Bing released an enhanced page preview feature during November with a different interface and more focus on structured previews. For example a search for Carbon Credits is shown below, when you hover your mouse pointer over the search result an arrow pointing to the right in a gray box shows up, moving your mouse pointer over the arrow itself pops open a layer with a preview of text on the page.

In some situations, like the result from Wikipedia above, a site search box is also shown. We've observed many different variations in what the Bing preview will display. They all typically show some text content, but may also feature a list of popular and/or deep links on the site, site contact information, they may even show pictures if it's a Facebook page.

Some of this information can be useful to know, for example popular links show what Bing/MSN have tracked to be popular pages users view after landing on the page. We have to assume they are getting that data from the MSN toolbar - and this does give you some insight as to what's getting clicked on for yours, or a competitor's site.

Not every site owner will like this feature, If you don't want your content available by the Document Preview feature, you can opt-out using the meta robots tag. To specifically block only Bing from using a preview feature add the following tag to your pages head area.

<meta name="msnbot", content="nopreview">

Or, if you wish to block all engines that support the nopreview tag, use this generic version;

<meta name="robots" content="nopreview">

For more information on Google updates, please see our friends at SearchEngineNews.com.

For more information on Google updates, please see our friends at SearchEngineNews.com.

Don't forget, ICND specializes in SEO, so if you have any problems installing or monitoring and element of your website, from hosting, analytics, webmaster tools, emails, or just content, we can help. Schedule a free SEO consultation, and the Internet Marketing team at ICND will walk you through every step.

To give a little history, PageRank used to be a major indicator in determining where your website (web page) ranked in the search engines. PageRank ranges from 0 to 10, 10 being the best.

The higher the PR (PageRank) the better you ranked (historically) for that particular page (each page is assigned its own PageRank).

PageRank was important before other behavioral factors/indicators took the limelight. Google and other search engines used PageRank as an indication of popularity among web searchers (almost like a meta-behavioral indicator). Now Google (and others) have been tracking real behavior, like click behavior, search history, geographic location, etc. Its a web users actions that will determine a web page's "popularity" and relevancy, which in turn has helped to make PageRank (mostly) obsolete.

Has Google dumped PageRank completely? No. They haven't said that officially. They have officially said that following PageRank as the sole indicator of ranking and indexing of your website is foolish and incorrect. Much like putting all your time and effort into ONLY optimizing your meta keywords on each page.

Google has always said that there are 200 indicators that they look at for each page when determining ranking and indexing. PageRank is still one of those indicators (as is meta keywords). You need to monitor as many of these factors as you can to keep a good mark on why your web pages rank the way they do.

As Google says, a high PageRank might not mean that you rank well for a certain term, but a low PageRank can be an indicator of why you DON'T rank for a certain term.

Read more at "Google Ditches PageRank in Webmaster Tools"

What is Google "Caffeine"?

First of all, Caeffeine is just a code-word (like Shock and Awe) for the secret project Google has been working on. Project was revealed in the last few days on Google's official blog. So, it's not so secret now. And it's no big surprise that Google would reveal some fire power after Microsoft and Yahoo inked their deal.

What is Google Caffeine's purpose?

Reportedly, Caffieine is an under the hood version of their existing search engine. What does that mean? "Caffeine" or whatever it will be called, uses the existing algorithm to produce results. However, those results will be "more comprehensive and streamlined". As the code name suggests, this under-the-hood version will be faster. Faster how you ask? Who knows. Perhaps it will have a separate indexing process, or a more streamlined quality guideline that will be more black and white. If your website is built to Google-perfection, you're in. If not, you're out. Your guess is as good as any ones.

Google could be doing some spin-doctoring here, revealing a reportedly super secret, revolutionary product to pull headlines (and rising consumer use) from MicroHoo. Google is a multi-national state unto itself, so you shouldn't be surprised if it starts acting like one.

Should businesses be worried?

