Oaseo Blog

Cheezhead Video

2007-12-23T15:03:00.000-05:00

Text Link Ads.com Strikes Back

2007-10-29T12:07:00.001-04:00

So the buying and selling of links - and how much Google hates it - has taken center stage as of late. Text Link Ads, a company at the center of the Google jihad, has taken steps to defend itself, and more importantly its advertisers, against the search giant. From a recent e-mail:

... we have just uploaded changes to our marketplace that should significantly increase the privacy of your ad buys. We will no longer be revealing pictures or URLs to our users. We feel moving to a more private marketplace will prove more valuable to you the advertiser in the long term. This way your competitors, or other market players, will not have any access to which sites are selling text link ads. In addition to more privacy for your ad buys, we have advanced filtering that will allow you to find the ideal ad fast!

Too little, too late? Maybe. Had TLA done this a lot earlier, it may have helped insulate the company. TextLinkBrokers, in contrast, have always kept things on the down-low with extreme vigor. However, with tons of human editors on the case at Google, chances are most of the publishers on TLA are already revealed.

Sage Lewis of SageRock on Web Marketing Watch

2007-09-25T22:26:00.001-04:00

If you haven't checked out Sage Lewis's daily commentary on all things Internet marketing at Web Marketing Watch, I encourage you to do so. I hooked up with Sage earlier today to discuss the site and its benefits to his SEO business.

Google Taking Longer to Acknowledge Backlinks?

2007-09-25T09:28:00.000-04:00

Is it just me, or is Google taking longer to count a backlink once it finds one? Granted, there are a lot of variables here, such as the level of trust from the site linking to another, but in general, Google seems to be initiating some sort of timing filter for new links.

With the advent of such sites as Pay Per Post and Text Link Ads, this was inevitable. And considering the recent stink at SES about link acquisition, the issue is obviously on Google's radar in a big way.

The funny thing is how much less importance link popularity may have in Google's future when they look at ranking sites. The company is clearly moving toward a world where popularity is counted in more ways than backlinks by tracking things like time spent on a site, number of RSS feeds and loyalty.

To put the smackdown on links almost seems like a diversionary tactic, keeping SEOs focused on links while they gradually give more weight to other things. Don't get me wrong, backlinks will always be in Google's DNA. However, by initiating some filters and focusing on other initiatives, they'll catch a lot of SEOs asleep at the wheel.

Bizarre Universal Search Result

2007-08-23T22:02:00.000-04:00

File this one under "Huh?" Checkout a recent search result for blog Cheezhead for the search "Internet recruiting."

I have no idea, as the author of the blog, how a Simpsons image became associated with my site. The image isn't on my site, as far as I can tell. Clicking on the image goes to the homepage. Weird is an understatement. What is Google doing here?

I'm not complaining, mind you. The extra traffic from image highlighting is much appreciated. Again, I'm just like, Huh?

Google Introduces Stock Drop-Down in SERPs

2007-07-12T21:16:00.000-04:00

Not sure if this is new or not, but it's the first I've seen of it. A la YouTube videos in SERPs, Google is now offering stock data:

Still waiting for job data from Google Base to rear its head.

Demand for SEOs Continue to Rise

2007-07-09T22:39:00.000-04:00

Indeed.com provides some great insight into the increase of job postings on the Web for search engine optimizers:

Considering the fact that the skills and experience needed to become a professional optimizer grows more and more difficult, while the demand remains on the rise, I expect this uptick - along with rates and salaries - to continue.

YouTube Rocks the Vote

2007-06-20T15:59:00.000-04:00

Google's homepage is currently promoting a YouTube partnership with CNN and Anderson Cooper to allow citizens to ask a question via the video service. Good call for both CNN and GooTube. MySpace launched its political section Impact a few months back and seems to be getting similar traction. On the heels of Hillary's recent video poking fun at The Sopranos ending and the Obama girl, it'll be fun to see what comes out of the Web as we get deeper into the election.

iPhone Foreshadows End of .mobi?

2007-06-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

So, if I can view entire Web pages on the new Apple iPhone (and more phones to follow, I assume) similarly to how I would on a typical Web browser like Firefox or Internet Explorer, then why do publishers need a .mobi domain name?

Gotta love Apple Computer, Inc., don'tcha? Just sayin'.

Digg + MySpace = SEO

2007-06-12T21:28:00.000-04:00

Myspace launched a Digg-like news site where users can vote. So get your blog/site/feed submitted now. Click here.

Google Video Killing Longplay Uploads

2007-05-22T15:51:00.000-04:00

Google Video used to be really cool because you could easily upload content that was longer than 10 mins. and larger than 100K or whatever.

I had uploaded a few of my conference speaking sessions and added them to my primary blog pre-YouTube acquisition. Well, they're mostly gone now in favor of shorter videos and YouTube content. Yeah, that's right - deleted forever.

