2nd Largest Search Engine Gets Real-Time Search

Add one more thing to your list of online reputation management tools. YouTube has real-time search for the site's comments. Considering that YouTube is by far the largest online video site in the world, and is even considered to be the second largest search engine, YouTube comments are probably not something that brands want to ignore.

Now that you are able to easily search for the latest comments for whatever keyword you choose, monitoring what people are saying about you on YouTube should be quite a bit easier. Although, it could be easier still.

"Unfortunately, there are no feeds being published to syndicate these search results into a reader off-site," notes Marshall Kirkpatrrick of ReadWriteWb, who stumbled across this addition to YouTube. "The regular search on YouTube now has RSS feeds and Google Wonder Wheel data being published, so perhaps comment search will have feeds added soon as well."

"YouTube comments are notoriously not worth reading, but now you can search their full text...in real time," says Kirkpatrick. "There are some very real, potential use-cases crying out for a tool like this."

It is unclear just how long this feature is actually been available, but if it's been out a while, it doesn't seem to have been acknowledged much until now. The feature can be used at youtube.com/comment_search.

If you are looking to be found in real-time searches, commenting on YouTube videos may provide for another good way to go about doing so. That doesn't mean spam. It means that if you engage in more relevant conversation throughout the YouTube community, people will be more likely to see your comments in searches. I suppose the real question is how often will people other than those monitoring their reputations actually be looking for information from YouTube comments.

Google Launches New Features for Sites

Google has introduced some new features to Google Sites, the company's web site creation and publishing app. The new features were made to make it easier for users to copy their site, and use more options to search and announce updates.

Google Sites now allows users to copy entire sites. You can do this by simply going to "Manage Site," then "General," and "Copy Site."

The "recent announcement" gadget received an upgrade, which gives users control over how much text is shown in the post summary. You can show full post content, and/or a thumbnail of the first photo in the post.

Users also now have more control over the search box. If you go to "Manage Site," "Site Layout," and "Configure Search," you can configure search across multiple site, so you can unify them.

"Businesses and schools using Google Apps can configure it to search across all sites in their domains, which is useful for an intranet site," says software engineer Russ Vrolyk. "External search providers can also be used such as a Custom Search Engine or a Google Search Appliance."

With Google Sites search boxes, users can search across the sites' content as well as attachments. Users can search across multiple sites, the entire domain, using a custom search engine, and/or using a Google Search Appliance.

Affordable PPC search engine advertising

PPC search engine advertising is by far the most affordable form of advertising available. PPC search engine advertising is a flourishing business that by 2008 is expected to reach $ 8 billion. PPC search engine advertising is about producing leads. Creating leads will help potential buyers find the specific website that will provide them with the product or service they need.

However, PPC search engine advertising does not end there. It is important to understand that although PPC search engine advertising generates leads, it is also important for users to find relevant information at the website they are directed to. Information is a valuable asset in PPC search engine advertising that is often left unchecked by many websites. Keep in mind that users are more likely to purchase products or services from a company that provided them with the necessary information they needed in the first place.

Qualified traffic with PPC search engine advertising

One of the benefits of PPC search engine advertising is that it provides qualified traffic to a specific website. Users that click on a PPC ad are those in search of a particular product or service. This helps eliminate unnecessary clicks from non-prospective buyers that only produce expenditures not profits. PPC search engine advertising is also the fastest way to get a reasonable return on investment.

A bidding process is used to establish the price of a specific keyword. In general, the budget for PPC search engine advertising may be a $100 to $100,000 depending on the number of keywords used. These prices can skyrocket in just minutes as more and more sites bid for the same keyword thus causing the prices to jack up.

PPC ads are placed alongside search engine results to which they are relevant. The highest bids for a specific keyword or phrase gets top billing on the search engine results page. Getting top placement provides greater odds for a PPC ad to get clicked by a qualified searcher.

Elements of PPC search engine advertising

PPC search engine advertising involves three basic elements; constant monitoring, response analysis and refinement as the essential factors involved in PPC search engine advertising. Proper management of PPC search engine advertising can result in big profits for a website.

PPC search engine advertising makes it possible for sites to monitor the productivity of each PPC ad they place. This gives a site the opportunity to turn off any PPC ad that is not performing at its best. PPC search engine advertising provides the most economical way for a site to advertise on the World Wide Web.

The cost entailed in PPC search engine advertising is dictated by the clicks made on a particular PPC ad. The number of clicks made on a PPC ad is subtracted from the initial amount paid by the business to a search engine company. To minimize cost and maximize return on investment, a business will have to regularly monitor its PPC search engine advertising campaign.

How to use PPC search engine advertising

Many businesses are unable to get the most out of their PPC search engine advertising campaign. PPC search engine advertising involves a lot more than just bidding on the highest keywords. Information is a main concern of many online users.

Providing online users with relevant information they need will help bring about a more long-term relationship with an online user that will more likely result in a sale.
Information provided to online users may be in the form of a newsletter or e-zine that online users would likely sign up for. Sign-ups may be enough to cover the expenses of a PPC search engine advertising campaign.

Sign-ups also help generate leads for websites as they build opt in list from qualified online searchers who clicked their PPC ad. Getting personal information from qualified online searchers can be done in a variety of ways such as offering freebies for surveys or signing up for newsletters.

PPC search engine advertising is a continuous process that requires hands on supervision and a thorough understanding of PPC search engines. Businesses may opt to hire the services of a professional or do PPC search engine advertising with in-house experts. Whatever course of action is selected, a business is sure to get a huge return on investment with PPC search engine advertising.