Not As Hot: Google Hot Trends Down From 100 To 40 Results

November 9, 2009

On September 28, 2009, Google reduced the number of Hot Trends results from 100 to 40.

Google Trends 40 Results

Google Trends 40 Results

I hadn’t drilled down into a Google Hot Trends results page since they made the change.

After having been able to see 100 results before, seeing just 40 results feels like I have been cheated out of data.

With the change, Google has also removed results #41 through #100 from all previously available Google Hot Trends archives.

Hot Trends 2008

Hot Trends 2008

I guess the audience’s attention to and preoccupation with real time data has also shrunk their attention span.

Searching A Twitter Followers List

November 8, 2009

Trying to make Twitter followers or following lists actionable requires a lot of hand work.

Its almost not worth it.

Although I am sure there are services or apps out there that simply the whole process, I have yet to find one.

Over time, I have developed some tricks for managing Twitter Followers lists.

This one however may be one of the better strategies I have developed.

It requires foresight and may not translate directly for every Twitter account.

When you set up your Twitter account, set up your Twitter account with a gmail address.

Twitter notifies their account holders via email every time an account receives a new follower.

By using a gmail address, every Twitter follower email notification will be locatable and searchable via gmail search.

Each Twitter follower can be labeled and filed as the come in to keep all of your Twitter followers details in one folder.

Searching a Twitter Followers List

Searching a Twitter Followers List

If you don’t have a gmail account, try using your email client’s search feature to find out whether you can replicate these same type of results or not.

Valuate.com Free Domain Appraisal

November 7, 2009

I received an email from a company I had bought domain appraisals from in the past notifying me of their new free domain appraisal web site – Valuate.com

Valuate.com Free Domain Appraisal

Valuate.com Free Domain Appraisal

I ran several of my domains through their free domain appraisal service and was surprised at how rapidly Valuate.com could render a domain appraisal.

However, the service doesn’t appear to take domain character length into consideration.

For instance, I own about ten four character domains and forty five character domains that didn’t appraise for prices any where near what I have previously been offered.

Their appraisal engine appears to draw heavily from market prices of keywords which is a good thing particularly if keyword value dictated which domains you bought.

Domain owners can appraise up to 200 domains a day for free.

Google Commerce Search

November 5, 2009

Google has announced a new product called Google Commerce Search just in time for the holiday shopping season.

Google Commerce Search provides the following features to online retail enterprises:

  • Enable visitors to find the right products faster
  • Filter results by category, price, brand or other attributes
  • Provide user-friendly spelling options and synonyms
  • Increase website conversions and sales
  • Boost or promote chosen products within search results
  • Deploy search solution in days, and scale effortlessly
  • Customize, track, and optimize performance

Webinars on Google Commerce Search  are scheduled for November 12, 2009 (12 PM PST), November 17, 2009 (8 AM PST) and December 3, 2009 (10 AM PST).

Watch the video demo of Google Commerce Search below to learn more.

Google Local Business Center Survey

November 4, 2009

Google is surveying its Local Business Center audience for feedback to help improve its local business listings product.

Today while logging into my Google Local Business Center account, I noticed this message:

“Tell us what you think! Take our 5 minute survey and help improve Local Business Center.”

I took Google up on their offer and quickly completed the following four page survey.

Google Local Business Center Feedback I

Google Local Business Center Feedback I

The first page of the Google Local Business Center survey asks –

1. Overall, how satisfied are you with Google Local Business Center?

2. How likely is it that you would recommend Google Local Business Center to a friend or colleague?

The survey then asks users to indicate their satisfaction with Google Local Business Center in the following dimensions: Ease of Use, Visual Appeal, Technical Reliability, Features and Capabilities, Trustworthiness, Privacy and Security and the Listing verification process.

Next, Local Business Center users are asked “Which aspects of your Google Local Business Center listing are most important to you” followed by a drop down answer box for answering the question –  “when did you first visit the Local Business Center?”

Which of the following answers are most important to you as a business listing manager?

People finding directions to my business
People clicking through to my website
People writing ratings & reviews
People contacting (calling or emailing) my business
People viewing the details of my listing (hours, pictures, descriptions, ratings & reviews)
Getting analytics & reporting on how my listing is performing

Google Local Business Center Feedback Satisfaction II

Google Local Business Center Feedback Satisfaction II

The second page of the survey asks the following four multiple choice questions pertaining to listing management:

When did you first use Google Local Business Center?
How did you verify your business listing in Google Local Business Center?
How long has it been since you last visited Google Local Business Center?
Which best describes your role or roles regarding the business or businesses you have listed on Google Local Business Center?

Google Local Business Center Feedback Process III

Google Local Business Center Feedback Process III

The third page asks the following three questions:

Which best describes the business(es) you are listing on Google Local Business Center?

What is the preferred way for your customers to contact the business you own or manage?
(If you have an appointment-based business, how do you prefer customers reach you to schedule an appointment?)

What are other ways you promote the business you own or manage (online & offline)?