RIP, Google Video. It was nice knowing you. Now, if you could transfer my longplays over to YouTube, that would be great, thanks.

Oaseo Cracks 10 Listings (At Once)

2007-05-16T10:45:00.000-04:00

For a legitimate business, it would be a joke, but for a site that's more hobby than livelihood it's a nice milestone: As of this writing, Oaseo has broken the 10 featured SEO job postings, posted at the same time, barrier. Ahh, double digits, mom would be proud.

Rumors: The Ultimate Link Bait

2007-05-07T12:45:00.000-04:00

Did you hear Google's going to buy Oaseo?

Well, OK, it's not true, but if it were, I could expect a huge increase in backlinks and organic ranking improvements.

This past week, Microsoft was rumored to buy Yahoo! and Google was rumored to buy vertical job search engine Simply Hired. And true or not, the backlinks are flowing. Simply Hired has seen hundreds of new, quality links in the past week.

Yep, I smell a new SEO category: Gossip Management.

Google's Matt Cutts Drops Bomb on Paid Links

2007-04-24T20:41:00.000-04:00

So Google's Matt Cutts has dropped a bomb on the practice of paid links. The ongoing offensive against gaming Google's algorithm is honorable and is sure to push more SEOs out of the business, thus driving more dollars to paid options such as AdWords. However, a few thoughts:

Is this a confession of sorts that Google has found an SEO tactic that their algorithm cannot conquer alone? If so, that's a first.
So, who gets hurt here? The site with the link, the advertiser or both?
If the advertiser gets targeted, then it becomes very easy to simply a buy a link for your competitor, then report them. A new form of Google bowling, if you will.
If the publisher gets punished, this seems to open up a whole can of worms, most of all an uprising against Google stopping good bloggers all over from making some money outside of AdSense (of course, that may just be the point).

Google's history is to find major trends in spam (link farms, reciprocals, directories, etc.) then implement sweeping smackdowns. My guess is this will be no different. I can't see Google putting out little fires, Whack-a-Mole style. They're hope is to probably learn more, pinpoint big abuses and act accordingly.

Then it's on to the next thing.

Yahoo Mail Doesn't Like Me

2007-04-09T20:57:00.000-04:00

I know there's been a lot of talk lately about Yahoo! Mail giving away an unlimited amount of space. It's a trend started by Google's Gmail, and I'm glad to see the big e-mail providers following suit.

I have a Yahoo! Mail account. Unfortunately, it doesn't play very nicely with Firefox. I'm forced to jump onto Internet Explorer to check Y! Mail. Boo!

I'm sure the unlimited storage is great. I just don't like jumping through hoops to get to it.

Google Finance Now With Videos

2007-03-29T12:09:00.000-04:00

I'm a big fan of Google Finance. Yeah, I know it's far behind Yahoo! Finance in popularity, but the clean interface - like everything Google touches - is appealing to me. Slowly, but surely, however, Google is gradually adding content to Finance.

The most recent addition is that of video, primarily in the form of YouTube. Most prominent tends to be Reuters and CBS, but it may only be a matter of time before CNBC or even News Corp's future business channel gets funneled here, in addition to MySpace, I might guess.

Makes me wonder how long it will be for videos to infiltrate Web search results in the same way.

Jim Kukral Interview (Video)

2007-03-27T15:32:00.000-04:00

I recently posted an interview with self-proclaimed Internet marketing geek Jim Kukral for my Internet recruiting blog, Cheezhead. Enjoy.

More on Jim at JimKukral.com.

Google RSS Reader Now Showing MySpace Video

2007-03-19T16:39:00.000-04:00

Shortly after Google purchased YouTube, both video solutions were plugged into their video templates via Google's RSS reader. Up to that point, users had to click to the blog or Web site in order to view the video.

For awhile, if you plugged in a video from MySpace, a user couldn't view it from their reader, which gave YouTube or Google Video preferential treatment. No more. I justs saw a MySpace video via Google Reader.

Hats off to Google for thinking of the user first. They could have easily squeezed out any competing video services, but they don't ... at least not MySpace. Haven't seen a Yahoo or MSN video yet.

Of course, neither one of them have a multi-million dollar deal with MySpace. That said, I'll give Google the benefit of the doubt and assume all competing video services will be viewable via Google Reader.

Stay Away from Hyphenated Domain Names

2007-03-19T11:29:00.000-04:00

There was a time when hyphenated top-level URLs ruled. It enabled publishers to easily plug-in keywords into their top-level domain, which carried a lot of weight with the engines. Well, as you can imagine, that technique was overdone and lost its effectiveness. Do a search for just about anything competitive on Google and you will see few, if any, hyphenated URLs such as www.your-domain-name.com. (This, however, www.yourdomain.com/this-is-ok, is OK.)

That's why I'm always surprised to see new startups go live with a hyphenated domain. One could argue that enough backlinking juice would cure any URL issues, but why start out in the hole. There's a good change that you're starting out with a penalty out of the gate, just for your domain choice. Not good.

