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The Road To Better Results (Web Pro News)

* Keyword Research
* Texts
* Domain Selection
* Title and Meta Tags
* New Content
* Link Campaigns
* Conclusions

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Anatomy of a Search Engine Placement Campaign
(Internet Search Engine Database - ISEDB)

“With the tremendous changes seen in the search engine marketplace over the past year, the conduct and techniques of winning search engine marketing campaigns have changed.

Tactics and assumptions that worked last year may not produce the same results today.“

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Google IPO ready to go (Mercury News)

“In what is likely to be Silicon Valley's biggest IPO, Google said Monday that it will sell nearly 25 million shares to the public, priced between $108 to $135, to raise as much as $3.3 billion."

Google, other engines hit by worm variant (ZDNet)

“It is kind of an inadvertent DDoS [distributed denial-of-service] attack," said Craig Schmugar, a virus researcher at McAfee Avert. The sites are being knocked out in the search for more e-mail addresses. This is a twist on MyDoom: Earlier variants looked for e-mail addresses on the host hard drive. The latest version is now running queries on search engines.

Once infected, a machine might send thousands of requests," Schmugar said. If a computer is only a few years old and connected to the Internet via broadband, the user probably won't notice the slight decrease of his machine's performance, he speculated.”

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The Strategy Of Search (Web Pro News)
“There's a reason not every chess piece moves the same way.

Together, you can use the tactical advantages of a knight, a queen or a rook to execute your strategy.

There are chess players that react to every move as it comes, playing the game at a purely tactical level. This is the way most of us start (and pretty much still the way I play).

You don't think ahead to what the next move could be. Strategy plays no part. Each turn, you look at the board and make what appears to be the best move.”

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One year of blogging.

Seems like it was yesterday.

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Hawaii Homes Hot for Broadband - US Broadband Penetration Nears 50% Among Active Internet Users - July 2004 Bandwidth Report (Web Site Optimization)

“Broadband penetration in the US increased by 0.87 points in June. As of June 2004 broadband penetration was at 49.48%, up from 48.61% in May.”

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Search Engine Experts Share Thoughts on Search (Search Engine Lowdown)

“We're wrapping-up our quotes from SEM experts with this bumper crop!”

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SEO For CEOs – Search Engine Optimization Unmasked For CEOs (Web Pro News)

“If you're like most other CEOs, the term "search engine optimization" will mean very little. Either that or it means expense! But it doesn't have to be that way… If you feel like you're standing in a dark room handing money to strangers to get you in the search engines, then this article is for you.”

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The Future of Search (Search Engine Watch)

“Representatives from the world's biggest search engine companies sat down with Danny Sullivan and several hundred of his closest friends to talk about the future of search and information retrieval. The imperative to avoid giving away deep company secrets meant that audience members had to listen extra closely and read between the lines at times.“

A special report from the Search Engine Strategies 2004 Conference, March 1-4, New York City.

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How Much is a Search Marketing Firm Worth? (Search Engine Watch)

“In rececnt months we've seen a wave of small search marketing firms selling to larger buyers. How much are search engine marketing companies worth? If you own a firm, when is the right time to sell?

A special report from the Search Engine Strategies 2004 Conference, March 1-4, New York City.”

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Update 5: Yahoo's 2Q Profit More Than Doubles (Forbes)

“Yahoo Inc.'s second-quarter profit more than doubled as the Internet giant continued to ride online advertising's rising wave.”

“Despite the solid second-quarter performance, Yahoo didn't raise its expectations for the remainder of the year. The cautious approach apparently disappointed investors who had been betting the company would be more bullish about its financial outlook, as it has in previous quarters.”

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What Should Yahoo! Do? (ClickZ)

“Poor Yahoo! The company finds itself in the unenviable position of being punished for meeting the expectations it set in the investor community -- largely because the company has made a habit of zooming past even its most optimistic projections. But the investor reaction -- however overblown -- along with the company's admission the growth of search seems to be slowing, has got me thinking.”

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SEO Basic Tutorial (Web Pro News)

“Starting out, the two biggest keys to success in the search engines (Yahoo, Google, MSN, etc.) are content and incoming links. People argue about which plays the largest role, but I just suggest doing your best at both.”

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And You Thought Google Was Just A Search Engine (Web Pro News)

“ Everyone loves Google for searching online, but did you know they also offer other tools for your Web based enjoyment? Google's technicians are a very talented group and they're constantly at work developing new and fun services.”

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AltaVista Code Hacker an Employee of Microsoft's MSN Search
(Search Engine Lowdown)

“This could get uncomfortable for Microsoft. According to news reports a Kirkland man arrested last week on allegations that he stole proprietary technology from the AltaVista search engine two years ago is a Microsoft Corp. employee who has been working on the Redmond company's MSN Search initiative.

