Internet Marketing Course BLOG

Google, Microsoft, Ask.Com Quietly Use Spinoff Sites To Test New Features, Solicit Feedback; Pulling Up Videos

By JESSICA E. VASCELLARO
Wall Street Journal
January 17, 2007; Page D1

Dave’s Comments (Internet Marketing Course Blog): Take a peek at the major search engines’ ideas for the next generation of search via this Wall Street Journal Online article. Why should Web Marketers care? Because with expanded search results will come expanded methods of marketing to these searchers. You’ll need to be a WSJ Online subscriber to read the article.

Here are the links to the main next-generation search engines discussed in this article:
SearchMash.com (Google property)
Ask X (Ask property)
AllTheWeb Live Search (Yahoo property)
MsDewey.com (Microsoft Windows Live property)

“Kevin McCarty, long a devout Google user, recently discovered a search engine he often finds more helpful. It’s called SearchMash.com, and unlike Google and other major search sites, it pulls up video, images and text all at the same time.

“I absolutely hate having to go from page to page to get a combination of image and Web results,” says Mr. McCarty, a 42-year-old computer consultant in Nashville, Tenn. “SearchMash saves lots of time.”

It turns out, though, that SearchMash is Google. In recent months, the top search engine and its main rivals have stealthily set up a new generation of search engines where they try out new tools and features on consumers — without putting their tried-and-true formulas at risk. If something proves to be a hit — the combined search results that Mr. McCarty likes so much, for instance — it could eventually be folded into the parent site. For now, though, these sites provide an entertaining and even useful glimpse into the evolution of Web, and in particular, search engines, which in their basic operation haven’t changed much in years.”

Read the entire WSJ article by clicking on the following link (you’ll need to be a WSJ Online subscriber):

In Search of Better Ways to Search

Technorati Tags:Business, Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Web Marketing

Email to get most attention, yet supporting data analytics often ignored

Source: Alterian

Dave’s Comments (Internet Marketing Course Blog): The beat goes on! Looks like online marketing will continue to steal the lion’s share of advertising/marketing spending increases in 2007. Even direct marketers, long known for their mailers and printed catalogs, are jumping on the online marketing bandwagon in a big way, especially when it comes to email marketing. Interestingly, especially to the folks at Alterian, the data analytics portion of this move to online marketing is NOT receiving its fair share of the increased spending, especially as it relates to having an integrated view of a company’s overall online/offline marketing efforts.

“What’s the direct marketing spending priority for 2007? It’s online activities, according to Alterian’s fourth transatlantic annual survey of more than 500 direct marketers, marketing services providers and agencies. Eighty-five percent of respondents expect their online direct marketing expenditures to increase in 2007. The spending projection is the largest expected increase since the Alterian Annual Survey began in 2003. Alterian (LSE: ALN) is the leading global provider of Analytics Led Integrated Marketing software.

While online direct marketing will receive the largest investment increase, 51 percent of survey respondents also plan to boost their offline direct marketing spend in 2007. When asked about specific channel investments, 81 percent plan to increase spending on email marketing, 50 percent say they will spend more on direct mail, and 45 percent will increase their budgets for personalized landing pages. Despite the strong spending indicators for both online and offline channels, 94 percent of respondents who said they will decrease offline spending said they will increase online spending.”

Read the entire press release by clicking on the following link (Press Release no longer available):

Eighty-five Percent of Marketers and Service Providers Plan to Increase Online Spending in 2007

Technorati Tags:Business, Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Web Marketing