Posts filed under 'News and Views'
Google has axed the web services API used by many developers to its search engine. The move was made with limited notice with visitors now being advised that the SOAP API is no longer supported by Google.Google SOAP API service was launched in 2002, allowing web/software developers limited access to data from Google’s main search index. Rivals such as Amazon.com followed shortly afterwards with its own web services interface weeks later both using SOAP, or Simple Object Access Protocol.One of the drawbacks with Google’s API has been the restrictions, namely; the number of queries using the API was 1,000 searches a day, and 10 results per query, and more recently the validity of the data.
Google is now advising developers to use the AJAX API instead.”The AJAX Search API is better suited for search-based web applications and supports additional features like Video, News, Maps, and Blog search results,” Google said.
December 19th, 2006
Virtual world Second Life seems set to take the business world by storm in 2007, with forecasters seeing it as the next big thing for 2007, with the music industry in particular looking to what potential business benefits it can deliver. Like MySpace and Youtube before it, B2C businesses are looking at alternative channels to effectively target customers.
Second life (developed by San Fransisco based Linden Labs) is allows users to navigate through 3D virtual worlds chatting, playing virtual games and buying (in real money) virtual goods and services.
From 100000 users in early 2005, it has grown to more than 1.5 Million members now with an average of 150000 users online during peak periods. Current expectations is that membership could grow to as much as 9 million by June 2007.
This provides a very attractive market to businesses. Companies such as Dell, Adidas and Toyota have already made tentitive movements into the virtual marketplace, whilst Sony have developed a full scale campaign including the purchase of “Sony Music Media Island”, allowing users to stream tracks and watch videos of artists such as Outkast and DMX.
To read more about this, read the initial release on Yahoo
Currently much of the business benefits of utilising Second Life come from the associated PR, however those that can utilise the potential of Second Life could be in for a bumper year.
December 19th, 2006
Social networking sites MySpace and Bebo took up the top 2 results on the most searched keyword phrases on Google in 2006. This continued the prominent trend of Web 2.0 websites making significant inroads into the mainstream with Metacafe, RadioBlog and Wikipedia also featuring prominantly in the Top 10 (at 4,5 and 6).
The rise in popularity of community sites was also a feature of the list with the term “Video” in at 7, reflecting the growth in services such as Youtube and Metacafe, as well as similar offerings from Google, MSN and Yahoo.
In the “How to” section, people most wanted to learn how they could refinance, set up a wiki page, drift, podcast, scream and levitate.
The top 10 were as follows:
1. Bebo
2. MySpace
3. World Cup
4. Metacafe
5. Radioblog
6. Wikipedia
7. Video
8. Rebelde
9. Mininova
10. Wiki
December 19th, 2006
I read today a post on the SearchEngineLand regarding “Buzz” following a recent article in the New York Times named “ Brands for the Chattering Masses” which covered the rapid popularity increase in blogging in the business environment, citing examples such as Dell and Toyota, and introducing readers to Neilson Buzzmetrics.
I have recently been involved in a number of Online (SEO) PR projects for a number of clients here at E-Gain, and the evolution of “Noise” measurement tools has become a fundamental aspect to many of our campaigns here, allowing us to identify potential issues in their infancy, instead of having to deal reactively to a much larger issue.
In his blog at SearchEngineLand, Danny Sullivan said
“My advice to those paying for such services is not to be cheap when it comes to solutions. Don’t spend $20,000 to $500,000 tracking your buzz then balk at paying anything near that amount for a search or internet marketer to help you. Oh — and try not to be a sucky company that gets bad buzz in the first place!”
which I wholeheartedly had to agree with. Unfortunately though many clients do get themselves in these situation, and it is one that does take a skilled specialist (particularly a UK SEO and PR specialist if you are UK based) in order to strategically plan the most effective way of reducing the effect of that negative publicity.
December 18th, 2006
Google has added some brand new layers to Google Earth which are part of what is now called the “Geographic Web”. The Geographic Web is a combination of content from a variety of sources including Wikipedia, the Google Earth Community, and Panoramio, a geographical photo sharing site.
The new functionality includes; you zoom into a specific location, you can see place marks of points of interest, user-generated photos, and selected Wikipedia articles.
December 12th, 2006
In a busy couple of weeks for the Digital Advertising sector, Interactive agency Syzygy (partly owned by WPP Group) has acquired a 51% stake in digital agency Gesellschaft fur elektronischen Handel (GFEH) based in Hamburg, Germany.
Syzygy said it was bolstering its European presence by acquiring half of GFEH who offer search engine optimisation and marketing, and online media planning and buying. GFEH was founded in 2003 and their client list include.comdirect Plus and Travelchannel.de.
Gareth Phillips, managing director of Syzygy UK, was quoted as saying: “The acquisition of GFEH means we can offer clients best-in-class search expertise with a dedicated division. It strengthens our full-service offering following a wave of consolidation in the market.
December 9th, 2006
Not a topic we usually cover here on the E-Gain blog, but one worth mentioning with us being a search engine marketing (SEO/PPC) company based in Manchester, UK.
Manchester city council has announced plans to become the biggest free wireless internet hotspot in Europe. Inspired by projects in San Francisco and Amsterdam, the network would cover 90% of Greater Manchester and reach up to 2.2 million people. It is believed that this could be the catalyst behind Manchester becoming a UK leader within the technology marketplace. With us being based here in the North west this is certainly very encouraging news particularly with the SEO industry as it currenly is.
An open day inviting comments on the plans is being held on 15 December to investigate the interest in such a scheme and interested businesses or individuals can contribute to the debate at the Town Hall event either openly or in confidence.
The initiative is part of Manchester’s bid in the government’s Digital Challenge Initiative, a competition that will select a region to qualify for up to £3m in funding.
To read more please click here
December 4th, 2006
Extra, Extra Read all about it: Danny Sullivan’s Search Engine Land Launches December 11
Search Engine Land is a new search news blog launching December 11, 2006. Danny Sullivan along with Chris Sherman and Barry Schwartz (RustyBrick), will be providing information about search engine marketing and how search engines work in general, from a searcher’s perspective.
To read more please visit the Search Engine Land website at searchengineland.com
November 29th, 2006
As you may have recently heard, Danny Sullivan (the godfather of SEO) decided to leave his position with Incisive recently, leaving many in the community wondering what was to happen with the Search Engine Strategies Conferences, a series of conferences popular with many in the industry. However Incisive Media announced yesterday that an arrangement with Danny Sullivan to continue arranging the Search Engine Strategies Conferences through 2007.
However there no indication that Danny is going to continue his role as Chief Editor of Search Engine Watch.
From all at E-Gain, congratulations to Danny, look forward to seeing you in London
October 25th, 2006
The effect of online advertising within the corridors of traditional advertising is starting to be felt, with recent figures putting revenue from Online Advertising at 10% of all advertising revenue in the UK
With so many distribution channels yet to be fully realised, including the burgeoning social community networks and natural search engine optimisation, the challenge to digital agencies in the UK, is how to meet the demand, and explore more new avenues of marketing customers and thus avenues of revenue.
A recent study by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), carried out in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the World Advertising Research Centre (WARC) confirms that the growth of online advertising far exceeds any other form of advertising media.
Given that the UK advertising sector as a whole is struggling, the 40.3% like-for-like annual growth for the first half of 2006 would suggest that another bumper year is in store and pushes online’s share of the pie to 10.5%.
I would suggest that growth will not slow down for the short term either, as many more traditional marketing companies see the benefits that lie in online.
October 6th, 2006
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