Hey everyone!

Thanks for reading. I've just added the Web 2.0 and Google Universal Search article and detailed how these technologies and principles can apply to your search engine optimization efforts.

Check it out here.

Cheers from Calgary!
Dan

Labels: Google, Google Universal Search, search engine optimization, SEO, Web 2.0

Google recently activated the AdWords Radio advertising program. Now AdWords advertisers can purchase radio advertising across the USA in the same auction style bidding manner of the regular AdWords system.

The new system has some very cool features too. You can select stations by geography, demographics or music type. So for example if you want to find a station that does R&B and targets mostly 20-35 year olds, the Google AdWords Radio system can pick it out for you.

You can also upload your own existing radio ads or Google has a list of specialists who can help you. Current reports from users indicate they are getting some great exposure for some really low prices. Of course, as competition heats up in the bidding process, I'm sure we can expect prices to rise. But for the early bird, now might be the time to get into the system and take advantage of it.

You can also specify certain dates and times you would like if you're on a time schedule. You won't bid for these, instead you'll pay a specific and no doubt higher fee.

If you're interested, check it out here. Another really cool feature of the system is that Google will supply you with a local or toll free redirect number to put in your ads. This way, you can track phone calls much like you would hits to your website. Talk about trackability! If you combine that with a unique landing URL for your radio commercial you can measure your ROI on your campaing in a much more exact way.

As my background is not only in search engine optimization and search engine marketing, but also includes significant traditional marketing including media ad buying, I can easily see how this system will start to bridge the gap between Internet marketers, SEO's, SEM's and the like across to traditional marketers. The creation of a truly trackable marketing campaign that includes radio is a significant step forward. Finally, Marketing Directors can sit in the board room and actually defend their ad purchasing with real numbers, instead of estimates and generalizations.

Of course, my only problem with the system is that I live in Calgary, Canada and currently Google AdWords Radio only provides stations in the US. Hopefully this system will expand out to the north here soon!

Labels: google adwords, google radio, search engine optimization, Search Engines

Ok, Web 2.0 as a buzzword is truly getting out of control.

Marc Andreessen, one of the original founders of Netscape, recently put up this blog post crying foul at the use of the term Web 2.0.

Only 72 hours ago, I was sitting in a board room having the same discussion with a management group. They want to redefine and promote their company as Web 2.0. It drove me crazy and I told them as much. They agreed with me that the term as a definition is almost useless, but they're going to use it anyway because so many people have begun to associate it with advanced web technology. In fact, they believe that if they don't become identified as Web 2.0, they'll be labeled as behind the times.

Suddenly it's Marc Andreessen's exact point. Unfortunately its also impossible to stop. Once the larger public as a whole grabs onto a term like this, there is no looking back.

Out of 6 people in the boardroom discussion, none of us could agree on an actual definition, and these are seasoned web professionals.

I think as an experiment I'm going to ask 5 or 6 of my non-tech friends what they think Web 2.0 means. I'll post the results. Now I want to ask you, dear reader, as well. Leave a comment and tell me what YOU think Web 2.0 means. Alternatively, tell me if you even care. Does it matter? Will this word have any effect on your business or your life? Or is this just another piece of marketing hype? (P.S.- I didn't say marketing hype is a bad thing...)

Labels: Web 2.0

I recently read an article about the so-called Web 2.0 and search engine optimization. The writer suggested that while interesting, there's no particular advantage from an SEO perspective to these websites.

I think that's a matter of perspective. In fact, I think she was dead wrong. Blogs, Wikis, social networking sites and all the newest forms of user interaction with various websites are all designed to do one thing. Add content. Hopefully that content is interesting and useful to potential future visitors but for search engine optimization purposes, more content is fantastic.

The reality is if I spend time writing a webpage and Google indexes that webpage, the content that I write adds to my search engine prominence. If however, I have a blog like this one and someone decides to make a comment about something that I say here, then I get my content PLUS your content. Maybe I agree or disagree with what you said, but Google doesn't particularly care about your opinion of this blog.

Google does like seeing more content that has relevant keywords spread throughout.

Of course Google will index what I say AND what you say. There you have it, more content. Best of all, I didn't have to pay you for your comments and you have helped my search engine rankings. Content, for search engine optimization, is king. The more of it, the better. (Feel free to leave a comment about this article!)

So is there an advantage to Web 2.0? You bet! It's free content. There is a balance of course, but type in almost any technical term into the Google search engine and likely the first result you'll get is a Wikipedia entry. Wikipedia is of course completely created by unpaid editors. The most popular sites on the Internet are YouTube, MySpace and Facebook which are all created completely by users.

Should you incorporate Web 2.0 features in your website? Absolutely,as they fit with your particular business. A blog or review section where users can post comments is the most basic and easiest way to get started. If you run a hotel add a place to put reviews (although now you can apparently include TripAdvisor reviews right on your own website!). Start an interesting blog and encourage feedback. Let users upload videos, Youtube style. Start a user group forum if you sell software.

Encouraging participation gets extra content for your website for no charge. This is a huge advantage for search engine optimization. By encouraging participation you also get something even better: an engaged audience. Engaged audiences do something search engines don't do. They actually buy products and services. I'll post a Web 2.0
article soon that will lay out the basics of incorporating the next generation of user interactive experiences to your site.

Labels: search engine optimization, SEO, Web 2.0