Microsoft has picked a top search technologist and former senior Yahoo executive to run the struggling division that battles Google most directly.
Qi Lu, a 47-year-old computer scientist who left Yahoo in August after a decade there, will be president of the Online Services Group, a high-profile position vacant since July.
It's another in a string of significant Microsoft hires from Yahoo, which the Redmond company was willing to buy for $47.5 billion earlier this year in a bid to quickly gain ground on Google in the online search and advertising businesses.
Lu, who was executive vice president of engineering at Yahoo's Search and Advertising Technology Group, takes the helm Jan. 5 of a major division that includes Microsoft's efforts in Internet search, digital advertising and MSN content.
"It's an unusually technical hire for that group," said Matt Rosoff, analyst at Directions on Microsoft. "The last few leaders have been business leaders from a sales and marketing background."
Kevin Johnson, who oversaw this business before leaving Microsoft in September, earlier headed worldwide sales at the company.
The selection of a technical leader like Lu underscores Microsoft's focus on "building a solid first-party search and advertising platform," Rosoff said.
In a statement, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer praised Lu's "deep technical expertise, leadership capabilities and hardworking mentality."
At the same time, Microsoft announced the departure of Brian McAndrews, a senior vice president who joined the company from aQuantive, the Seattle digital-ad company Microsoft acquired in 2007.
McAndrews, who comes from a business and media background, was reportedly an internal candidate for the online job.
Observers differed on what the move indicates about Microsoft's appetite for Yahoo's search business. Some think it makes an ideal precursor to a deal, while others say it looks like Microsoft is focusing on its own efforts.
Ballmer has been clear that Microsoft is no longer interested in buying all of Yahoo, whose stock closed Thursday at the bargain basement price of $11.05. But the chief executive said as recently as Nov. 19 that a collaboration on Internet search remained "an interesting possibility."
Sid Parakh, a McAdams Wright Ragen analyst, said the collection of former Yahoo search talent at Microsoft could suggest the company has shifted back to a strategy of build rather than buy.
"Google is the technology leader in the industry, and to catch up with them there is clearly a lot of technology development that Microsoft is undertaking at this point," he said.
In October, Google had 63.1 percent of the U.S. search market. Yahoo had 20.5 percent and Microsoft had 8.5 percent, according to comScore.
A primary reason Microsoft sought to acquire Yahoo was to quickly gain a significant chunk of search-market share, but both companies have seen their share deteriorate as Google's continues to grow.
Parakh speculated Microsoft may be planning to chip away at Google over a longer period of time without having to spend several billion dollars on Yahoo's search business.
The addition of Lu could help attract even more former Yahoo employees.
Yahoo recognized Lu as a magnet for top computer scientists. "Qi has attracted some of the best and brightest talent, amassing a world-class team of search engineers," Yahoo Chief Technology Officer Farzad Nazem said in a news release in 2006, when Lu was promoted.
On the other hand, if Microsoft were to pursue a search deal, it could have no better guide than Lu.
"It appears from this appointment that Microsoft is setting the table for a partnership or acquisition of Yahoo's search business," Mark Simon, vice president of industry relations at Didit, a New York search-engine marketing firm, said via e-mail.
"Qi Lu could be the key component in the successful integration of a platform that he knows blindfolded."
At Microsoft, Lu will oversee several groups under the broad Online Services umbrella, one of two divisions created in July from the 14,000-employee Platforms and Services Division. The other is the hugely profitable Windows group.
The revamp occurred when longtime division President Kevin Johnson abruptly left to become Juniper Networks' CEO.
Groups reporting to Lu include:
• Advertiser and Publisher Solutions, previously run by McAndrews and now led by Scott Howe, another former aQuantive executive, who was promoted to corporate vice president;
• Online Audience, led by Yusuf Mehdi, a senior vice president who has been an active digital-deal maker and strategist at Microsoft;
• Online Services Research and Development, led by Senior Vice President Satya Nadella.
• Online Services Finance, led by Rik van der Kooi, who was promoted to corporate vice president.
Yahoo, searching for a new CEO to replace co-founder Jerry Yang and regrouping after the disintegration of an advertising deal with Google, "remains committed to algorithmic and sponsored search, with a strong search-technology team that includes some of the industry's brightest engineers," spokeswoman Kim Rubey said via e-mail.
She said Lu "was a valued Yahoo who made important contributions during his time with us. We wish him every success in his career."
