For so many years Microsoft turned their nose at search. Now they are playing catch-up to Google. This philosophy is more of a way of doing business for Microsoft. They tend not to innovate but to take other companies ideas or products and put their spin on them and use their marketing muscle to enter the market (See GUI Operating Systems, Xbox, Zune, Mobile, etc.).

Microsoft’s reluctance to really commit significant planning and resources early on to their search and internet properties has allowed Google to become one of the most valuable companies in the world with their main source of revenue being Adwords, the Pay Per Click advertising within their search engine. Google commands anywhere between 70% – 75% of the overall search market share (depending on which study you read).  The Bing and Yahoo advertising partnership hasn’t really panned out as planned. My belief is that the unknowns with Yahoo as a company has really lead to less people using the site and also less willingness of advertisers to give them money.

While I think that Bing has started serving more relevant results, there is still a disconnect between their results and Google. When I do comparison searches, Google still provides me relevant results more often. Time is money and I can’t afford to do three searches before I get what I want. I think in 2011 the results in Bing have gotten much better but they still have a high reliance on anchor text which spammers can easily use to manipulate the rankings.

The problem Bing has is no one is using their search engine. Yahoo has a great suite of tools and content to help drive people to their site which in turn leads to people doing searches. I also think Bing is on the right path in terms of their tools as well, Bing Maps is a great tool and in some instances may be better than Google (see Traffic updates!). So the bottom line is, for Bing to gain more market share in 2012, they need to serve up better results to their users. I would have no problem using Bing more often but I need to get what I want in one search, not three.

It looks like Microsoft is getting closer to releasing Windows 7 Mobile, their latest attempt to get back into the Mobile market.  It might be too little, too late and they will be fighting an uphill battle with the iPhone and the Android OS phones.  It is very similar to the fight Bing currently find themselves in with Google.

The Bing App and home page are about to be tested by Windows 6.X users, this is the interface they will use in the upcoming Windows 7 Mobile, read more:

As Microsoft inches closer to finalizing the Windows Phone 7 operating system, it is continuing to roll out applications of interest to the existing Windows Mobile 6.x user base.

On May 11, Microsoft’s Bing team announced it was introducing tweaks to the Bing application on legacy Windows Phone devices, as well as new turn-by-turn navigation that builds on Bing Maps and Tellme voice technologies.

The Bing home page for Windows Mobile 6.x phone users has gotten a face-lift, as well as improved navigation “to give people faster access to common searches, such as Movies and Traffic,” according to a Bing Community blog post.

The rest . . .

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It begs a question, will Bing overtake Google in China?  Time will certainly tell but currently the overwhelming leader in China is Baidu.  But Google’s recent issues with the Chinese Government have caused tension between the search giant and the world’s most populous country.  Now to that point about censorship, I think Google stands on high moral ground and I think it’s difficult for companies to make a decision that they know will negatively effect their bottom line.  So I say kudos to them, and on the other side Microsoft made a business decision to continue to filter search results based on the feelings of the Chinese Government.

Search engines: Could China be a boon for Bing?

As Google pulls out, Microsoft faces a delicate challenge in a red-hot market.

Microsoft’s Bing search engine has gained little traction in China since launching last year. In fact, there was even a slight hiccup before launch, as the company was forced to alter the search engine’s branding for the Chinese market: “Bing” can translate to either “cold” or “sick.” Now it seems the ongoing feud between rival Google and the Chinese government could provide an opportunity for Bing to gain share, but it won’t be easy.

In March, after a cyber attack on its servers, Google shut down its Chinese site and refused to continue censoring search results in accordance with local law, as it had done since 2006. The company now redirects traffic to its Hong Kong site where the search results are unfiltered, although Google acknowledged the Chinese government could still block access for mainlanders.

That would leave roughly 30% of the Chinese search market up for grabs. Microsoft declined to comment on its plans for Bing in China, other than pointing to a blog post written by CEO Steve Ballmer in January. Ballmer both reaffirmed the company’s commitment to “protecting and advancing free expression” in the world while simultaneously abiding by local laws, such as those in China that require censorship.

More. . .

