Jan/100
Optimizing your images for Google Image Search
Last year at Search Market Expo West, Peter Linsley from Google Image Search outlined how publishers can improve their ability to get images indexed by Google and other major search engines.
We've mentioned a few of the tips in a previous post like learning how to use alt tags and using plenty of descriptive text. Linsley covers the basics and more and breaks down image search behavior, which is very different from web search.
If you think about the paradigm when they do a query, it's not so much about what's the first result... users can consume images in a heartbeat, and if the image they happen to like is at the bottom left-and corner or the bottom right-hand corner, so be it. They'll see that, there's something about the image that attracts them, and they'll click through.
Since image searches are very subjective, there is no way for search engines to figure out what you are looking for. Sometimes users aren't just looking for a specific image but use the image search function as a tool for inspiration, research, and "sometimes they just use it to kill time, just for the fun of it."
I really enjoyed reading Linsley's best practices which include asking yourself how to make your images useful for users.
It's really about immersing the user into a very image-centric experience. These are the kinds of landing pages, these are the kind of images we've observed that our users tend to like.
For more tips keep reading here
Dec/091
Is Chrome the Best Internet Browser?
The title of best internet browser has long been given to Mozilla's Firefox - but the times, they are a-changin'. Google announced today that its Chrome browser is available for Mac and Linux, and opened it up to user customization with over 300 extensions. Marshall Kirkpatrick, the lead writer of the ReadWriteWeb blog and a self-professed Firefox fan, pronounced today that Chrome "may be the best browser on the market."
Alongside the new availability of extensions, Kirkpatrick says that Chrome is faster and more stable than Firefox. Since it runs separate processes in each new tab opened, one slow or crashing tab won't affect any of the others. Who using Firefox hasn't had to deal with a slowly-loading YouTube video affecting the rest of your tabs? I know I have. The fact that Chromium, the developer version of Chrome, can run as much as 10 times faster than Firefox is certainly persuasive.
Having tried both Firefox and Chrome, I have to admit that I'm not 100 percent sold. Yes, the Chrome interface looks awesome, especially as compared to Firefox, and the browser has been running well - even on my lumbering, past-its-prime laptop. But the fact that Chrome lacks the separate customizable search engine that is separate from the address bar that's on the top-right of my Firefox browser is, for now, a deal-breaker. What do you think? Are there any features exclusive to either Firefox or Chrome that you can't live without? Or are you just looking for a fast, reliable browser?
Nov/090
Online Advertising Rebounds
Source: Erick Schonfeld
Online advertising bounced back a bit in the third quarter of 2009, after declining in the first two quarters of the year. The online advertising revenues of Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and AOL rose 1.2% to roughly $8 billion for the quarter. These four companies account for an enormous proportion of online advertising, so looking at these four companies gives a good representation of the overall industry. However, Google was the only company to report a rise in revenues in the third quarter. The other three had slight decreases in revenue. While it is still early to assume that the worst is behind us, this definitely gives hope that the online advertising industry might be stabilizing.
Nov/090
The Next Frontier of Online Advertising
Source: unwiredview.com
As has been extensively covered this week by online media sources (see: the New York Times and Advertising Age, for starters), Google is set to acquire the mobile advertising company AdMob for $750 million in stock. According to Jon Fortt for CNNMoney.com, this deal represents a sign of the times. The mobile-display advertising sector is now the advertising market that seems most poised to grow, and with this deal, Google has positioned itself as the current leader.
Fortt, however, is skeptical of mobile advertising's potential. Although the popularity and ubiquitousness of smart phones is undeniable, spending on mobile advertising market was only $416 million in 2009 -- which is nothing compared to the close to $24 billion spent on online advertising overall in 2009.
Fortt is also skeptical of the smart phone user's likelihood to put up with mobile ads. He writes, "If you think online display ads are at best an annoyance on a 30-inch monitor, what about a three-inch screen? Ignoring ads on a PC is easy enough; on something I pay $60 or $80 a month for (especially if serving up the mobile ads slow my wireless network even more) ignoring the ads will be the default mode."
It remains to be seen whether Google can successfully develop a mobile advertising service with the acquisition of AdMob. In my estimation, and Fortt's as well, the difficulty of creating a mobile-display ad that doesn't completely turn off users is a significant hurdle that Google and other competitors must face.
Read the rest of Fortt's article here and let us know what you think of mobile advertising in the comments!
Sep/090
Did You Know?
Image Space Media works alongside other ad technologies to generate incremental revenue for your website. This means that you can implement our in-picture advertising technology in addition to other ad programs such as Google AdSense, banner advertisements, and "affiliate" programs. To learn about these ad programs and other strategies to earn money from your website, check out our Blogging for Bucks article!
Jul/092
What’s Happening Around the Web
Image Space Media likes to stay updated with the latest headlines around the web and we want to keep you in the loop, too! Here's some interesting buzz that caught our attention this week.
Get Savvy with Twitter 101
Has Twitter finally solved its user retention problem?
Last Thursday, the social networking website launched Twitter 101 for Business, a beginners’ guide to tweeting that includes ideas, tips, lingo, and case studies for businesses that want to make the most of their Twitter account. “From local stores to big brands, and from brick-and-mortar to internet-based or service sector, people are finding great value in the connections they make with businesses on Twitter,” the guide explains. Check out Twitter 101.
The Low-Down on Google’s Chrome OS
In our last update on ‘What’s Happening Around the Web,’ we highlighted Microsoft COO Kevin Turner’s excitement when Apple asked him to take down Microsoft’s new ‘Laptop Hunter’ ads. This week, Turner may cease to do cartwheels after Google announced the launch of its new Chrome OS, which will be available for consumers in the second half of next year.
Chrome OS promises to be an open source, lightweight desktop operating system that will compete directly with OS X, Windows, and Linux. According to the Official Google Blog, “speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS.” Considering that Windows contributes about $11 billion of annual operating income for Microsoft (about half of its total), we would be pretty scared if we were Microsoft. Meanwhile, Microsoft continues to attack Google’s most lucrative business, search, with its recent launch of Bing.
We wonder what battle will be next in the war between Google and Microsoft.
Tech Buzz
It’s sweltering outside in NYC. Luckily, Image Space Media has found the perfect accessory for a hot summer day! This fan plugs into your USB, enabling computer geeks to cool off with their laptops. Now all you need is a cold soda from your USB fridge. Enjoy!