After introducing Facebook Questions recently, Facebook has entered another area of search/social as it looks to expand its services.

Yahoo! has started testing listings from Microsoft in both organic and paid search.

Is there any end to Facebook’s growth? It doesn’t appear so after Wednesday (21 July 2010) saw them pass the 500 million users mark. That is the equivalent of 8% of the world’s population!

Google’s Internet browser – Chrome – overtook Apple’s Safari for the first time in the USA last week, to put it third behind Internet Explorer and Firefox. IE remains the market-leader in the US with 52% of the market share.

First there was the ‘twittern’ pioneered by Pizza Hut and now we are set for the first ‘TJ’ – Twitter Jockey.

This is a move that will allow users of both to more easily manage their accounts, with a single update being shared across both platforms.

Google is changing and your searches are about to become yet more refined.

We all know about tweeting and re-tweeting but now there are promoted tweets, however, you’ll need to have a bit of cash to send one of these.

In a snapshot, here are the key numbers pertaining to Internet advertising revenue in 2009 – which shows increases in search revenue but decreases in overall spend.

Whisper it quietly but is Internet advertising coming of age? The growth in the market over the past couple of years might suggest so.

The fall-out following Google’s announcement to end censorship in China is having a positive effect on Baidu’s share price, forcing a shift in the market share of the search engines in the country.

There is set to be an increasing focus on social media marketing among businesses this year, it has been claimed.

Darren Dutton, business director at Marketing.co.uk, said in the last one to two years, there has been a shift in the marketing medium, with many more organisations now keen to discuss it.

A website's digital assets, such as content, images, videos and documents, have become increasingly important in the advent of universal search, it has been claimed - which may make them vital to search engine optimisation (SEO).

Herndon Hasty, in a post for Search Engine Watch, said such files will need to factor "heavily" in any marketing plans businesses have for 2010, particularly in light of Google's planned update of Caffeine.

While businesses may already have created group pages on Facebook or a regular micro-blog on Twitter, they may also wish to consider using video in order to promote themselves.

Henry Cowling, creative director of the Viral Factory, said this is because great content will always find its audience and "go viral" - which could see firms boosting their online traffic flow.

Businesses should take care not to embark on a social media marketing campaign purely to generate revenue, as such a scheme may be more useful at saving firms money, it has been suggested.

Katy Woodrow Hill, account director at 1000heads, said for some companies, rather than making money, social media marketing is more about reducing costs elsewhere by using networks as a customer services feed, rather than tailoring it towards sales.

It could be said online marketing techniques - such as search engine optimisation (SEO), pay per click and social media marketing - may never have been more important, after it was suggested technology is key to economic recovery.

Kevin Dendy, commercial director at the Direct Marketing Association, speaking at Technology For Marketing & Advertising (TFM&A) 2010, said technology for marketing would prove vital to the UK's recovery from its recent period of recession.

Businesses have been advised to align their social media marketing campaigns with their other promotional strategies if they wish to make the scheme a success.

Nathan McDonald, managing partner at we are social, said companies are increasingly realising the benefits that come from communicating with their customers, in real time.

The medium of social media marketing is evolving at "warp speed", according to one sector commentator - prompting more businesses to experiment with doing more with it.

Rebecca Lieb, in a post for Econsultancy, states in many cases this trend is occurring even when the marketers do not fully understand what they are doing or how to measure the return on investment as a result of social media.

Rather than email dying off, it is becoming the "glue" of social media marketing, one sector commentator has claimed.

In a blog for Econsultancy, Chris Lake comments on recent research by Gartner which suggested email is going through a "bleak" time as more business users turn to social media networks for their correspondence.

While businesses may be keen to attract potential customers to their website through online promotional techniques such as search engine optimisation (SEO), pay per click or social media marketing, they should also ensure the content is user-friendly.

Such a goal should be just as much a priority as driving consumers to the site in the first place, with Search Engine Watch's Mark Jackson noting there are a number of tips that can make a site more accessible to customers.

When it comes to succeeding in search engine optimisation (SEO) it is the number of quality and relevant websites which link to a business's content that is the "main factor", one sector commentator has claimed.

Sam Tilston, marketing director of Memorybits.co.uk, gave the example of a website selling watches which would need to make sure there were a lot of high authority, watch-related sites linking to theirs in support of his comments.

Businesses which use social media marketing to reach their current customers and attract new ones may be interested to know the medium is also offering a voice to these consumers, where one did not exist before.

Such is the assertion of Geoff Galat, vice-president of worldwide marketing for Tealeaf, who said firms which operate online are likely to be faced with the challenge of meeting the rising expectations of their customers.

The key to making social media marketing a success lies in ensuring the content used is unique, valuable and interactive, one sector commentator has claimed.

And businesses planning a social media marketing campaign may wish to consider starting with Facebook, which, according to Tech Crunch, is the favourite online channel when it comes to sharing content.

Microsoft will soon begin offering a Web Browser Choice Screen to European Internet Explorer users, as required by the European Commission, the software manufacturer has announced on its blog.

Today (February 22nd) will see a limited roll-out externally, ahead of a full-scale roll-out in early March, in news which may interest businesses working on a search engine optimisation campaign.

More businesses may be turning to Twitter for social media marketing purposes, with new research revealing the number of unique visitors to the micro-blogging site has increased.

Data from comScore shows the number of unique visitors to Twitter increased from 21.25 million in December to a record high of 21.79 million in January.

MySpace has announced that updates have now been integrated into Google's universal search - news that may interest businesses working on a social media marketing campaign.

Live updates which will be available on Google's search include visual content, while the results will be ranked through search engine optimisation (SEO) based on how relevant or fresh they are.

Many of the world's largest and most successful businesses are "clueless" when it comes to search engine optimisation (SEO), a new study has found.

According to research compiled by Conductor for its report Natural Search Trends of the Fortune 500, such firms are failing when it comes to organic search techniques, despite spending millions on pay per click.

Google's Webmaster Central is critical when it comes to making a success of search engine optimisation (SEO), one sector commentator has claimed.

John Greer, in an article for Search Engine Watch, advises businesses they need to get to grips with it before they embark on an SEO campaign if they wish the marketing plan to be a success.

In recent months, Google has made a variety of changes which has seen its search results become more personal to the viewer, but one sector commentator has asked how does this effect search engine optimisation (SEO)?

Searchers can now see results in their rankings such as the latest social media updates from friends and family, but Dr Pete, in a post for SEOmoz, suggests this may complicate rankings as users could all be seeing something different.

In order to make a success of digital assets, businesses have been urged to ensure they are using their digital assets to the best of their ability.

Herndon Hasty, in a post for the Search Engine Watch blog, explains for retail sites in particular, the "granddaddy of all digital assets" will be images, as these are one of the best ways of visualising what the products on sale look like.

