The spyware problem is out of control. There are companies making a fortune right now "monetizing" traffic at the expense of imbedding trojan viruses in PCs. Many forms of spyware and adware are now so insidious that you can't remove them unless you are an advanced "techie." Be especially wary of free downloadable "browser toolbars" from non-mainstream providers. There have been cases where PCs, and networks have been essentially disabled due to the invasion of hidden trojans. The ...

The recent shakeup in Google's search results, which set the SEO (search engine optimization) community buzzing and saw tens of thousands of webmasters watch their site ranking plummet, was in many ways inevitable. Almost all SEO companies and most savvy webmasters had a fairly good handle on what Google considered important. And since SEO, by definition, is the art of manipulating website ranking (not always with the best interests of searchers in mind), it was only a matter of tim...

You've got a killer product and a state of the art website. "Now, how do you get your site noticed and generate the kind of traffic that converts to sales?" A professional ad agency or promotion company will get you noticed but their services cost money. If you are just starting out or have a limited budget, there are great ways to promote your website that cost you your time but little money. And the time you invest in learning what works will pay off even if you deci...

A few years ago, it was a common practice to create separate pages for each search engine for each important keyword phrase, then use a robots.txt file to keep other engines out of the engine-specific pages. However, most of us have now changed our philosophy. After all, that "old" strategy was extremely time consuming! We can save an enormous amount of time and energy if we create a "generic" page to begin with. Why go to the trouble to create engine-specific pages when a generic page wil...

November 2003 might go down in history as the month that Google shook a lot of smug webmasters and search engine optimization (SEO) specialists from the apple tree. But more than likely, it was just a precursor of the BIG shakeup to come. Google touts highly its secret PageRank algorithm. Although PageRank is just one factor in choosing what sites appear on a specific search, it is the main way that Google determines the "importance" of a website. In recent months, SEO specia...

In an effort to tap into many of the estimated 10 million small businesses that focus on local customers, search engines are looking into ways to help them target localized consumers through their search results. Here are some of their recent activities: Google is beta testing its new Search By Location service . This service allows users to query across the entire web and retrieve results that match the key phrase and localized region that is specified. Results are shown with both a map ...

A major retailer recently discovered through its tracking and clickthrough performance data that its customer referrals from search engines was considerably lower than that of their direct competitors. As a result, the company decided to re- evaluate their search marketing strategy. Using the data, the major retailer was able to identify which competitors were optimizing search traffic, which search engines were the most effective partners for the retail industry, and the timing of comp...

Is Your Copy Upside Down? Do you remember the old saying, "Lead with your best offer?" Put it into practice! When writing advertising copy, remember to place your best information up top (right side up), instead of at the bottom (upside down) where it may, or may not, be read. When you do, you’ll generate more interest, which will lead to higher readership and more sales! (Courtesy Daily Marketing Ace )

Microsoft is trying out different search technologies that will conduct Google-type searches on a user's hard drive and sort query results in various ways to make the data easy to utilize.

Despite claims to the contrary, there is no single SEO technique or any specialized resources that will ensure perfect, top search rankings in any engines.

LookSmart has entered the field of full-text article searching. They launched a service today that allows Internet users to search more than 700 publications to find 3.5 million articles. It replaces their former FindArticles publication database.

Interesting read: https://www.google.com/adsense/petplace

LookSmart has changed their search model again. They have introduced an auction, bid/placement service similar to Overture. They are claiming to be the first search engine to offer paid inclusion and bid-for-placement in one integrated solution.

Microsoft denies talks with Google, closes in on web search domination, Google customers rage about the latest AdWords change and further information about the effect of Flash elements on your web site.

Marketers are increasingly looking for conversions and Return on Investment with online marketing with minimal risk. As a result, you only have to pay for the ultimate sales success of your campaign. Ethical permission-based email marketing utilizes the most qualified and confirmed “opt in requests” of individuals and companies who have specifically requested product and service news and information related to the requester’s specific interests. The initial optin requests are confirmed throug...