Category: Of Note in Search Biz

The G-Bay Economy

Reading Bizweek (yup, the print edition) earlier this week, I noticed this article, titled "Keywords for Ad Buyers: Pay Up." (BTW, it's entirely too hard to find this stuff on B'Week's site, but that's another issue.) In the article, Ben Elgin notes Google's extraordinary earnings, then adds that Google…

Googlebot EarthReading Bizweek (yup, the print edition) earlier this week, I noticed this article, titled “Keywords for Ad Buyers: Pay Up.” (BTW, it’s entirely too hard to find this stuff on B’Week’s site, but that’s another issue.) In the article, Ben Elgin notes Google’s extraordinary earnings, then adds that Google has the enviable position of pricing power:

What accounted for the outsize profits? The high prices Google charges for search keywords, for one. Industrywide, they were up an average of 43.7% last year, according to search marketing firm iProspect.com Inc. And the most sought-after words have become far more dear: “background check” rose 258% in a year. On the day of the earnings announcement, Google CEO Eric E. Schmidt told analysts: “There does not seem to be price resistance” from advertisers.

But the pricing power cuts two ways. Elgin goes on to give eBay as an example, quoting CEO Meg Whitman:

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The Search Branding Wars

With Yahoo spending on its search launch last year, MSFT reportedly going well into nine (yes, nine) figures on its MSN Search marketing campaign all this year, and now Ask getting into the ring, the search branding wars have begun. The question is, does it at all matter? I…

ValentineWith Yahoo spending on its search launch last year, MSFT reportedly going well into nine (yes, nine) figures on its MSN Search marketing campaign all this year, and now Ask getting into the ring, the search branding wars have begun. The question is, does it at all matter?

I certainly understand the desire to frame and catalyze your brand with television, it’s quite a good medium for that. And Ask certainly suffers from a long hangover from its last marketing push, back in that bubble era, when it made far more promises than it could keep.

But somehow television feels so – hopeless. I doubt this is going to move the needle. What will? Grassoots buzz, the kind that began to build with the acquisition of Teoma, then Bloglines, and might continue should Ask keep up those kinds of moves, and succeed in some kind of integration play that yields superior online services. Ask’s recent flirtations with the open source world is also interesting. In any case, it can never outspend Microsoft, which of all the companies in this space just might bull its way into the consumer’s mind with the blunt instrument of a TV marketing spend. I’m not saying Ask is wasting its money (well, maybe I am). In the end, as good as those Chiat Day ads might be, the money might better be spent on the product itself.

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“Search is the new center of gravity for the computer industry”

So says Roger McNamee. Hear hear….

So says Roger McNamee. Hear hear.

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Flickr Graph, Tagging

Tagging and Flickr in particular are starting to break out. I am not sure where it will all head, but it's clearly a trend – metadata from the roots up. Check out these two new tools: Flickr Graph, which maps social networks based on Flickr, and TagSurf, which I'll…

Tagging and Flickr in particular are starting to break out. I am not sure where it will all head, but it’s clearly a trend – metadata from the roots up. Check out these two new tools: Flickr Graph, which maps social networks based on Flickr, and TagSurf, which I’ll just let Russell explain.

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LivePlasma

The folks behind MusicPlasma, which inspired my BlogPlasma idea (in the works) have added movies and more to their site, and renamed it LivePlasma. It's in beta now, and I could not get the members area to work (it promises to support custom maps which can be shared, etc.),…

LiveplasmaThe folks behind MusicPlasma, which inspired my BlogPlasma idea (in the works) have added movies and more to their site, and renamed it LivePlasma. It’s in beta now, and I could not get the members area to work (it promises to support custom maps which can be shared, etc.), but check it out, they are looking for input.

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Black Monday for GOOG?

Late last week GOOG took a hit, and initially I thought – man, that analyst day did not go well. After all, as the Times (reg req'd) pointed out, the chef presented, but the CFO did not. But I think it had more to do with this – Google's…

GoogchartLate last week GOOG took a hit, and initially I thought – man, that analyst day did not go well. After all, as the Times (reg req’d) pointed out, the chef presented, but the CFO did not.

But I think it had more to do with this – Google’s last lockup up expires Monday, and some $19 billion of stock comes free to sell. The market more than likely is pricing in the expected selling frenzy.

From the Merc’s coverage:

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Google Analyst Day

I was on an airplane during Google's analyst day (webcast), and I think it's a good thing, or I would have obsessed over Google's presentation. Thankfully, others already have. Greg Linden has a good short take. Here's Slashdot. And here's a good overview from SEW….

Google AnalystdayI was on an airplane during Google’s analyst day (webcast), and I think it’s a good thing, or I would have obsessed over Google’s presentation. Thankfully, others already have. Greg Linden has a good short take. Here’s Slashdot. And here’s a good overview from SEW.

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Yahoo Toolbar Supports Firefox

If ever there were a sign that Firefox is gaining markeshare, here you have it. Yahoo has released a PC Firefox version of its toolbar, and plans to add Mac support soon….

Yahoo ToolbarIf ever there were a sign that Firefox is gaining markeshare, here you have it. Yahoo has released a PC Firefox version of its toolbar, and plans to add Mac support soon.

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NYT on Google Domain Moves

Nice explanation in the piece from Bret Fausett, who publishes Lextext.com. When a domain expires and changes hands, Mr. Fausett said, Google can now more easily find, scan and index the new site, so it does not mistakenly point searchers to a site with irrelevant content, or place advertisers…

Nice explanation in the piece from Bret Fausett, who publishes Lextext.com.

When a domain expires and changes hands, Mr. Fausett said, Google can now more easily find, scan and index the new site, so it does not mistakenly point searchers to a site with irrelevant content, or place advertisers on sites with content that does not match their products or services.

That alone could profoundly affect the domain name market, which has rebounded partly because of another Google service, AdSense. Through AdSense, Google pays publishers to display text ads related to a site’s content. Speculators often buy the expiring domains of even marginally popular Web sites and replace the site’s content. But because the practice diminishes the usefulness of Google’s search engine, the company has long sought ways to curb it.

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maps.google.com

Huh. I know Google integrates maps with local, but this feels new. Thanks to reader Richard Lusk. BTW, Andrew Chen noticed it as well, and has a nice post here. Update: Google has sent out its release on this, it's in the extended entry. Update 2 – the buzz on…

< ![CDATA[Huh. I know Google integrates maps with local, but this feels new. Thanks to reader Richard Lusk.

Google Maps

BTW, Andrew Chen noticed it as well, and has a nice post here.

Update: Google has sent out its release on this, it’s in the extended entry.

Update 2 – the buzz on this is pretty good, including a nice review from Gary, though he did notice that Osama is apparently hiding out at the Googleplex…]]>

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