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Online reputation management just became much more crucial. Google has enabled reviews and ratings for businesses, restaurants, etc via mobile. Now people don’t have to wait until they get home (and have time to cool down on the way?) to write a review after a negative (or perceived negative) experience.

On the flip side, you could encourage your customers to write a review if they had a positive experience.

Don’t freak out too much yet - it’s still not available for iPhone customers. But, it will be soon.

Never fear, we’ve got you covered. Read up on online reputation management to keep your virtual image afloat:

• How to Bury Negative Online Mentions of You - Intermediate Level Tactics
• Local Search Lives or Dies by User Reviews
• Constructive feedback on online reputation management
• Defining Yourself Through Search
• Search and Reputation: Your Brand Standing Is Your Shelf Landing
• Video Marketing and Brand Management Online
• Hospitality Social Media Marketing: Influence Critical Customer Reviews
• Women Execs Have Better Online Presence

Compete.com has released a PRO version of its analytics product. Compete PRO is available in three different price levels: $199/month for Intro, $299/month for Standard, and $499/month for Advanced. Enterprise editions are also available.

Included in the PRO version:

• Search analytics: new search term, site and market category report packages so brands and agencies can ascertain competitors’ strategies and then adjust their own.
• Site analytics: new metrics, daily updates and a full 25 months of history reporting on Reach, Page View and Visitor Engagement for more than 1,000,000 websites.
• Ranked lists: downloadable lists of up to 500,000 sites for the fastest-growing, most influential sites across multiple categories delivering the most comprehensive view of Internet traffic.

Stephen DiMarco, chief marketing officer at Compete had this to say about the announcement:

Compete PRO gives marketers a single place to go for premium-grade online metrics, something that until now was available to only a select few. We designed the platform around the way online marketers work, addressing their feedback that other data providers are too costly, don’t enable them to drill down into critical segments and aren’t built to translate what they see into revenue-generating results.

Last summer, Compete launched a pay-as-you-go analytics service, enabling users to purchase credits that would allow them to view a set number of results. Earlier this year, Compete was acquired by London-based market research firm TNS.

There was a new service launched at the beginning of the month that follows all uses of your brand, domain, special keywords and more - Search Monitor. And before you jump at me for the plug I am not associated with it at all.

I was sent the press release and information about the product and from what I have seen so far this could be a great tool for reputation management, keeping an eye on competitors using your name etc. or even to track affiliates.

The press release states:

The Search Monitor (“TSM”), an online monitoring service that tracks competitive advertiser activity on paid search, blogs, news, and web sites, announces the product release of three new automated monitoring utilities: Competitor Monitor, Trademark Monitor, and Affiliate Monitor.

With this launch, interactive agencies, marketers, affiliate managers, and compliance teams gain critical insight into search marketing strategies, affiliate activities, trademark abuse, and brand buzz. The Search Monitor offers important information that can only be gained by careful 24×7 automated monitoring, and surfaces the information in 3 easy to use reporting sections:

1. Competitor Monitor gives insights into competitive bidding strategies, competitor market share and visibility, ranking on sponsored search, ad copy strategies, and promotions like free shipping, trials, or sales.

2. Trademark Monitor eases the tasks associated with reputation management by auto-detecting advertisers sponsoring branded keywords, use of trademarks and slogans in ad copy and display urls, and brand buzz on blogs, news, and web sites.

3. Affiliate Monitor simplifies oversight of affiliate programs by auto-identification of affiliates using sponsored search to detect violations of rank requirements, keyword restrictions, ad copy
requirements or restrictions, and landing page copy requirements or restrictions.

Search engine marketing has become a critical component for advertisers. According to the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO), North American advertisers spent $12.2 billion on SEM in 2007 and that figure is estimated to more than double to reach $25.2 billion by 2011. The Search Monitor was developed to provide the tools necessary to optimize the sizable investments being made in this medium and to protect brands from competitive threats.

“There is a big problem in the industry known as ‘Piggybacking’ which is when smaller advertisers use the trademarks or slogans of bigger advertisers in ad copy or display urls to lure consumers into clicking on their ads”, says Shaun Martinec, a TSM founder. “For our larger brand clients, we have discovered as many as 1 in 10 competitors engaging in this practice. We were quite alarmed to learn that some violators are parked domains, phishing, and spyware sites. With The Search Monitor, our clients are able to catch these activities and react quickly.”

Another advantage of having a monitoring tool such as The Search Monitor is that marketers and agencies can glean insights into competitive online advertising campaigns including ad copy, promotional offers and ad placement strategies.

There are some products out there that cover some of the elements, but the interface is easy to navigate and provides some valuable monitors that many of us can use.

