Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
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Google
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Official Google Webmaster Central Blog (325 unread)
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Search Engine Roundtable
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Search Engine Roundtable (7 unread)
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Daily Search Forum Recap: February 26, 2009
Posted: February 26th, 2009, 10:00pm CET by rustybrick
Tags: Search Forum Recap
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Many SEOs Get Their Hands Dirty By Coding Web Sites
Posted: February 26th, 2009, 2:58pm CET by rustybrick
Tags: SEM SEO Companies
Two days ago, I ran a poll asking if SEO companies implement SEO changes or just recommend changes to be implemented. Meaning, does your SEO company normally start with coding changes and upload files to the web server.
I now have the poll results, which shows the majority of SEO companies do both. They will make coding changes and/or offer recommendations, based on what their client wants them to do.
Here is the break down of 170+ responses to the question, Do You Implement SEO Recommendations or Just Make Recommendations?
:: Both, Implement When Asked & Offer Recommendations When Asked said 121 respondents or 70%
:: Offer Recommendations Only said 41 respondents or 24%
:: Implement Changes on Site Only said 10 respondents or 6%The numbers seem logical to me. I wonder why 6% would only conduct SEO services if they can make the changes themselves on the site. I assume it gives them more control and thus makes them more secure in getting the changes they need done, so they can see results?
Forum discussion continued at HighRankings Forum.
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Yahoo Search Update: February 2009
Posted: February 26th, 2009, 2:34pm CET by rustybrick
Tags: Yahoo Search Optimization
There seems to be a Yahoo Search update taking place now. A WebmasterWorld thread has discussion around the update. We do not have official confirmation from the Yahoo Search Blog yet, but we didn't have confirmation the last update either.
The first report came in early yesterday morning and since then, many others confirmed seeing an update as well. Let me pull out the key findings from the thread:
- Link counts may have dropped
- Some are reporting canonical issues
- One person reported "different titles and descriptions for singular vs. plural of my main keyword. It's the same URL, so kind of odd."
Why did Yahoo not announce this update? Well, maybe they will today or tomorrow. But the Yahoo Search Japan blog announced it the other day. It translates to:
Yahoo! In search, Yahoo! Inc. UEBUSACHIENJIN has developed the "Yahoo! Search Technology (YST)" has started a full update of the index.
The Index Update?
YST, every day to make a more user-friendly search engine, such as Japan's own and respond to the world stage and improve the work of Akira Osamu develop new features and functions. To reflect the results of this search engine, built-in indexer will update the entire index.
Position changes are expected to be improved with the results of this search. The full completion of the update takes a few days.Yahoo! Search Project
The last update was a small hiccup on February 9th but a larger update was on or around January 19th.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
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Google Blog Search To Test New Link Command Features Next Week
Posted: February 26th, 2009, 2:28pm CET by rustybrick
Tags: Google Optimization
Since November 2008, Google Blog search's link command has been scanning too much information, including blogrolls. Since then, Google vowed to fix the blogroll issue with the link command back in early December. At the end of December, Google said they fixed the issue but there was still more work to be done. That was indeed true, because there are still many complaints over Google Blog Search's matching skills.
Googler, Jeremy Hylton, has said that Google is going to be releasing a "user visible experiments early next month," which is next week, to better target Google Blog Search's issue with "blogroll detectors" and the link command.
You can find Jeremy's post in a Google Groups thread, I will quote it here:
This is just a brief status report. We've been continuing to experiment with blogroll detectors. We're going to do some user- visible experiments early next month, probably starting with link: queries. I'll follow up here when the experiments are running.
Forum discussion at Google Groups.
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Google Opens Up Ad Planner To Everyone
Posted: February 26th, 2009, 2:21pm CET by rustybrick
Tags: Google AdWords
Outstanding news for marketers of all kinds, Google has quietly opened up Google Ad Planner to everyone, or at least, that is what it seems. Go to google.com/adplanner and give it a try, you should be able to sign in with your Google Account and agree to the terms of service and then start using this incredibly robust and powerful tool.
Google launched Ad Planner in June 2008 as an invite only program. I was privileged to be included in this release and I provided detailed screen captures of Ad Planner in action. Take a quick look, the data is amazing.
Like I said above, all marketers, including search marketers, print marketers, water marketers :) need to check this out.
Again, go to google.com/adplanner now and give it a try.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
Update: It has been open since November. I am sorry, I should have known this, we blogged it at Search Engine Land.
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Yahoo Search Marketing Lowering Minimum Bids For Many
Posted: February 26th, 2009, 2:12pm CET by rustybrick
Tags: Yahoo Search Marketing
Many Yahoo Search advertisers are reporting that Yahoo has decreased the minimum bid requirements on some keywords in their campaigns over the past couple days. A WebmasterWorld thread has several advertisers confirming this activity.
In fact, I received a message from Yahoo with the exact same notification on February 24th at 8:37 PM. The Yahoo Search Marketing "alert" said:
Minimum bid requirements have decreased for 'Company Name' [account #]. Some of your inactive Sponsored Search keywords are now active. Review bids now.
Why has Yahoo reduced the bids for some keywords? Don't they want to make more money?
Well, it seems that some keywords were "inactive" and were making Yahoo no money at all. Possibly by decreasing the minimum bids, Yahoo has reactivated these keywords and is now capable of making some money on these keywords. Thus activating hundreds, if not thousands of new ads into the search marketplace automatically, but with giving notification.
In January, Yahoo had the nerve to make changes to advertiser campaigns after there was an outcry already. So clearly this is still going on, but Yahoo is at least sending "alerts" now.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
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Google Tries To Get Organized On AdSense Payment Issues
Posted: February 26th, 2009, 2:05pm CET by rustybrick
Tags: Google AdSense
One of the official representatives in the Google AdSense Help Forums, AdSensePro Jen, has posted three threads in an effort to help publishers who are having payment issues. Those threads are named:
- I have no visible holds on my account, and have not been paid
- I have requested a check reissue but not received a confirmation
- My check/payment was returned or expired and I'm unable to remove a hold on my account
The first thread is the only thread that has any current complaints in it, but the threads are less than 12 hours old anyway.
Let me break out the payment issues with each thread:
(1) I have no visible holds on my account, and have not been paid:
Please reply to this thread if you meet the following criteria:
- you have no visible holds on your account
- you have over $100 in earnings
- you have not yet been paidHowever, please keep in mind that the payment hold issue that was occurring earlier was fixed after the 2/15 Feb payment cycle deadline. As a result, if you believe you were under this issue, you should be paid in the next cycle at the end of March.
(2) I have requested a check reissue but not received a confirmation:
If you have once submitted a check reissue request and never received a response, please reply to this thread.
Keep in mind that if you requested a reissue and received a reply about your earnings being credited back in 15 days, the request was processed and there is nothing more you need to do.
Moreover, if you are using EFT, you cannot request a reissue, you must check with your bank as to why the earnings were not received.
(3) My check/payment was returned or expired and I'm unable to remove a hold on my account:
Please reply to this thread if you have a payment that was returned or expired and after you entered your updated address/account information, the hold still hasn't been removed from your account.
Hopefully, you don't have to reply to any of these threads.
Forum discussion at Google AdSense Help.