Category: Google (GOOG)

Google (GOOG)

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Introducing nextgoogleceo.com 3.0

Lately, Google has been showing that is it participating in customer listening. This is good! I hope it continues.

Since I’ve started studying search engine marketing these past full months full time, I’ve been applying to Google – even with employee referrals of former co-workers and people I’ve met at Search Engine Strategies, etc. with out the applications executed in a way I consider appropriate – that is the politest way I can say it. I’d like to see that change, I’m presently seeking post-MBA level leadership roles within your Search Services/ Syndication, Advertising Sales, Marketing or other leading areas driving customer satisfaction and impacting revenue as you grow new product lines. Ideally I’d love to work within local, dMarc or mobile. I resubmitted (again) today for numerous post-MBA leadership positions.

So I launched nextgoogleceo.com which is a cute take of HR microsites (and discusses how next Microsoft is obsolete now that google is a common verb in our language), except that I’ve changed the wording a bit to demonstrate my increasingly dynamic understanding of both search and viral marketing and the future thereof. As soon as I hit send, I’m leaving for Search Engine Strategies San Jose 2006 and look forward to meeting your wonderful business unit leaders speak once again.

I would of course invite aspiring competitors or “next google’s” to come up and talk to me about their ideas as well. I look forward to learning and adding to my large and growing list of amazing people that are making the Internet a special place.

I look forward to seeing all of my fabulous friends at SES San Jose. It’s going to be both great fun and great learning. It’s the 3rd or 4th time I’ll be seeing some of you and I feel like I’m going on a trip to visit family…that is because that is exactly what it is! I look forward to meeting many new folks to and learning many new and great things. Thank you and please travel safely. See you in San Jose!

I leave you with this parting thought: In the book, Creating Customer Evangelists, the chapters on Mark Cuban stand out in regards to the hiring of Matt Fitzgerald as Chief Marketing Maverick: “Instead of selecting a marketing person from the NBA or the sports industry, Mark consciously made a decision to hire someone from outside the industry,” Fitzgerald says. “He believed the NBA marketing community was too in-bred so [Cuban] was looking for a marketing person with a fresh perspective and ideas.”

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Wall Street Journal Says Google “Stumbles” in Video

Today’s Wall Street Journal has an awesome article about Video ads and discusses MSN’s early dominance. The article states:

“MSN’s early success positions the portal to benefit from the explosion in online video advertising now under way. It also raises questions about Google Inc.’s ability to maintain its stranglehold on Internet advertising.”

“Advertisers say there aren’t enough ad spots to go around. A June study by McKinsey & Co. estimates that 80% of video inventory was soaked up in 2005 and that demand is likely to rise five-fold next year, outstripping current supplies. “Whenever we create more inventory, the sales force can sell it instantly,” says Rob Bennett, general manager of MSN Video. “There’s a tremendous demand.””

“Jason Zajac, general manager of social media at Yahoo, says Yahoo currently runs banner ads only on the home page of video.yahoo.com, Yahoo’s page for homemade videos, which are vetted by Yahoo editors. Mr. Zajac says that Yahoo hopes to be able to offer 15- to 30-second ads inside user-created videos soon.”

“At the same time, portals are keeping an eye on Google. The search giant stumbled in an effort to move into video early last year.”

It’s interesting to see people questioning Google’s potential in this area so early in the game. Just like mobile marketing, the premise that Google will dominate is being questioned very early here.  

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Making Search Even More Efficient! Increasing Your Search Ranking Via PR and Search as a Branding Mechanism

Frederick Marckini, iProspect

You tube is a search engine you can search using keywords.

Estimates Youtube is getting more reach than Myspace, estimated to be worth $600 Million

How we search where we click. There is no paid or natural.

Tabs are pre-empting search. You need to be in all of the tabs. 4x the reach with number one ranking. What is the number one ranking now though?

72% organic and 28% ads Google

Yahoo 40% organic 60%

All search is meta search. Invisible tabs – content pre-empts search results.

4x improvement from 2-9 to #1 in Google.

Tactics: pay-per-call, 92% of people conversion activity occurs offline -survey customers offline to find ideas.

Offline affects conversion rates and lowers CPA.

Yahoo! And Google News tabs are important. They can show up either in the news tab or in search results forever. 

Keyword research – different audiences use different vocabulary ”Swirl marks” – paint “Lending” –  GPS vs global conversation

“Prior learning” – educational learning – “get into the language of your customer” longer the query – the higher the conversion rate. – but 88% comes with 1 or 2 words.

Search Funnel is a myth. There is no funnel. Broad search, then destination retailer.

