Microsoft | Internet Marketing Blog

How search results are re-ranked

Search Engine Journal has pointed out an excellent article by Bill Slawski on the complicated business of how search companies re-rank results.

It is important to get to grips with some of these factors if you are actively involved in SEO, since rankings can be influenced by any number of factors that may be outside of your control.

by Richard Maven 16 October 2006 13:14pm 0 comments

Jobs shrugs off Zune threat

Apple boss Steve Jobs has laughed off fears over Microsoft’s threat to the iPod through its upcoming digital music player, Zune.

by Richard Maven 16 October 2006 08:24am 0 comments

IE7 upgrade may cause problems for web developers

According to Microsoft’s IE Blog, the new version of the Internet Explorer browser will be ready this month, and some web developers are concerned about the new version’s compatibility with some websites.

IE7 will be available for download this month, with the new browser being delivered to Microsoft customers via automatic updates soon after.

by Graham Charlton 12 October 2006 13:36pm 0 comments

Witty vs descriptive headlines - what works best?

Danny Sullivan has fired off a few rounds at the authors over at Google Blog, who habitually use non-descriptive headlines such as ‘Greetings, Earthlings!’ and, our favourite: ‘Yes, you can have a pony’.

As an expert in SEO you’d think Danny’s beef would be linked to a lack of keywords in titles, but this isn’t in fact the problem...

by Chris Lake 11 October 2006 15:16pm 5 comments

Google tightens grip on UK search market

Google has increased its dominance of the UK’s search market this year, according to new figures that also show almost 1m searches are being conducted per hour by British web users.

by Richard Maven 11 October 2006 12:27pm 0 comments

Will Yahoo mash-ups save us from Hotmail?

Yahoo’s decision to open up its email API is great news for web mail users and is a great example of what Web 2.0 is about. How long will it be before a major retailer like Tesco follows suit?

by Paul Cook 10 October 2006 17:31pm 0 comments

WPP's Martin Sorrell on Google, China and the internet

Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP has made a series of investments in the online space this year, most recently the purchase of a 10% stake in Spot Runner, the US-based online ad agency which had also attracted the attention of Google.

He told us why...

by Chris Lake 10 October 2006 12:21pm 1 comment

SEMPO's Gord Hotchkiss predicts 'search showdown'

Gord Hotchkiss, chair of search marketing association SEMPO, is bullish about the industry's prospects, saying 2007 will be a "watershed year" for localised advertising and that various other revenue channels will drive growth.

But in an exclusive interview, he also points to challenges facing the sector, including the lack of transparency over click fraud and an upcoming "showdown" between consumers and advertisers over search data.

by Richard Maven 06 October 2006 12:45pm 0 comments

Should Web 2.0 startups seek venture capital?

Web 2.0 startups shouldn’t bother seeking VC money, according to Neil Sequeira of General Catalyst Partners, because “there have not yet been these type of exits that generated venture capital type returns”.

Neil is a VC who made these comments at the AjaxWorld Expo in California, but I’m not sure he’s entirely correct in his observations.

by Chris Lake 04 October 2006 17:20pm 0 comments

Local search gains momentum, says study

A study by ComScore , focusing on the US, has shown an increase of over 40% in the number of users performing local searches online in the last year.

According to the research, 63% of US internet users (around 109 million people) performed a local search during July, a 43% increase over the same month in 2005.

by Richard Maven 29 September 2006 15:52pm 1 comment