Friday, December 5, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
InsWeb Partners with ClearGauge to Improve Accessibility to Insurance Quote Comparisons via Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) December 3, 2008 -- InsWeb, a leading online insurance marketplace, has partnered with ClearGauge, an online marketing and Web analytics firm, to help consumers find InsWeb’s expansive insurance product resources via Google™, Yahoo™, and other search engines. ClearGauge will focus on optimizing InsWeb’s two primary websites -- insweb.com, and agentinsider.com.
InsWeb provides consumers with the ability to compare auto, term life and homeowners insurance rates from some of the most respected insurance companies in the industry. InsWeb also provides an extensive knowledgebase of insurance information through its online Learning Center.
“InsWeb has helped millions of consumers compare insurance quotes from multiple companies since our founding in 1995,” says Brad Cooper, SVP of Marketing at InsWeb. “Partnering with ClearGauge to optimize our website for search is the next step in reaching out to a broader audience and helping even more consumers save money.”
ClearGauge will customize and implement their Search Engine Optimization (SEO) program for InsWeb’s websites. In addition, ClearGauge web analysts will use their expertise to implement and closely measure user experience and overall website performance through the use of web analytics in order to continuously improve visitor success rates and satisfaction. By properly combining SEO and web analytics, ClearGauge helps companies attract the most relevant buyers and influencers and provide their visitors with a successful web experience.
“We are delighted to have been given an opportunity to team with InsWeb, a clear leader in the online insurance space, on such an important initiative for their company,” states Karen Breen Vogel, President & CEO of ClearGauge. “SEO is a critical way to connect a company’s offerings and value to people searching for those solutions on the Internet. If a company wants to be competitive and attract the people who need them, they need to engage themselves with experienced professionals such as those at ClearGauge who continue to advance their knowledge of search engine algorithms and best practices for optimization.”
About ClearGauge
ClearGauge is an online marketing services and consulting firm that has improved business results for many leading companies such as GE Commercial Finance, Dow Chemical, and Sage Software Healthcare by increasing their visibility on the major search engines.
InsWeb provides consumers with the ability to compare auto, term life and homeowners insurance rates from some of the most respected insurance companies in the industry. InsWeb also provides an extensive knowledgebase of insurance information through its online Learning Center.
“InsWeb has helped millions of consumers compare insurance quotes from multiple companies since our founding in 1995,” says Brad Cooper, SVP of Marketing at InsWeb. “Partnering with ClearGauge to optimize our website for search is the next step in reaching out to a broader audience and helping even more consumers save money.”
ClearGauge will customize and implement their Search Engine Optimization (SEO) program for InsWeb’s websites. In addition, ClearGauge web analysts will use their expertise to implement and closely measure user experience and overall website performance through the use of web analytics in order to continuously improve visitor success rates and satisfaction. By properly combining SEO and web analytics, ClearGauge helps companies attract the most relevant buyers and influencers and provide their visitors with a successful web experience.
“We are delighted to have been given an opportunity to team with InsWeb, a clear leader in the online insurance space, on such an important initiative for their company,” states Karen Breen Vogel, President & CEO of ClearGauge. “SEO is a critical way to connect a company’s offerings and value to people searching for those solutions on the Internet. If a company wants to be competitive and attract the people who need them, they need to engage themselves with experienced professionals such as those at ClearGauge who continue to advance their knowledge of search engine algorithms and best practices for optimization.”
About ClearGauge
ClearGauge is an online marketing services and consulting firm that has improved business results for many leading companies such as GE Commercial Finance, Dow Chemical, and Sage Software Healthcare by increasing their visibility on the major search engines.
Search Engine Optimization Company Submit Express Hires New Vice President of Sales and Marketing
BURBANK, Calif., Dec 02, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Submit Express is pleased to announce that Allen Horwitz has joined the company as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Submit Express has been in the vanguard of the search engine optimization (SEO) industry since its founding ten years ago. As a proven leader of technology sales and marketing teams with more than 20 years of IT experience, Horwitz will significantly enhance the company's position as a search engine marketing (SEM) innovator.
As the Submit Express Sales and Marketing VP, Horwitz will play a leading role in iClimber, a division of Submit Express which provides premier search engine marketing services such as social media marketing, video optimization, blogging, and content writing.
"I'm excited to be involved with a company that can offer both industry-leading SEO services via Submit Express and cutting-edge SEM services via iClimber," Horwitz said. "I'm also eager to accelerate the revenue growth that has earned Submit Express a spot on the Inc. 5000 list and the Deloitte Technology Fast 500."
