Ironvine Search Marketing News - October 2006

This weeks topics: Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) Released Google Custom Search Engine eComXpo Online Search Marketing and Affiliate Tradeshow URL.com Reviewed Yahoo! Search Marketing - Panama Google AdWords - New Tools

Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) Released Microsoft Corp. launched it's latest version of Internet Explorer (7)on Thursday Oct. 19, 2006. It is being touted by Microsoft as being more secure, user friendly, and full of new features including tabbed browsing, RSS reader capabilities, pop-up blocker and automatic phishing filter.

As with most Microsoft launches it was met with bugs and a security problem. I have read several people's reports, including one from Danny Sullivan where IE7 seriously messed up the system, including system restore. I also had several issues while installing IE7 that took about 2.5 hrs to resolve and lots of manual operating system fixes / configurations.

After testing IE7 throughout the beta and RC releases there has been some improvement in the functionality and compatibility with current internet standards, but I feel there are certainly some compatibility and stability issues.

Read more about my Internet Explorer 7 installation experience.

Google Custom Search Engine

Google has released a custom search engine that you can add to your own web sites. You are able to customize the search parameters to a fairly decent functional level you would expect from a custom search box. Currently the sign-up page is opening under the Google Co-Op Beta banner, so it may be being added as a splinter application of that program.

Earlier this quarter Yahoo! released its version of a custom search box, Yahoo! Search Builder, you can configure and place on your own site. It includes tracking and reporting on the performance of the search box you add as well.

eComXpo Online Search Marketing and Affiliate Tradeshow

This fall's eComXpo started October 23, 2006. eComXpo is an online virtual tradeshow where search marketers, affiliates and specialists can all attend the show free along with special guest speakers covering about 8-15 topics each day of the show. Attendees can meet with company employees via chat or send emails with vcards attached.

There are over 140 contests and giveaways you can also find while browsing the vendors booths. You can find companies at the show including Google, Yahoo!, Ask, Microsoft, Webmaster Radio, Clicksor, and many more search marketing companies and affiliate marketers.

Read more about the eComXpo.

URL.com Reviewed

Url.com is a new social search engine that pulls the top 10 results from Google, Yahoo, and MSN. The interface is pretty well done and allows users, once registered, to respond to resulting search pages as either a good result or bad. You are able to promote your site or any others you feel deserve it. Interestingly enough a search query on url.com for Ironvine Search Marketing comes up as #5 result on MSN and you are able to click it and vote on your url.com result page.

While using it I did get a "Application error (Rails)" error on going back to the results page from the url.com frame bar. It seems there are a few bugs yet to work out for the developers, but it seems to be a decent service overall.

Yahoo! Search Marketing - Panama

Yahoo! this week has started integrating it's latest paid search interface codenamed "Panama." Most of the new interface won't be applied to general users of Yahoo Search Marketing until first quarter of 2007, but Yahoo has released several previews and tutorials as well as an option to request to be included in Panama as soon as possible.

This update is a long awaited upgrade to a system that was beginning to lag behind both Google AdWords and the new adCenter from Microsoft in tools, features, speed, and usability.

Google Adwords - New Tools

Last Friday, Google AdWords announced on it's blog that 3 new features have been added to Google AdWords. These additions include:

• 'Last thirty days' date range for reports
• Graphs for weekly and hourly reports
• Ad format filters for the site tool

Read the official announcement on the Google AdWords Blog.