Businesses may wish to consider offering a giveaway in order to attract customers and build links through search engine optimisation (SEO) following the comments of one sector commentator.

Rob Ousbey, writing for the SEOmoz blog, says when executed correctly, a free giveaway is one of the "very few tactics" which could guarantee success on link-building.

Businesses using social media marketing, pay per click or search engine optimisation as part of a promotional campaign may also wish to consider offline marketing techniques.

A recent study by iProspect has revealed 40 per cent of online searchers have announced they were influenced in their buying decisions by an offline channel.

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is becoming more in-tune with mobile search after Google Adwords launched their click-to-call (CTC) feature.

When it comes to social media marketing, UK retailers may be missing out, with new research revealing only a quarter of them are on Twitter.

According to dotCommerce's E-commerce Social Media Report, while 26 per cent have a Twitter account, only 24 per cent have a Facebook page.

Businesses which combine mobile advertising with online marketing schemes - such as pay per click or social media marketing - can significantly increase customer awareness of their brand, it has been revealed.

According to the Internet Advertising Bureau, the click-through rate online was 150 per cent higher among people who had been exposed to - and recalled – a given mobile ad.

Firms planning a social media marketing strategy in order to boost their online presence may be interested to learn Google has trolled out its own networking utility entitled Buzz.

Features of the new service include status updates, public and private content sharing and comments - and it will be integrated into the search engine firm's email service Gmail.

Over recent years, Google has significantly improved the relevance of its search engine optimisation (SEO) results through the introduction of universal search - and this year looks set to see a similar trend for pay per click (PPC) search, it has been claimed.

Alex Cohen, writing for Search Engine Watch, states universal search saw new content such as videos and product listings being integrated into SEO results.

While many businesses may have embarked on a search engine optimisation (SEO) or social media marketing campaign in order to attract custom, one sector commentator has warned hackers are using similar measures.

According to Panda Security, cyber-criminals are exploiting search engines and user-generated content in order to get to as many web users as possible.

Businesses should take care when embarking on a pay per click (PPC) campaign to review their keywords in order to get the best results, once they have successfully bid on the terms.

Jason Tabeling, in a post for Search Engine Watch, explains Google provides a standard report displaying the data available on how the terms are working but it is important to review and understand this information.

Paid search, including methods such as pay per click links, is set to grow over the next year, researchers have predicted.

Ed Stevenson, in a post for the e-consultancy blog, notes the price of keywords may prompt marketers to turn to new strategies to promote their business, while careful management, targeting and testing of keywords will also become a priority.

As social media marketing increases in popularity in terms of promotion, it has also been predicted such networking platforms are set to take over from internal email.

Indeed, by 2014, social networks will have replaced internal email for communication purposes in 20 per cent of business organisations, according to research from Gartner.

Each month, Google News sends around a billion "clicks" to the websites' of publishers across the globe, which may mean businesses wish to tap into the resource in order to improve their own search engine optimisation (SEO) efforts.

Indeed, Sam Niccolls, in a post for SEOmoz, said this fact makes Google's news rankings "an incredibly compelling" platform for sites which include contemporary content that is newsworthy.

A new research report has revealed companies are set to increase their budgets for digital marketing - which may include search engine optimisation, pay per click and social media marketing - this year.

According to the Marketing Budgets 2010 Report, in association with ExactTarget, businesses are set to increase their digital budgets by 17 per cent this year.

As social media marketing and networking increases in popularity, in the future much revenue will come from building social software platforms, one sector commentator has claimed.

Leon Benjamin, a social media practitioner, said currently many brands are not willing to develop and nurture relationships - particularly those with customers - as they do not have the available time or resources this takes.

While Google leads Microsoft when it comes to search engine popularity, Microsoft is leading the race for most popular web browser, in news which may be of interest to search engine optimisation marketers.

Internet Explorer 8 has become the world's most popular web browser, achieving more than its predecessors Explorer 6 and 7, according to NetMarketShare.

Businesses which use a domain name which closely matches an online user's keywords all glued together will find getting on the first page of search engine optimisation (SEO) results is like "fishing with dynamite".

Such is the assertion of Michael C, in a post for SEOmoz, who adds it is well known that Google favours domains names which contain one or more of the keywords being searched for when it comes to ranking.

Google Social Search has left Google Labs and is being rolled out on the company's various sites, the search engine group has announced.

This means when users now perform a search it will include updates from their social network contents, which may prompt businesses to consider social media marketing.

Social media marketing and networks are continuing to drive advertising spend online, it has been claimed.

Guy Phillipson, chief executive at the Internet Advertising Bureau, said after Google, Facebook was the biggest site in the UK, while MySpace and Bebo were also popular, making social media "inescapable" for advertisers.

More than any other search marketing tool, business to business (B2B) products receive their greatest return on investment from search engine optimisation (SEO), a new report has revealed.

According to the research by Marketing Sherpa, 13 per cent of leads from SEO were classed as high quality and high quantity.

When it comes to website analytics, many businesses and marketers make the mistake of relying on Google's search page to see how many pages the search engine has indexed, one sector commentator has claimed.

Randfish, in a post for SEOmoz, explains this is a problem which is "rampant" in the SEO world and runs a test to illustrate it.

Businesses which properly utilise video will find the medium is 53 times more likely to generate a first page ranking on Google than through using traditional search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques alone.

Such is the finding of a recent study by Forrester Research and Benjamin Wayne, writing in a post for Search Engine Watch, explains many organisations simply ignore video SEO.

When it comes to social media marketing and self-promotion, Labour is one of the most prolific political parties, it has been revealed.

Graham Charlton, writing for the e-consultancy blog, said the Labour party appears to lead in contrast to its rivals on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Those who speculate search engine optimisation (SEO) is dying out do not know what it actually is, one sector commentator has claimed.

Indeed, Eric Enge, in a post for Search Engine Watch, says as long ad people are searching there will be a need for SEO and other methods of obtaining new traffic and customers.

Duplicate content has been called the "single biggest search engine optimisation (SEO) problem on the internet" by one sector commentator.

Making his assertion, SEOmoz's Danny Dover points to a Best Practice post on the site by Jen Lopez which explains duplicate content is quite simply content which features in more than one location online.

Businesses which fail to increase their online presence through campaigns such as search engine optimisation (SEO) and pay per click could be at risk of falling behind their competitors, it has been suggested.

Meghan Keane, writing for the e-consultancy blog, says retailers which do not keep up in the digital market will lose out in their overall sales goals.

Google has reported its results for the fourth quarter and announced it enjoyed 17 per cent year-on-year revenue growth, in news which may interest businesses using the search leader for search engine optimisation purposes.

