OrangeSoda Internet Marketing Blog

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Have you ever wondered how to get your local business news listed in Google News? I certainly have. Google News is the second most popular news site - Yahoo News is number one (by a long shot). I use one or both practically every day.
The difference between the two sites is that Google uses an algorithm to display results. Yahoo has real people look over your release. Both hold your news for 28 days. That’s why I prefer using a press release distribution service like PRWeb - it’s a permanent link in addition to the news link. Still there is value to both.

Google News blog just posted some tips for getting into or banned from Google News:
Here’s what they say about the timing of your release:

“whether you publish before, after, or in the midst of when other publishers post articles won’t affect your article ranking. Our algorithms take a number of factors into account when choosing the best articles in a cluster. Simply publishing the same story after another publisher won’t help. Additionally, our system is set up to detect duplicate content and promote the original source of a story.”

Here’s the rest of the tips about getting into Google News.

Online PR - an SEO Tool for Small Businesses

Often the small business owner doesn’t think in terms of news or as news as a way to getting into search engines. However, like most local internet marketing, there often isn’t a lot of competition. That’s partly because each local business is unique already. And because most local businesses haven’t caught on or don’t have the resources or know-how needed. And that’s precisely why we’re here.

Google has started running paid search ads that have videos. The ads were announced last month but are now popping up in search results. I’ve looked for some examples but today I’m not finding any. I wonder if that has something to do with all the news about this and how advertisers pay whenever someone views an ad.

As of yesterday, Search Engine Land reported that you could see the ads by typing in search queries like: BlackBerry, AT&T, cell phone or laptop. Today I can’t find a single video ad. The ads show up on the top sponsored listings (the paid ads on search engines that show up in the box before natural results start). There’s a small box that says, “watch commercial” or a similar pitch and if you click it, you can see a video.

Advertisers pay if someone watches the ad or clicks on the ad to go to their web site, but won’t be charged for both. Since I can’t find a live example, here’s a screenshot from Search Engine Land:

If you have tried a Google AdWords video ad I’d love to get your feedback. I assume for now, that not many people have tried it. Where I see it being ideal is for movie trailers or even “how to” videos for very specific products. In other Google news, Google now has demographic bidding options for AdWords - so you can show your ads to specific age groups (over the age of 17) or gender.

As I write this I’m reminded of something one of our trainers says: paid advertising - easy to start, complex to manage. That’s especially true for small retailers, which are OrangeSoda’s forte. We manage Google, MSN, and Yahoo PPC advertising through one tool and our clients can log in to get stats on clicks, conversions, and see how their campaign is performing.