MediaPost.com: search

Disaster Ready: Google Maps Model Quickly Adjusts To Events

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:29:00 -0400

The four-lane bridge in Washington state that partially collapsed Thursday into the Skagit River was removed from Google Maps within a half day, according to reports, but it's the contributions and feedback from thousands of Map Maker users that allows Google to quickly confirm changes and update the online content.

Real-Time Web Turns Consumers Into Impulse Buyers

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:37:00 -0400

Video, mobile, social, and better search capabilities continue to make it easy for consumers to buy online -- not just kids, but also older adults. In fact, 65% of girls ages 6 to 16 are more likely to buy straight from a mobile ad if there is a means to do so.

Xbox One Breathes Life Into Bing

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:51:00 -0400

As the pace of technology changes, search will continue to accelerate. Now, with a deeper connection to Xbox One, Microsoft will sink more money and resources into building out Bing services, which provides the responses when using voice search. Total conjecture on my part -- but it makes sense. Here's why.

Yahoo Search Experiments With New Look

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:30:00 -0400

Yahoo Search has been experimenting with colors, features and layouts, as the company tries to determine the correct mix to boost clicks across properties and query traffic on its search engine, as well as increase revenue per thousand searches.

Data Is Springboard For Product Development

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:44:00 -0400

Several companies, from PepsiCo to 1-800-Flowers, tap data to drive new product and service innovations. At PepsiCo, data doesn't drive marketing; it acts as a strong enabler. 'The Financial Times' uses sign-up data to develop products, recommended reads, acquire new customers and sophisticated targeting for advertisers

The Momentum Of Marketing

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:45:03 -0400

Activity breeds success. And that includes marketing. If you take your foot off the gas, you lose momentum. So be active in your marketing efforts. Always be producing new content, generating awareness, and raising your profile.

When Innovation Like Android Steps In To Shake Things Up

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:05:00 -0400

In a rare admission by the former eBay CEO, Hewlett-Packard President and CEO Meg Whitman attributes the ability to enter a new segment of the tablet market to Google's operating system, Android. "Frankly, having Android products here helps a lot," she said during the company's fiscal Q2 2013 earnings call. "This $169 Slate helps [HP] cover a segment of the market that we didn't have before." Yes -- HP's Whitman attributes market opportunity to Google Android.

How Kenshoo Migrates Search Campaigns To Yahoo Japan

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:55:00 -0400

Accessing multiple devices signals a change in consumer behavior -- not just in the United States, but worldwide. In Japan, Yahoo offers a service dubbed Unified Campaigns that supports the growing need to serve search ads across devices and track performance, but how do marketers migrate a campaign from one country to another or across devices? Kenshoo on Wednesday said it began offering support for the product.

Google Releases Self-Serve Display Benchmark Tool

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:02:00 -0400

Google introduced a tool Wednesday that lets brand marketers and agencies pull up-to-date industry benchmarks to help plan and measure the success of display campaigns. In the past, DoubleClick published a yearly report of these benchmarks, but now the self-serve tool enables marketers and agencies to run their own, any time.

Twitter Brings Lead Generation To Tweets

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:14:00 -0400

Twitter began testing a lead generation tool Wednesday in its tweet stream that resembles a cross between a daily deal alert and call-to-action ad in search engine query result pages. It serves up in one of Twitter's Cards, the expandable display unit that allows brands to attach photos or other media.

More Consumers Turn To Mobile To Research, Book Travel

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:53:03 -0400

The majority of consumers used a mobile device to book travel in the last 90 days, per a new study. What's more, 44% said they are willing to spend more than $500 when purchasing travel via mobile.

Tablets Gain Popularity With Shoppers

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:53:00 -0400

Internet-connected devices are exploding in the United States. There are 31.8 million Internet-accessible tablets, according to The NPD group, and IDC estimates with global tablet shipments rising 142% in the first quarter of 2013, the post-PC era shows no signs of slowing.

Shopping App Swirl Adds In-Store Capability

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:53:00 -0400

Swirl entered the mobile shopping fray last year with an iPhone app allowing users to learn about fashion deals near them. Now it is adding an in-store feature to its app that delivers exclusive content and offers while users are shopping at participating stores. The initial group of retail partners includes Alex and Ani, Timberland, Kenneth Cole, The Blues Jean Bar, Scott James, and Exhale Spa

The Rise Of The Visual Web

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:05:02 -0400

With the right Pinterest analytics platform, companies can create an online presence that showcases the latest products and services and drives sales conversions -- a must for turning a minimal social media investment into a high-yield impact. Galleries, pages and feeds can be updated in real-time with product images that are popular and trending on visual platforms.