While the man wasn't in Microsoft's employ at the time of the incident, it doesn't help that he now works on their MSN Search team. Could Microsoft unknowingly be using search technology stolen from AltaVista? Then again, did AltaVista have anything worth stealing?”

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When spyware crosses the line (The Register)

“I've read comments from people who've said they've been using Microsoft Internet Explorer for many years and have never encountered a single case of spyware. Oh really? My response to that is very simple: what planet are you living on?!

It's not the benign spyware that I worry about, either. It's the ease with which these more malicious "spyware" applications can install themselves without your knowledge - and hijack your browser so it displays porn to an eight-year-old girl. Then it updates itself so you can't remove it. This is "spyware" that has clearly crossed the line. “

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Group Test – Firewalls (vnunet.com)
Personal Computer World tests 9 firewall packages.

“Personal Computer World puts nine firewall packages to the test to help you decide which is the best for you.”

Verdict
Editor's Choice:
Symantec Norton Internet Security 2004

Highly Commended:
Agnitum Outpost Personal Firewall Pro 2.0

Highly Commended:
Kerio Personal Firewall 4

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Search engines rethink paid inclusion (ZDNet)

"Critics say paid inclusion can blur the lines between editorial content and advertising. When the programs became popular during the Internet bust, consumer watchdogs attacked search providers, including AOL and Overture Services, for failing to inform visitors of the commercial nature of search listings. The Federal Trade Commission also investigated the major search providers over their paid-inclusion practices and has urged companies to provide adequate disclosure."

"Ask Jeeves, one of the largest Web search properties, said Wednesday it will phase out its paid-inclusion program altogether in the coming months after having trimmed it in February."

"Whether it's pay-per-click or a flat fee, it doesn't make sense to draw a distinction of a site in the index--if it's good, it's good. We have to have it anyway; why would we make them pay anything?" said Lanzone [Ask Jeeves' senior vice president of search products], adding that the move will not have a material effect on the company's earnings."

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Building a Better Mozilla (Wired News)

"Most people who switch to Mozilla or Mozilla's Firefox browser quickly notice that the browser is pretty bare. It contains exactly what you need to browse the Web -- no less and no more.

And while there's a lot to be said for running a lean, clean program, sometimes you long for more features, a little extra functionality.

Enter Extensions, little programs that you can add to Mozilla or Firefox to make the browser do what you want it to do. There are now close to a hundred extensions available for downloading."

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Pay per click ads are hot: report (Australian IT)

“THE search market in Australia will be worth $70 million this year and will grow to $250 million in 2008, as the appetite for pay-per-click advertising grows.“

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Does Google’s Improved AdWord Relevancy Affect You?

”The other day, Google announced an algorithm update for its AdWords targeting. The update was designed to ensure that searchers would receive the most relevant, targeted ads according to the keywords in their queries.

While Google users may see improvements in ad relevancy, the question remains: how do these changes affect AdWord customers?”

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Unethical SEO Agencies Are Spamming Their Clients Sites & Risking Blacklistings (Internet Search Engine Database

“Along with thousands of other people I pored my myself into the Internet World 2004 exhibition at Earls Court, London between 15th – 17th June.”

“I noticed a SEO company that I recognised so I went to speak with one of their stand reps. As expected the rep told me how wonderful they were at getting web sites listed in the top of the major search engines and showed me some examples of their client listings.

Within minutes of the rep explaining their methodology, I was shocked to find that the agency was advocating one of worst forms of spamming methods, commonly known as Cloaking.”

Google Information for Webmasters

“The term "cloaking" is used to describe a website that returns altered webpages to search engines crawling the site. In other words, the webserver is programmed to return different content to Google than it returns to regular users, usually in an attempt to distort search engine rankings.

This can mislead users about what they'll find when they click on a search result. To preserve the accuracy and quality of our search results, Google may permanently ban from our index any sites or site authors that engage in cloaking to distort their search rankings.”

I’m saying that cloaking is bad, since… 2001.

See my article: Search Engine Spamming Sucks!

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Five Things Most Search Engine Optimization Firms Won’t Tell You -- But That You Need To Know Before You Spend A Dime (Web Pro News)

1. Most SEO work follows the 80/20 rule. In other words, 20% of the work will account for 80% of the results.
2. You can receive a guarantee.
3. You can see immediate results.
4. SEO work is not too complicated to explain in detail.
5. The greatest factor in SEO has nothing to do with your web site.

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The Bricks-and-Mortar Edge in SEM (ClickZ)

"In the long run, the big SEM winners will be marketers who can afford to run campaigns that deliver reasonable volumes of highly targeted, profitable traffic. To obtain volume from SEM campaigns, at least some keywords must be in premium positions."

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Happy 4th of July!

Happy Birthday, America!

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Worms Spreading via Web Sites (Virtual Chase)

(25 Jun) Security researchers warn that a new worm is quietly infiltrating PCs and stealing passwords and financial information. Rather than spreading through email, this worm attacks those who visit certain infected Web sites using Internet Explorer. Users of other browser brands are not affected.