Your website’s text content is extremely important. While pictures and visually stimulating websites may sell your customers, to get a high ranking in searches and get noticed on the web, you also need to sell yourself to the search engines. One important factor is the fact that search engines cannot read images, they parse and categorize text by send “spiders” out to crawl your webpage routinely searching for text that will tell them what your page is about. Without text utilizing subject matter in the form of keyword phrases, a search engine won’t know what you are providing for your customers and therefore you most likely won’t rank in during your potential customers’ searches for that product or service.

Our agency specializes in keyword phrase research and content creation / editing that gives your webpage search engine-friendly keyword dense text in a strategic pattern which allows the search engine to gather, calculate importance and rank your subject matter regarding your product or service. By following certain algorithms and patterning, a search engine can be enticed to apply greater emphasis and importance to those keywords. Research shows most potential customers tend to click on the first few links that come up during search results thinking they are the most likely to return the results the customer wants. Search engines refer to this process as ranking by trying to determine a page’s relevancy for particular search phrases.

Our copywriting service will do for you, contact us today.

In addition to getting your site noticed in relevant searches, we also optimize for multiple search terms. Our keyword phrase research informs us of the search volume of particular terms, so we know what specific phrases people are using most often to find your service.

This process provides a high volume of relevant keyword phrases which we incorporate into your website’s content which in turn increase your rank in web searches ensuring that people looking for something relevant to your service will find you.

Strong copywriting is not only important for an informative website for your visitors, but also for the search engines that visit you.

Call 877-277-4976 for your free Content Evaluation.

Every major search engine in one way or another relies heavily on inbound links to determine a page’s relevance to a particular search query. The more inbound links a page has from sites within its industry or from popular, authoritative sites, the more likely it is to rank for its target keyword phrases. For this reason, link building has become one of the most important aspects of any successful SEO campaign and one that we include for all of our clients.

Competitor Link Analysis

By analyzing the back links to your competitor’s websites, we can gain insight into how they are ranking for particular keywords. Specifically, this analysis can point out potential sources for quality inbound links to your own website. In addition, it helps to determine how competitive a particular keyword is and what level of SEO effort is needed in order to surpass your competitors in the search engine results.

Link Acquisition

Gaining inbound links to your website is crucial to improving your website’s rankings and traffic. A quality inbound link will not only benefit your rankings, but it can also drive traffic to your site from the referring site. However, not all links are created equal and some may even have a negative impact on your website. So, how do you know which ones are good and which ones can potentially cause you harm? That’s where we can help! A quality inbound link acquisition strategy is a part of every SEO campaign we manage. We know what to look for in an inbound link and we have multiple strategies to gain quality links to your website.

Outbound Linking Strategy

Everyone is looking for inbound links, but outbound links and who they point to is also an important element in your overall SEO strategy. Outbound links can provide a tremendous amount of value to your users and can help in establishing your website as an authority in your industry. Remember though, it is extremely important that you carefully look at who you are linking to and make sure that they are considered to be a quality website in the eyes of the search engines. Let us guide you through the seemingly unending variety of website to make sure that your website links to appropriate websites that bring value to you and your users.

Do you need help with Link Building?  We can help, contact us today!

The first step when building a successful SEO campaign is to develop a proper strategy. We develop this strategy based on your goals and the competitive landscape of your industry. We find that the most successful SEO campaigns start here and it is why every SEO strategy we develop is customized to your needs, resources, and goals.

Competitive Landscape Analysis
A competitive landscape analysis looks at what your competition is doing – where they are succeeding, their strategies, and most importantly, what they are missing that will set you apart. This first step is absolutely vital to your success. After all, if you do not have an in-depth understanding of the marketplace, how can you expect to be number one? We make it a point to research your competition inside and out so there won’t be any surprises down the road.

• Keyword Research
For us, keyword research begins with one simple question – what is your target market? Spending countless hours of research and development means nothing if you aren’t receiving qualified traffic. Based on your responses, we undertake extensive research utilizing many of the industry’s best tools to determine what keywords your target market is using to find your product or service. We then develop a list of “Target Keyword Phrases” that we can confidently optimize your website for. This list is prioritized based on both the potential number of visitors a top ranking for a target keyword phrase will achieve and the level of competition targeting those specific words and phrases.

Determine Key Performance Metrics (KPMs)
Before beginning any marketing campaign, it is very important that you determine how you are going to judge the success of that campaign. This is no different when beginning an SEO campaign which is why we establish KPMs up front. These metrics will vary from website to website and consist of more than just how well you rank for your target keyword phrases; they will also take into account PageRank, backlinks, indexed pages, bounce rates, average time on site, average page views, profit per visitor, conversion rates, newsletter signups, RSS subscribers, and Twitter followers are all examples of common KPMs that we track depending on the client.