Furthermore, the search market leader revealed revenues of $6.67 (£4.12) billion for the quarter ending December, while Google's revenues from the UK totalled $772 (£477) million, or 12 per cent of revenue.

When it comes to the utilisation of social media marketing, the financial services industry is falling behind other sectors, it has been revealed.

According to research by IFA Life, independent financial advisers (IFAs) engage with their customers the least when online when compared to other major industries.

In order to refine an existing pay per click (PPC) campaign, it is worthwhile drawing up a list of changes and spending time carrying them out systematically in order to have success, one sector commentator has claimed.

Much like weight loss, Melissa Mackey, in a post for Search Engine Watch, states that improving PPC can fail if people attempt to make too many changes too quickly, rather than going about the process systematically.

Keyword research should be split up and used across multiple pages of a website in order to utilise the terms for maximum search engine optimisation (SEO) effect, one sector commentator has advised.

Randfish, writing in a post for SEOmoz, says once a list of keywords and terms has been established, marketers need to determine which phrases to target and where and how to target them.

When putting together a search engine optimisation (SEO) or pay per click (PPC) campaign, time is of the essence and the projects need to be prioritised, according to one sector commentator.

Herndon Hasty, in a post for Search Engine Watch, said it is time which should create a sense of urgency in getting such a marketing agenda off the ground, as SEO and PPC can take a while to get started and more time to produce the best results.

Due to security concerns, both the German and French governments have issued statements warning their citizens against the Microsoft web browser Internet Explorer, in news which could have connotations for businesses which use it for search engine optimisation purposes.

The warnings came due to Explorer's role in the recent Google hack which was believed to have been carried out to gain access to the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists.

Google's new voice search function will bring with it a number of opportunities, one sector commentator has asserted, which could include the ability for businesses to develop their pay per click further.

The search engine's new Google Voice tool is part of its evolution to integrate online data with offline interactions, according to Andreas Pouros, chief operations officer for Greenlight.

Google recently fell victim to a "highly sophisticated" cyber attack, it has reported, in news which may interest businesses which use the search engine for pay per click advertising purposes.

In an official blog post from the group, it revealed it removed the threat from its corporate infrastructure and that the primary goal of the hackers appeared to be to gain access to Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists.

User-generated content, online feedback and reviews can be "wonderful" in terms of social media marketing and search engine optimisation, one sector commentator has said.

Kevin Gibbons, in an article for eConsultancy states such content is out of corporate control.

Businesses planning a local search engine optimisation campaign may be interested to learn the grant of a recent patent to Google's Street View tool which could have significant implications for online advertising.

Several reports have suggested the patent would appear to allow the delivery of targeted advertising through all of Google's mapping resources, including Street View.

Businesses using Twitter updates as part of a social media marketing strategy may be interested to earn one sector commentator has suggested it is too late for the site itself to make money.

Jason Falls, a social media consultant and blogger on socialmediaexplorer.com, said the micro-blogging site has waited too long to build a profitable business model, but there were ways it could boost its revenue.

In addition to helping businesses boost a search engine optimisation campaign and attract new customers to their brand and services, social media marketing can also help charitable organisations, it has been stated.

In a recent blog post on Search Engine Watch, Nathania Johnson explains the inclusion of real-time updates in search results - with Google now including Twitter updates in its search results - arrived "just in time" for the people of Haiti.

Internet Explorer - Microsoft's web browser - is likely to remain the leader in its sector for some time, one commentator has asserted, in news which may interest businesses working on a search engine optimisation campaign.

According to Net Applications, the race between the other internet browsers has been closer, with Google's Chrome overtaking Apple's Safari as the third most popular web browser in December.

Marketing agency, Latitude, this week went into administration before being bought out in a “pre-pack” deal led by its management and Vitruvian, their private equity agency.

Businesses planning to launch a social media marketing campaign have been offered some advice on how they can get the most from Facebook.

In a blog post for eConsultancy, Chris Lake explains the site offers a "ready-made platform" to organisations to communicate with their customers as it boasts hundreds of millions of unique users - a resource that may be valuable to tap into.

Businesses planning to launch a pay per click (PPC) campaign for the new year have been offered some "killer tips" on doing so by one sector commentator.

Ashley Friedlein, in a blog for eConsultancy, stated one way to successfully sell content online is to ensure content is viewed as marketing, stating search engine (SEO) optimisation is "by far the most effective way" to drive traffic and convert it into customers at a low cost.

In order to make search engine optimisation (SEO) a success, one writer has advised more than just a business’s search marketers should be involved in a campaign.

Rob Ousbey, writing for SEOmoz, states a number of members within an organisation can be given an explanation of how SEO affects them and what they can do to boost it.

Firms employing white hat techniques to drive their search engine optimisation (SEO) campaign may be concerned to hear suggestions that black hat SEO may be making a comeback.

In a recent blog for e-Consultancy, Julian Grainger stated he is increasingly coming across "blatant black hat SEO" practices, which were banned from the index previously.

Businesses working on their own search engine optimisation (SEO) campaign may have been interested to note recently the appearance of real-time updates in Google's search results.

In order to take advantage of this development in terms of driving SEO, one sector commentator has advised firms to take advantage of social media marketing.

Online marketing has been a rare "bright spot" during the ongoing economic downturn, with more people choosing to shop online, one sector commentator has claimed, with pay per click (PPC) the most proven form of advertising.

Benny Blum, in an article for Search Engine Land, said paid search advertising is also a driver of return on investment.

The rumours were true after all, although there wasn’t much doubting it. Google’s Nexus One has officially launched (although it is only available in the U.S. at the moment). It ushers in a new dawn, which they have proclaimed as the ‘super phone’ that will shape our online and mobile habits in the future.

Businesses have been urged to set themselves some new year's resolutions in the workplace as well as in their personal lives, focussing particularly on search engine optimisation (SEO) and other forms of search marketing.

In a blog for Search Engine Watch, Jonathan Allen states one such pledge could be to invest in online communities which have supported a firm's services or brand by carrying out research which could prove useful and publishing it.

While businesses in the past may have been left stumped at how they can make money out of their websites once their search engine optimisation or pay per click brings users to it, they may now be considering charging for content.

Indeed, whether people opt to pay for their online content could be a big issue over the next few years and one recent study has revealed that in many cases, consumers are willing to fork out for content.

If 2010 is the year that mobile presence emerges with just as much clout as SEO and SMO then the expected launch of the Nexus One, the first Google-branded phone, on January 5 will ensure that the year starts with a bang.

As with the traditional new year's resolutions of losing weight, starting the gym or eating healthily, marketers should ensure they keep their search engine optimisation (SEO) resolutions realistic to achieve, one sector commentator has advised.

