Since launch, Microsoft has built awareness of its “decision engine” through a massive television and radio advertising campaign, leading to an almost 10 percent “share of search” in the consumer search market. Although it may seem like a small slice of the pie in comparison to Google, Bing’s share represents over 1.5 billion US searches per month, a number that can’t (and shouldn’t) be ignored.

So how can a webmaster leverage this search volume for additional insight and opportunity?

At the recent SMX Advanced Conference in Seattle, Microsoft presented a preview of the next version of Bing Webmaster Tools (BWT) with a feature Microsoft dubs the “Index Explorer” which provides webmasters with a tree-like view of the crawling and index data for their website. Within the tree view, webmasters can access specific data management controls—URL blocking, cache blocking, and recrawl requests—at each level, something Google may want to emulate in their own Google Webmaster Tools interface.

For those less familiar with the Bing webmaster offering, now is a great time to revisit and recommend implementation and verification of sites under their control.

Bing’s current Webmaster Center Tools offers tools sectioned into seven parts:

• Summary tool: webmasters can check the status of their website, see data about the last crawl, check the domain score and page score, and the estimated number of indexed pages.
• Profile tool: webmasters can add information about their site profile and their contact information.
• Crawl Issues tool: provides an overview of issues identified by Bing during the crawling and indexing process.
• Backlinks tool: this tool generates a list of inbound links, which can be downloaded for offline viewing and editing.
• Outbound Links tool: similar to the Backlinks tool, the Outbound Links tool provides a list of URLs leading to other websites.
• Keywords tool: this tool allows webmasters to see how their website will perform against searches for a specific keyword or key phrase in the form of a webpage score.
• Sitemaps tool: enables webmasters to provide Bing with a comprehensive list of content to crawl.
• Robots.txt validation tool: this tool checks your robots.txt file for any incompatibilities with MSNBot that may affect how the site is indexed on Bing.

So why now?

Back in February, Microsoft and Yahoo won approval from U.S. antitrust regulators to embark on their search partnership, where Microsoft will be powering search results and paid search listings on Yahoo pages. Though Google remains the dominate global search with almost 72% percent, this Binghoo partnership will result in a worthy and “not to be ignored” competitor.

Now is the perfect time for webmasters to verify their (and their client’s) websites with Bing Webmaster Tools as well as make certain websites are optimized for Bing’s algorithm.

What are your thoughts on the Bing vs. Google competition?

What has your experience been with Bing Webmaster Tools?

What features of the next version of BWT are you most looking forward to?

You become more like Yahoo!

Today, Microsoft announced the addition of a very un-search-engine-like entertainment portal at http://www.bing.com/entertainment.

Rather than traditional Google simplicity, Bing’s entertainment page is much more reminiscent of the Yahoo! entertainment portal and is probably a good harbinger of what Microsoft is planning to launch to compete against Google’s market domination.

However, is this really what people want?

Bing said 76% of users polled “want one online destination for entertainment options to eliminate clutter,” and I concur. I’m just not certain that under the Bing brand is the best place for it to appear.

Microsoft appears to have a little schizophrenia about their offerings too.

Within the Bing Entertainment interface (and as the roll-in to the first video I watched), Bing is promoting “the new MSN” which, funny enough,  *also* has an entertainment section!

Microsoft’s own users “want one online destination” so why offer two?

MSN Entertainment

Bing Entertainment

I certainly believe Microsoft’s domination of the desktop and browser via their operating system offers them a chance to dominate valuable and profitable verticals online, unfortunately this Bing addition illustrates the strategic difference between Apple, with a singular focus, and Microsoft, whose strategy appears to be “throw a lot against the wall, and see what sticks.”

Although I’m a big believer in trying new initiatives, Microsoft needs to focus to avoid consumer confusion.

After spending a massive amount of marketing dollars on the Bing brand, it would be prudent (and just plain intelligent) to support those efforts with a singular brand strategy and singular online destination.

Because, Microsoft… that’s exactly what 76% of your prospective audience really wants.

In my 17+ years of marketing I’ve seen fads and trends and media and different mediums come and go.

