Search Engine Usage stats by country

I recently had to do a load of search engine usage research for a potential new client opportunity. Such information seems hard to come by, so for others in the same predicament I have added these to the blog in the hope that other marketeers, may be able to utilise this in some form.
Google as predicted has pretty much market dominance across the ten countries profiled, however the surprising statistic was that Yahoo came below both MSN and Yandex in terms of percentage (as a total/number of countries - it should also be added that Yandex only appears in one country - however it accounts for 45% of internet searches). Visually this could be represented as follows:

Total usage for profiled countries:

Google: 73%

Yahoo: 4%

MSN: 5%

Yandex: 5%

These figures were obtained as below from the following data, for the following countries, UK, France, Germany, Holland, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Italy, Bulgaria and Russia:

Add comment June 3rd, 2008

People who have shaped search marketing…Your views?

This year has been a bumper year for search, particularly SEO. In particular as we have mentioned a number of times before some of the people who have shaped the search marketing industry, so further to this E-Gain are asking for your feedback as to who has shaped search as we know it whether the UK search engine marketing industry or the US search marketing industry - we’re not fussy in that respect.

So feel free to give us some feedback. Whether you think its the usual suspects ie Danny Sullivan, Ralph Wilson or even Matt Cutts, or perhaps some of the new kids on the block (so to speak) such as Rand Fishkin, Jon Myers, Vanessa Fox or Andrew Girdwood. Or perhaps one from left field, maybe Lisa Dietliefsen or Kevin Lee. The floor is yours…

2 comments June 1st, 2008

Paid Links and Shadow domains - Surveying the new SEO landscape

There has been a lot of movement over the last year in terms of clampdown on unscrupulous SEO tactics, as Google continue to strive for greater relevancy within their search index. The biggest of these has been the clampdown on paid linkage, and directories and something that affected a large number of SEO tactics and campaigns, as well as campaign planning.

However taking a step back now that the dust has settled - what is the current scenario. Sure new facets of optimisation are starting to take shape (such as blended/universal search), and many search engine optimisation specialists are starting to have to think like marketeers rather than SEO’s, something which has been good for the industry, and as the industry continues to evolve will hopefully continue to produce more and more broad thinking online marketeers.

However following on from the paid links (which people like Andrew Girdwood from Bigmouthmedia in particular activately campaigned on behalf), a new trend which in my opinion rivals that of paid linkage (well in my opinion is more devious and off less value than targetted paid links), has started to become much more widespread in its use. It has been noticeable the amount of Search Engine Optimisation companies now starting to employ ‘doorway sites’ or ’satellite sites’ more aggressively as part of their online marketing strategies. In particular I can name two organisations based around Burnley, Lancashire alone (and that isn’t a huge geographic location) that actively engage in such tactics. I would suggest on a UK basis there could possibly be hundreds if not thousands more employing this technique. Many of these sites have only one major plus on the side - relevancy (and I use that term loosely) but are however of very little use, and often merely filter people through to the primary site.

Used well and strategically as part of a campaign, there is no issue with the use of microsites, however a thought pattern develops in my brain, that if you (ie Google) are going to penalise sites for artificially affecting the algorithm via the purchase of linkage, then surely trying to artificially affect the algorithm by developing hundreds of throwaway sites is against T&C’s as well, in fact quoting from Googles own Q&A page, surely the above practise would fall under shadow domains or at the very least doorway pages.

“There are a few warning signs that you may be dealing with a rogue SEO. It’s far from a comprehensive list, so if you have any doubts, you should trust your instincts. By all means, feel free to walk away if the SEO:

• owns shadow domains
• puts links to their other clients on doorway pages
• offers to sell keywords in the address bar
• doesn’t distinguish between actual search results and ads that appear in search results
• guarantees ranking, but only on obscure, long keyword phrases you would get anyway
• operates with multiple aliases or falsified WHOIS info
• gets traffic from “fake” search engines, spyware, or scumware
• has had domains removed from Google’s index or is not itself listed in Google”

Therefore I have to ask, why do you continue to reward such activity Google?

