Not too long ago if you did a search for say “A good dentist in the Portland metropolitan area”, Google would say something like “the following words have been omitted from your search: a, the”.

These kind of words are called “Stop Words” and all the text books on search algorithms will tell you that search engines like Google ignore stop words. READ MORE

An important number in search engine optimization is the Click through Rate (CTR) for each position on a Search Engine Results Page (SERP).

In a previous article, Click Through Rates. The AOL Data Revisited, we looked at one of the historically important sources of “click through” statistics: the 2006 AOL Data Logs. SEOers have long been interested in the large 71% drop in click-throughs, between the #1 and #2 positions and the impact this has on potential Web sales. This large drop has motivated companies to strive to obtain the #1 position.

But how accurate are the AOL numbers? Does the ROI justify the costs involved in reaching #1? One of the problems with the AOL numbers is that they assume that all searchers search the same way and have the same click through patterns. Analyzing the AOL data in greater detail shows that this assumption is incorrect, the search patterns can be quite different, and this throws all the numbers off. READ MORE

An important number in search engine optimization is the Click through Rate (CTR) for each position on a Search Engine Results Page (SERP). One of the major sources of “click through” statistics has been the 2006 AOL Data Logs.

An interesting finding of the AOL data is that it shows a very large drop-off in click-throughs between the #1 position, with 42% of all click-throughs, and the #2 Position, at 12% of all click-throughs. A 71% drop!

So historically in SEO reaching the #1 position has been considered a huge competitive advantage.

Unfortunately, there are a couple of problems with the AOL numbers. READ MORE

Google has rolled out a new look to Google Local (aka Google Maps, aka Google Places). [click picture to enlarge]

Gone is the intrusive Map/7-Pack when you search for a geo-targeted key phrase. In it’s place is a “local” map located off to the right side of the page, and local (7-pack) search results are integrated in with the organic search results, along with thumbnails and reviews.

This is probably good news for folks searching for local business, as all the info about a business is now in one handy place. READ MORE

Businesses or their Web Designers looking at adding an online storefront or shopping cart to their website may not be aware of recent deadlines for PCI-DSS compliance. Noncompliance can result in fines up to $500,000.

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), is a set of requirements designed to ensure that ALL companies that process, store or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment.

Established by the Payment Card Industry, non-compliant companies risk losing their ability to process credit card payments and being audited and/or fined

For SMBs looking to sell a moderate number of products online, we recommend either “outsourcing” the checkout process with a payment service such as PayPal, or host your web store on a PCI certified e-commerce hosting service… Read More