The Search for Fake Pre-Roll

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:39:55 -0400

Auto-play digital commercials aren't in particularly good favor among digital video consumers -- or unknowing marketers.

Some of these auto-play commercials look like pre-roll advertising and are packaged with real pre-roll ads, sometimes without marketers knowing.

TubeMogul started up a site called "fakePreRoll. com" a year ago -- which was forced down later -- to help sift through what is real and what isn't, says Brett Wilson, co-founder/chief executive officer of TubeMogul, speaking at the OMMA Video event.

Wilson: "Buyers have a right to know what they are buying."

Google Fiber Lives In Smaller Markets

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:43:00 -0400

My Internet speed sucks. I'm frustrated with paying Verizon Fios more than $120 for phone, basic television and Internet service, and can't even make it through an hour-long television show without my Internet TV pixelating or video Webcast buffering because it suffers from latency. It's not my computer. I have one of the fastest Sony laptops on the market.

Google+ Needs Android To Climb Out Of Experimental Phase

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:24:00 -0400

Marketers continue to view Google+ as a fledgling network requiring experimentation, although the company released a revamped social application for Android that integrates with Google Play, along with features improving support for photos, location, and streams.

Gmail Hangouts Disable Google Voice

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:23:00 -0400

Google's new version of Hangouts for Gmail eliminates Google Voice features. The move is frustrating heavy users, many of whom disconnected landline phones in exchange for Internet calling. The disconnect follows Google's recent rollout of Hangouts for mobile and Google+, although the change brings Google's video chat in line with Microsoft Skype.

Yahoo To Ramp 'Native' Ads On Tumblr

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:37:00 -0400

With its $1.1 billion acquisition of Tumblr, Yahoo on Monday made clear that it plans to allow the blogging service to continue to operate as a separate business and brand. That includes no Yahoo branding on Tumblr. At the same time, the Web portal will look for ways to integrate advertising, search and content management on the back-end to bolster growth across both companies.

How Social Becomes Search Marketing Intelligence

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:49:33 -0400

It's interesting to talk with so many social marketing experts who don't understand the reasons why search marketers need to analyze and mine social and actionable data.

Yahoo Abandons Its Conservative Style, Appealing To A Younger Audience

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:17:00 -0400

Search marketers can expect changes at Yahoo that influence the look and placement of paid-search ads and content in query listings, as part of several changes that should further improve conversions, profits and site traffic. If CEO Marissa Mayer has it her way, purple will become the hottest color as the company, along with Tumblr, makes "the Internet the ultimate creative canvas."

The Other Guy's Social Media

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:00:04 -0400

Marketing is a matter of relativity. Not only is it crucial for you to present the right image - but it has to be better than the other guy's. Let's face it: business is about beating the other guy, and when it comes to social media, that becomes a very complex affair.

Yahoo To Buy Tumblr For $1.1 Billion

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:26:00 -0400

The Yahoo board has agreed to acquire popular blogging site Tumblr for $1.1 billion in cash, according to reports Sunday. The deal, first reported by tech blog AllThingsD, is expected to be announced as soon as Monday. The acquisition would mark Yahoo's most ambitious move yet to revitalize the aging Web portal under CEO Marissa Mayer, and would immediately give Yahoo a credible presence in social media through its audience of 117 million unique users worldwide.

Cox-Backed, Skyword Raises $6.7 Million To Enhance Content Creation

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:34:00 -0400

Skyword, a Boston-based provider of online social marketing content, has raised $6.7 million in venture capital funding led by existing backer Cox Media Group. The Skyword platform automates critical steps in the content creation and publishing process. It assesses search engine optimization services using a scorecard to ensure that content earns high search rankings.

Search Data Creates Dominance

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:25:00 -0400

Google mines data for future product ideas through connected screens and applications by tapping into everything from geolocation to historic behavior. Maps will become the future of personalized services as the company pieces together information to gain insights. Let Google into your world, and the relationship gives the company the ability to serve insights to needs the user might not have been aware of.