As a Senior Area Manager promoting voice and data integration products at Nortel, Horwitz began establishing an impressive track record of marketing success, increasing sales volume on one product from $500,000 to $3.5 million in just six months. After five years at Nortel, Horwitz accepted a position at PCC Network Solutions, and in less than three years had added $4 million in incremental revenues, eventually becoming the company's Vice President of Business Development.
Before embarking on the sales and marketing portion of his career, Horwitz was a network engineer. He transitioned to sales and marketing when one of his projects became the focus of a marketing campaign at ADC Telecommunications. He has worked extensively with a variety of telecommunications technologies, including the design, installation, and maintenance of voice/data networks and fiber optics-based systems.
As the Submit Express Sales and Marketing VP, Horwitz will play a leading role in iClimber, a division of Submit Express which provides premier search engine marketing services such as social media marketing, video optimization, blogging, and content writing.
"I'm excited to be involved with a company that can offer both industry-leading SEO services via Submit Express and cutting-edge SEM services via iClimber," Horwitz said. "I'm also eager to accelerate the revenue growth that has earned Submit Express a spot on the Inc. 5000 list and the Deloitte Technology Fast 500."
As a Senior Area Manager promoting voice and data integration products at Nortel, Horwitz began establishing an impressive track record of marketing success, increasing sales volume on one product from $500,000 to $3.5 million in just six months. After five years at Nortel, Horwitz accepted a position at PCC Network Solutions, and in less than three years had added $4 million in incremental revenues, eventually becoming the company's Vice President of Business Development.
Before embarking on the sales and marketing portion of his career, Horwitz was a network engineer. He transitioned to sales and marketing when one of his projects became the focus of a marketing campaign at ADC Telecommunications. He has worked extensively with a variety of telecommunications technologies, including the design, installation, and maintenance of voice/data networks and fiber optics-based systems.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Whether you are a sole trader or a big business, SEO can boost traffic on your website. With SEO you can get free clicks to your site from customers who are looking for your product or service. So, instead of you pushing your product using Mass Advertising, here prospective customers come to you after having found you. Done the right way you can transition from “Push” to "Pull Marketing". We all know what works better.
Arrow Marketing provides you the best SEO services.
We are a search engine optimization company with a strong track record of getting
• Top rankings on Google, with many of our clients on the #1 ranking in their chosen category
• Multiplying the targeted traffic to our clients website
• Increasing qualified leads
• Increasing sales to online stores
• Better quality customers who are profitable for your business
SEO is a systematic, scientific and measurable method which starts with the analysis of your target market and their demographics e.g., age, sex, language and geographical concentration. Once the demographics are identified, the next step is to identify their buying behavior. For example, is Google the most important search engine for them or do they use Vertical Searches more often. Do they respond more favorably to image advertisements or videos or is text based advertising the key.
We feel very passionate about Internet and its impact on businesses. We love what we do. It is not unusual to find our people burning mid night oil to continue providing our customers with consistent results. Integrity, Innovation, Excellence and Passion. For us these are not just words used to impress. It means that we do what is ethically right and consistently endeavour to add value. Our shared culture is about creating high standards of service delivery.
Being early players in this domain, right from the days when it was still in the experimental stage, we are excited by the enormous possibilities that Internet now presents for people. It has created myriads of ways in which people find each other, interact and transact. Today as Internet penetration has increased, it has become a popular medium for people to choose products and services.
For more details visit our site:
Search Engine Optimization
http://www.searchenginerankings.com.au
Arrow Marketing provides you the best SEO services.
We are a search engine optimization company with a strong track record of getting
• Top rankings on Google, with many of our clients on the #1 ranking in their chosen category
• Multiplying the targeted traffic to our clients website
• Increasing qualified leads
• Increasing sales to online stores
• Better quality customers who are profitable for your business
SEO is a systematic, scientific and measurable method which starts with the analysis of your target market and their demographics e.g., age, sex, language and geographical concentration. Once the demographics are identified, the next step is to identify their buying behavior. For example, is Google the most important search engine for them or do they use Vertical Searches more often. Do they respond more favorably to image advertisements or videos or is text based advertising the key.
We feel very passionate about Internet and its impact on businesses. We love what we do. It is not unusual to find our people burning mid night oil to continue providing our customers with consistent results. Integrity, Innovation, Excellence and Passion. For us these are not just words used to impress. It means that we do what is ethically right and consistently endeavour to add value. Our shared culture is about creating high standards of service delivery.
