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How to Google; or How to be Easily Distracted
I set out with the intention of writing a self improvement type article with an original temporary working title of 'How To Overcome Fear'.
Being the sound marketing man that I am though, my first action was to research whether this was relevant to many peoples lives.
What followed was a mistake.
I had read recently about a 'Google Suggest' in Beta test mode (http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=1), and so I thought I would give it a whirl.
I should have known better - distractions on the web happen to me all the time.
The next hour passed effortlessly away as I played with the new found toy.
This is Google's own description of the tool:
'What is Google Suggest?
As you type into the search box, Google Suggest guesses what you're typing and offers suggestions in real time. This is similar to Google's "Did you mean?" feature that offers alternative spellings for your query after you search, except that it works in real time. For example, if you type "bass," Google Suggest might offer a list of refinements that include "bass fishing" or "bass guitar." Similarly, if you type in only part of a word, like "progr," Google Suggest might offer you refinements like "programming," "programming languages," "progesterone," or "progressive." You can choose one by scrolling up or down the list with the arrow keys or mouse.
That's pretty cool. How does it do that? Our algorithms use a wide range of information to predict the queries users are most likely to want to see. For example, Google Suggest uses data about the overall popularity of various searches to help rank the refinements it offers...'
Here are some thought provoking results:
'How to overcome fear' - 2,580,000 results
'How to overcome anxiety' - 119,000 results
At least I am right to be targeting my article towards those expressing concern about fear.
But here is the strange thing - Google sponsored AdWord links for 'anxiety' is twelve, but 'fear' only has three.
There are many more anomolies such as this in a very short time.
Furthermore, look at these interesting results from Google Suggest:
The really amazing thing is how big some of the search results are:
'How to be happy' 95,000,000 results - sponsored links, nine.
AND
What about these:
'How to be hot' - 192,000,000 and get this - NIL Google sponsored links.
'How to be humble' - 6,700,000 - NIL Google sponsored links.
This last example has been included, as it is more surprising in that even the normal Google search for the keyword phrase 'how to be humble' throws up results that bear vary little resemblance to the searched term. Try it and see.
What absorbed me were the ranking figures showing on the right. IF the figures are correct I can confidently state that product producers, affiliates and advertisers are really missing out on a lot of massively searched niches.
Have I found a goldmine? Should I be revealing all this?
Well I don't know, and frankly I am puzzled by what the 'Google Suggest' numbers really represent.
I am not going to get that excited as I have just been to Wordtracker which gave me these results for two of the above terms.
'How to be hot' - 13 searches in the last 110 days
'How to be humble' No searches in the last 110 days.
So where do the 'Google Suggest' figures come from? Can you throw any light on this, because if you can it will save me being distracted further in search of the truth.
Oh - and there is still that article to write about overcoming fear. Down to it.
Keith is the Managing Director of Creative Eye and has over 10 years experience in website design, development and project management. To read more from Keith Watson, visit http://www.creativeeye.co.uk/articles/
All About Google
If you read The Search Engine Showdown, you know Google is my favourite search engine. Why? Google always offers the most results for any given search (they currently have over 8 billion pages indexed), it's faster than the Audi Quattro we test drove this morning, and 9 times out of ten, in my experience, all the front page results are relevant to my search. In fact, I usually find what I'm looking for within the first few sites listed. I also really respect the fact that two college kids started it (kinda like Abalone Designs!) and that those two college kids seem not to have forgotten where they came from. If you check out the images at Google's press center (http:// www.google.com/press/images.html) and scroll down to the Everyday Life Inside Google section, you'll get a feeling that life at Google is fun.
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With the ever evolving internet market for just about anything you can imagine and Google's index growing to almost 9 billion pages, and counting, there is little dispute amongst search engine optimizers that our job is getting much harder. From linking to articles, and density to ontology, our industry changes as fast as any other. The search engines, especially Google, seem to be on a daily diet of change and their algorithm seems to be growing at the rate of their index.
What Constitutes a Complete and Effective SEO Campaign?
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Search Engine Optimization and Submission Tips
Bringing visitors to your site from the main Search engines is more of a process than one event. The first step is to make sure your webpages are'Search Engine friendly'. This process is also called 'Search Engine Optimization(SEO). You can begin by checking your keywords and making certain you have the appropriate balance in the main body of your webpage, and that these keywords are in your title as well. The title may be the most important area of your site to put your primary keywords or keyword phrases. Be sure that you do not try to target more than a few keywords or keyword phrases.
Is Reciprocal Linking Dead?
I just read an article at SitePro News that really rings my bell.
Keyword Optimization - How To Achieve It
The most important thing you can do for your business and your website is develop relevant keywords that are not too competitive yet generate targeted traffic to your website.
How to Succeed with the Search Engines
The Cold Hard Facts?..
Search Engine Algorithm Quandaries
Before you make drastic changes to your website after a rocky search engine update, take time to study your web server logs, changes in traffic to your site, and your ranking in the search engines.
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In a recent report for a new client, I wrote:
Search Bots, Crawlers, and Spiders
If you are a webmaster and you review your logs, often you will see a bunch of really strange hits. They aren't humans, you can't tell their operating system or their browser! Who are these pesky little creatures who rummage around the internet all the time?
How Web Design Can Affect Search Engine Rankings
Uniquely built web sites can create unique issues when being promoted on the search engines. From a basic 3 page brochure site to a corporate site with hundreds of dynamically generated pages, every web site needs to have certain design aspects in order to achieve the full effects of an SEO campaign. Below are a few points to take into consideration when building or updating your web site.
3.5 Tips To Help You Avoid Becoming The Next Search Engine Outlaw
Tip 1 - Hide And Seek
Learn about the Google Search Engine Tools
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Everything You Wanted To Know About Google -- But Were Afraid To Search For!
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Rock Your Rank With a Dynamite Text Link - Yahoo Directory Explodes Rankings
Last week a client called me excitedly exclaiming that their Google PageRank had jumped a notch and their targeted keyword term now ranked #23 (up from #45) for their competitive search phrase. I asked the client if he'd been notified by Yahoo that his site was now included in the index after we had submitted it three weeks ago. "Yes," he said, "but why are you changing the subject?"
Look Out MSN Search, Here Comes Gbrowser
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When you write a press release, what is your ultimate goal? No doubt, getting the information to as many publications and on as many Web sites as possible. The focus lies in moving outward? taking the press release to as many *other* sources as possible. We buy lists of journalists, pay public relations companies to distribute the release to thousands of targeted leads, use online press release distribution services, and create our own in-house list of reporters to touch base with. This is
Help Your Visitors Zero in with Site-Flavored Google search
As Google has gained in their search reputation the past few years, many webmasters have added a Google search box to their pages. This is meant to provide a quick path for visitors to continue their search, should they not find what they're looking for on the original site. To help these webmasters provide even more service to their visitors, Google is currently beta-testing a new feature called Site-Flavored Google Search.
Five Simple Steps to Getting Links to Your Site
Today if you want your site to survive in the search engines your going to need backlinks. Almost all the major search engines rank sites based on the number and the quality of backlinks. Besides getting a good search engine ranking with links, it also one of the most effective ways to increase a site's traffic. So, how do you build your link popularity? In this article I'll show you 5 simple steps that will help you build your site's link popularity.