Epiphany, Natural search
Microsoft has launched what it describes as a new and improved version of its MSN web portal for UK users, it has been announced.
Among the changes made are links to Windows Live services, such as Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger.
Peter Bale, executive producer of MSN UK, wrote in his blog: "There is more of everything you already enjoy on MSN: the new page is wider, deeper and, we hope you will agree, more useful."
However, one Windows Live blog – LiveSide – says the it is disappointing that the links are not functional and instead simply redirect users to other pages where they can access the required service.
MSN may be keen to acquire a large share of the search engine market, which is currently dominated by Google.
Parent company Microsoft recently complained about a proposed merger between Google and ad tracker DoubleClick, saying the deal would lead to a monopoly.
Epiphany, Natural search
Microsoft is reported to be interested in acquiring a stake in social networking website Facebook.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Bill Gates-owned company sees the acquisition as a way of getting into the online advertising market, thus far dominated by Google.
Reports suggest that the deal – for five per cent of the site – could be worth anything between £150 million to £250 million.
This pricing would value the Facebook website as a whole at around £5 billion.
Market analyst Jim Yin told news agency Bloomberg that Facebook is currently one of the "hottest properties" on the internet.
He added that the move would allow them back into the internet advertising race, which they have so far been losing to the likes of Google and Yahoo!.
"They’re behind and I think they’re slowly making more aggressive steps to build some relationships," he said.
Later this week, Google representatives will appear before the US Senate as the monopoly implications of its proposed acquisition of DoubleClick are discussed.
Epiphany, Paid Search
Marketers that use newsletters can improve their clickthrough rates substantially by changing the words they use in their hyperlinks, it has been claimed.
According to research conducted by Marketing Sherpa, using the optimum keyword arrangement can boost clickthrough by as much as eight per cent.
The research team set out to determine "if a certain phrase could get subscribers to click through to an article more".
A spokesman said that a test was set up using a newsletter with ’soft language’ links such as "click to continue" set against hard language commands such as "read more".
He revealed that the results were a surprise as the softer language commands generated more clicks, contrary to expectations.
"It’s important to realize that the words used by your peers can be relevant to increasing your clickthrough rates," he commented.
In other news today, a study of Hyundai mobile marketing techniques has found that a mobile presence can increase clickthrough by as much as five per cent, eMarketer reports.
Epiphany, Paid Search
Google has advised advertisers and retailers with an online presence to begin thinking about Christmas.
The search engine issued the advice via its Adwords blog, warning retailers that a report entitled Holiday eSpending has found that many consumers are already doing there Christmas shopping – and some claim to have already finished it!
Google has suggested that advertisers create a "fine-tuned winter holiday campaign with specific, narrowly focused ad groups and relevant keywords".
To that end, it recommends use of its Keyword tool as a way of generating the best keyword variations.
Adwords also has a facility that allows users to see the clickthrough rates of their various adverts so that they can see which particular adverts and word combinations are working best.
In related Adwords news, Google has announced that adverts will now be shown on the Google mobile site as well, which consumers can access from mobile phone handsets.
Epiphany, Natural search
A survey of internet users in China has concluded that most have become polarised around one or two search engines.
According to the IDC report, Google and Baidu are the two top search engines in the country.
Google is most likely to be used by college educated web surfers, while Baidu is popular with students, the study concluded.
Just over 47 per cent of respondents said they had used good, while more then 87 per cent had used Baidu.
Internet shopping is a hugely popular use of online facilities in China, with nine out of ten respondents saying they would be buying something online in the coming year.
Jacky Huang of IDC noted that there has been a large increase in residential broadband internet subscribers over the past year.
These have gained access "to a wealth of more advanced applications and services," she added.
Google was recently found to be the most popular search engine with US users in a Nielsen/NetRatings study.
Epiphany, Social Media
Social networking website Facebook is to allow search engines to pick up on profiles that users have created.
In practice, this will allow anyone using a search engine to enter a person’s name and see whatever Facebook entries they have made for themselves, the Indiana Daily Student has reported.
However, the social networking site has been quick to stress that the searches will only pick up on profiles that have not been set to private by the user.
In addition, only profiles of users over the age of 18 will be able to have their profiles seen.
Despite this caveat, media studies professor Ted Striphas told the newspaper that the development left users at a "a significant disadvantage".
This is because they "largely cannot stipulate the terms by which social networking sites should handle personal information," he explained.
Meanwhile, a report from Nielsen/Net ratings has revealed that travel-related search terms were the most popular with internet users in July this year.
Epiphany, Natural search, Paid Search
Businesses – and especially small businesses – need to gain an active understanding of web marketing, it has been claimed.
The advice comes from consultancy firm Web 4 Marketing, who said today that many businesses set up a website and assume that orders will begin pouring in.
A spokesman said that the huge expansion of the internet in recent years means that many product purchases now begin with an online search.
However, he added that the majority of people "don’t understand web marketing … they think that you rush out and create a website and everything happens automatically".
According to the Office for National Statistics, businesses with more than 1,000 employees accounted for £48 of every £100 worth of business done online last year.
In 2003 the figure was £59 and in 2004 it was £55, reflecting a year-on-year rise in the amount of market share that is accounted for by small to medium enterprises.
Epiphany, Paid Search
Multi-media marketing company Saurus has cited the use of techniques such as pay per click advertising as a key factor in its recent success.
The company revealed to the Western Mail that it has made more then £2 million in its first year of trading.
And it claims it used pay per click, search engine optimisation techniques and organic search marketing to get there.
Saurus director of PR Michael Fogg said the company tries to blend "traditional and new media, marketing and public relations" to get the best results.
"I don’t think there is another company in the UK … that has the same sort of balancing of the traditional disciplines of marketing and PR," he claimed.
Pay per click – also known as sponsored links – allows an advertiser to bid on keywords associated with their product.
When a consumer uses a search engine to look for a particular keyword, he or she will be presented with a number of adverts based on that search term.
Epiphany, Social Media
Banning employees from using social networking sites at work is not the best way of dealing with the issue, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has advised.
Sites such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace enjoy widespread popularity and some employers fear that they take up too much of their workforce’s time.
However, a blanket ban is not the optimum solution for dealing with the rise in social networking’s popularity, the TUC says.
"Simply cracking down on use of new Web tools like Facebook is not a sensible solution to a problem that is only going to get bigger," says TUC general secretary Brendan Barber.
"It’s unreasonable for employers to try to stop their staff from having a life outside work, just because they can’t get their heads around the technology," he adds.
According to the TUC, employers would be better served by factoring a little time into each day for employees to use such sites.
In other news today, businesses were advised to spend time and money on their websites to develop their full potential.
Peter Davis of Landgate estate agents said use of such techniques as search engine optimisation can pay big dividends.
Epiphany
The Thai government has relented and lifted a ban on Google-owned video sharing website YouTube.
Internet users in Thailand can once again access the site, which allows people to upload their own video content or access that left by others.
The ban was originally imposed five months ago when a number of videos were left on the site that were derogatory towards the Thai royal family.
Thai culture is on the whole extremely conservative and the royal family is treated – at least publicly – with universal respect.
However, the site will now undergo some voluntary self-censorship, according to Thai information and communications minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom.
"Any clip that we think is illegal, we will inform YouTube and YouTube will have a look independently," he explained.
"If YouTube agrees that it is illegal for Thailand or against Thai culture, they will block it from viewers in Thailand."
Earlier this year, YouTube announced plans to introduce a filter aimed at blocking copyrighted content from appearing on its sites.
The issue has been a controversial one with media groups and commercial content creators, with companies such as Viacom bringing copyright infringement actions against the site.
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