Guess the wagon circling has begun over at Yahoo in preparation of the stockholders’ meeting August 1. They sent out a letter to stockholders outlining the various events of the past few months and promoted voted for the existing board of directors.

The letter attacks Carl Icahn.

“It is time for Yahoo! to turn its undivided attention to implementing its key strategies, and we therefore urge you to reject Mr. Icahn’s slate and his ill-defined agenda,” the letter from Yahoo CEO Roy Bostock states.

The letter - posted below - is very slanted towards the actions of the existing executives. Right now the Microsoft offer of $31 to $34 looks good given the stocks major slump to the low $20s.

The letter read:

Dear Fellow Stockholders:

We are writing to update you on the latest developments here at
Yahoo!, including our recently announced commercial agreement with
Google and the outcome of our discussions with Microsoft regarding a
potential transaction.

On June 12, we announced a non-exclusive agreement with Google that we
expect will generate approximately $250 to $450 million in
incremental operating cash flow for Yahoo! in the first twelve months
following implementation. This cash flow will enhance our
profitability as well as help support achievement of our key
strategic objectives. Combined with continuing advances in our own
search capability, the agreement is an important step in our efforts
to capitalize on the high-growth online advertising opportunities
where we are best positioned to compete successfully and create more
value.

Let us explain why we find this new agreement so exciting.

The Yahoo!-Google Agreement is Financially Attractive and Strikes the
Right Strategic Balance.

Under the agreement with Google, Yahoo! will continue to provide
algorithmic and sponsored search results, but now will also have the
ability to run sponsored search ads supplied by Google alongside
Yahoo!’s search results. Advertisers will pay Google directly for
each click on Google paid search results appearing on Yahoo!. Google
will then pay us a fee (in industry jargon, traffic acquisition cost)
based on revenue realized from click-throughs on ads supplied to
Yahoo! by Google.

This carefully structured agreement strikes the right strategic
balance, enhancing our financial results while advancing our
strategic objectives of being the “starting point” for the most users
on the Internet and offering such compelling value that advertisers
will see us as the “must buy” in online advertising.

One of our key strategies for achieving these objectives is to
capitalize on the increasing convergence of search and display
advertising, where we are especially well positioned to compete and
succeed. We have already accelerated our efforts to strengthen our
presence in display through a variety of initiatives and acquisitions
in recent months. Our new commercial agreement with Google enhances
our ability to pursue this strategy.

Another key strategy is to open our platform to other developers to
optimize monetization for our advertisers and publishers and provide
the best experience for our users. We see this agreement as a natural
extension of the efforts we have already made toward an open
marketplace.

The Google agreement is non-exclusive and provides strategic and
operational flexibility for Yahoo!. It allows Yahoo! to use Google’s
services in those areas where Google monetizes our inventory more
effectively but also permits us to continue to use our own search
technology in areas where we believe we are most competitive. The net
result is that the agreement helps us accelerate one of our strategic
aims–closing the monetization gap. At the same time, it allows
Yahoo! to continue to compete aggressively in search and display
advertising.

Importantly, the agreement does not prevent Yahoo! from pursuing other
alternatives that could increase stockholder value. Because the
agreement can be terminated by either party upon a change in control,
it would not preclude a transaction with Microsoft or any other
potential acquiror in the future.

The Yahoo!-Google Agreement Does More for Stockholder Value than
Microsoft’s Search-Only Hybrid Proposal.

We also want to update you on the conclusion to our discussions with
Microsoft regarding a potential transaction. As we explained in our
last letter, our board and management held numerous meetings and
conversations with Microsoft about its proposal to acquire Yahoo!,
both before and after Microsoft withdrew that proposal on May 3. On
June 8, our Chairman, Roy Bostock, other independent board members,
and members of Yahoo!’s management team again met in person with
Microsoft representatives. At that meeting, Microsoft stated
unequivocally that it has no interest in acquiring all of Yahoo!,
even at the price range Microsoft had previously suggested.

Microsoft did propose an alternative transaction. Rather than acquire
our whole company as it had been proposing for months, Microsoft now
proposed to acquire only our search business for $1 billion and a
share of future search advertising revenue. This proposal also
included an $8 billion investment in Yahoo! but required Yahoo! to
commit to a 10-year exclusive arrangement that would have made us
dependent on Microsoft for all of our search business. It would also
have given Microsoft veto rights on certain future Yahoo! actions,
including a sale of Yahoo!. Our board of directors and management
made a great effort–and conducted in depth negotiations–to elicit a
feasible proposal from Microsoft that made strategic and financial
sense for Yahoo!, but without success.