Writing for SEOmoz, Dr Pete said aiming to get the number one ranking position in Google is not always a realistic goal or possible to achieve over a short space of time.

Content, structure and links are the foundations of successful search engine optimisation (SEO) and should be considered of equal relevance and importance, it has been stated.

A blog on SEO Consult recommended content is an easy place to start when building an SEO campaign, with marketers advised the creation of new content and the strategic placing of keywords is a good place to start.

Increased use of social media marketing led to improved Christmas sales for online retailers in the weeks leading up to the festive season, it has been claimed.

Online market analyst comScore reveals that the full period from November 1st until Christmas Eve saw five per cent more being spent online by shoppers.

Any business with an online presence - which they may have built up through search engine optimisation (SEO) or social media marketing - should now be establishing the same presence on mobiles, one sector commentator claims.

In a post for Search Engine Land, Joshua Odmark states the web on handheld devices is "still in its infancy" but it is only going to grow, meaning companies should be taking advantage now.

Landing page and search engine optimisation (SEO) could be given a boost by using emotional motivators, one sector commentator has asserted.

In a post for Search Engine Watch, Tim Ash claimed people rarely make rational decisions, tending instead to stick to emotional responses and gut reactions.

Micro-blogging site Twitter is to become profitable for the first time in its history, it has been reported - news which may interest businesses considering the site as part of a social media marketing campaign.

It will end 2009 with revenue of around $25 million (£15.63 million) and operating costs of between $20 and $25 million, which will mean a slim boost to its profit margins.

Website statistics compiled by Harris Poll show a rise in internet usage by the average user since the beginning of the recession.

According to the online and telephone-based research agency, the average internet user now spends 13 hours online each week.

With Google announcing earlier in the month that all users would be provided with personalised search results as a default, one sector commentator has examined how this will effect search engine optimisation (SEO).

Randfish, writing for the SEOmoz blog, advises companies they should be doing everything in their power to attract visitors to their website and ensure that they get all the information they need while they are there as this may positively boost ranking in terms of personalised results.

When selecting an in-house member of the team or a third party provider to carry out search engine optimisation (SEO) services, there are a number of points businesses should keep in mind, it has been claimed.

Writing in a post for Search Engine Watch, Mark Jackson notes cost should not be the only deciding factor and that it is also important that the scope of SEO work needed is taken into consideration.

In addition to promoting a brand and its products and services, social media marketing can also be a useful tool in improving customer service and relations, it has been suggested.

Liana Evans, in a post for Search Engine Watch, states there are a number of things firms should be looking to achieve and integrate when they embark on a social media marketing strategy.

New social networking site Blippy - set to be launched in the new year - is unlikely to form an integral part of businesses' social media marketing agenda if the suggestions of one sector commentator are to be believed.

Created by web entrepreneur Philip Kaplan, Blippy is in beta, which means that it can currently only be accessed by invitation.

Businesses have been advised by one sector commentator to take a broad yet refined approach to search engine optimisation (SEO).

The comments come after a study by the Internet Advertising Bureau Europe and InSites Consultancy revealed that more than 40 per cent of users stop checking after the first ten results offered by a search engine.

There is a consensus that Google might have been a little hasty in rolling out real-time search and this could lead to its impact declining in 2010.

Online news providers who wish to start charging their readers may find that it is now too late after years of offering free content, one sector commentator has claimed.

Businesses could find that including targeted news is an effective way of boosting their search engine optimisation campaign.

By monitoring the search engine optimisation (SEO) trends which have emerged over the recent months, one sector commentator has outlined his predictions for organic search in 2010.

Looking to the future in a post for SEOmoz, Randfish asserts that, despite only announcing the development in recent weeks, Google may be likely to phase out the inclusion of real-time updates in its search results, although he adds that he believes it was added more for PR purposes than quality.

Along with effective planning and preparation, search marketing tools - such as search engine optimisation (SEO) - can help in the maintenance of an export project, one sector commentator has claimed.

Andy Atkins-Kruger, writing for Search Engine Watch, explains that keyword research in particular "has a lot to offer" in terms of researching which consumers to target in new markets.

Social media has "forever changed" the way people live, one sector commentator has advised - which may mean businesses can no longer afford to ignore social media marketing.

Erik Qualman, in a post for Search Engine Watch, says it is simpler when people have multiple social networking accounts to be themselves, rather than using certain sites to put across a slightly different persona, as this can become confusing.

In order to make a success of a search engine optimisation (SEO) campaign, companies need to define their business goals, such as what they hope to achieve from the marketing initiative, one sector writer has claimed.

In a post for Search Engine Watch, Eric Enge explained it is once these targets have been determined that firms should think about what needs to happen for them to successfully be met.

Typically it is the website which is best optimised for links - such as those where marketers have employed search engine optimisation techniques - which are likely to perform better than the competition for rankings, one sector commentator has claimed.

SEOmoz's Randfish made his assertion during a blog detailing a debate he had with blogger Chris Dixon, after the latter claimed that the better a website's content, the more links it will earn.

Best practices in search engine optimisation (SEO) and usability have a "congruent nature", one sector commentator has claimed, stating that the user experience of a site should run in parallel with SEO efforts.

In a post for Search Engine Watch, Ron Jones said that in addition to SEO, it was important businesses optimised their websites in order to reach the right customer base.

Ranking on its own does not equate to a successful search engine optimisation (SEO) campaign, one sector commentator has claimed.

In a blog for Search Engine Watch, Chris Boggs states that the marketers who have accepted this are the ones who will define the future of organic searching.

Social media marketing can be deployed to hold conversations between businesses and their consumers, however, according to recent research, many big-name brands have forgotten this.

A survey carried out by New Media Age magazine revealed that 74 per cent of the 500 "superbrands" polled have no presence on Twitter and of the 130 that do use it, less than half Tweet daily.

Hot on the heels of Google’s announcement to roll-out personalised search to everyone with an Internet connection, they delivered their second wave of innovations – real-time search results. This will usher in the brave new world of SMO and SEO search results.

Google's recent integration of real-time updates on social networks such as Twitter as part of its search rankings could mean changes for search engine optimisation (SEO), one sector commentator has claimed.

The search engine made its announcement this week and Sam Tilston, online marketing director at Zoombits.co.uk, said companies using SEO as part of a marketing campaign will now have to up their game.

Has the future of SEO been irrevocably altered to the detriment of its potential use in Google? This kind of question has been slowly infiltrating search forums this week following Google’s personalised search announcement on Friday (04/12/09).

Effective search engine optimisation can lead to a company's website being ranked highly but there are a number of variables which are likely to affect whether the traffic which results from this converts to revenue, it has been claimed.