Surely it is not that hard to track - a simple DNS or Whois lookup would sort some of the wheat from the chaff, and more sophisticated algorithmic calculations would probably take care of the rest?

It would be interesting to gauge other peoples thoughts in the industry on this one. Pretty sure there is going to be a broad difference in opinion…

However nothing should be taken away from some major advances though that I believe have been made over the last year. It is very noticeable now how many more organisations understand SEO and its commercial benefits. It has to said, that there are a a number of people that have played a key part in laying the foundations but I do believe that SEO has to a certain extent started to move away from the ‘Dark Art’ perception and one can only hope this continues across the digital marketing landscape.

Add comment May 30th, 2008

Google goes social network mad with Friend Connect

With all the fanfare of a royal wedding (well maybe not that much), Google has launched a new tool which appears to be an API allowing users for “Open Social participants to pull profile information from social networks into third party websites”, following closely on the heels of similar products from Microsoft (Data Availability) and Facebook Connect.

The tool will allow users to:

• Securely send personal data such as friends lists, presence status and the like
• Maintain single friends list

So why you may ask are organisations fighting for what seems such a small prize. The answer is the price is actually a very large one, one worth potentially millions of pounds to the winner. At present it would seem Google’s product does seem limited in some rather major areas such as user profiles (well to the same extent as Facebook and Microsoft (via Hotmail etc), however it would seem if this can be sorted via partnerships with other high profile partners this problem should be somewhat alleviated.

There is already a reasonably amount of noise on the net about this, and it is worth keeping an eye on places such as

Search Engine Roundtable - Google goes social with Friend Connect 

Google Friend Connect - Webmasterworld 

Google Friend Connect - Search Engine Watch 

Add comment May 13th, 2008

Microsoft will buy Yahoo

This is a point I have been discussing with others in the industry recently, and something we have covered in the recent post ‘Can Microhoo compete with Google‘. Much discussion has taken place on various prominent blogs throughout the search industry as to the potential impacts of such a deal, and other potential suitors.

However according to a couple of people I have spoken to, within Yahoo, there seems to be a general consensus, that it isn’t a case of IF Microsoft buy Yahoo, it is more a case of WHEN.
Only time will tell whether this is the case, however it is sure to raise a lot of questions for Paid Search Consultants such as ourselves, namely

• Which platform will be developed further, or will both. My personal thoughts would be that the stronger Panama platform would in all likelihood be further enhanced using some Microsoft integration
• Will the two brands operate seperately - I would again suggest yes, as both brands are very well established within their core markets, and thus a ‘re-brand’ would achieve very little
• What does this mean moving forward - This could be where the real winnings are made. I think it was Brian Eisenberg at SES London who said that Microsoft and Yahoo had to a certain degree conceeded to Google on search (apologies if it wasn’t you Brian) , and I would to a degree have to agree with this sentiment, however the future battlefields via the behavioural and social media battlefields will continue.

Wait and watch…

Add comment March 4th, 2008

If you want to be a SEO rockstar - be prepared to work for it

I have just finished reading Lee Odden’s post on ‘The Falacy of SEO celebrity‘ and Rand Fishkin’s subsequent post ‘The Desire for fame in the SEO world’, something which I would highly recommend to any budding SEO. I was fortunate to see Lee at the recent London SES conference (Blog and Feed SEO seminar if you read this Lee), and having seen him in action (as well as regularly reading the blog), you really get a feel for just how authoritive the man is, and one of the primary reason for Lee’s prominence within the search community.

Like Lee, we had a recent candidate in for interview recently, who came from a good agency (no names mentioned), and wanted close to a superstar salary - and wanted to be the next Matt Cutts, Danny Sullivan. However people such as Danny, Lee, Matt have contributed years of feedback, support and above all effort back into the community via their involvement at the very top of the industry, and that list would also include others such Rand Fishkin et al.

