New Search Engines - Can Anyone Beat Google?
By Titus Hoskins (c) 2009

Can any new search engine beat Google, probably not, mainly
because Google isn't going anywhere but up. It is the dominant
search engine with around 72 percent of U.S. online searches and
its percentages are much higher in other parts of the world.
(Source: Hitwise) However, there are some serious new
competitors that may just take a bite out of Google's rosy
search numbers. Never know, one or several of them, may just
give Google a run for those all important search engine dollars.

Recently, there has been a whole army of new search engines
debuting on the web. If you're a full-time online marketer like
me, you really have to keep your eyes open to what is happening
on the web, especially relating to search engines which deliver
most of your quality traffic. Also keep in mind, this piece may
be fairly biased since Google is directly or indirectly
responsible for around 80% of my online revenue, so any opinions
may be slanted in Google's favor, not that they need any favors
from me or anyone.

But as an online marketer you have to try to remain objective
and examine all angles in regards to these new search engines.
Despite this, in marketing and webmaster circles, everyone will
know even if you have the number one ranking for a certain
keyword in all three major engines Google, Yahoo! and MSN -
Google supplies the most traffic, hands down.

Despite its obvious dominance, Google is still basically the new
kid on the block. We have to remember, there have been many
search engines before Google and there will be many more search
engines after Google. Every entity has its day and then hands
the torch along to whatever comes next. It's one of those subtle
facts of life we all learn eventually.

Everybody has their day - empires, countries, leaders,
companies... or even search engines. Are Google's days as top
dog really numbered? Probably not in the immediate future, but
there are some new kids on the block that could definitely kick
some sand in the face of Google and stir things up, we might
even see a few serious squabbles here and there.

In a recent article on CNN, by John D. Sutter, entitled "New
Search Engines Aspire To Supplement Google" the author examines
some recent new search engines. The author discusses: Twine,
Hakia, Searchme, Cuil, Kosmix, Wolfram Alpha, Topsy, TweetMeme
and OneRiot. Each of these are different, making your web search
more personal, more visual, or connecting your search to new
social networks like FaceBook and Twitter.

Some experts say Wolfram Alpha is the most likely candidate to
give Google some serious competition because Wolfram can do
something Google can't; it can create information rather than
just reading/presenting content already on the web. Will it
present a solid threat to Google's dominance?

Perhaps, a more fitting sparring partner will come from an old
rival with very deep, deep pockets. We are talking about the new
search engine from Microsoft called Bing, which is very similar
to Google in many ways, yet different. Bing's results are very
similar to Google in a lot of ways, yet Bing serves up the
results in a very pleasing arrangement, with a nice preview
button for each listing and giving you related searches and your
search history on the left hand side. Only time will tell if
everyone would rather be binging instead of googling. To Bing or
not to Bing, that is the question? There's a very informative
article on Bing by Farhad Manjoo on Slate entitled: "Beware
Google: Microsoft's New Search Engine Isn't Half-bad." Just Bing
or Google to find it!

I personally like this search engine much better than MSN mainly
because the home page of Bing is very appealing and only has the
search box on it so you're not distracted with other news
listings like on MSN and Yahoo! One of the main reasons for
Google's success, besides the superior search results, has been
its simplicity. Keep it simple and you may just be able to
compete.

Then again, this is a bit of a biased judgment, since many of my
own keywords and sites rank high in Bing; some even higher than
they are listed in Google. I routinely monitor countless keyword
phrases in all the search engines and lately Google has been
favoring big Brand Name listings on their first page results. We
are also seeing more Product Listings (Old Froogle), more video
and more news listings... competition for Google's first page
has become multi-layered and extremely competitive. What's a
poor small online marketer to do when Google goes corporate?

Actually, Bing is not my favorite search engine of the new ones
forcing their way into the spotlight.

For me, the one that shows the most promise and may give Google
some competition is Searchme, which is a visual search (much
like the iTunes interface) where you can shuffle through
screenshots of webpages instead of a list of links. Searchme,
which touts itself as the first multimedia search engine, has
been around for a few years but is not widely known to web
users. Performing a search on Searchme with a 24 inch monitor
and 64-bit Windows is a hundred times more enjoyable than using
Google Search or Bing for that matter. It is a hundred times
faster than Google mainly because you can generally find your
information without clicking through to the sites displayed.