In a post for Search Engine Watch, Carrie Hill notes that is important a website is set up in a way which helps visitors to convert to customers.

Social media marketing "in general" is likely to cost businesses less than other types of advertising, such as print, television or direct mail, one sector commentator has claimed.

However, that does not mean that without work it will result in immediate returns on investment.

A leaked government Information and Communications Technology (ICT) report recently revealed plans to modernise the public sector ICT infrastructure and use more social media.

Leaked by the Conservative Party, the paper details proposals to save money through using social media and the possibility of an "apps" store for civil servants.

When working on a pay per click (PPC) campaign, many marketers are failing to include links to tailored landing pages, opting instead to direct traffic to pages deemed irrelevant, new research has found.

Biz Report notes that the study by CrownPeak revealed that while 13 per cent of links led to the homepage of a company's site, the rest led to "irrelevant product pages" or content where no reference was made to the advertisement itself.

Businesses attempting to boost their search engine optimisation by including local news content on their website are risking losing their customers to competitors if they charge their site visitors to see it, one sector commentator has claimed.

The comments come as Johnston Press, one of the three largest local newspaper publishers in the UK, this week initiated a small-scale trial for paid content in a few of its weekly publications.

Google analytics research has revealed the most popular searches currently being carried out in the UK, which may inspire businesses to embark on a social media marketing campaign.

Indeed, the top search of 2009 was a social networking site - Facebook - followed by BBC, YouTube, Hotmail, 'games', eBay, 'news', Google, Yahoo! and Bebo.

Google has altered its search results so that the green URL link which typically appears below each individual search result to show where users will head when they click it will be replaced in some cases with a hierarchy demonstrating the page's location on a site.

Such news could be useful for businesses working on search engine optimisation, with Google claiming that it will provide new navigation options and valuable context.

While online marketing is continually evolving and while search engines come up with new criteria for ranking content, one sector commentator has noted the fundamentals of search engine optimisation (SEO) are still relevant.

In a post for Search Engine Watch, Herndon Hasty predicts that microformatting and rich snippets are likely to play an increasingly important role in SEO, with search engines attempting to compile more useful results.

Businesses planning a search engine optimisation (SEO) campaign may be interested to hear an exploit has been discovered which allows Google's new and previously unrevealed search site to be seen.

Gadget site Gizmodo discovered the exploit, although the page had previously been closed under a limited trial.

Consumers are increasingly likely to share their brand, service or product experiences with friends and colleagues through a social networking site, it has been asserted, which may mean social media marketing proves valuable.

A recent survey conducted by LexisNexis revealed that 57 per cent of respondents claim they are now more likely to voice their opinion online than they were last year.

Businesses which have so far avoided social media marketing, preferring to stick to methods such as search engine optimisation and pay per click, may wish to change their way of thinking.

While some brands could think that the typical Facebook user is not their target audience, this could be a mistake, with research by Experian Hitwise recently revealing that the site accounts for one in every seven pages viewed by UK internet users.

Businesses may have been putting off creating a new website or revamping an old one, deeming it to be low down their list of priorities, however, according to one sector commentator, if they wish to succeed in search engine optimisation (SEO), this thinking may have to change.

Carrie Hill, in a post for Search Engine Watch, says Google is working on a new ranking factor - page speed versus the speed of a site - but outdated websites may not be running as fast as they could, which may put them at a disadvantage.

Social media marketing appears to be a growing trend in online brand promotion, with many businesses now considering it as a way of boosting sales, but one sector commentator has stated that companies should first ask themselves why they wish to launch such a campaign.

Liana Evans, in a post for Search Engine Watch, notes that there are many forms of social media marketing out there - from Facebook fan pages to Wikis and blogs to Twitter updates - and companies should choose one which best suits their objectives.

Link building has been called the most important component of search engine optimisation (SEO), by one sector commentator, who also stated that it can be the most difficult and time-consuming factor as well.

Mark Jackson, in a post for Search Engine Watch, said that a "firm foundation" of quality links can help businesses achieve their SEO objectives.

The BBC is set to begin producing headlines which put the news corporation in a better position for gaining traffic through search engine optimisation (SEO), it has been revealed.

In an official BBC blog, it was detailed that headlines are set to become longer to fit in more keywords and will now be created in two formats - with the main one on the front page and one other for the article itself.

Website analytics is an important consideration in measuring the success of contemporary online marketing campaigns - which may include search engine optimisation (SEO), pay per click or social media marketing - one sector commentator has claimed.

In a post for Search Engine Watch, Ron Jones asserts: "Analytics paints a picture of user behaviour where true success determines if visitors achieved what they came to the site to do. This is an important consideration in today's world of institution control shifting more towards individual voices."

Email could be dead within the next ten years as a result of the rise in popularity of social media marketing, it has been claimed.

According to a new study by TalkTalk and the University of Kent, over the next decade, the dominant communication tool will emerge as social networks and a combination of instant messaging systems.

Businesses contemplating starting a blog in order to boost the traffic arriving at their site through search engine optimisation (SEO) may be having difficulty deciding whether to opt for full or partial text.

Randfish, in a blog post for SEOmoz, explains that partial text means that subscribers or readers can read some of the post but have to click-through to the website to read the rest, which he notes "really annoys" some people.

In what has been billed as the “biggest change” to the Internet “since it was invented 40 years ago”, net regulator Icann has invited countries to apply for “internationalised domain names” in the non-Latin characters.

Leading search marketing specialist, home james, has been appointed by Leeds University Business School to raise the profile of the school, following on from the re-launch of the new Business School brand.

Businesses embarking on a pay per click (PPC) campaign who are aware of the role that search distribution partners play in such schemes can find that they are able to provide a "great deal" of value, one sector commentator asserts.

In a post for Search Engine Watch, Jason Tabeling states that major search engines tend to partner themselves with websites which do not have a "robust search engine technology" but continue to attract high volumes of traffic.

Search engine optimisation can be given a boost by integrating video content into a marketing campaign, one sector commentator has claimed.

Rachel Hawkes, account director at media consultancy Elemental, said that videos can drive more traffic to sites through organic rankings and should not only be present on one page of the site, but multiple pages.

With Google Caffeine expected to give the world’s leading search engine a shot of speed and accuracy in the New Year it appears that speed could become a feature of SEO rankings!

After claiming it was more interested in creating content which would be suitable for its loyal readership, rather than concentrating on search engine optimisation (SEO), the Mirror's gossip pages are reported to have had a turnaround.

According to the Econsultancy blog, the 3am site now crams its HTML title full of keywords in order to gain higher Google rankings.

Once websites pages have been utilised for search engine optimisation (SEO) results, it is time for businesses to move on, rather than constantly "tweaking" the content, headings and title tags, one sector commentator urges.

