maine web development, web design, internet marketing

We heard about it last year and now we’re finally seeing it action – partly, anyway.  As Amanda pointed out last week, up to 25% of  Yahoo’s organic search results in the U.S. are being powered by Bing and up to 3.5% may see paid listings from Microsoft adCenter.  The difference won’t be noticeable unless you’re one of the lucky searchers to see the “Powered by Bing” badge on the bottom of a results page (they’re currently testing this badge on just some of the results, but once it’s fully rolled out, it will be on the bottom of all the results pages).  I went to Yahoo to see if I could get a glimpse of a Bing-branded results page by performing a million (read: ten) searches but it was not to be.  Seriously, after 10 searches on Yahoo, I had to leave; I felt like a foreigner in a strange land (I’m a Googler).

When will it ALL be Bing?

Microsoft and Yahoo are currently doing tests for organic and paid results and if all goes well, the US and Canada will see all Bing-powered results in desktop and mobile searches as early as August (August/September is the current time frame).  The paid search platform transition to Microsoft adCenter will be undergoing a bit more testing, but is expected to be fully live by October.

Obviously, this is a pretty big transition, especially for those folks who currently use Yahoo Search Marketing for their PPC campaigns.  Yahoo is trying to make this as smooth of a transition as possible, and has a bunch of information regarding the change.  Not only do they have a complete site called the “Yahoo Transition Center” dedicated to it, there are also helpful posts on the Yahoo Search Marketing blog.

What about the rest of the world?

I haven’t read anything yet about when they plan to integrate the Bing-powered organic results internationally, but for PPC, international advertisers should see the move to Microsoft adCenter in early 2012.  Again, this will all be dependent on a successful roll out in the United States and Canada.

On the tail of this news, Yahoo Japan just announced that it plans to use Google’s search engine technology for their organic and paid search instead of Bing.  Although this may be a bit of a blow to Microsoft, Yahoo only holds a minority stake in Yahoo Japan and cannot stop them from using Google as an alternative.  This proves to be an interesting move, considering that comScore’s figures show that Japan has the third largest number of searches conducted as of December 2009 (behind the US and China).  A good portion of Japan’s searches could be Google-powered if everything goes as planned.

Are you excited about this change?  Are you mad because I dissed Yahoo?  Let me know!

There has been so much “buzz” about Google Buzz, and the 100 other things Google launches every week, I’ve been wondering what Bing has been up to lately.  I’ve seen various blog posts and comments from people stating they are becoming less endeared to Google due to all the new features they’ve introduced into the SERPs (such as the real time results) and that Bing may becoming a more viable option for search.  With this in mind, I found some very interesting Bing developments in its quest to steal some search market share from the almighty Google.

Bing Provides Facebook Web Search Results

Did anyone else notice that the new Facebook layout now displays the Search box at the top of every page you’re on?  Kind of like a search engine, no?  But that’s a topic for a whole different post.  For now, check out the “Web Results” for a search I did in Facebook on Google Buzz:

Yep, Bing’s search deal with Facebook allows it to power the web portion of all searches people type into the social networking site.  Plus, when you click to the next page for more web search results, the top of the page says “Find more Web Results on Bing.com“.  This could definitely result in an increased search volume for Bing if Facebook really starts emphasizing the search feature.

Bing + iPhone

It’s rumored that Apple will make Bing the default search engine on the iPhone with its next software update, replacing Google.  Apple and Google used to get along and play nice, but now they are competing in the same markets (phones, browsers, operating systems, etc).  If the deal goes through, Bing will start covering some ground in the mobile search area as well.  Obviously, it’s not going to oust Google from the top spot, but it would take a nice bite out of the search numbers if this comes to fruition.

Microsoft-Yahoo Search Deal Finalized

The news dropped in July 2009 that Yahoo will be ditching its search technology in favor of Bing’s.  What does that mean exactly?  You will still be able to go to Yahoo.com and do a search, but the results returned to you will be provided by Bing.  Essentially, Yahoo and Bing will have become one and Bing will be the #2 search engine in the game.  The two companies finally came to terms with exactly what the deal will encompass back in December.  The only thing left is an investigation by the US Department of Justice, which is mandated when two businesses strike a deal of this nature.  Microsoft and Yahoo don’t anticipate any problems with the review and are hoping to make it all official in the first quarter of this year.

I do not believe that Bing will ever be numero uno when it comes to search engines, but Microsoft is not letting any opportunities go to waste.  If Bing is the default search on the iPhone (and it’s already the default on various non-Droid Verizon phones), it could potentially start cutting similar deals (Firefox maybe?) and really start to put some heat on Google.  And why not? I think it’s nice to see some healthy competition and give searchers some different options.

This is an entry in our daily Internet Marketing Advent Calendar series. Each day your favorite marketing elves Kasi and Amanda will focus on a new topic to get your internet marketing in order before the start of the new year.

Back when I was a kid, the internet wasn’t around. I mean, it had been developed and all that, but it wasn’t accessible to us “regular” folks yet. So, aside from a newscast here or there about his whereabouts, I just had to believe that he would make it to my house that night. I couldn’t obsessively see where he had already visited and track his path.