While the forth and final question on the third page of the survey asks users to indicate which of the following ten (mostly Google) products they use:

Google AdWords
Google Analytics
Google AdSense
Google Coupons inside Local Business Listing
Google Checkout
Search engine optimization service (a company that improves your website ranking on search engines like Google.com)
Google webmaster tools
Yahoo! Local listing
MS Live search maps
Other online advertising (Yahoo Ads, Microsoft adCenter, etc.)

Google Local Business Survey IV

Google Local Business Survey IV

The final page of Google’s Local Business survey incorporates the users answers from the previous pages and then asks for further clarification while also asking the Local Business Center user to provide additional comments about the LBC product if they choose to do so.

Please describe any problems or difficulties you have experienced with Google Local Business center today. (optional)

What if anything do you find frustrating or unappealing about Google Local Business Center?(optional)

What do you like best about Google Local Business Center? (optional)

Local Business Center Survey V

Local Business Center Survey V

Uncharacteristically, the final page of the survey asked whether or not I would be willing to be contacted again with more research questions about the Google Local Business Center.

Google Local Business Center Survey VI

Google Local Business Center Survey VI

I checked affirmative and then provided my email address.

It will be interesting to see what – if anything – transpires from the data Google gathers from their Local Business Center Audience survey.

If you haven’t received a survey in your LBC, feel free to answer any of the above questions in the comments section of this post.

Sex May Get Attention But It Doesn’t Get Twitter Followers

November 3, 2009

Correction: using sex in this post title and then publicizing it through Twitter will most certainly get my Twitter account new followers – just not the kind I prefer.

Being both a student of Search and Twitter audience behaviors results in my blogging and Tweeting about a variety of subjects not necessarily germane to marketing.

However, errant blog posts and Tweets can often produce as much value as on topic posts if not more.

Case in point – several days ago I Tweeted several links about the CIT bankruptcy – a subject I don’t particularly follow or have an ongoing interest in. However, the CIT bankruptcy was news at that particular time.

I also knew at the time of my post I would receive a bunch of auto follows from Twitter bot ran accounts.

Sure enough, the usual porn accounts autofollowed my account – which by the way can be nipped in the bud now with the Twitter report as spam link within Twitter accounts.

Report As Twitter Spam

Report As Twitter Spam

Then as expected my Twitter account was also auto-followed by Twitter accounts peddaling bankruptcy products and services.

Great marketing prowess Twidiots!

Because these Twitter spammers know their message will more than likely fall on deaf ears, they have jazzed up their profile pics with rather suggestive photos of women.

Twitters

Twitters

Nope, I am not in the market for whatever it is you are selling.

Twatters

Twatters

Although both are examples of a rather creative attempt at engaging the attention of Twitter accounts auto-followed who may also actually look at who is following them, it didn’t induce me to follow them back.

What’s the difference between a Twitter spammer pushing their message at me and the telemarketer who calls my phone – just because I have a telephone number?

Not much.

Thus – an open letter to Twitter spammers:

Dear Twitter Spammers,

My Twitter account is hereby officially placed on the Do Not Tweet Me Twitter Spam List.

Sincerely,

Tweet Spam Me Not

From this point forward – at least after this post appears – I will have to edit and sculpt my Tweets carefully in order to make sure my Twitter profile is sculpted in a way that enriches the Twitter experience – not one that devalues it.

Confirming A Google Local Business Listing

November 1, 2009

While logged into my Google account, I searched for my business name and noticed for the first time by my Local Business Center listing a link labeled – “Is this accurate?”

Google Local Listing Is This Accurate

Google Local Listing Is This Accurate

Apparently this type of user editing has been around for awhile but I don’t recall ever seeing it.

Google Local Listing Confirm Cancel

Google Local Listing Confirm Cancel

I logged out of my Google Account and then searched the term again only to see the same “Is this accurate” link again.

Clicking through then produced a set of options to confirm or cancel – “This address, phone number, map or business info is not accurate.”

While finding Google Local Business Center listing data annotation on one level is encouraging, the absense of clearly defined rules at the source as to who can or can’t append a Google Local Business Center listing remains disconcerting.

I am sure there are myriad reasons why Google has chosen to go about managing its business listing data in this manner.

In lieu of a clear set of Local Business Center rules, what those reasons are remain a mystery.

Halloween Search Insights 2009

October 31, 2009

Using Google Insights for search tool is excellent way to visualize search behavior over time particularly the cyclicality of seasonal shopping.

For instance as expected, interest in Halloween is virtually non-existent during the majority of the year and then begins to gradually increase as Halloween approaches.

Halloween Web Search Interest

Halloween Web Search Interest

The commercialization of Halloween is reflected through regional search interest in the subject with the United States and Canada generating a disproportionate amount of search queries as compared to other countries.

Regional Search Interest

Regional Search Interest

Halloween costumes and parties searches illustrate the commercial nature of Halloween while also signaling purchase intent.

Halloween Search Terms

Halloween Search Terms

Businesses of all types and sizes can use Google Insights for search to investigate and identify what if any seasonal shopping trends may exist within their markets.