Writing in a post for Search Engine Watch, Eric Enge explains that such practices are important, but at the right place and time, with such work being carried out up-front, rather than becoming an obsession for marketers.

When it comes to search engine optimisation (SEO) in modern search engines, the differences are relatively minor, although they used to be more significant, one sector commentator has claimed.

Chris Bellamy, co-founder of firstfound.co.uk, said that generally speaking, businesses were most likely to be targeting Google in their SEO campaign as this is where the bulk of their traffic would be coming from.

Companies have been advised that building links to boost their search engine optimisation does not have to be an expensive process, but a procedure they could achieve on a budget.

In a post for Search Engine Watch, Justilien Gaspard explains that companies may wish to all other businesses they feel could benefit from their services and offer a free product or service for them once a week for a month in order to spread word of mouth.

Businesses which focus on utilising their websites by making them expansive resources for industry content could be improving their search engine optimisation (SEO), after one sector commentator claimed that Google "loves" larger websites.

Sam Tilston, online marketing director for zoombits.co.uk, said the more products and pages on a website, the better, so that each page on the site proves useful to someone.

Utilising search engine optimisation (SEO) is both the fastest and most economical way for businesses marketing to "dominate" Google, one sector commentator has claimed.

Gareth Owen, who provides website optimisation to some of the world's top marketers and who is set to hold a free webinar on the subject, says some of the simplest search engine marketing techniques can also be the most powerful.

One sector commentator has detailed how the process of link building has changed over the years he has been working on search engine optimisation.

Randfish, in a post for SEOmoz, explains that when he first started out, link building was a matter of looking through search engines for anything that was competition and led to directories or link lists before buying this advertising but he became increasingly focussed on white hat links.

Good Social Media Optimisation (SMO) should be about personalised content and meaningful interaction.

Google may have been a useful marketing tool for businesses over the past number of years in terms of search engine optimisation but it could now also be utilised for mobile advertising.

Earlier in the week, the search engine group announced in its blog that it has acquired AdMob, a mobile advertising provider, meaning it now has the ability to advertise via its own web search and AdMob's specialities of in-app advertisements.

The net of opportunities for mobile advertising looks set to grow after Google bought AdMob, one of the leading mobile advert companies.

Businesses have been advised to expand their marketing ambitions internationally, which may include them upping their search engine optimisation efforts to move a campaign away from just local search.

In a post for search Engine Watch, Michael Bonfils notes that global trade is a "bandwagon you can't afford to miss".

Businesses that have not yet begun their marketing campaign for Christmas have been advised that now is the time to get stuck into search engine optimisation (SEO) and pay per click.

In an article for Search Engine Watch, Carrie Hill says that although now will be a late start, there are still things companies can do to boost sales over the short term.

MySpace is proving to be losing some of the popularity it once held as its competitors attract more users, one sector commentator has claimed, in news which businesses may wish to keep in mind for their social media marketing campaigns.

Neil Stapley, founder of Daddoda.com, says that it is Facebook which is now the social network "of choice" and that the effects of this site and other competitors entering MySpace's sector may have been underestimated.

Businesses have been advised to use the local language for the region they hope to target when embarking on a social media marketing campaign in order to get the best results.

Tim Gibbon, co-founder and editor of the Social Media Portal, says that sites such as Twitter have increasing global appeal and it is likely there are going to be a number of languages appearing across popular search threads.

Embarking on a social media marketing campaign by beginning a blog, a social networking fan page or a Twitter account can help to boost search engine optimisation, it has been claimed.

But Search Engine Watch's Liana Evans warns that if the content of such pages is not seen as valuable then visitors will stop coming back and that additional search engine ranking will be lost.

It used to be relatively simply for businesses and individuals to comment on blogs and include a link to their own site which could prove useful in terms of driving traffic and boosting search engine optimisation, one commentator has claimed.

However, Sage Lewis, in a post for Search Engine Watch, notes that these days, with people increasingly savvy about what constitutes spam, many bloggers have taken action to make it more difficult to post links on their content.

Marketers working on a search engine optimisation (SEO) campaign may be aware of the importance of achieving high search engine rankings for their content, as most searchers are likely to click on the top result.

However, Peter D, in a post for SEO Book, states that this is only half the battle won as users may always scan the rest of the results and choose something more suitable from further down the rankings.

There are many organisations in the UK which are taking steps towards or considering banning the use of social networks in the workplace, but could this be counterproductive in terms of social media marketing.

In a post for Search Engine Watch, Erik Qualman compares the trend to the Kevin Bacon movie Footloose - in which rock music and dancing is banned in one town - and suggests people will one day look back on banning social media as "rather silly".

When embarking on a new website development project, businesses have been advised by one sector commentator to start by considering the role search engine optimisation (SEO) will play.

In a post for Search Engine Watch, Eric Enge said that focussing on the wrong aspects of the project will lead to less than optimised results and that SEO should be considered before the first line of code is written.

Google is one of many search engines but it continues to prove the most popular, as businesses with successful search engine optimisation campaigns may be aware.

However, could it soon be set to become the only search portal from which all web traffic leaves?

Social Media Optimisation (SMO) is the new buzz topic in the Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) field and companies considering a campaign utilising this shouldn’t stop at just using Twitter and Facebook.

While some businesses may launch a social media marketing campaign on Facebook or Twitter simply because of the popularity of the sites, the scheme must still be measured, it has been claimed.

Peter D, in an article for SEO Book, explains that essentially, social media marketing does not differ greatly from other types of advertising in that it should be accountable and ultimately demonstrate value.

The launch of Google Social Search and the forthcoming integration of live Tweets from micro-blogging website Twitter into Google are going to change the search engine optimisation (SEO) sector, it has been claimed.

PR firm Punch Communications has suggested that once Twitter's real-time updates have been integrated into Google's search results, more businesses were going to be prompted into considering a social media marketing campaign and communicating more with their customers.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) requires "natural talent", according to Econsultancy blogger Patricio Robles.

The SEO columnist explains that it is quite possible for individuals to learn the technicalities of how to optimise their website content.

Managing a pay per click (PPC) campaign can be complex, but there are some "glaring" pitfalls that businesses can avoid, according to one sector commentator.

Melissa Mackey, in a post for Search Engine Watch, states that the first of these is poor account set-up and that setting up an account which consists of only one campaign and one ad group will damage a quality score and make the account difficult to manage.

While marketers may be familiar with concepts such as search engine optimisation (SEO), pay per click, social media marketing and website analytics, the average computer user is unlikely to have heard of any of these practices.

Indeed, a recent video sees a man claiming to be "Scott from Google" stop people in the street to ask if they knew what a browser was, with the conclusion that only eight per cent of respondents understood what it was.

