Google To Go Public in April

Bloomburg announced that Google is to go public in April at a value of $12 Billion. The company is expected to raise as much as $4 Billion by selling 1/3 of the company. The Wall Street Journal said that Yahoo! is to dump Google in the comming months, possibly as early as the first quarter.

Yahoo Using Inktomi

Many people have claimed to have seen this on a limited basis, but I have been seeing Ink on Google for a while today. I was first tipped off by my friend at Just Paper Roses.com. I have asked some other people and the switch appears to be only be seen by some.

People in the past have been happy with Google search (Google is one of the top brands in the world right now). With Yahoo branding the hell out of Yahoo search they want people to think Yahoo search. They do not want people thinking Inktomi or Google. It really would not make sense for them to announce a change. With Google's recent massive algorithm shift and upcomming IPO this would be a good time to switch search results.

Again, only some people are seeing the shift, but today is the first time I have. Time for me to tweak a few pages :)

Inktomi relies more heavily on page criteria vice links. The problem with really optimizing a page up for Inktomi is that one might trip the believed over optimization filter of Google. To give you an example of how easy it is to optimize for Inktomi take a look at this search for "website copywriters." Somewhere in the top few pages you will see my Website Copywriters on Search Marketing Info page which is rather short and has low link popularity.

There are a few techniques I would recommend:

1.) optimize the pages each for different terms by search engine. If one sold 5 HTP, they could optimize Inktomi for 5 HTP, and they could optimize the same page for 5 Hydroxytryptophan on Google. This should help you pick up traffic in the short term while you

2.) build a solid linking campaign which will eventually lift you in both engines for the desired terms

Some people may recommend making pages in two different versions (one for each engine), on a rare occasion I may try this. I do not recommend building an entire site this way though as it will make updating confusing. The end goal should be to generally have a strong enough link network that you can do well on both engines.

The SEO Vent

Often times people come up to SEOs with rehashed boring old ideas they view as exciting and original. I will not usually work for a share of future profits and I will not build your online Canadian pharmacy website for you...

read The SEO Vent

The Strugles of a Directory

Here is another one of my articles. This one talks about the strugles that face directories today. Directories even as large in scale as the virtual library get rebuilt with newer and smaller sub directories.

My article also announces the launching of my new site Directory Archives .com

Search at MSN vs Yahoo vs Google

Why must people who know absolutely nothing about search write articles about search engines? A recent Zacks article by Steve Harmon states "In my opinion Google has replaced Yahoo (YHOO already. More people use a search box than want to use a `directory` style hierarchy that Yahoo built."

Where has this guy been? Has he not seen Yahoo branding its search product? Their directory is more of a novelty now. When you go to Yahoo its Yahoo Search they are pushing, not the Yahoo directory.

Also has this guy failed to notice Yahoo gobbling up 3 of the 5 biggest crawler based search engines and the number one pay per click engine?

Google may be ahead, but it is certainly not because of Yahoo promoting its directory.

Later he asks "Remember Netscape?" - building a competitive search engine for the entire world knowledge database is most likely a tad bit harder than building a browser.

Then he states "Best bet is for Yahoo and Google to merge and take on Microsoft before Microsoft`s next version of Windows -- nicknamed Longhorn -- debuts with search and other features built in everywhere."

It does not matter if they make search accessible everywhere...it is the quality of the search the led people to Google. If nothing else, pushing MSN search on people will cause more negative press from people critical of MSN.

Free SEO Book

So I finally wrote my SEO book that i was promising to give away on Christmas. Currently it is a 24 page HTML document you can view for a limited time by clicking here.

I also added a reference index in the last day...I may place it in PDF format...what do you think?

thanks
aaron

A MicroSoft Christmas

Just a reminder to those who do not have good Inktomi placement that MSN is to be dumping LookSmart in about a half a month (Jan 15). Some speculate that MSN may want to eventually shift to Ask Jeeves until it gets its technology in order.

I presume that MSN will stick with Inktomi until it builds its own technology. With Yahoo desiring to part ways with Google it is certain they will be investing heavily into making Inktomi a competitive product.

MSN will become competitve and remain so by the natural market forces of competition between Yahoo and Google... until it creates its own search product... You can check your Inktomi placement using Hotbot on its default setting, or by useing Pure Search provided by PositionTech.

Skaffe Web Directory

Recently Skaffe and GoGuides split ownership. Many have speculated that neither directory will be able to exist with split resources.

Today I submitted a friends website (Paradise Maui) to Skaffe and today I got an email reply stating the submission was accepted to the category I submitted using the exact text I submitted it with.

With the frustration many other directories offer, (such as DMOZ) this is an exceptionally refreshing approach, which forces me to give free advertising to Skaffe! You can submit your site either by becoming an editor or paying a one time $39.99 fee to have your site reviewed. 4 out of every 24 hours will also have a limited time free review open!

Top Ten Usability Errors 2003

The more you read, the more you realize how narcissistic many top professionals are. Everyone believes that what they are doing is not getting its fair share of coverage.

The experts are usually viewed as the experts for a reason though. While they may say some incorrect or far reaching ideas, most of their ideas are "Spot On."

With that being said here are Jakob Nielson's "Top Ten Usability Errors of 2003."

Black Hat SEO

Ok so we all need to have a little fun now and then. As I stated earlier I have been trying out some of the directory script software.

Here is a fully functional tounge in cheek directory I titled "Black Hat SEO"

Thanks Bob for telling me the origin of tounge in cheek.

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