The SEM Blog

The Google Killer - Powerset

Move over Google Powerset is here. Oh sure its only in test phase but its pretty damn cool.

What is Powerset? Well its a new kind of search engine.

Check out the video below for a quick run-through of its services.

Powerset Demo Video from officialpowerset on Vimeo.

What makes Powerset different? Instead of using keywords to display results it uses technology to understand what a web page is about, giving the user a better chance at finding what he or she is looking for.

Welcome to the world of Semantic Web. 

Of course this will change the way people search. As for us uber-geeks who deal with search engines every day we will have to rethink our questions we enter to get our results. What I mean is that we have developed various tricks in order to return what we want based on keywords. Soon we'll be able to enter a question much like Ask.com was supposed to be back the Ask Jeeves days. Change is good though, I'm always looking for my cheese.

Don't count Google out though, you don't get on top by not seeing over the horizon. They did talk about this a couple years back.

 

Jason McElweenie

For more information please contact the Search Engine Marketing Team at Schipul - sem@schipul.com

Google Celebrates National Teacher Day

Are you a teacher or know someone that is?

Google is celebrating National Teacher Day by inviting all educators to the Google Teacher Academy at Googleplex in Mountain View, California on June 25, 2008.

What is the Google Teacher Academy?

It is a one day FREE professional development event designed specifically to help K-12 teachers to get the most out of innovative technologies with hands-on experience with Google's products.  They will also receive other resources to share with other teachers when they return home.

Those that participate in the program will become Google Certified Teachers.

How to Get In?

50 applicants will be selected to attend based on their online application.

Interested? Find out the requirements and Apply Today deadline is May 28, 2008. 

 

Annisa Chan

For more information please contact the Search Engine Marketing Team at Schipul - sem@schipul.com

Microsoft to Yahoo: I Think We Should See Other People

The ongoing saga of the search engine world seems to have ended, briefly.

Microsoft announced over the weekend that it is withdrawing its bid to acquire Yahoo ending its 3 month dance with the second most popular search engine. In a letter released on PR Newswire CEO Steve Ballmer cites Yahoo's AdWord deal with Google as a factor for the deal falling through.

Ballmer states that Yahoo 'pursuing a new arrangement that would involve or lead to
the outsourcing to Google of key paid Internet search terms... ...would make an acquisition of Yahoo! undesirable.'

Ballmer goes on to give reasons such as; 'it would fundamentally undermine Yahoo!'s own strategy and long-term viability by encouraging advertisers to use Google' over its own Ad serving technology.'

I don't think this is the end of the courtship though, it could be Microsoft's way of devaluing Yahoo's stock in an effort to take them over at a later, less expensive, date.

Where does that leave us?

Who knows. Maybe Google and Yahoo form another company and try to buy Microsoft, now that would be funny

 

Jason McElweenie

For more information please contact the Search Engine Marketing Team at Schipul - sem@schipul.com

SEO Tools for Firefox

There are a host of add-ons that you can - well - add on to the Firefox broswer that can help you monitor the activity of your site. Below is an incomplete list of Firefox add-ons.

Firefox

First you are going to need the Firefox browser if you don't already have it.

Firefox is an open-source browser. What that means is that you or I can modify how it acts on the internet. This isn't possible with Internet Explorer. Firefox has been able to open up their code so other developers can modify and in turn enhance your web experience. I highly recommend it

SEO for Firefox

From SEO guru Aaron Wall, SEO for Firefox lets you "See important competitive research and search engine marketing data directly inside Google and Yahoo Search Engines. Install it here

Compete Toolbar

Check out your PageRank and even get an idea of traffic to your site in your browser. Click on the Snapshot link and you will be taken to Competes site where you can measure your site against other sites. Get it here

These are just a few to get you going and we will have a more exhaustive list as more and more of these become available

 

Jason McElweenie

For more information please contact the Search Engine Marketing Team at Schipul - sem@schipul.com

Google Business Channel on YouTube

You can now watch different videos on new features and tips for your Google AdWords campaign, website optimizer, click fraud and even how to add negative keywords to your campaign all in one place - The Google Business Channel on YouTube. 

 

 

Annisa Chan

For more information please contact the Search Engine Marketing Team at Schipul - sem@schipul.com