Companies have been advised to look to their on-site search function to see whether it can be improved as this could help boost user experience and also cut down the number of barriers people encounter to reach the page they want.

Rob Ousbey, in a post for SEOmoz, notes that methods of achieving this include labelling the button as Search rather than Go, using a default case-insensitive setting and giving recommendations of content if the search generates no direct results.

Businesses embarking on a search engine optimisation (SEO) campaign will find that this results in a good return on investment (ROI) for them, one sector commentator has claimed.

Sam Tilston, online marketing director for Zoombits.co.uk, said the main way to get the traffic needed to sell products was through search engines and could be achieved either through SEO or a pay per click campaign.

The two key factors which are "crucial" to search engine optimisation and pay per click (PPC) are efficiency and scale, one sector commentator has claimed.

In a post for Search Engine Land, Benny Blum states that this means tuning the campaign to make it more efficient and then maintaining this efficiency while scaling the account.

Businesses embarking on a social media marketing campaign have been told that listening to their users or consumers is just as, if not more, important than doing all of the talking.

Liana Evans in a post for Search Engine Watch, notes that brands should be "humble" when using forums and social networks to spread the word of their products or services, as "no-one likes a show-off or know-it-all".

With increasing numbers of people signing up to social networking and blogging sites, one sector commentator has asked whether the "spirit" of social media marketing can be utilised for other marketing mediums.

Scott Brinker, in a post for Search Engine Land, claims that good landing pages can in turn apply many of the ideals of social media marketing to pay per click (PPC) advertising.

Google has announced that it has formed an agreement with Twitter to include the micro-blogging site's real time updates in its search updates, which may be good news in terms of search engine optimisation (SEO).

Marissa Mayer, vice-president of search products and user experience at Google, writes on the site's blog that she believes search results will "greatly benefit" from this data.

Businesses embarking on a social media marketing campaign have been advised that it is the quality rather than the quantity of links that their profile pages host which is important.

Writing for Search Engine Land, Jordan Kasteler claims that users can get too involved in how many bookmarks or votes are necessary to take the page to the popular sections of a social media site.

When looking for a specific product or service, many people may be keener to gather recommendations from contacts on social media sites than search through the pages of a search engine, it has been claimed.

In an article for ZDnet, wecando.biz states that when searching Google for a PR company in Huddersfield, the search engine generates 146,000 responses, despite the fact there are only 11 such firms in the town.

As more people get themselves online to voice their opinions thanks to the increase in popularity of blogging and social networking, reputation may become a more important aspect of search engine optimisation (SEO).

Indeed, in a post for Search Engine Watch, Eric Enge points out that it can be bad enough for a business to have a negative story about one of its products or services on the internet, but that this is worse when such content out-ranks the company's own web pages.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) can help direct search engines towards "greatness" and should not be seen as a universal scam, one sector commentator has claimed, following an article which suggested the contrary.

Derek Powazek, in a recent blog post for Powazek.com, claimed that SEO is "not a legitimate form of marketing" and that people with souls or a brain should not undertake it.

In order to produce and manage a successful social media marketing campaign there are just four steps businesses need to keep in mind, according to one sector commentator.

In a blog post for Search Engine Watch, Erik Qualman states that these are listening to consumers and conversations concerning the brand, interacting in these dialogues, reacting by altering the product or service in line with what has been learnt and selling.

The advent of social media marketing through Facebook and Twitter has cast a lifeline to many small businesses trying to stay afloat in the turbulent recession waters.

Businesses looking to increase their consumer numbers on an international basis have been advised that it is "imperative" they turn their search engine optimisation (SEO) efforts to the Chinese search engine Baidu.

Michael Bonfils, in a post for Search Engine Watch, said that the Chinese search service previously listed its paid results among its organic results, which could have been confusing, but that now its appearance was more similar to that of Google.

While social media marketing may prove useful for businesses wishing to drive visitor numbers or sales revenue, brands have also been advised to get involved in conversations around them or their products on social networks.

Jason Falls, a social media consultant and blogger on socialmediaexplorer.com, said this could help brands to find out what people - and particularly their target audience - think about them.

Steve Balmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft, has claimed that search innovation has declined in the past five years, when compared with the five years before, but this may be a point businesses running a successful search engine optimisation campaign disagree with.

Commenting in an interview with Tech Crunch, he claims that search innovation is not at the stage where it was half a decade ago, however, one sector commentator has claimed his statement is a "lie" and something he must say in order to generate coverage of Microsoft's search engine Bing.

Targeting social media, and in particular twitter, has fast become this season’s must-have accessory.  Evidence of this can be found across the social networks which now play host to a graveyard of corporate Facebook & twitter pages, pages that were once in vogue, left to fallow.  Why is this happening?

In order to ensure that an internet media marketing campaign is seen by as many people as possible, it may be necessary to saturate the market, one sector commentator has claimed.

Carrie Hill, in a post for Search Engine Watch, states that online marketing is no different to other mediums, where big brands may pick advertising slots that fit around major television or sports events.

Once a search engine optimisation (SEO) campaign has been launched and the meta data written, some businesses may feel at a loss as to what comes next in maintaining and increasing its success.

But Mark Jackson, in a post for Search Engine Watch, notes that one factor that should be kept a constant eye on is the O in SEO - optimisation.

When it comes to running a successful search engine optimisation (SEO) campaign, businesses which blindly follow other people's advice or rely on guess work to determine what will work best for their company risk losing out on revenue, it has been suggested.

In a guest post for SEO Book, community member Ari Ozick notes that in terms of marketing, it is more reliable to make key business decisions based on the data that has been compiled for the campaign, rather than going on advice given on independent blog posts, which may no longer be relevant.

When planning a social media marketing campaign businesses will need to consider if this will include a blog, Facebook group or Twitter, one sector commentator claims firms should also decide by who and how the scheme will be managed.

In a post for Search Engine Watch, Liana Evans notes that this is because building a relationship with consumers is one of the key goals of social media marketing, with company employees forming contacts with visitors.

While Google continues to be the most popular of the search engines, one sector commentator has asked whether it may have actually created a monopoly, without meaning to.

In a blog post for Search Engine Watch, Joshua Palau states that even mentioning Google in the same sentence as the term 'monopoly' would be considered taboo and that he does not believe the search engine leader is "evil".

Yesterday (October 7th), Google co-founder Sergey Brin and chief executive officer Eric Schmidt gave a press conference in New York, where questions were raised over the quality of its search results.

Search Engine Land's Danny Sullivan's later sent Mr Brin some examples of this, which included one which revealed that when searching for the term search engine, Google ranked below Dogpile, AltaVista, Ask and Lycos, despite Google being the most popular search engine.

