Tips on Content Centered Link Building

Yesterday, Junta 42 announced their latest list of top content marketing focused blogs (Online Marketing Blog came in at #2 in between Copyblogger and PR 2.0) and it reminded me yet again of how important content is for SEO. It used to be when discussing search engine optimization services 5-6 years ago, we’d focus ...]

Top 10 Reasons for Monitoring Brands in Social Media

Editor's note: We're excited to share this next guest post from David Alston of Radian6. A fast emerging leader in the field of social media measurement, Radian6 (a TopRank client) provides social media monitoring tools to hundreds of leading PR firms, ad agencies and brand marketers.] David is VP Marketing at Radian6 in New Brunswick, Canada ...]

Agency Client = Superhero Link Building Team

Two heads are better than one. How many times have we all heard that in our lives? When having a brainstorming session, it helps to bounce ideas off of one another to generate the best possible solution. Even when saving the world, is it always important to have a sidekick. Or a team of sidekicks. ...]

Video Ad Support Comes To Google AdWords API Sandbox

An older Google Groups thread was just updated by Jeff Posnick the AdWords API Advisor, an official Google representative in charge of the AdWords API development and support. The Googler explains that the API Sandbox should now support the creation...

Trip report: Domain Roundtable Conference

This weekend I did a Q&A session at the Domain Roundtable Conference. It was an hour and a half of answering various questions. Rand Fishkin and John Andrews both did write-ups of the session. Rand and John were both on an SEO panel after me, which I enjoyed. This was my first domain-related conference, and the ...]

Custom Search Engine adds new features

Google Custom Search Engine (CSE) just announced that they now power AdSense for Search. Another nice new change is that if you provide a Sitemap, Google will use that to improve the coverage of the custom search engine. Now let me nip one idea in the bud, because I can already feel a few people thinking ...]

Nice “News quote” feature

Google just announced a cool addition to Google News. If you search for a person’s name on Google News, you can see statements where that person has been quoted by a news source. For example, search on Google News for Arnold Schwarzenegger] and you’ll see It’s like how smart the feature is. It can correctly ...]

Recording an IRC channel on Linux/Ubuntu

There are a ton of Interney Relay Chat (IRC) clients for Linux/Ubuntu, e.g. Gaim (now called Pidgin). One IRC client that makes recording an IRC conversation pretty easy is Irssi. Install Irssi on Ubuntu with a simple command: sudo apt-get install irssi Then run the program “irssi” from the command line. Now suppose you want to record what’s ...]

Socially exhausted

I communicate with people in lots of ways: face-to-face, email, via my blog, leaving comments in the blogosphere, conferences, etc. At SMX West a couple people asked “I sent you a friend invite on service X but you haven’t responded. Do you not like me?” Please don’t feel bad, because it’s not that. I’m letting ...]

Google Hacks: Pacman graph with Google Charts

This link was cool, but it generates a graph like this: With a little modification, I made this graph: I like my picture a little better. It was quite simple to make this diagram, and Google provides a free graph-drawing tool that you can use on your own site with a single url — no account or ...]

New WordPress version 2.5.1 includes security fix

Read about WordPress 2.5.1 and download the new version here. It includes a security fix, so you’re going to want to upgrade. It’s well-known that older versions of WordPress get attacked by malicious bad guys, so I absolutely recommend upgrading as soon as you can to be safe. By the way, if you subscribed to the ...]

Review: Google Apps Hacks

Last week at the Web 2.0 Expo I decided to walk the exhibition floor. Niall Kennedy and I checked out the inflatable Google booth, we gave feedback to the WordPress folks, and we came to rest in the Yahoo booth, where it was nice to see Jeremy Zawodny and catch up a little bit. After a ...]

Maker Faire!

I’m heading to Maker Faire today. It’s a fun event if you like robots, crafts, art cars, flame throwers, Coke ‘n’ Mentos shows, building your own electronics kits, knitting weird hats, Lego creations, plush monsters, power tool racing, or walking around outdoors in the California sunshine. Highly recommended if you’re in the Bay Area today.

Back from Maker Faire

Man, I love Maker Faire. It’s almost as if Burning Man mated with Slashdot. Here are afew of the fun things I saw today. In the Craft area someone showed the credit cards that they accepted, but the credit card sign was hand-made: Also in the Craft zone was a “postcard machine.” It was a person sitting ...]

After Yahoo Failure, Microsoft Looks Into Facebook Acquisition

Microsoft just can’t stay put, can they? Instead of being content pumping billions into improving their own proprietary search engine and Internet presence, they poked their beaks down in Yahoo, tearing apart one of their largest online competitors and sending Yahoo into a frenzy which may make it dependent upon Google for its future finances ...]

How Much Would You Pay For a Link?

If on-page optimization is the meat of SEO, relevant and quality linking is the bread, butter and dish it is served on. Together, the mix of quality site optimization, targeted inbound linking, press relations, provocative content and social participation can transform a mid-level site into an authority destination within 3 to 6 months, changing the ...]

Google Comes Out On Top After Yahoo Microsoft Saga

Microsoft’s failed attempt at taking over Yahoo might be one of the best things that could have happened for one of both companies’ rival - Google. Having wasted months of talking and negotiations, neither Yahoo or Microsoft is any better off today then they were when Microsoft first made their bid in late January. Google, ...]

Twitter Monetization: How to Make Money With Twitter

Everyone seems to like twitter these days which is a really cool way of staying in touch with your customers, friends & colleagues. Basically twitter has presented itself as a micro-blogging platform where a user can shout out anything they want to his ‘followers’ within the limit of 140 characters. I have just started twittering ...]