Being early players in this domain, right from the days when it was still in the experimental stage, we are excited by the enormous possibilities that Internet now presents for people. It has created myriads of ways in which people find each other, interact and transact. Today as Internet penetration has increased, it has become a popular medium for people to choose products and services.
For more details visit our site:
Search Engine Optimization
http://www.searchenginerankings.com.au
Monday, December 1, 2008
What does one in this industry do when they find out that one of their own is out of a job? In most industries, everyone just says "sorry" and then they go on about their day. But not on Cyberframe Solutions. Long-standing member is about to close a door on a job he's had for awhile but web designing company members are keeping his spirits up. Even AdWordsRep has recounted memories of a not-so-plentiful past where the job market wasn't really working out for him either. The words of encouragement, however, were to keep his head held up high.
It's great to see how this industry actually cares about each other and how it's a community and a family.
Cyberframe Solutions a Web designing company.
It's great to see how this industry actually cares about each other and how it's a community and a family.
Cyberframe Solutions a Web designing company.
Search Engine Strategies (SES) Training Provides Intensive SEO, SEM Training for Chicago Marketers
Learning new search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO) techniques that are cost-effective is at the heart of Search Engine Strategies Training ( http://www.SearchEngineStrategies.com/chicago/training.html) slated for December 12, 2008, at the Chicago Hilton. The day of thorough, hands-on training with six sessions to choose from is designed to put theory into practice in a highly interactive environment. The SEM/SEO training immediately follows the Search Engine Strategies (SES) Chicago conference, running December 8-11, 2008, also at the Hilton.
Aimed at consultants, site designers, website owners, in-house marketing professionals, among others, this in-depth training occurs in a small class setting so that instructors are readily accessible for informal one-on-one or small group discussions.
"Regardless of skill level in SEO and SEM, people will come away from this intensive training with techniques that they can immediately implement," said Matt McGowan, Vice President and Publisher for Incisive Media's Interactive Marketing Group, including Search Engine Strategies, SearchEngineWatch.com and the ClickZ Network. "Expert search engine marketers Jennifer Laycock, Matt Bailey, Debra Mastaler, Greg Jarboe, Amanda Watlington Brad Geddes and Shari Thurow who are leading the sessions live and breathe SEO and SEM. They'll ensure that participants leave with the latest knowledge and action plans for real-world applications."
Training sessions include:
-- Search & Analytics Workshop: Using Analytics to Increase Search Effectiveness -- Analytics are a gold mine of information, just waiting to be uncovered. The results of campaigns, effectiveness of the website, and the efficiency of your rankings can all be measured with a good analytics program. Unfortunately, many site managers do not make changes to the website without prior measurement, nor do they measure after the changes. As a result, there are many changes to sites that are not based on facts, merely assumptions. Similarly, if changes are not analyzed, then there can be no clear understanding of whether or not improvements made a difference on the site or to the bottom line.
-- Viral Marketing & Link Baiting -- Attendees will gain a better understanding of the concepts, ideas and implementations that are required to launch a viral marketing or link baiting campaign. They will learn why the Internet has created a unique environment that allows for rapid, inexpensive word of mouth marketing and how they can harness that environment to promote their own products and services. The workshop will give real life examples of both good and bad viral marketing campaigns and will share insight on how your business can capitalize on your competitor's viral disasters. This workshop will also focus on how you can make use of consumer generated media environments like social media outlets, blog marketing, discussion forums and more to both monitor and expand your company's online persona. Consumer generated media (the very core of viral marketing) is the fastest growing form of media online today. It's only a matter of time until someone online talks about your business. This course will not only help prepare you in the ways to respond to the conversation, it will help you learn how to shape that conversation to your advantage.
-- Link Building Tactics, Tools & Techniques -- Need links? In order to rank well and successfully promote your online business, you need an effective link building program as part of your overall SEO strategy. This link building workshop will help you to better understand and manage your link building campaigns by providing you with the knowledge to create proven, practical and creative link marketing campaigns. You'll walk away understanding why you need certain links, how to find them, and how to effectively use links to promote your brand and your search engines rankings.
-- Advanced AdWords -- This session is broken down into two sections. The first section examines how to effectively use keywords, ad copy, landing pages, and the search and content networks to effectively reach your target audience based upon where consumers are in the buying cycle. The second section will examine different bidding strategies you can employ to maximize your campaign's goals.