As increasing numbers of people have got themselves internet access and with more users spending regular portions of time online, the use of search has grown significantly.

However, as businesses running search engine optimisation (SEO) campaigns will be aware, individuals currently have to look through pages and pages of search results before they find what they are after.

There are five incentives for online marketing - whether used as part of a search engine optimisation or pay per click campaign - that can be used to increase user interaction and engagement, one sector commentator has claimed.

In a post for SEOmoz, Lucy Langdon states that running a website which is full of user generated content is one way to increase this engagement and that including links back to the user's own website could fuel this further still.

Businesses which run search engine optimisation (SEO) and pay per click marketing campaigns may well be aware of the role keyword research plays in their success, but keywords should also play a part in the architecture of a website, it has been suggested.

Writing on a post for Search Engine Watch, Eric Enge says that keyword research is a "gem" of the online era and that there has "never before" been so much information available on the thinking of consumers.

While many search engine optimisation (SEO) experts may suggest that a priority in SEO campaigns is to focus on users ahead of the search engines themselves, one sector commentator has claimed this may be misleading.

In a post for SEOmoz, Randfish notes that while SEO should begin with the user in mind, the "incredible importance" of search engine tactics cannot be ignored.

Google has continued to lead the way in search engine popularity, ahead of its competitors such as Bing and Yahoo!, but its true competition may come from social networks, including Twitter, Wikipedia and Facebook, one sector commentator has claimed.

Erik Qualman, in a post for Search Engine watch, suggested that in the future products and services will find their users via social media marketing, rather than consumers turning to search.

As social networks continue to grow in popularity - which may have led to many businesses launching a social media marketing campaign, it has been suggested that the only way such platforms can generate money themselves is by selling data.

Such is the assertion of Neil Stapley, founder of Dadooda.com - a content networking site - who said such thinking was the general consensus and that monetisation of information is the way forward for social networks.

Pay per click (PPC) advertising can be a useful marketing tool for businesses - and may be particularly effective when teamed with a search engine optimisation campaign - but it may also need to be integrated with offline advertising, it is suggested.

In a recent post for Search Engine Watch, Melissa Mackey there have been examples where firms have spent millions on PPC campaign, such as on an advert linked to a major sports event, but that have then failed to include their URL.

Google is providing new ways for local search results to benefit from effective SEO, in the form of Place Pages.

A new feature accessible via Google Maps, Place Pages bring together multiple sources of information about a given location or geographical feature, making them available on a single web page.

Yahoo! has undertaken its own search engine optimisation, literally optimising its search engine's front-end technology to respond more quickly to queries.

The development was revealed last week on the Yahoo! Search and Yahoo! Search Marketing blogs.

Anchors - page elements that allow webmasters to link to a specific part of an HTML document - could now have an impact on SEO for websites targeting their Google search ranking.

That is because Google is now using anchors to link directly to parts of a page in its search results.

One "key" question remains to be answered in the social media marketing "battle", according to one sector commentator, which is how all the pieces interconnect.

Writing in a post for Search Engine Watch, Erik Qualman stated that it may be difficult for social media marketers to be experts in every recommended element, such as blogs, wikis, social networks, video sharing and so on.

Businesses running pay per click (PPC), search engine optimisation (SEO) or any other type of online marketing campaign should by now have ensured that their schemes are ready for the Christmas period.

Herndon Hasty, writing for Search Engine Watch, says that the job that now remains for companies is to carry out these campaigns cleanly and successfully, while adjusting to their fourth quarter results.

When launching a search engine optimisation (SEO) campaign, businesses may also consider targeting international audiences and in these cases, does the use of accents over certain letters matter?

In a post for Search Engine Watch, Andy Atkins-Kruger said that it has been argued that if a phrase is placed into Google without such accents, the search engine will do the work of adding them.

Internet advertising - such as pay per click campaigns (PPC) - is expected to increase next year, to account for some 15 per cent of global measured advertising spending in 2010, it has been predicted.

A new GroupM study noted that this was up from the 13 per cent that was expected to be reached in 2009.

A new search engine featuring a "unique" safe-searching system has attracted 500,000 visitors since it launched.

ImHalal could prove a useful tool for some specialist search engine optimisation campaigns as it filters content and warns users if their search results are likely to contain sexually explicit content, or other content which is forbidden under Muslim law.

A roundup of the most important stories in search and SEO during September 2009.

Just like old-fashioned school lessons, one sector commentator has claimed that in order to succeed in search engine optimisation (SEO) businesses need to follow the Rs - this time, four of them.

In a blog for SEOmoz, Dr Pete explains that the four Rs are robots, ranking, relevance and results.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) companies and campaigns can benefit from employees who have knowledge on a variety of subjects, one sector commentator has claimed.

In a blog for Search Engine Watch, Justilien Gaspard looks at the five skills marketers may find essential and notes that a person who is more "worldly" is likely to notice opportunities in SEO and marketing that may be overlooked by someone else.

Retailers looking to expand a social media marketing campaign may find that their key audience is already online, after new research revealed that mums are using social networks more than the average adult.

The study conducted by BIGresearch for the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA) revealed that women at home who have children are more likely to use Facebook (60.3 per cent) than the average adult (50.2 per cent).

When businesses are considering relaunching their website, they will often state that their motivations behind the decision include making it look and feel fresher, updating content to make it more relevant and removing any unnecessary information.

Such is the assertion of Mark Jackson, in a blog for Search Engine Watch, who adds that the things that really matter are usability and search engine optimisation (SEO) although he states that these are rarely a consideration in website re-design.

The second installment of our new series of blog posts from home james  - the most important stories in search and SEO for the last month, all in one easy to digest post. This month - August 2009.

In terms of search engine optimisation (SEO), Russian search engine Yandex has revealed the importance of language and effective translation.

Such was the assertion of a recent Search Engine Watch blog, where Andy Atkins-Kruger stated that this was one of the main factors driving the search engine's success, after ComScore figures revealed it was the fastest growing search service in the top ten.

Businesses looking to launch a social media marketing campaign may wish to turn their attention to Facebook, as the site now has 300 million users.

According to Mark Zuckerberg, writing for the Facebook blog, said although the figure seemed large, the team behind the social network was "just getting started".

Microsoft's 'decision engine' Bing has launched Visual search, which could prove useful to firms preparing to launch a search engine optimisation campaign.

The news follows a study conducted by Microsoft which revealed that results with images are processed 20 per cent faster than results which only contain text.

In terms of getting businesses and personal websites ranking higher in Google, one sector commentator has claimed there is just one really important rule to remember.

In a blog post for SEOmoz, Rob Ousbey states that the most valuable links are those that an organisation's competitors "will never be able to have".