SEO Road Map
The last step in our strategy development process is to create an SEO Road Map. Basically, it is designed like an outline and describes exactly what we are going to do each month as part of your ongoing SEO strategy execution. Every month this road map is re-evaluated based on your performance metrics and updated it to improve those metrics and reach your goals.

We are available to guide strategy for your business today!  Contact us for a free evaluation.

There is no need to wait for months to rank on the first page of search engines.  With Local Search Engine Targeting, you can expect to see your website on the FIRST PAGE of major search engines within just days of your order.  Targeted SEO + PPC = 1^st Page Rankings.

Having relevant keywords and ad text, a strong Click-Through-Rate on Google, and professionally designed SEO ensure first page rankings and high ad listings.  Because this ranking system rewards well-targeted, relevant ads, you can’t be locked out of the top position as you would be in a ranking system based solely on price.  If you want more traffic and more customers, contact us today!

Search Engine Marketing is the hottest, most efficient marketing and advertising medium today. According to SEMPO study, State of Search Marketing 2009, the spending for Search Engine Marketing is predicted to grow to $26.1 billion by 2013. Frequently referred to as “pull marketing,” Search captures an individual at the moment they view a search engine results, creating profound and immediate opportunities.

Search engines are the #1 way Internet users find websites.  Search engine marketing has proven to deliver the highest pre-qualified audience online, and is one of the most cost effective methods of advertising.

Search engines such as Google boast demographics of adults with an average net income of $75,000+.  See stats below (as stated on the Google website):

Male (52%), female (48%)
High education (61% have at least a BA/BS)
High income (average income is $75,000)
Online experience of 3+ years (79%)
Online everyday (55%)
Online shopping in the last 6 months (91.9%)
Online purchase in the last 6 months (78.3%)

The leading search engines are Google, Yahoo, and Bing.  Do you know where your site is ranked?  We can help you improve your search engine rankings, call us today!  You can contact us via email as well.

If you don’t get it quickly, you’ll regret it later.  Local Search Marketing has been paying dividends for a long time now.  It is starting to become more mainstream because when times are tough we look a little more outside the box to stay within our means.  MSNBC purchased EveryBlock in  a multi-million dollar deal, terms not disclosed.

Internet Marketing is starting to become more personal by geo-targeting ads.  The marketing message can even be tailored based on websites the user has visited.  You need to take advantage of the opportunity that exists in the market.  Start reaching your target marketing with Local Search marketing.  There is also opportunity for nationwide companies to get a chunk of this market.  Catch the wave while there is still time.

According to the reasearch firm ComScore, Bing gained .5% in July 2009.  Currently, Bing has an 8.9% marketshare compared to Google’s 64.7%.  It is noteworthy to point out that Bing had 8% of the marketshare when it was reintroduced to the masses in June.

When(/if) the Yahoo Microsoft Search deal goes through my question is, how much money will Microsoft spend to gain marketshare?  Is there a price?  Once the marger goes through Microsoft won’t be able to hide behind Yahoo any longer, it will be time to play the game.

Here is an article from Tech Crunch:

Bing’s Marketshare Continued To Creep Upwards In July

by Jason Kincaid on August 17, 2009

Another month, another report that Bing is chiming slightly louder. Analytics firm comScore has just released its latest figures on search market share, and once again Microsoft’s search engine has managed to grow while its competitors have seen modest losses.

Bing launched to the public on May 31, when Microsoft held 8.0% search marketshare. Over the course of June and July, the site has gained nearly a full percentage point — it’s up to 8.9%, and growth was actually higher for July than for June, when the site was getting all of its launch attention. Of course, Bing’s marketshare still pales in comparison to Google’s dominant 64.7%, but at least Microsoft is heading in the right direction.

Once again, it looks like Bing’s gain comes at Yahoo’s expense, at least to some extent. Since May, Yahoo has dropped from 20.1% to 19.3%. Google has dropped a more modest .3%, from 65% to 64.7%. We saw a similar pattern last month, when we pointed out that Yahoo was losing marketshare both from below (Bing) and above (Google).

The rest of the story . . .