Some people do get prominance via their positioning within high profile organisations, however lets face it, these are very few and far between in SEO. So at the end of the day, if you want to the SEO rock and roll lifestyle, be prepared to work for it, and above all - dont forget at the end of the day its an SEO community.

1 comment February 23rd, 2008

Can Microsoft/Yahoo/Microhoo compete with Google

I recently attended the SES London 2008 conference down in the Business Design Centre down in London (for day 2 anyhow), where well established SEO ‘celebs’/speakers such as Mike Grehan, DaveN (Dave Naylor - Bronco ), Paul Doleman (iCrossing) and Jon Myers (Mediavest) presented various topics relating to search and online marketing over the course of three (very intensive days). As mentioned previously, I was lucky enough to attend the second day, which was started with a Keynote speech from Nick Carr, followed by a Q&A session with a panel consisting of

• Kevin Ryan - Moderator
• Mike Grehan - CEO SearchVisible
• Paul Doleman - CTO iCrossing
• Erica Schmidt - Head of Search Isobar
• Steve Kauffman - Digitas
• Bryan Eisenberg - Future Now

The main topic of debate was the recent proposed takeover by Microsoft of Yahoo, something which has been a hive of discussion in the recent times, not just directly in terms of Microsoft buying Yahoo but for anyone else potentially buying Yahoo. One of the questions however asked was - would this allow Microhoo to compete more effectively with Google, something I am going to attempt to answer below.

In my opinion no - not unless something radical (and yes a merger between Yahoo and Microsoft is quite radical - but I mean MORE RADICAL) was to happen. To me there are a number of factors that would need to be overcome before any such ‘merger’ would bair fruit including (but not limited to):

• Mindset - one is pioneers of the Internet, one is pioneers of Software - both which have changed Significantly since the days when both these organisations were ruling the roost. Their approach to business is also considerably different, Yahoo is reasonably innovative, and arguably Microsoft is not, however both have been very slow to react to changing markets, requirements and social climate
• Character - Sort of similar to the above - however there is a signficant difference in culture between Yahoo and Microsoft which would need to be overcome before anything else. Google is successful as the sum of a collective - something I feel would be a huge obstacle to something as major as a merger/takeover between the two above - and possibly something that would suggest a merger with another organisation such as Fox Interactive would provide a better yield on investment than any Microsoft deal
• Moving forward - Both Yahoo and Microsoft do not seem to have the same ‘innovation’ and drive that Google have within both Search and the Online Advertising space. Both seem to be happy to ‘consolidate’ to a certain extent and leave Google to it, which potentially could be a dangerous thing to do with competitors such as Baidu, Naver et al on the horizon.
• Technology - Both the Yahoo and MSN Paid Search services are VASTLY inferior to the Google Interface, and personally this is something that would require significant investment in, not only from an administration perspective but also from a marketing/managability perspective if it is to compete with Google more effectively.
• Support - Both services are somewhat limited in their service and support in my previous experience - something Google seem to do better - I only had to listen to Andew Girdwood from BigmouthMedia talk about their discussions with Google whilst developing the Hilton Hotels Online Marketing campaign in order to see this, and something both Yahoo and MSN need to work on. This and their support for smaller organisations - after all small organisations don’t always stay as small organisations…
• US focus - Whilst this is small - I can’t help thinking that if Yahoo and MSN were to spread their vision out of the US remit and include more of Western Europe etc into early beta testing, launches etc, they could make some early significant wins, not only with agencies but with advertisers only. Using Yahoo Ambasador as an example -this is something - that whilst some UK advertisers do have - is something that is only available to US and Canadian organisations - and not us minnions across the pond - and this US focus I would suggest reflects itself in the Usage stats for the North American market vs that of the UK etc - something I would love to hear further feedback on

One thing that did however stand out at the conference, was Yahoo and Microsofts reluctance (for use of a better word) to get out there. Google’s attendance at the conference was highly evident - big stands as well as the usual Google University sessions whilst we were there. However Microsoft and Yahoo were both conspicious in their absence.