Searchme is truly an eye opener but can it give Google some
serious competition. The jury is still out, but I believe over
time as web users upgrade their computers, operating systems,
and their graphics... Searchme will be more accessible to more
web users. Never know, with the right backing and marketing, any
of these search engines, especially Searchme and Bing could
blossom into a formidable opponent even for the mighty Google.

Here's why: Human Nature!

Whether we admit it or not, most of us (Humans) are lazy, we
want the fastest and easiest route to solving any question or
problem. Searchme gives us the answer much quicker than Google
and in a much nicer way. Mainly because we are also visual
creatures, given the choice between receiving pages of text and
viewing images of sites/answers, most of us will take the visual
route - we will choose TV over radio, music videos over
records... video enhanced content over just plain static HTML.
As the web turns into more of an interactive multimedia
operation; visual search will always win out over text search
any day of the year.

Most humans also have a need for speed. In our fast paced life
styles, we all want a speedy solution to our problems. Search is
no different, we want quick answers now, we want instant
solutions and immediate gratification. Nature of the beast. If
Searchme, Bing or any of the other search engines becomes faster
than Google at giving the right answer, then it's a whole new
ballgame.

Google must obviously know there are challenges to its search
engine dominance. Otherwise, why would they be offering many new
features in their SERPs; we are seeing more images and videos.
Plus, Google has just introduced the "show options" link at the
top of their SERPs, which presents their search results in many
different ways. They even have introduced the "Wonder Wheel" as
another viewing option, which gives a whole new way of using
Google's search results.

Google's Achilles' Heel may just be the thing that gives it all
its revenue: text ads. There may be a backlash on all those
Google ads littered across the web, especially among the younger
computer savvy crowd using such sites like the Google owned
YouTube, where Google has nearly obliterated the videos with its
ads. Everyone dislikes advertising, no matter what form it takes.

However, any news of Google's demise will be greatly
exaggerated, because Google, like any smart company with tons of
resources, has kept morphing and changing with the times,
quickly adapting to new features as our usage of the web keeps
changing. Google has perfected the art of staying one step ahead
of the competition. This is one champion that won't go down
without a fight to the finish. Top dogs rarely do.

If they ever present a serious challenge to Google, Searchme,
Bing or any of the above search engines, will have a formidable
opponent in the opposing corner, one that has gained almost
insurmountable prestige and brand recognition around the world.
Any major battle will instantly have a "David vs Goliath"
scenario attached to it. And we all know how that one played out!
================================================================
The author is a full-time online marketer who has numerous niche
sites. These 10 SEO Tactics Bring Me Over 2000 Visitors Daily:
SEO Tips (http://www.bizwaremagic.com/seo_tips.htm). To learn
more Internet Marketing Tactics try: Marketing Tools
(http://www.marketingtoolguide.com).
Copyright � 2009 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely
distributed if this resource box stays attached.
================================================================

5.5 Tips That Boost Your
Subscriber Profits
By Brian Terry
Have you ever wondered how you can make the subscribers on your list
more responsive? Here’s what I mean… I’m sure you’ve done this
before, you send your subscribers one email after another full of
valuable, useful content, then you make a recommendation to a product
and virtually no one orders through your link. Sound familiar?
It took me many years of trial and error to create this list of 5 tips
that help you boost your subscriber profits.
Pay close attention to what I’m about to reveal because it can and will
increase your listbuilding profits.
Tip 1: Use double optin subscriptions
Getting people to confirm their subscription ensures you have people on
your list who definitely want to hear more from you. This is one of the
most important steps to take because it helps you to build a quality
subscriber list. Remember listbuilding is about quality not quantity.
Tip 2: Use personalization
It’s been proven time and time again that personalization significantly
increases the effectiveness of your communication with your
subscribers. By including your subscribers name in the emails you send
them gives the message a sense of it’s being sent just for them and
no-one else.
Tip 3: Train your subscribers
For every 2 emails you send out that are content orientated send out 1
email that’s an honest recommendation you make for a product you think
will help them. Train your list to expect to receive offers from you
that will be of use to them.
Tip 4: Regularly survey your subscribers
Find out what your lists wants, then give it to them. Simple. You could
ask them questions like what’s their biggest problem online as well as
ask other demographic style questions. This helps you to build a
profile of your subscriber and gives you great understanding as to how
you can help them better and what offers they’re more likely to respond
to.
Tip 5: Give your list special offers
It doesn’t matter if you own a product or are an affiliate, make your
list an offer only they’ll be getting. It could be for the next 48
hours you’re offering 20% discount on your product. Or you offer an
extra bonus but only if they order something through your affiliate
link.
Tip 5.5: Keep in regular contact with your subscribers
It’s when you email your list 2 times a month that they begin to forget
who you are. Stay in regular contact and people will begin to know,
like and trust you. Above all don’t forget this one golden rule of
listbuilding… the money is in your “relationship” with your list not
it’s size.
——————————–
About the Author
Brian Terry is the Co-founder of ListHero where he provides you with
the fastest, easiest way to build your list for free.
http://www.listhero.com/43484
——————————–

