If Search Engines Could Talk: ChaCha - The Friendly Search Engine

I recently had a conversation with the newly launched techno-human hybrid chat search engine, ChaCha. For those not familiar with ChaCha, this engine uses human researchers in a side chat interface as a live search engine results page is built before your eyes. My purpose was to test a search funnel process over several keywords and phrases to see if the guide would lead me to a satisfying result.

"StephenD" was my live human guide who built the search engine results page by reformulating my query information, and his real screen name was changed for this article. Casual punctuation and capitalization was also changed.

I've since conducted a few other ChaCha searches, mostly when I've hit a dead end on a hard-to-find search. Even though the editors are not always topic experts, they have been able to build a result set that offered some level of satisfaction, though it takes some time to build manually. I also had to feed the live guide a lot of information.

Update by Sunny: So is ChaCha the Google killer? I wouldn't bet on it, but I would bet that they find a niche in the market with a loyal user base, and that we may see more innovation from them to come in the form of user interface, and/or behavioral research. For Google, this might be the next level of Search : )

Google Passes Yahoo in Tally of Visitors

Google displaced Yahoo as the world’s second-most-visited Web site in November 2006 and closed in on the leader, Microsoft.

Visitors to Google’s sites rose 9.1 percent, to 475.7 million in November from a year earlier, while those to Yahoo sites rose 5.2 percent, to 475.3 million. Both sites trail Microsoft, which had 501.7 million visitors.

It was the first time that Google, based in Mountain View, California, attracted more visitors than Yahoo, reflecting Google’s growing popularity outside the United States. Yahoo, based in Sunnyvale, California, is still the most-visited site within the United States. Microsoft’s visitors increased 3.3 percent from a year earlier.

Visitors to Fox Interactive Media sites, owned by the News Corporation, rose almost fivefold, to 130.4 million, in November from a year ago, reflecting a surge from the purchase of MySpace.com.

Visitors at YouTube, bought by Google for $1.65 billion in November, rose more than 24-fold to 107.9 million.

Source: The NewYork Times

Three SEO Myths Debunked

1. Natural Search is Dead - There is nothing that could be farther from the truth. Natural search engine optimization is still thriving. It is more difficult today than it was five or six years ago, but the core of search results are still free. Natural Search Engine Optimization being dead is a popular myth because of the standardization of methodology that is now used. Each of the major search engines has released guidelines for Webmasters that detail the dos and don'ts of Web site optimization. Since more of the online world is aware of successful optimization techniques, they do not work as well. In other words, there is more competition from knowledgeable optimizers armed with the same toolsets.

Natural search optimization is not dead, but is certainly harder. Successful Web sites with strong natural traffic know that optimization is a continual process. The best and most relevant Web sites should work their way to the top of the search result pages. These Web sites have fresh, valuable, keyword-rich content, good linking, internal optimization, value propositions for visitors, and good user experiences. Knowing all the pieces of the puzzle does not always mean it can be quickly put together. Natural SEO requires an ongoing commitment that can pay off through qualified and free traffic.

2. Paid inclusion is dead - A few years ago, almost every major search engine had a paid inclusion option. This was a service to guarantee that Web pages were included in a search engine's database for a fee. Through consolidation of some of the engines and the emergence of a few new ones, paid inclusion now only means Yahoo Search Submit and Yahoo Search Submit Pro. While it is not a session topic at search engine conferences anymore, paid inclusion can still be a powerful tool for online marketers that want to tag urls, optimize content, remove code bloat and have more reporting abilities from Yahoo.

3. Meta tags are a waste of time - The first search engines had to find ways to organize and rank the Web sites they found. They weighed heavily on meta tags and keyword frequency. Meta tags are parts of HTML coding that are not displayed by Web browsers (ie. Internet Explorer, FireFox, Mozilla). If used properly, they are a great way to tell a search engine more about a Web page. However, they have been abused in the past by spammers. Today's search engine algorithms are much more advanced. Meta tags' values have been lessened but not forgotten.

The only two meta tags that are relevant for SEO are "description" and "keyword." The first is still used by a few search engines as the text that describes the Web page in the search results. The description tag provides the opportunity to sell the Web page to the searcher in a sentence or two. The keywords tag is probably one of the least important optimization points on a Web page. Least important does not mean not important. It is also a great way for content publishers to focus in on and organize the important keywords on a Web page.

Source: MediaPost

MSN Tests Analytics Tool

Microsoft is currently testing a keyword analytics tool, code-named "Gatineau" to compete with Google's free analytics offering, Google Analytics.

News of the early-stage alpha test surfaced late last week on blogs of two of the project team members--Ian Thomas, who heads the Gatineau project for Microsoft's Digital Advertising Solutions team, and Reeves Little, program manager with Windows Live Europe.

The technology is based on that of the Gatineau, Canada-based DeepMetrix Corporation, which Microsoft acquired last year. In the coming months, Microsoft expects to launch an invitation-only beta to test the tool.

The product is slated for release later this year, but Microsoft intends to gradually add users to avoid the system instability that initially plagued Google Analytics.

Shortly after it launched in October 2005, a surge in demand overwhelmed Google Analytics, leading the company to briefly stop accepting new users.

To read the whole story, click here.

Source: MediaPost

What Can We Learn From 2006's Top Searches?

Well, we have seen what’s been searched for in the last year. So what can we take away from this mixture?

1. Naughty or nice? The Frienemy keeps us guessing - While knowing what queries increased in volume over last year is interesting, wouldn't it be nice if Google played along for once and gave us hard data by which apples-to-apples comparisons could be made? At any rate, assuming that the searches that topped Yahoo and MSN were also tops on Google, it's worth noting that...