Kids today are so lucky! Now, just by doing a simple search, they can find tons of Santa Trackers at their disposal! When I typed “Santa Claus” into Bing and Google, it actually suggested “Santa Claus tracker”. Check out some of these cool sites and enjoy!

Santa Update

NORAD Tracks Santa

Santa Radar

I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for tuning in this month to our Internet Marketing Advent Calendar.

Read the rest of the Internet Marketing Advent Calendar

• Dec. 23 – Is Blogging and Social Media New or Retro?
• Dec. 22 – This is NOT My Predictions Post
• Dec. 21 – Santa’s Helper Keyword Quick Tip # 2: Google’s Wonder Wheel
• Dec 20 – The Top 10 Searches of 2009
• Dec. 19 – It is OK to be a Person, Especially When Blogging
• Dec. 18 – New Toy from Google
• Dec. 17 – 2010 SEO Predictions
• Dec. 16 – Bing Shows Love to iPhone Users With Free App
• Dec. 15 – Your Charlie Brown Social Media Strategy
• Dec. 14 – A gift to you from Seth Godin
• Dec. 13 – Is Google Real Time Search Naughty or Nice?
• Dec. 12 – Santa’s Little Helper Quick Tip: Finding Long Tail Keywords
• Dec. 11 – LinkedIn, the Velveteen Rabbit of Social Media Websites
• Dec. 10 – Protecting Your Content
• Dec. 9 – Don’t Forget the Milk & Cookies (Good Content)
• Dec. 8 – Google Makes it (Even More) Personal
• Dec. 7 – Customer Service and Marketing
• Dec. 6 – Social Media Didn’t Invent Criticism
• Dec. 5 – Email is the frosting to your gingerbread house
• Dec. 4 – Is Google Caffeine on Your Holiday Wish List?
• Dec. 3 – Don’t Forget to Make Your Title Tags and Check ‘Em Twice
• Dec. 2 – Your Mobile Website
• Dec. 1 – Your Holiday Card List (Your Network)

This is an entry in our daily Internet Marketing Advent Calendar series. Each day your favorite marketing elves Kasi and Amanda will focus on a new topic to get your internet marketing in order before the start of the new year.

As we’re looking ahead to the new year, it’s also tradition to recap the year that is coming to a close. What’s the best way to remember what was on the collective minds of the US in 2009? With the top 10 searches in Google, Yahoo, and Bing, of course!

Google.com – Fastest Rising

1. twitter
2. michael jackson
3. facebook
4. hulu
5. hi5
6. glee
7. paranormal activity
8. natasha richardson
9. farrah fawcett
10. lady gaga

Yahoo.com

1. Michael Jackson
2. “Twilight”
3. WWE
4. Megan Fox
5. Britney Spears — bumped from No. 1 after four straight years, according to Yahoo
6. Naruto
7. “American Idol”
8. Kim Kardashian
9. NASCAR
10. Runescape

Bing.com

1. Michael Jackson
2. Twitter
3. Swine Flu
4. Stock Market
5. Farrah Fawcett
6. Patrick Swayze
7. Cash for Clunkers
8. Jon and Kate Gosselin
9. Billy Mays
10. Jaycee Dugard

I figured that Michael Jackson would have dominated all three, but Twitter actually came out on top in Google. It’s always fun to see the differences between the search engines. I was surprised that Lady Gaga wasn’t in the top 10 for at least 2 out of 3, with her dramatic rise in the music scene (not to mention her, um, odd choices in costumes). Still, I’m sure some conclusions can be drawn about the different demographics that use the different engines. What do you think it means?

Read the rest of the Internet Marketing Advent Calendar

• Dec. 19 – It is OK to be a Person, Especially When Blogging
• Dec. 18 – New Toy from Google
• Dec. 17 – 2010 SEO Predictions
• Dec. 16 – Bing Shows Love to iPhone Users With Free App
• Dec. 15 – Your Charlie Brown Social Media Strategy
• Dec. 14 – A gift to you from Seth Godin
• Dec. 13 – Is Google Real Time Search Naughty or Nice?
• Dec. 12 – Santa’s Little Helper Quick Tip: Finding Long Tail Keywords
• Dec. 11 – LinkedIn, the Velveteen Rabbit of Social Media Websites
• Dec. 10 – Protecting Your Content
• Dec. 9 – Don’t Forget the Milk & Cookies (Good Content)
• Dec. 8 – Google Makes it (Even More) Personal
• Dec. 7 – Customer Service and Marketing
• Dec. 6 – Social Media Didn’t Invent Criticism
• Dec. 5 – Email is the frosting to your gingerbread house
• Dec. 4 – Is Google Caffeine on Your Holiday Wish List?
• Dec. 3 – Don’t Forget to Make Your Title Tags and Check ‘Em Twice
• Dec. 2 – Your Mobile Website
• Dec. 1 – Your Holiday Card List (Your Network)