So can Microsoft or Yahoo compete with Google? Compete I would say Yes, be market leaders No. I don’t for one minute think that Google will dominate the market for ever - others will rise and fall as they do with other markets and as they have done once before within SearchSpace. However do I think it will be Microhoo - No !!

1 comment February 23rd, 2008

Microsoft offers to buy Yahoo

Microsoft has offered to purchase Yahoo in a deal for $44.6 Billion (or £22.4 Billion) in cash and share options. The offer is 62% above Yahoo’s closing share price on Thursday, and follows a cut in revenue forecasts earlier this week, as well as saying that it would need to spend an additional £150m on reviving the company.

Such a move would significantly affect the current search markets (particularly in the US and Europe where Google is the dominant player in the market, a fact echoed by Kevin Johnson from Microsoft, and potentially provide Google with significant competition, however I would suggest both parties still have significant work to do in order to provide an effective a solution as the current Adwords system in particular.

From a personal perspective, I can’t help thinking that the deal is a bit of last chance saloon for both parties, and as such has an air of desperation about it. However time will ultimately tell whether such a deal provides Google with a significant competitor or whether this is just an expensive mistake.

To read more about the deal, further details can be found on the BBC Website

Add comment February 1st, 2008

Ask to offer Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Just received an interesting email from Ask offering results based Search Engine Optimisation services as follows:

“

FREE SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION

As an innovative group of professional service companies, we like to keep ahead of the game. There are many SEO and media companies charging large monthly retainers that are not giving their clients results. The ASK Group has transparent pricing across all our divisions, and we do not consider this type of pricing remotely ethical.

Our research tells us you only want to pay on results!”

It is certainly an interesting change in service offering from a search engine company, moving into a frenzied sector - and one lets be honest that is likely to cause some heated discussion particularly following Google’s purchase of Doubleclick, and MSN’s acquisition of AQuantive.

Add comment January 30th, 2008

SEO Certified - Will it ever become a reality

Net Magellan recently wrote a post entitled “SEO Certification - What Is Your View?” tackling the thorny issue of SEO certification in todays Search Marketing industry. This topic of conversation always brings a variety of perspectives and heated debate.

As the head of an Online Marketing organisation, dissecting the wheat from the chaff is often a difficult thing to do, particular within the UK SEO market. I recently had a candidate who came in - who had previously been responsible for campaign where the client operated in a moderately uncompetitive sector - and the client in questions was spending 2K a month on paid linkage. Now - putting in bluntly I would suggest most people with an inch of intelligence would be able to do that, let alone a specialist search engine optimisation specialist.

Having some form of certification one could argue would be useful here - perhaps along the lines of the Google Advertising Professional qualifications, where the examinee is tested on his knowledge of the system, however it is here in my opinion that the grey area in the SEO certification debate exists.

Just what is acceptable SEO. Google has developed a set of guidelines - Paid Links are bad/Content is good. However lets face it - in an industry where the stakes are getting bigger - and the market more competitive -who is going to share valuable knowledge unless they really have to.

Secondly - What constitutes good SEO. There has long been debate around the ethical nature of SEO - and what hat us various SEO experts are - whether it be Black, White or a varying shade of grey. Surely some common ground rules have to be developed before we can develop appropriate and valuable SEO certification - something you can associate with your CV with pride -and know a potential employer (such as E-Gain) is going to appreciate.

I don’t for one minute think certification is a bad idea - however at present I would add it is nothing more than confusing for a market that do not always understand SEO. Lets get the foundations in place and make it something that is going to benefit our industry - rather than do something for somethings sake…

2 comments January 27th, 2008