While Microsoft’s search-only hybrid proposal may have been helpful to
Microsoft, our board and management concluded it would have had a
significant adverse impact on Yahoo! strategically, leaving the
Company without the operational control of search assets and
technology we view as critical to our objective of becoming a leader
in the converging search and display advertising business. The board
and its advisers also carefully studied the financial impact of
Microsoft’s proposal and concluded that it would have provided no
meaningful improvement to our operating cash flow. In short, this
proposal would have generated substantially less value for Yahoo!
stockholders than Microsoft has suggested.

Based on all the key factors–strengthening our competitiveness,
protecting our strategic position, generating attractive financial
returns–the Google agreement is far better than Microsoft’s search-
only hybrid proposal. That’s why we moved forward with it.

Your Current Board of Directors Has the Knowledge, Experience and
Commitment to Best Represent Your Interests and Maximize Stockholder
Value.

The events of recent weeks underscore the fact that your board of
directors is far better qualified to represent your interests in the
effort to maximize stockholder value than the slate put forward by
Carl Icahn.

Based on Mr. Icahn’s narrow agenda, it seems highly unlikely that
either he or his slate would bring added value to Yahoo!. Consider
the following:

– Mr. Icahn put forward his slate so as to sell Yahoo! to Microsoft,
even though he had no knowledge of the sustained efforts made by your
current board and management to determine whether Microsoft was
willing to engage in a transaction that would provide appropriate
value and certainty of achieving that value. On June 8, Microsoft
once again made it perfectly clear that it is not currently
interested in acquiring Yahoo!.
— Mr. Icahn publicly opposed any alternative form of transaction
with Microsoft. Your board and management, after thorough and
deliberate negotiations and evaluation, separately concluded on its
own that the alternative hybrid deal proposed by Microsoft was,
indeed, not in the best interests of the Company or its
stockholders.
— Mr. Icahn urged, as an alternative to a Microsoft transaction,
that Yahoo! find a way to partner with Google that would not
preclude a transaction with Microsoft in the future. We have done
exactly that through the commercial agreement with Google we
announced on June 12.

Simply put, you can choose to vote for a slate of nominees with no
articulated plan for the future of Yahoo!–and who now have
essentially no alternative agenda to offer you–or you can choose to
vote for your existing board of directors which has the independence,
experience, knowledge and commitment to navigate the Company through
the rapidly-changing Internet environment, execute on our strategic
objectives and deliver value for Yahoo! and its stockholders.

It is time for Yahoo! to turn its undivided attention to implementing
its key strategies, and we therefore urge you to reject Mr. Icahn’s
slate and his ill-defined agenda.

We strongly urge you to vote your WHITE Proxy Card today for your
current board of directors.

We look forward to sharing our progress with you as we move forward
and we thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Roy Bostock Jerry Yang
Chairman of the Board Chief Executive Officer

Dogpile.com has released a desktop search widget. The widget features a single-search bar, which blends results from Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask.com. Dogpile’s SearchSpy, which features searches conducted all over the world, is also included on the widget.

But this isn’t your average search widget. Dogpile’s mascot, Arfie, is featured on the widget and you can pet him and play fetch with him. Awww!

“Offering a little fun with your search is one critical element our team is focused on as we continue to improve Dogpile.com,” said Mark Whidby, director, search product management of InfoSpace, Inc. “Our users have always loved Arfie, and now we’re giving them a way to take him home with them. This widget is the first of many new engaging and useful tools we hope to launch in the coming months. A top priority as we continue to upgrade Dogpile.com is to engage and entertain our users while providing a superior search experience.”

To download the Dogpile widget (and Arfie!), visit www.dogpilewidgetdownload.com.

Ever since the Yahoo! acquisition deal fell through, many have wondered what Microsoft will do to make headway in the search market. Shortly after, they launched Cashback, which seemed to indicate a dedication to build search internally. Then Bill Gates said that one of his post-retirement projects would be seach. Today, Microsoft is showing its commitment to developing Live Search with an announcement to build a Search Technology Center in Europe.

“Today Microsoft has 68 percent reach to Internet users throughout Europe through our online assets and strengths in display advertising; however, we’re not yet where we’d like to be in search in this critical geography,” said Kevin Johnson, president of the Platforms and Services Division at Microsoft. “Success in search in Europe is paramount, and we see the investment in this new Search Technology Center as an important step in doubling down on our long-term investments.”

Though no city was named, Microsoft said the European center will be modeled after their Search Technology Center in Beijing. Additionally, engineers may work from multiple locations to contribute to the search technology efforts conducted at the European hub.