For those business who live and die by their Google rankings, the answer is maybe. Google won't do anything too detrimental to their advertiser base. But, they will shake things up in the name of consumer progress. But if you're business is chasing the dragon (so to speak) with Google, you should get your hand slapped. Diverisify. Diversify. Diversify. Have you learned nothing from the current American economic meltdown? If not...remember what you're grandmother used to tell you. Don't put all your eggs in one basket...even if that basket is Google.

Will Caffeine's search results be any different from the standard Google SERP?

Well. According to Google. Yes. In reportedly "minor but significant" ways. I checked it out and found no differences as of yet...but perhaps this under the hood version relies more on user behavior? There have been rumors that Google has been enamored by real time search results fed by real time source like Twitter. Maybe Caffeine takes a snapshot of real time search behavior rather through the traditional bot indexing process. Is that what makes it like Caffeine, that it keeps you alert? This is all just speculation of course. But if I lose my life in some strange and unexplained way, then you'll know I was right about something. You've seen Conspiracy Theory I'm sure.

Can I try out Google Caffeine?

Sure can. It's sandboxed, so Google is keeping the program a safe distance from their Standard Google search engine. After all, they wouldn't want a coding error to pull down the whole sha-bang. Check out Google Caffeine. I would be really interested in hearing what difference people discover while searching.

I'll keep you posted as more is revealed.

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I have to admit. I'm not very enthused about Facebook's decision to allow users to create Vanity URLs for their profiles (and pages...though I haven't seen any for those yet. Not sure who is eligible, and when the rest of us will be?)

Of course, it just makes sense that a person can give out easy-to-remember static looking URL's to their family, friends, and clients/customers instead of a long string of variable gobbledeegook. But, I knew - as an SEO professional - that the mad rush to SQUAT on the best keyword phrases would ruin the usefulness of Facebook's move.

Can I blame anyone for the rush? Nope. The opportunity is there, so why not take it? I blame Facebook for allowing the opportunity to be there in the first place. How fair is it that some unrelated person, business, or organization can steal (take) your name, your identity, or more likely, YOUR MAIN KEYWORD PHRASE?

First come, first serve. And that's all that qualifies you to choose your URL "username".

And the change is permanent? So no swapping. Once you're TheKiKi, or MyrtleBeachSEO, you're that until death do you part. Does that mean the squatters can't unload the goods? Not sure, but money talks so there's always a way around such obstacles, like swapping account logins. And is Facebook monitoring for copyright infringement of identity theft...or can anyone swoop in a take Nike, McDonalds, Coke...or even Barrack Obama or Kobe Bryant?

In the coming weeks (probably much less than that) you'll see Facebook pages inundate the SERP's. And the 'why' is obvious. Facebook hit critical mass some time ago, and continues to balloon. Think of how many times you see Wikipedia pages in the SERPs.

I hope that Facebook makes good on its promise to combat blatant squatting. And, I hope that Google and the rest of the Search Engines do their due diligence with their own algorithms. After all, the premise of the page URL's text [ALWAYS] properly defining the focus of the page went south when the first black hat SEO salesman crawled out of the mud.

Maybe I'm peeved that someone got to my name on Facebook before I did? I can only imagine how annoyed I'd be if someone snaked the name of my business.

So let's have some fun, and you tell me whose side Facebook is on. The common man (and thus small business) or the Superstar and million dollar brands.

Go to

www.facebook.com/kobebryant

www.facebook.com/lebronjames

www.facebook.com/ashtonkutcher

www.facebook.com/barackobama

www.facebook.com/coke

www.facebook.com/pepsi

And watch what happens. Do you think Facebook would let you - oh common man - set something up like that for yourself or your business?

Now start searching for things that you KNOW what have been snatched up right at midnight Saturday morning, like Disney or Myrtle Beach (yeah, Myrtle Beach...I know there are plenty of companies licking their chops over that one).

Find any other glaring inconsistencies in Facebook's new vanity URL's. Let us know. Disgree with me...well you can let me know that too.