While the government is not releasing the names of the infected Web sites, those who formerly and unknowingly spread the virus include the Kelley Blue Book and MinervaHealth Inc., a Jackson, Wyoming company. The only protection folks have, short of a patch from Microsoft, is high-level security settings. Here's a checklist of things you can do to protect your PC:

1. Install anti-virus software and keep it up to date.

2. Scan for viruses at least once per week.

3. Install a software firewall and keep it up to date. Configure it for the highest level of security.

4. Learn how to use the security zones in Internet Explorer. Use high security settings for the Internet zone. You can then lower the settings for "trusted" sites. This security tip explains how security zones work and how to configure "trusted" sites.

5. Install Spybot Search & Destroy and keep it up to date. Use the immunize feature to load known sources of spyware and adware into your "restricted" sites zone.

6. Install IE-SPYAD and keep it up to date. Use it to load known sources of spyware and adware into your "restricted" sites zone.

7. Regularly check programs running on your computer. Ctrl-Alt-Del opens the Task Manager. You can check the programs launched at startup by running the system configuration utility. To do this, enter "msconfig" (without quotations) in the Run command line (Start/Run/msconfig). If you don't recognize a program, search for information about it in the Windows Startup Online database. Doxdesk.com also has a good list of adware and spyware programs. (It automatically checks your PC for known parasites until you disable ActiveX controls.)

Detecting and removing spyware can be extremely difficult. If your PC performs slowly even after cleaning it up with anti-virus and anti-spyware software, take it to a technician. Chances are it's still infected or certain files are damaged.

RELATED
Web Attack Targets Financial Data

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MSN Search Gets New Look; Microsoft Gets New Search Engine (Search Engine Watch)

"Microsoft released a public preview of its long-awaited web search technology today, over a year after first embarking on the project."

"The company also gave a facelift to its popular MSN Search.site that remains powered by Yahoo's search technology and dropped paid inclusion listings there."

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Search Tangles (PC World)

“Gary Ruskin, executive director of Commercial Alert, a nonprofit dedicated to keeping commercial and public interests separate, says programs like Site Match make "moneyed interests" more visible in Yahoo's search results than smaller firms that can't afford to pay for premium indexing. Ruskin believes that, as more companies pay so as to compete with Site Match customers, Yahoo's search engine will become little more than a searchable yellow pages directory masquerading as unbiased, noncommercial Web search results.”

“A practice called cloaking occurs when a page appears one way to a search engine's indexing technology but looks quite different to people who click on the link to it.”

“But the desktop advertising company WhenU ran afoul of Google in May over cloaked pages that Google believed had misled people who searched on "WhenU." The cloaked pages, which included media reports critical of WhenU's practices, placed high in Google's results, but when users clicked on those links, they saw positive reports only. Google banned WhenU from its index for violating its policies, a ban that was still in place at press time.”

"In an e-mail response to PC World's queries, WhenU said a search optimization firm created the pages without WhenU's knowledge, and that the company "instructed the outside firm to reverse their actions" as soon as it learned about the cloaked pages."

“It's easy to see why Google and Yahoo wield such power: They serve more than 90 percent of results at the top 25 search engines, says ComScore QSearch.”

“But observers say consolidation of the search market hurts users. "Fewer voices in search mean fewer options for consumers," says Danny Sullivan of the Search Engine Watch online newsletter.”

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Security groups recommend using IE alternatives (Geek.com)

“In light of recent vulnerabilities that have been exploited in Internet Explorer (see our coverage), major security organizations such as US-CERT and SANS are recommending that users find an alternative to IE”

“Some suggestions are Mozilla, Netscape, and Opera. If I had to pick one, Mozilla Firefox would be a strong recommendation.”

Is Firefox more secure than Internet Explorer?
(Firefox FAQ)

“Yes, Firefox and all other Mozilla-based products are more secure. Why? Here is a list of the most important reasons:

· It is not integrated with Windows, which helps prevent viruses and hackers from causing damage if they somehow manage to compromise Firefox.
· There is no support for VBScript and ActiveX, two technologies which are the reasons for many IE security holes.
· No spyware/adware software can automatically install in Firefox just by visiting a web site.
· Firefox doesn't use Microsoft's Java VM, which has a history of more flaws than other Java VMs.
· You have complete control over cookies.”

Why You Should Switch to Firefox
(The Mozilla Organization)

Tab-Browsing
Popup Blocking
Find Stuff Faster
Simplified Privacy
Annoyance Eliminator
Better Bookmarks and History
Best Accessibility
Intelligent
More Responsive
Customize Toolbars
Most Extensible
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
More Space for Pages
Simplified User Interface
Personalize With Themes
Industry Leading Standards Support
Fast to Get, Fast to Use

Now, if you ask me, I’m a very satisfied Firefox user for many months.