, especially since the pair have been down this road before, unsuccessfully.
In those cases, both sides have thought they were close, too, with fingers quickly pointing at each other for the failure of the discussions.
Apparently there are plenty of variations on the same theme for this deal but the consistent note struck is that Microsoft will take over the search ad business of Yahoo with an upfront payment in the billions of dollars and some ongoing pay arrangements.
There is no doubt that something needs to happen to further shake up the search industry. Microsoft’s bing has created some buzz for sure but the impact early on is not huge and the long term success in the search space will need some, well, time to tell.
So how does this deal help each side?
The possible pluses are clear: Huge technology cost-savings and cash for Yahoo and another weapon to fight archrival Google for Microsoft.
It needs as much firepower as it can get. A recent comScore (SCOR) report for June showed Google with a 65 percent share, Yahoo at 19.5 percent and Microsoft at just 8.4 percent.
The deal, if struck, could give a big boost to shares of both companies, which have been up a lot since the beginning of the year.
So since the details are thin at this point we’ll leave the speculation to those who like that. If this deal were to happen it certainly would be a change. If it ends up denting Google’s search dominance will only show in performance and not conjecture. Honestly, while it may be interesting to have Microsoft and Yahoo working their search ad business in some form of a union it will only matter if advertisers believe that their money would be better spent there or with Google. That’s a tough hurdle to overcome no matter how you approach it.
YouTube Not Losing THAT Much Money
Back in April, Credit Suisse issued a report stating that YouTube stood to lose $470M this year. But now it looks like the financial services company was overly pessimistic (and, really, they’re probably just used to that, with the economy the way it is). New estimates from research company RampRate puts the losses for the most popular video website in the world far more conservatively:
RampRate lowered the estimated bandwidth costs, stating that by locating its data centers in “out of the way” locations like Iowa and Finland, the company saves significantly on the cost of transmitting data. RampRate also took into account peering costs for what they say is a more accurate estimate.
While a $174M loss is still a significant loss, it’s not the sob story we’re used to seeing with YouTube and its tireless search for profitability. RampRate takes a cynical line on Google’s motivations for not correcting reports like Credit Suisse’s:
Google is no doubt thrilled to let YouTube be known as a financial folly. In the dangerous waters of online content, a whiff of potential profit is an irresistible lure for predators such as copyright lawyers circling user generated content monetization and content partners that are all too ready to turn on their distributors in a feeding frenzy.
They also take Google to task for shielding their relative profitability from their contributors, who might (well, probably not, but you know) be able to claim a share of that money:
The key is its lack of leverage with premium content partners, and the thousands of copyright holders whose content is posted by users onto YouTube without the owner’s permission. Any appearance of profits leads to more draconian revenue share demands from partners and additional lawsuits from owners of unlicensed content. An apparent loss deters this behavior, making it eminently advisable for Google to let the rumors of YouTube’s losses grow and compound. This perception of a loss-making business is one of the factors that contributed to ASCAP collecting only $1.6M instead of $12M from YouTube in a recent court judgment.
Ouch. What do you think: is Google hiding YouTube profits (or at least its less-impressive losses) or is YouTube a serious drain on Google’s resources?