Blogs, WordPress and Google

It’s no secret that a continually updated website with new content being added regularly stands a good chance of doing well in Google. One of the long standing methods to regularly expand a site’s content is through the use of a blog.

While there are numerous platforms to choose from for managing a blog, few can compare with the immense flexibility offered with WordPress, and at a cost of free, the price can’t be beat either.

Google likes fresh new content, and setting up a blog on your site, assuming it is updated often with interesting and relevant material, can be one of the best things you can do to help out your search rankings. The beauty behind WordPress is that there is a wide array of totally free plug-ins you can easily install that will make your blog totally search engine friendly.

The following are some basic guidelines and essential plug-ins you should consider when you install your WordPress blog.

Template Design

The first configuration you need to do is work on customizing the design template to match your existing site. I suggest finding a template that matches as closely as possible to the look you are going for then work on tweaking its graphics, colors, and other particulars till you achieve the desired appearance.

Most of your changes will occur in the header.php, footer.php, index.php, and page.php files in the theme editor, however, the theme you install will dictate which files actually need to be updated. You will also need to make some adjustments to your CSS file. These changes all involve working with code and graphics, and are most likely left to a professional.

Once you have your design set up, the rest of the customization is considerably less technical. The following are suggestions that most people can do themselves and you probably will not need an expert to help you here.

Settings

Permalinks
The next thing you need to do is customize your URL’s. You do not want the default post URLs (”pageid=#”) as they are simply not search friendly and you want your default names to have some meaning to them. While you can customize your URL’s with various plug-ins, you may not always think to do this, so be sure to have a default you can live with.

Under the settings tab in your dashboard, clíck on permalinks. Here I suggest choosing one of the settings that includes the post name. Including the month and year is totally optional as it will have little to no impact on your search rankings, but you definitely do want to include the post name.

WWW or no WWW
With WordPress, there is no need to worry about the www vs no www redirects. It is handled for you, but you do need to select which variation you want, and it’s very simple to do. Under “General Settings” you will see two fields; one for “WordPress address” and the other, “Blog address”. Ensure that both these fields include the “www” (or not), whichever you prefer, and that’s it. (I always recommend using the “www” version of your URL as most people linking into your site will use it, and this will help keep a consistency among your site.

Required Plug-ins

There is an almost endless supply of free plug-ins out there that you can add to your site ranging from photo galleries and spam protection, to social media integrators for Twitter, Facebook, Digg, and others. While many of these others will benefit your blog and search rankings, the XML Sitemap, and SEO plug-ins are truly essential.

SEO Plug-in
When setting up your new installation, the first plug-in you need to install is one that will allow for totally customized title, meta description tags, and page URL’s. There are a number of tools that do this ranging from the widely popular “All in One SEO Pack” to a relative newcomer “HeadSpace2″.

While I personally have yet to try HeadSpace2, it is high on my líst, as it has been recommended by many industry professionals as the best WordPress SEO plug-in. For any new blog installation I highly recommend this plug-in be installed right away.

