Recently you might have noticed that some of the sponsored results on Google searches feature a small strip showing Yelp reviews on sponsored link ads. This appears to be a new feature that Google is testing out on some AdWords ads.

Users are given the option of clicking the regular ad that directs the user to the advertisers web site or they can click the Yelp link that directs the user to the advertisers Yelp page. If the user clicks the Yelp link the advertisers is not charged for the click-through.

This is most likely a Google experiment that is close related to Googles current desire to acquire Yelp. Google has been pushing to develop their own local map feature with stronger ratings and information that rivals Yelps network. We will see if Google continues this practice and makes it a permanent feature in returned sponsored links.

Users currently don’t have any control over when or how their ad shows Yelp reviews or if they even show reviews at all. Google chooses at their own desecration to integrate Yelp reviews with ads on a semi random basis. From my observation Google will only show Yelp reviews in your advertisement if your business has a critical mass of 5 star ratings or ratings in general.

We will see if Google continues the practice encouraging more Google advertisers to build their Yelp reviews so that their Google Ads are more attractive. This will be an interesting new addition to advertising optimization on the Google ad network.

Google Search Showing Yelp Reviews in Sponsored Results

Tags: Google, Sponsored Links, Yelp.

Google the powerhouse of intenet search has slipped slightly in market share since the launch of Microsoft Corp.’s rejuvenated Internet search engine Bing.

Microsoft has been heavily marketing Bing in hopes of reviving their search engine. Based on recent search volume reports from Hitwise, Microsoft’s efforts have been meet with moderate success helping to increase Bing’s share of the U.S. search market to 9.5% in August from 8% in the prior month, as Google and Yahoo saw their respective search volume shares weaken.

If we look at charts of search market share before Microsoft unveiled Bing in May we can see that Google was controlling a dominant portion of searches accounting for nearly 73% of all searches. Since the launch of Bing, Google has fallen slightly to 70.46% as of September.

Yahoo has remained fairly steady while the small player ask.com has seen its market share cut in half, they now account for a slim 2.5% of searches.

For small businesses and search marketers this is just a small reminder to not ignore smaller search engines Bing and Yahoo in your search optimization efforts.

Bing and Yahoo both have loyal followings so it is important for site owners and marketers to not ignore theses search engines. Make sure Yahoo and Bing index your site if it is not be sure to submit your site to the search feature as well as the local listing center. A favorable ranking on theses sites can still deliver steady targeted traffic

If Bing the “Decision Engine” campaign takes off we could see continual growth in search volume performed on this search engine. Bing’s search algorithm is not as good as Google’s in my opinion when it comes to providing relevant results but I am sure they are continually improving this issue and with their cool new UI they cold see growth as consumers give Bing a try. Keep your eye on the horizon as Yahoo and Bing push for a modest level of parity in the market place.

Tags: ask.com, Bing, Google, Search Market Share, Yahoo.

Today Google’s Gmail service was down for at least half an hour leaving thousands of Gmail users high and dry. The extended down time only effected a portion of Gmail users but quickly Twitter feeds were filled with chat about Google’s down time.

Perhaps we put to much faith in Google’s services. Most of Google’s services are web based so users interact with the program on Google’s servers via the internet, rather than running the program from your host computer. This forces Google to continually maintain their server uptimes so services are available to consumers and customers, interruption free.

Most popular hosting services, including Google, boast of reliability, advertising 99.9% server uptimes. At first look this sounds like a very high uptime and makes the hosting service appear very reliable but upon a quick analysis we find that there are 43,200 minutes in a 30-day month, so with 99.9 % up time we are left with roughly 43 minutes of server down time.

When you quantify this claim your server suddenly doesn’t seem as reliable.  We might not feel like 40 minutes is very long but when you are running a business and you rely solely on a web based application you can encounter problems if there is any unexpected server down time.

To help protect yourself and your business from errors and server down time in Google’s applications there are a few simple precautions you can implement that safe guard you against program malfunction and server problems.

My initial recommendation is to set up POP or IMAP forwarding to an email client like Outlook, Apple Mail, or Thunderbird. This will ensure that if the web application is down the POP/IMAP feed will be sent to your mail client. For example during Google’s most recent down time the POP/IMAP feed was still running.

Web based applications are not infallible and they are subject to downtimes. Google has many business tools that have become engrained with many business core functions and down time can result in problems. If you rely on these applications having a backup plan can save you and your organization from future embarrassment.

Tags: Google, Server Up Time, Web Applications.

Recent negotiations between Yahoo and Goggle have lead to a pending partnership. Yahoo will now host Google adwords within its own search engine.

Yahoo will continue to display its own paid search advertisements right next to Google’s ads. An interesting juxtaposition that is sure to cause some initial confusion.

A statement released by Yahoo estimates that the union would bring in an additional $800 million in ad revenue annually. Google and Yahoo will share the revenue generated from the partnership, which is estimated to produce $250 million to $450 million in operating cash flow for Yahoo in year one.

This partnership is sure to increase Google’s preeminence in the search advertising market while increasing the reach of Google’s brand. Google already has a similar ad agreement with AOL and Ask.com.

A Yahoo/Google ad merger has some interesting implications for search marketers. The reach of Google adwords will be greatly increased and the possibilities for reaching new market segments all in one application is a nice benefit, but all of this is going to come with a cost. The pay per click and pay per impression cost of ads will increase due to the rising demand for Google’s ad services.

This move comes at an opportune time for both companies. With the current financial crisis and rapidly declining stock values both companies are sure to benefit from the increased cash flow. But this move is especially important for Yahoo because it will help Yahoo retain their current customer base and help revive the declining usage of Yahoo’s SERP (search engine results page) and allow them to survive in the market place with out a Microsoft buyout.

Anti-trust concerns have been waged. However, most analysts contend that the deal will withstand regulatory inspection. Until committee approval is reached Yahoo and Google have voluntarily delayed the agreement.

I guess in the end sharing is caring. 

Tags: Adwords, Google, Merger, search marketing, Yahoo.