Bing is Microsoft's new upgrade of its search engine LIVE search. Infact, LIVE is now Bing. Live.com is redireded to the new search engine. So what's new? Bing promises to make search easier by allowing a searcher to drill down through the search results until they find exactly what they want. Searchers looking to shop for something (say a digital camera) or book a flight or hotel can get directions, price ranges, specials, and even categories of different types of travel (cheap, luxury, oceanfront, etc).

So the big difference? Most other Search Engines want to give you the best results for your search the first time (whether they really are or not is debateable) and then pass you along to that website. Bing is different. It wants you to keep plugging around until you find exactly what you want (you do your research and reviews within the results page so to speak).

From an SEO standpoint, this means top rankings aren't as weighted as significantly in Bing as in a traditional search engine's results page (though it shouldn't be outright ignored). Why? Because your top ranked page, say for the term "Myrtle Beach hotel" is competing with "clarification" content. Bing says, ok - here are some hotels - but which kind of hotel do you want? Did you really want a condo? Did you really mean North Myrtle Beach?

For Bing rankings I imaginee (if their premise works) that terms will be more long tailed, traffic more qualified so much less quantity (amount of traffic), and the conversions should be higher.

I'm not exactly sure how their PAID ADS measure into all this "drilling down" of content? Or how your analytics would actually track which keyword phrase the visitor came to your site from. If I started with searching for "Myrtle Beach hotels" and ended up drilling down to "cheap Myrtle Beach hotel on the oceanfront" which keyword is actually tagged for drawing the traffic to your website? And better yet - which phrase should you optimize for?

For all you webmaster concerned with the new quality guidelines of Bing.com (not so far off from Live.com's quality guidelines), please read Microsoft Bing Quality Guidelines.

Microsoft is a big player, so it's never a good idea to figure them out of your SEO equation (even though their search market share is nominal compared to Google and Yahoo). If you need a current assessment of your website and how it measures up in the search engines, contact InterCoastal Net Designs today, a North Carolina SEO company.

Defining social media as hot today is so yesterday...but it still hasn't lost its relevancy. And won't. Sure, there's a lot of clutter and hype (Twitter loses 6 out of ever 10 users every month - giving it's 1400% quarterly growth a bit of a petina) but knowing how to use and harnass Social Media (and other Web 2.0 technologies) is a must do if you really want to get the word out about your business.

Though most of the Social Media outlets are FREE, they are still very time consuming. And there in lies the rub of the issue. Most businesses mistakenly believe they can simply set up accounts and send out there deals, and wahlah, instant sales. Not so. You have to find your audience, grow your friends and follows, become an authority and a trusted source on your business, market, services, products, and/or industry. You have to be where web users are looking - which is EVERY WHERE.

The headache is that interactive marketing has become so segmented. Fragmented across multiple touchpoints. Don't just rely on the Google search index. People go to user review sites to find out which hotels are the best, web users ask their friends for advice, enter forums for product info and troubleshooting, or look for how to articles when they want to do it themselves.

The great thing about Social Media is that provides you with access to the EVERY WHERE - but you have to make the decision as a business that you want to walk through the door.

Managing Social Media is a juggling act at best - but it can be done when you put things in order. Your website and/or blog should be the foundation of your social media campaign; the place where you drive all the traffic - from your postings, articles, press releases, reviews, what ever.

Start with one or just a few of the top outlets - Facebook and Twitter - and get a good handle on them before you bite off more than you can chew. Once you feel comfortable with these tools, then move on to a new outlet. And schedule everything accordingly. With every new social outlet you need anywhere from one hour a day to at least 5 hours a month. Again, social media is all about engagement. If you don't stay infront of your market and customers (past, present and future) there's no point of doing it.

If you're balking at the idea of spending that much time - then scale back your networking reach.

Or - for a not so shameless plug - hire the services of a professional Internet marketing company to handle a lot of the heavy lifting. The setup and implementation, the monitoring, and campaign building.

Read this great article on Who Should Manage Your Social Media Marketing campaign.

Be on the look out for more "How to Organize your Social Media Marketing" advise. Or just email me directly.