Header term, General Term, Specific (branded), Destination/Retailer Search

How to spot an SEO savvy web site. Web site must have text and links to be found. Keyword prominence, frequency, placement, link quantity, link quality, link context, title tag is now your meta tag, domain name, use text, don’t use pictures for text.

Allison Kane, Atlas Search –
Every advertisement should be thought of as a contribution, to the complex symbol leading to changes in brand image.

Brand Location – Are you easy to find? 40% of brand keyword and URL search clicks are first time visitors. 60% are repeat purchasers. Make sure you are first in natural search results.  Measure your brand terms separately.

Brand Building – When they are between brands, building the brand. Lexus and performance. Search is not full of branders, there are more people with a direct marketing background. Where is search leading your clients to?

Brand Experience – Do you use search to deliver positive brand experience. What about existing customers, should I be thinking about them? Example – “Nordstrom returns” search. Very few brands are utilizing customer experience keywords.

“Branding online comes from experience not the exposure” – Jakob Nielsen

Greg Jarboe – SEO-PR
(crowd gets extremely attentive for Greg’s speech)
75% of journalists search the Internet for previous stories on their subject.

Yahoo News is number two in online news. New York Times is number nine.

A “Consumer” magazine “reports” Press releases can often outrank the news stories.

Knowledge workers are increasingly turning to press releases due to lack of others.

Superpages.com – Replaced sex for gender.  Save your client for being found for the wrong term.

Romantic dining got ranked number 2 in Yahoo News and number 5 in Google News.

Morningstar.com is running press releases.

Tivo for search. Tracking links.

3,229 visits generated 2,715 clickthroughs – a 84% conversion rate!!!

It’s not just the press release. Track the publicity.

Can a press release increase your branding? Yes! 

Where to submit – used to use PR Web – has become your own link farm. All Wire Services are not equal. Conduct tests.

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Steve Ballmer Speaks – Should Steve Spin Off MSN?

There is an interview in the Wall Street Journal today with Steve Ballmer.

First I’d like to say that I wish they would have hired me to do the interview as it was mostly a rehash of many things Steve has already said save the Bill Gates is leaving and how does this affect you.

For example the article says: “Google Inc., meanwhile, has outpaced Microsoft online, poached key Microsoft employees and will likely become an even greater Microsoft rival in years to come. The Internet search company’s rising share price has raised debate over what more Microsoft can do to retain and attract employees.”

An intelligent question about whether MSN needs to spin off a portion of MSN to create a high growth currency would have been nice on this issue.

Asking about Yahoo! when Microsoft just hired the CEO of Ask is just plain silly – especially since this issue has been talked to death. A question about what exactly Steve Berkowitz’s mandate is and whether Ask might be acquired makes a million times more sense than to rehash the Yahoo speculation.

If anyone at Waggoner Edstrom is listening, I would to have one of the first public MSN interviews of Steve Berkowitz, a groundbreaking and unique conversation, you may find my contact information in my about section.

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Cellular Startups and Carriers the Next Google(s)?

The Wall Street Journal had a very interesting article today about how celluar carriers are shying away from partnering with Yahoo! and Google and instead forming partnerships with smaller entities that they can control. It’s interesting and exciting to me because it’s a modified pay per call play – not just search. This is truly exciting and potentially extremely lucrative.

I would like to invite Brian Lent, CEO of Medio and Dan Olschwang, CEO of JumpTap to have an interview or podcast on this blog shortly. Learning more about the specific people involved at the major carriers would be most interesting to me and I might make the same offer if they were to contact me. Seeing this article gives me significant context to the comments in the recent Google earnings conference call. I look forward to networking more with people in the mobile marketing space.

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Google Blog Post: Findings on Invalid Clicks – Earnings Call Summary

Shuman Ghosemajumder, Business Product Manager, Trust and Safety posted a blog entry about a 47-page report filed by a Dr. Alexander Tuzhilin in a Texarkana court today.

It’s good to see the transparency and postings of these findings, however it’s posting on a Friday afternoon won’t get good news cycle coverage. The only thing I would like Shuman (who owes me a return phone call btw if you are reading this) to clarify is if Dr. Tuzhilin was paid by Google for his report. Otherwise it is a good post.

In other Google news, Google reported a surge in earnings. The discussion in the conference call focused on the importance of partnerships, headcount June 30 – 7,942 – hiring aggressive in 3rd quarter especially in sales and marketing and new products. Maps for mobile and creation of new ways for mobile ads to reach people are also an area of focus. Adsense for Radio was discussed (I find this area very exciting). Several other items were also brought up.