Digitizing Books with the Help of Millions of People around the World

I came across this video podcast episode of PBS’s Wired Science with Luis von Ahn, the guy who came up with “Captcha“, those fuzzy looking words that you have to enter on websites sometimes as proof that you are human. “Captcha” was developed to prevent automation (usually via scripting) of a process, such as the creation ...]

Yahoo Answers Serving Google Adwords

Dave Naylor posts this screenshot of Yahoo Answers serving Ads by Google above answers search results. According to the screenshot, which was sent in by a DaveN reader, it looks like the Google Ads are being served along with the Yahoo Search Marketing ads. I don’t know, something smells fishy here. A photoshop mock-up perhaps? I’d ...]

Google Rolls Out Web Security for Mobile Enterprise

Google is getting serious about its push into the enterprise arena. On Thursday the company announced the launch of a new comprehensive security offering geared towards the mobile enterprise environment - an mobile add-on to their existing Google Web Security for Enterprise product. Google Web Security for Enterprise is an all-inclusive package designed to protect enterprise ...]

Google Founders Would Love to Expand Partnership With Yahoo

Google really wants to make sure that Microsoft won’t get their hands on rival Yahoo. So much so that they’re willing to enter and expand an advertising partnership with Yahoo, that may prevent Microsoft from renewing any bids for the company in the future. By making sure that Yahoo does well, Google is ensuring that it won’t fall ...]

Google Maps Adds Photos, Video and Popular Searches

Google Maps has added a very Flickrish feature which serves photos and popular searches along wth specific Google Maps local search results. The photos are served by Panaramio (and some by Picasa), a geo targeted photo hosting company Google acquired in May 2007

Yahoo! Search Embraces the Mac Community

Yahoo is extending its search clout towards Mac users, as it acquired Safari browser plug-in, Inquisitor. This plug-in works similarly to Yahoo’s Search Assist which help users with their search by suggesting possible queries and related concepts in real-time. If you’re a Safari browser user, you would either find this pretty helpful or annoyingly obtrusive when ...]

Google Maps Grand Theft Auto 4 (GTA 4): Your Google Guide to Liberty City

Grand Theft Auto 4 sales topped half a billion dollars during its first week of release, earning about 5 times as much as the blockbuster movie, Iron Man. GTA 4 takes place in Liberty City, a parallel universe of New York, NY. More realistic than ever, many buildings and landmarks in the game are spot-on. The soundtrack rocks.

So how are GTA 4 fans navigating the game? WorldNetDaily reported. The company has defended their inclusion of adult content despites its ease of access for children, WND noted.

The offending photo is of an old Scorpion album cover that "depicts a naked pre-pubescent girl (appearing about 10 years of age) in a provocative pose. Her chest is completely exposed and a small crack is placed over her vagina."

SEW Experts: Black, White, and Blue all Over

The LA Times is in the midst of an aggressive online product rollout. If anyone should be able to build solid local content sites, it's newspapers. In today's Vertical Search column, "Black, White, and Blue all Over," local search expert Michael Boland outlines their efforts, noting that it's their game to lose, with a sizeable but quickly closing head start, as publishers across the country sit on their hands.

landing page load time will become a factor in determining quality score for Adwords. Today, they have launched a landing page load time metric for Adwords users.

The metric can be found on the Keyword Analysis page.

The load time factor will begin affecting Q

Microsoft Prefers Flash to Silverlight

Despite all the controversy over Microsoft using Silverlight to take over the rich internet market from Adobe Flash, the software giant seems to be not even trying. In fact, even most Microsoft web sites are using Flash instead of Silverlight.

A quick check through Microsoft properties reveals that only the Microsoft Home Page SEM Agency Issues column, "Optimization by Numbers," William Flaiz discusses ways to keep track of what is working, and identify which channels you should invest in further or pull the plug.

Free to Go: Microsoft Releases Proxy Yahoo Board

It's speculation Friday, again. And today, the analysts will be pondering whether or not Microsoft will come back for Yahoo, something they haven't been secret about hoping for. But Microsoft is throwing a wrench into those plans by releasing members of its proxy Board of Directors, prepared for a hostile takeover of Yahoo.

Pro Intellectual Property Act Passes House

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act.despite opposition from the Department of Justice.

The act, sponsored by Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Lamar Smith (R-Texas), would allow for forfeiture of property such as computers and other equipment used by convicted copyright infringers.

While this is mainly aimed at music and movie piracy and is backed by the entertainment industry, it will be interesting if it could be applied to website content theft. If so, this coul

Yahoo! Acquires Assets of the Inquisitor 3 Plug-in for Safari

Yahoo has acquired the assets of the Inquisitor 3 plug-in for the Safari web browser. Mac developer Dave Watanabe created the plug-in, but will not become a Yahoo! employee. Watanabe will, however, temporarily consult for Yahoo.

Inquisitor 3 aids searchers by auto-completing their search keywords and delivers results directly in the Safari browser. When users begin to type in the chrome (you know, that area where the toolbars and menus are), websites and alternative search terms pop up

SEW Experts: Yahoo Rejects Microsoft: Worst Decision Ever?

There have been some major missed opportunities in our industry; decisions that must haunt those involved. Arguably the biggest faux pas of our industry came in 1999, when Excite had the opportunity to buy Google for $1 million and refused. In today's SEM Crossfire column, "Yahoo Rejects Microsoft: Worst Decision Ever?," Frank Watson wonders if Yahoo's turn-down of Microsoft's offer could trump it?