And though I’ve personally adapted to change, moving from traditional instore display media to online marketing, it never ceases to amaze me how much my kids take the Internet and the almost limitless access to information, almost anywhere, for granted.

And now I feel the same for the seniors in my life.

My mother-in-law and I were going through my iPhone apps, I was explaining what each is for and does. We came across LinkedIn‘s application (which is pretty good BTW) and she asked me what it is / does exactly.

Rather than explain to this 70+ year old – she’d kill me if I gave away any more information about her age! – that Linkedin is (as they explain on their site) “an interconnected network of experienced professionals from around the world, where you can find, be introduced to, and collaborate with qualified professionals to accomplish your business goals.” I simply said…

“It’s like Facebook for business people”

Then it hit me.

I just explained a concept using another online community that I expected and knew my mother-in-law would understand. Facebook is mainstream enough that my mother-in-law not only knows what Facebook is (and goes on there a few times a week), but could use that experience as reference to another online community she knew nothing about.

A true senior moment. A true indicator that online communities are coming of age.

*Now* I feel old

Google Image SERP

As SEO practitioners, we’ve highlighted the importance of image optimization for our clients, Google’s insertion of revenue opportunities (for them) into the image search results, further underscores our belief that more users are looking to image search as a source for relevant results.

Interesting to note, that stock photo vendors have mentioned that image searches lead to a much lower conversion than ‘web search’ primarily due to image search as being a resource for ‘free’ (read illegal) use of assets.

Although that may be true to some degree, as relevance / selection has improved, more users are turning to image search as providing more of what they’re looking for – my search for a nice feng shui layout a case in point.

So is more frequent sponsored image results of major importance to online marketing?

No.

But it does stress the importance Google (and Bing) places on image search, and a further reason to plan for image optimization as part of your SEO strategy.

Yesterday, Yahoo!’s Dan Rampton made an announcement regarding “updates to crawling, indexing, and ranking algorithms.”

For those who believe Yahoo! plays an insignificant role in the search engine landscape, and these updates fit nicely into the analogy of “rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic” a few recent brand stats:

• Apple OS US market share (Gartner, IDC) = 7.4%
• Sony LCD TV US market share (iSuppli) = 13.2%
• Honda US market share  (Motor Intelligence) = 10%

Umm, suddenly Yahoo!’s 16.8% market share (Comscore) seems like an opportunity for some additional traffic.

Case in point: Thanks to a strategic SEO push, a client of ours saw an important keyword that was hovering at the top of the second page in Google, jump to number 2 in Yahoo!’s SERP and overall traffic increase on that term by 5%.

Bottom line – and it is a bottom line decision – even given the upcoming Bing / Yahoo! marriage, Yahoo! optimization should be a part of your current online marketing mix.

From the Twitter Blog: “As Twitter evolves, and more people share what’s happening in their own world, we want to provide another way for people to discover topics that may be relevant to them…. Local Trends exposes what people are talking about on the state and city level.”

What people are talking about? That’s not all!

Geo-targeted connections offers insight into what people are buying, doing, considering, researching and *desiring* on a local level, truly taking opinion and purchasing decisions to the virtual and actual high street.

Looking for customers? Tweet local!

Looking for businesses? Tweet street!

Excited to see how hyper-local tweets will kick local retailers and service providers into high gear.

For local business, a Twitter strategy is no longer optional.

Overall, I find him personable, entertaining and certainly honest. His honesty got him in hot water (and an unofficial slap on the wrist) last year when his offhand comments at SMX Advanced (Search Convention) in Seattle on page rank sculpting prompted some official “clarifications.”

As noted, and Matt if you’re reading this, I like you. So when I saw your video entitled “2010 Search Predictions” I thought “Right on, dude!”

2 minutes and 44 seconds later, I’m like “huh?”

Comprehensiveness, Relevance, Freshness, Speed – got it, Matt – not exactly Nostradamus, and the clarification on the difficulty of real time search, though interesting, is kind of a moot point after the initial launch algorithms of Google’s in-line ‘real-time results’ were shown to be seriously deficient in spam control. (It’s better or “more cautious” now.)