2. Search engines are not yellow pages - Notice that the top searches (again, in terms of absolute queries) are not destination Web sites, they are people or topics. And they're not transactional, they're informational. It appears the long tail of the Web is attached to a very good-looking celebrity head.

3. Video – Videos were the seventh biggest gainer on Google's list. And, no doubt, one of the main forms of content consumers were looking for when searching celebs and athletes. 2007 could be looked upon as a watershed year for video search. From deeper integration of YouTube into the Google machine to continued innovation by specialty players like Blinkx, to heavy pushes from AOL and others, video search will continue to get smarter and more popular. And, while it may not happen in '07, it won't be long before we are searching video content on our TVs the same way we do on our computers.

4. Search advertising must remain relevant and non-interruptive - With the plethora of Hollywood content available on TV and in print , why are so many people turning to search engines to get their fix? Because it's easy to find what you want without being bombarded by ads. We must maintain the sanctity of search real estate, especially as we expand into other channels.

5. We must understand, respect, and leverage International nuances - There's a lot of innovation happening outside the U.S. For marketers with global footprints, it's crucial to customize search programs to match the mindset of consumers in foreign countries. And this means more than just translating copy into different languages. It means truly immersing your brand into the local culture.

6. Welcome to the social - More than just a witty tagline for the Microsoft Zune, this invitation sums up the state of the Web as we head into 2007. Just about every query on Google's list relates to some sort of Web 2.0 application. With new content being published every second by anyone with Internet access, search takes on a heightened role of connecting consumers with the content they desire, as well as that which they did not know existed. And that's not search's only role...

7. Search can be a great PR tool - With Web entries often mentioning negative news, from drug use to divorces, 2006's most searched individuals certainly could benefit from some positive spin. How better to get your side of the story in front of inquiring minds than by intercepting them at the point-of-query, before they have a chance to find those racy photos or read that police report?

8. The more things change, the more they stay the same - Even though the Internet has enabled us to easily create our own content and meet people all over the world who share our unique tastes and preferences, we're still obsessed with the same old, young, celebrities. Applying this adage to our world, the more things change with algorithms, distribution, quality scores, inventory, and specs, the more the basic best practices of search marketing will remain the same.

Update by Sunny: So, as we look ahead to 2007, let us resolve to stay the course and continue spreading the gospel. It won't be long before all content is searchable and all advertising is query-centric. With the insight gleamed from why people are searching, not just what they're searching, we'll be properly equipped to guide the penetration and convergence of search into all forms of media. Best wishes for the coming year. May your search for health, happiness, peace, and prosperity yield strong and relevant results !!

What We Searched for in 2006

If one would analyzes across major engines for what we searched for in the year 2006, he / she would surely be disheartened with the lack of intellectual depth that was shown in our collective quest for knowledge. So, how did we fare this year?

Let's start with Google. Unfortunately, one has to read between the lines on these various reports. The list isn't actually the real list for any of them.. These lists are heavily filtered, and in Google's case, seemingly altered to a substantial degree. Here is its reported top 10:

1) Bebo
2) Myspace
3) World Cup
4) Metacafe
5) Radioblog
6) Wikipedia
7) Video
8) Rebelde
9) Mininova
10) Wiki

A little investigative work at Google Trends{thanks to Danny Sullivan} soon uncovered the inconsistencies. Google's reported No. 1 term, "bebo," actually has nowhere near the volume of "myspace" and "world cup." In fact, "bebo" is almost flat-lined at the bottom. There could be internal excuses that Google might have for the inconsistencies, including aggregation of misspellings, but just how many ways can you misspell bebo anyway?

The list actually becomes more interesting when you include some of the terms that got filtered out. A quick look shows that Google is often used for navigation. Terms like myspace and wikipedia are not queries for information, but a quick way to get to a site. Google has already deleted many navigational terms from the list, so let's add the big ones, Yahoo, Google, MSN and YouTube and see what the trend chart looks like. Now we see the true search volumes, and that a lot of people are using Google to get from point A to B. What is a little disturbing is that searches for "Google" on Google hold the No. 2 spot, just behind Yahoo.

Yahoo on the Red Carpet

Meanwhile, Yahoo seems to turning into the "Entertainment Tonight" of search engines. The top 10 searches on Yahoo are:

1) Britney Spears
2) WWE
3) Shakira
4) Jessica Simpson
5) Paris Hilton
6) American Idol
7) Beyonce Knowles
8) Chris Brown
9) Pamela Anderson
10)Lindsay Lohan

If these are the best things that searchers can throw at Yahoo, no wonder they're struggling in the search engine showdown. It's the equivalent of the tabloid rack at the grocery checkout counter.

Yahoo also allows a peek at other countries' top-ten lists as well.

The Search Engine formerly known as MSN

The MSN (now Live) list also shows a bias towards the entertainment side. The top10 searches on MSN comprise:

1) Ronaldinho
2) Shakira
3) Paris Hilton
4) Britney Spears
5) Harry Potter
6) Eminem
7) Pamela Anderson
8) Hilary Duff
9) Rebelde
10)Angelina Jolie

In the final analysis, what's striking about these lists is what the search engines seem to be used for. Google has become the main intersection of the Web. Its top searches make clear its role as a traffic clearinghouse, routing millions of users through the results page as they navigate from point A to B. It's infrastructural and essential. The top searches on Yahoo and MSN tell a different story, one of idle curiosity, no pressing plans and killing time.

In a nutshell, this story crystallizes the fundamental problem Yahoo and Microsoft face if they hope to challenge Google as the king of the search hill. They have to become essential.

Source:MediaPost