In addition to hyphenated URLs being a bad choice, unless you have an exact-match domain name, it looks like you could pretty much pick anything and start from the same line. Who knows? Maybe having something totally unrelated to your market is a great choice. Craigslist, Monster and Indeed all have nothing to do with job search, yet each is a top brand.

I know a lot of people who are ga-ga over URLs. In some instances, I see the attraction, but in most, I don't. Most should agree, however, that no matter what your domain of choice is, it shouldn't have a hyphen. SEO is too challenging as it is.

Is Google Making Me Dumberer?

2007-03-12T09:26:00.000-04:00

I was reading the Sunday newspaper yesterday morning. Yeah, I subscribe for the coupons, but I like the Sundays. Call me old fashioned.

Anyway, I came across a story about some new federal regulation or some explanation of how the legislation worked. I'm not really sure, because while scanning the story, I said to myself:

If this ever becomes important in my own life, I can just Google it. No need to digest and retain this information.

So, this begs the question, Is Google and search turning me into a dumbass?

Maybe. Maybe not. Or probably somewhere in between. That is, smarter on some things; less so on others. Either way, I think I'm in good company. Wasn't it Albert Einstein who hadn't memorized his phone number because he could just find it in the phone book?

SEO Guide for Recruiters

2007-03-05T11:55:00.000-05:00

Are you a recruiting firm or job site looking to build more traffic to your site? Well here's something you may be interested in. It's called the Poor Recruiters Guide to SEO. It will tell you how to build targeted quality traffic to your website. For free. Download it here (pdf) or read the online version of recruiting seo.

Employment Link Building Tip #1

2007-02-26T19:32:00.000-05:00

Use AllStarJobs.com for a quality, targeted inbound link to your site.

AllStarJobs.com is a directory of employment related job boards and other web sites that is great for link building. You'll have to reciprocate with a link back to them but over the years they have been "berry berry good to me" and my sites for link building purposes.

To add a basic listing, find the section on our directory that you feel best matches where your site should be added. Then, choose 'Add Link' on the top right corner of that page.

This is free to employers, employment agencies and non profit organizations. Services such as job banks, resume writing services require a one time $39 payment.

I'm Bored with Google

2007-02-26T09:04:00.000-05:00

I'll preface this post by saying, "I love Google." Without Google and search, I don't get to do what I do for a living. And it's arguably my generation's most successful company.

However, it's become boring of late.

SEO. I've been a search engine optimizer for about 5 years now. And although I still learn something new all the time, particularly during updates and such, I think I have enough of a grasp that the time of discovery has passed. Granted, with behavioral and localized targeting, that's sure to change, but for now I feel like I know what I need to know to be successful.
Blogs. I get feeds from tens, if not hundreds of search-focused blogs. It's all becoming white noise, with just a few that are truly must reads.
Game over. History teaches us that the search game is over. Google won. No matter what Yahoo! or Microsoft or anyone else does, Google = search, and it always will. As a result, focusing on competitors is only mildly interesting anymore.

I'm certain to be in the minority here, but my daily doses of search are looking more like vegetables than dessert.

Using Video To Attract Talent

2007-02-15T14:23:00.000-05:00

Have you considered providing potential new team members a glimpse into the life and times of your company through video?

With the all-you-can-eat bandwidth available to you in places like YouTube, MySpace and FaceBook, there is little reason not to start implementing a human resources initiative on these sites with video casts.

“Perfect is the enemy of good enough.” This space is down and dirty, which is good news from a budget standpoint. You can typically knock a video or two out in an afternoon. All you need is a MiniDV camera with a FireWire port to connect to your computer and you have pretty much everything you need. You can use Windows Movie Maker to edit your video. Or if you are really excited about this you can purchase a video editing tool. Do a search on Google for ‘video editing’ and you will find many sites that review these tools. However, there are going to be perfectionists in your organization that are going feel uncomfortable with the rough presentation this process tends to offer.

Keep your audience in mind. People looking for a new career want to know what it’s really like to work in a particular company. A personal video or two is just the thing. Making this effort might be just the thing to make you stand out from all the other companies looking to hire search talent.

Web Marketing Watch.com

2007-02-12T14:40:00.000-05:00

Sage Lewis of SageRock.com is one of our favorite people and guest authors at the Oaseo blog. He's a fantastic cheerleader for Northeast Ohio (Akron-Canton, Cleveland) as well. That said, we were thrilled to catch wind of his new Web offering, Web Marketing Watch.com.

The site is a daily (or almost daily) video of anything Web marketing by Sage. While the information is great, it's the personality of Sage that really stands out and makes this a worthwhile investment of time. Quirky and opinionated, Sage covers everything from search marketing to social networking and media.

This is one effort we'll be watching closely and plugging into regularly. Go Sage!