-- Search Engine Optimization Workshop -- A search-engine friendly Web site is a user-friendly, search-friendly, and persuasive site that converts visitors into buyers. In order for a site to be search-engine friendly, it must meet the terms and conditions set forth by the search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN Search, Ask, etc). Additionally, the site must satisfy the needs of site visitors. Ultimately, the site must be profitable for the Web site owner. Can a single site satisfy all of these groups? This workshop will demonstrate that these skills are essential for building a user-friendly, search-friendly, and persuasive site that converts visitors into buyers.
-- Optimizing for Universal Search -- Universal search changes everything! The advent of Google's Universal Search has been called "the most radical change to its search results ever." So, how do you take advantage of Google's new approach that blends listings from news, maps, video, and image search among those it gathers from web search? This training session will help you get found in all the right places.
Aimed at consultants, site designers, website owners, in-house marketing professionals, among others, this in-depth training occurs in a small class setting so that instructors are readily accessible for informal one-on-one or small group discussions.
"Regardless of skill level in SEO and SEM, people will come away from this intensive training with techniques that they can immediately implement," said Matt McGowan, Vice President and Publisher for Incisive Media's Interactive Marketing Group, including Search Engine Strategies, SearchEngineWatch.com and the ClickZ Network. "Expert search engine marketers Jennifer Laycock, Matt Bailey, Debra Mastaler, Greg Jarboe, Amanda Watlington Brad Geddes and Shari Thurow who are leading the sessions live and breathe SEO and SEM. They'll ensure that participants leave with the latest knowledge and action plans for real-world applications."
Training sessions include:
-- Search & Analytics Workshop: Using Analytics to Increase Search Effectiveness -- Analytics are a gold mine of information, just waiting to be uncovered. The results of campaigns, effectiveness of the website, and the efficiency of your rankings can all be measured with a good analytics program. Unfortunately, many site managers do not make changes to the website without prior measurement, nor do they measure after the changes. As a result, there are many changes to sites that are not based on facts, merely assumptions. Similarly, if changes are not analyzed, then there can be no clear understanding of whether or not improvements made a difference on the site or to the bottom line.
-- Viral Marketing & Link Baiting -- Attendees will gain a better understanding of the concepts, ideas and implementations that are required to launch a viral marketing or link baiting campaign. They will learn why the Internet has created a unique environment that allows for rapid, inexpensive word of mouth marketing and how they can harness that environment to promote their own products and services. The workshop will give real life examples of both good and bad viral marketing campaigns and will share insight on how your business can capitalize on your competitor's viral disasters. This workshop will also focus on how you can make use of consumer generated media environments like social media outlets, blog marketing, discussion forums and more to both monitor and expand your company's online persona. Consumer generated media (the very core of viral marketing) is the fastest growing form of media online today. It's only a matter of time until someone online talks about your business. This course will not only help prepare you in the ways to respond to the conversation, it will help you learn how to shape that conversation to your advantage.
-- Link Building Tactics, Tools & Techniques -- Need links? In order to rank well and successfully promote your online business, you need an effective link building program as part of your overall SEO strategy. This link building workshop will help you to better understand and manage your link building campaigns by providing you with the knowledge to create proven, practical and creative link marketing campaigns. You'll walk away understanding why you need certain links, how to find them, and how to effectively use links to promote your brand and your search engines rankings.
-- Advanced AdWords -- This session is broken down into two sections. The first section examines how to effectively use keywords, ad copy, landing pages, and the search and content networks to effectively reach your target audience based upon where consumers are in the buying cycle. The second section will examine different bidding strategies you can employ to maximize your campaign's goals.
-- Search Engine Optimization Workshop -- A search-engine friendly Web site is a user-friendly, search-friendly, and persuasive site that converts visitors into buyers. In order for a site to be search-engine friendly, it must meet the terms and conditions set forth by the search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN Search, Ask, etc). Additionally, the site must satisfy the needs of site visitors. Ultimately, the site must be profitable for the Web site owner. Can a single site satisfy all of these groups? This workshop will demonstrate that these skills are essential for building a user-friendly, search-friendly, and persuasive site that converts visitors into buyers.
-- Optimizing for Universal Search -- Universal search changes everything! The advent of Google's Universal Search has been called "the most radical change to its search results ever." So, how do you take advantage of Google's new approach that blends listings from news, maps, video, and image search among those it gathers from web search? This training session will help you get found in all the right places.
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