XML Sitemap Plug-in
To the best of my knowledge, HeadSpace2 does not have an XML sitemap option, and as such I highly recommend “Google XML Sitemaps” . This plug-in will automatically generate XML sitemaps for you on the fly and submit it to Google every time you add, delete, or update a page or post. This helps ensure that Google has the latest information at all times. It’s a very simple plug-in to install and configure and once setup, you can forget about it and it will do the job for you.

A well optimized site loaded with relevant content can do very well in Google if setup correctly. The power of WordPress can make this process incredibly easy so all you have to worry about is writing those great articles and selling your customers. The plug-ins and functionality of WordPress are endless and when installed correctly can make the optimization of your blog considerably easier, increasing your chances for top rankings.

About The Author

Scott Van Achte is the Senior SEO at StepForth Web Marketing Inc.; based in Victoria, BC, Canada and founded in 1997. You can read more of Scott’s articles and those of the veteran StepForth team at http://news.stepforth.com or contact us at http://www.stepforth.com, Tel – 250-385-1190, Toll Free – 877-385-5526, Fax – 250-385-1198

How does Google Incorporate the Hawthorn Effect

First off, what is the “Hawthorn Effect” ?

The Hawthorn Effect refers to the proneness of people to work harder and perform better when they are participants in an experiment. It was found that many people change their behavior due to the attention they are receiving from researchers..

The Hawthorne Effect was first discovered in 1924 by researchers at Harvard University who were studying the relationship between productivity and the work environment. Conducting these experiments at the Hawthorn Plant of Western Electric in Chicago found that productivity increased due to attention from the research team and not because of changes to the experimental variable.

Wait, I thought this article was about Google in the 21st century?
Did you know that Google is watching you? Quick, go put some pants on! No, not that way, get your mind out of the gutter! Google is watching you in a user behavioral and beneficial manner. Google is working on several products and projects that will eventually change how the search engine will respond to your interaction. The process is for Google to capture your request for information and measure the response to the data it provides you. Google obtains key data that helps them understand how to better manipulate the results that are being returned to you by measuring your responses. There are several beta tools currently in place testing to help them determine their course of action and refine their process in an effort to produce a better user experience for.
The “Web History” utility that is now available to all users of Google Search. Collects information about the sites you visit and uses it to generate a better response to your queries. This utility contains…

1) The ability to view and manage your web activity – search across the full text of the pages you’ve visited, including Google Searches, web pages, images and news stories.

2) Get search results that are more personalized and based on the things you’ve searched for on Google and the sites you’ve visited.

3) Get reports on your trends and web activity – how many searches did you conduct and at what time of the day. Which sites do you frequent the most?

Want to learn more about this utility? Then visit google.com/psearch
So, How will This Collected Web History affect the Search Engine industry?
Well, on its own, or combined with other beta tools in the making, it will help Google provide you with results that you want to see the most, and it will help remove items that you are not interested in seeing. In other words, Google is now tailoring the search results to each indivdual person searching on the web. Joe will get different resutls than Jan when they both search the exact same keyword.
Let’s experiment?
Put on your google goggles! Begin by creating a user account with Google. Then turn Web History on for a week or so, and chase your tail looking at keywords that are specific to the ranking of your website or a site you are maintaining. Check several times a day, closing and relaunching your browser each time you check. Eventually you are going to see a message near the top of the window that the results of your search are being influenced by… you guessed it… Web History. Pay attention to where your site is ranking with Web History turned on.

Now, after a week of allowing “Web History” to collect some information… go to your google account and turn it off, and check your page positions on Google for the same Keywords? Did you see any difference? You betcha! Google is watching you and capturing your behavior and they are manipulating your search results to match your expectations and what they perceive is your preference based on the “experiences” they have collected from you. If Web History perceives that Pink Watches by a particular manufacturer are important to you in the majority of your searches, they will bubble to the top of the page while other Pink watches by different manufactures will sink lower and lower.

Is it the end of the Search Engine Optimizing Industry?

Most likely not, factors that will make one site’s links above another will most likely not be completely limited to the users interaction and preference in the future. Traditional factors we all know and pursue like content and page ranking will continue to play a part in winning the position on the page.

Will it end here?

I doubt it! There’s at least two more prominent areas where Google can capture user preferences and then modify the result set to meet their expectations, and they are actively testing or running programs to do exactly that right now.