Matt then goes into his thoughts on the future of SEO.

A ‘fork in the road’, one side ethical “white hat” (or in The Search Agents case, “Orange Hat”) methods, and the other side what appears to be evil-doers focused on ”drive by wins!”

I’m not certain what the ulterior motives might be for spending the majority of the video talking about malware, server patches and site hacking, but that wasn’t my expectations of Google’s search guru predictions.

What about a little more on SERP interface changes, facing the challenge of Binghoo, real-time data sources, cataloging of media types, blended results‘ future and personalization of search ‘experience’?

IMHO the future of SEO 2010 is all about results’ targeting (including personal and geographical) that will create both challenges and opportunities.

Personally I believe 2010 is going to be a phenomenal year for SEO.

Matt, lets chat.

Looking at my client (as well as  my own) analytics, it seems more and more people are typing in URLs into the search box.

Is this still considered search, when the only possible result is the one they’re looking for? Or is this a sign of our ‘marketing times’?

Gone are the days of typing in “books” or “movies”.  Now brand awareness has Internet users typing “Amazon.com” and “Fandango.com”

Google has openly admitted that brands are given preferential positioning.

There’s no surprise that online brands are becoming more established, and that older trending user demographics – those used to big brand domination of the 50′s thru 80′s – are searching on brand names, what is a surprise is that many of the big retail categories are rapidly being dominated by one or a few big brands.

The promise of the Internet as the big “leveler of the playing field” hasn’t exactly come to be. Whilst small brands / retailers and information sites can survive, the competitive verticals are rapidly becoming little more than crumbs for new and innovative entries (with some exceptions where disruptive innovation has occurred.)

What does this mean to online marketers?

• Barriers to entry are fortified.
• Creating an online brand is as important as good SEO.
• Niche marketing is imperative.
• Innovation (and the communication of such) is paramount to success.
• Communication and connections to customer & prospects – creating brand ambassadors – is a necessity.

Are there still opportunities for startups to break into competitive verticals? Certainly.

But be prepared to build a brand, not just a business.

As Shakespeare’s Shylock said (with some poetic license):

“I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you… but I might not search for you!”

As a large part of the account manager’s work at The Search Agency is educating clients on SEO tactics and success metrics, I decided this was a perfect opportunity to “demystify” some of the metrics we use to measure the performance of an SEO engagement.

Although publishing limitations meant not every data point and reporting tool could be covered, the article gives the basics on data collection, measurement considerations and recognition of SEO success.

Comments, thoughts, and questions are welcome here or at iMediaConnection as well as suggestions around future article topics you may want to see published.

Although we share the common goal of improving and enhancing clients’ presence online, our assessment of the tactics necessary to meet that goal doesn’t always include a social media component and, if it does, we try and set clear and comprehensive expectations of the commitment necessary to be deemed ‘successful.’

Social media isn’t a short term strategy that fits within the ‘normal’ marketing expertise. Companies that look at social media as a simple extension of their marketing department often underestimate the time and resource commitment to engage with clients, prospects and other “influencers.”

Before a brand launches their social media efforts, here are a few of the questions they should be asking:

1. Do I have the personnel to commit?
2. Can I contribute something of value? Information? Experience? Entertainment? Insight?
3. Will social media support or enhance my brand?
4. Have I identified a brand personality, something that has relevance and longevity?
5. Do I have the stomach for long term gains over short term expenditure?
6. Are business goals and expectations clearly defined?
7. Do I have buy in for transparency, honesty and empowerment for social media efforts?
8. How will social media fit in the overall mix of my marketing?
9. Do I have a social media marketing plan?
10. Where are my customers, prospects, peers online?
11. Do I (and my company as a whole) have the tools, tactics and training to understand how to engage and interact?
12. Do I have a company policy that sets clear boundaries and expectations of employee engagement?

Although the early adopters have been socializing at the Facebook / Twitter / MySpace “bash” for a while, having a clear understanding and plan of what you’re trying to do socially can build a successful online presence that will be an effective tool in your online and offline marketing mix.

Who doesn’t want to be the life of the party?