Microsoft Bing – Is Good, Good Enough?
June 29, 2009 by Jeff Klein
Filed under Internet Marketing
Microsoft recently launched a new search engine called Bing in an attempt to directly challenge search engine giant Google. According to Microsoft, Bing is more than a simple search engine. They claim their tool can help users move beyond the searching experience to make better and more informed decisions.
Early feedback about Microsoft’s new “decision engine” has been positive. Users report accurate search results and helpful features but is it enough to make them change their search habits?
Some of Bing’s useful features include the following:
Website Summaries
Mouse over the right edge of the search results and a brief summary of the page is displayed. This allows you to learn more about the page without leaving your search results.
Live Video Previews
Do a video search and the results will be displayed as thumbnails. Mouseover the thumbnails, and the videos play directly on the search results page. There’s no need to click through to view the video. This is an innovative yet controversial feature that may see legal challenge.
Company Contact Info
Bing returns company contact information when searching for a company name. Search for Amazon.com and Bing returns the company’s customer service phone number (800-201-7575) along with links to the website. This can be a huge convenience if the company you’re trying to contact doesn’t make this information readily accessible.
Clean Design
Borrowing from Google’s minimalistic design, Bing’s search engine results pages (SERPs) have plain and simple backgrounds. This helps keep load times to a minimum. Similar to Google, sponsored ads are displayed both at the top, and along the right side of the page.
Multiple Search Options
You can choose to search websites, images, videos, news, maps and more, right from the homepage. “Related searches” is a helpful feature for delving deeper into a topic by displaying related search queries. Bing also keeps track of your past searches, displaying them as handy links on the left side of the page. Similar to “Google Suggest,” Bing’s autosuggestion feature gives you suggestions for searching in real time. As you type in the search box, related search terms are displayed to help you narrow or refine your query.
Is It Enough?
Most people seem surprised Bing works as well as it does. This may be due to the challenges internet search presents as well as Microsoft’s past search engine efforts. Some studies even show Bing provides “better” search results than Google.
“Good” or “Better” may not be enough for Bing however. People are creatures of habit, especially online. To change consumer behavior, in this case their search habits, a new product must be significantly better than an existing offering. Google has become so integral to many people’s online lives that it will take a lot for them to change to a new search provider. It’s not enough for Bing to be as good or marginally better than Google.
Because of this, it’s highly unlikely Bing will replace Google as #1 in search anytime soon. A more realistic goal might be to surpass Yahoo and take over the #2 spot in search market share. Some research shows Bing has already passed Yahoo but it remains to be seen if Bing can maintain that position over time and build on its momentum.
Have you used Bing? What do you think of it? Will you make Bing your new default search provider?
Facebook to Offer Custom URLs
June 10, 2009 by Jeff Klein
Filed under Social Media
Facebook recently announced they will soon allow users to choose a username for their account. More significant is the fact that Facebook will begin using your username in your profile page URL. This essentially allows you to create a custom URL for your Facebook profile page.
A message posted on Facebook explains, “Starting at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Saturday, June 13, you’ll be able to choose a username on a first-come, first-serve basis for your profile and the Facebook Pages that you administer by visiting www.facebook.com/username/.”
The reason for the change is to “make it easier for people to find and connect with you.”
Currently Facebook uses a randomly assigned id number for profile page URLs. In my case, my profile page URL is:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=692946276
Now, my Facebook profile URL can look like this
http://www.facebook.com/jeffklein or http://www.facebook.com/jeff.klein
Custom URLs are already supported by sites such as Twitter, delicious, and MySpace so this move by Facebook is not unexpected. That said, Facebook is the largest social networking site and this move represents a significant opportunity from a personal branding standpoint. I strongly recommend you claim your username on June 13th when the new prorgam opens up.
You can learn more on the Facebook blog.
Blogging Basics for Maximum Traffic
June 2, 2009 by Jeff Klein
Filed under Internet Marketing
An obvious goal of all bloggers is to drive as many visitors to their blog as possible. In order to make your blog a success you need to generate a steady stream of targeted traffic. While there are many sources of traffic, search engines are often one of the first that come to mind. The way that you build, structure, and maintain your blog can greatly impact your search engine rankings.
Here are some blogging basics to maximize your search engine traffic.
Use of Keywords
Keywords are the foundation of your internet marketing efforts. When selecting target keywords for high search engine rankings it is important to be specific, focused and realistic. More than anything however, you have to know what keywords your target market is using to search for your product, service, or blog. There are many tools available to help identify these keywords. Here are links to some of the top keyword research tools:
Once you generate a list of keywords, you can target each one by creating a blog post. Use your most important keyword(s) in the title tag. You should also include your target keyword(s) in your post’s META description and wherever else you can in the content of the post. Be careful not to overdo it however. Keyword stuffing can hurt your rankings and the readability of your blog. Do not sacrifice the user experience in an attempt to appease the search engines.
Link Popularity
While it is not simply a matter of numbers, generally speaking, you need to get as many links to your blog as possible. To do this, start submitting your blog’s RSS feed to blog and feed directories. Here’s a resource that lists RSS / blog directories you can submit to: http://www.toprankblog.com/rss-blog-directories/
You can also do a Google search to find such directories.
Another method of gaining links is to visit other blogs or forums in your niche, and post comments. In most cases, when your comment is published, it will include a backlink to your site. This way you gain exposure as well as links to your blog. Make sure your comments are respectful and provide value.
Update Frequently
This is one of the most important blogging basics. If your blog readers find your content valuable, they will want more of it. If you post to your blog consistently and frequently (at least once a week if not more) people will return or follow your feed on a regular basis. I need to do a better job on this one and post more frequently.
Keep a Tight Focus
Many people have a personal blog where they post anything and everything related to their life. While this may be OK for a personal blog, it’s not recommended for a professional blog.
If you are serious about your blog and hope to make some money from it, stick to a single topic. If you want to cover a different topic, start another blog. The cost to create a new blog is minimal and with everything you’ve learned from your first blog, creating your new one will be that much easier.
Make Use of Plugins
Plugins are components designed to extend the functionality of your blog. Written by the development community, plugins offer custom functions and features allowing site owners to tailor their site to their specific needs.
There are many helpful plugins that make blogging a lot easier and more fun. Plugins like “Most Popular Posts”, “Related Posts”, “Recent Comments” etc. can help keep readers interested and coming back for more.
Encourage User Interaction
Foster conversation on your blog. Encourage comments and dialogue. Posts with a lot of comments indicate to users that you are providing valuable content. This encourages people to subscribe or return to your blog. One way to encourage comments is to ask a question at the end of your post.
When someone leaves a comment, be sure to reply. Another way to encourage commenting is to not require registration or moderation of comments. Just be sure you have a good spam filter in place.
What are some blogging tips you use to make your blog a success?