“Searchers have different expectations and experiences in every geography in the world, so we believe it is critical to make deep investments in physical locations in multiple markets to ensure that we’re applying the best local expertise to our research and development efforts,” said Satya Nadella, senior vice president of the Search, Portal and Advertising Group at Microsoft. “We’re already doing some great work in Europe in the enterprise search space through our January 2008 acquisition of Fast Search & Transfer SA, and we’re looking forward to opening the European Search Technology Center to further our investments.”

What do you think about Microsoft’s announcement? Do you think they have what it takes to develop a more robust search product? Leave a comment and let us know.

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The more time I have spent reading and reviewing other authors’ works on my favorite Writing webite*, the more my own pleasure reading has been affected. I really enjoy the reviewing process allowed …
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reading and writing the critical linkRate this: 2.5

If you’re getting ready to go to Search Engine Strategies Toronto next week – or still on the fence about whether to attend SES Toronto June 16-18 – then check out the buzz from more than two dozen search blogs that has been leading up to the SEM conference.

If fact, the buzz in Canada has been louder this year than the one coming from the periodical cicadas that emerge every 17 years from underground haunts on Cape Cod. (Hey, I’m not making this up. Just read “Cape is again abuzz” from The Boston Globe.)

What Google calls “the buzzing blogger community” has been blogging about the speakers who will be speaking at Search Engine Strategies Toronto. I should know. I was among the first bloggers to start buzzing about “Why search engine marketers should attend SES Toronto 2008.”

But, I haven’t been alone.

More than two dozen other search blogs joined the chorus. Here’s a list of the posts about next week’s SEM conference that I was able to find today – and I’m sure that I’m missing more:

An Analytic Approach to SEO and PPC

Entrevue - Eric Morris de Google Canada

Search Engine Strategies (SES) Toronto

Speaking Schedule for June: Millennial Financial, DM Days & SES Toronto

Andrew Goodman On Toronto SES

Interview with Eric Morris from Google

Portrait Québecois des moteurs de recherche

Search Engine Optimization - Toprank’s CEO shares tips and Tricks

Interview: Jane Motz Hayes on SEO and Usability

How To Succeed With Search

SES Toronto 2008: Interview with Jill Whalen on SEO Donts, Myths, and Scams

Interview with Mitch Joel

Metamend Speakers at SMX Advanced and SES Toronto

Mission Critical for Non-Profits to Make the Search Connection

Is Your Web Site Accessible?

My interview with Matt McGowan, VP of Marketing - Incisive Media

SES Toronto 2008

SES Toronto - Combine Professional Development with Family Fun

SEO Myths with WestJet’s Lyndsay Walker

Speaking at SES Toronto 2008

SES Toronto, Here I Come!

Search Around the World - an Interview with Alicia Morga about Search Marketing for the Hispanic Market

Urban Mapping to Speak at SES Toronto 2008

Is There A Need For More Search Conferences In Canada?

So, “the buzzing blogger community” has really been abuzz about the SEM conference that gets underway on Tuesday, June 17, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (South Bldg.), in Toronto, Canada. It’s not too late to register to find out what all this buzz is about for yourself.

Jerry Yang has opened up about the non-exclusive search advertising deal with Google with a post over at the Yahoo! Anecdotal blog.

Yang started off by writing, “It’s no longer a rumor.” Considering Yahoo! issued a press release regarding a test of Adsense last April, I’m not sure rumor is the right word here, but let’s move on.

Yang justified the deal by saying the move is part of Yahoo!’s open strategy:

“WebMD sells their audiences on Yahoo!, Yelp can customize how their local search results appear using Search Monkey, advertisers and publishers will buy and sell in an open marketplace with our upcoming AMP! from Yahoo!, and we’re now opening our paid search results to Google.”

Then, Yang offered assurance that Yahoo! wasn’t exiting the paid search biz, but is instead positioning themselves better within the marketplace:

“As search and display continue their convergence, it puts Yahoo! in a better position to innovate and compete aggressively with Google and others for ad dollars.”

One sentence stood out above all the rest.

“An independent search business is critical to our future.”

Shareholders could grab onto that statement as a sign that Yang was never interested in selling to Microsoft, something Carl Icahn has been saying as part of his proxy board campaign.

Google also wants an independent Yahoo, per statements by CEO Eric Schmidt earlier this week. Though, we would assume that’s for different reasons.

Of course, in order to make money from this deal, Yahoo needs to get eyeballs to their site and searches need to be conducted. But their numbers are falling in U.S. search queries, so they’re going to have to do a lot more than a Google deal to save themselves.

Yang seems to understand this, “It is, of course, just one step. We’ll continue to look at all of our alternatives to advance our strategies and enhance growth and profitability.” But he doesn’t have much time to prove himself before the August 1 shareholder meeting.

What do you think about Yang’s statements? Is comparing Google to WebMd and Yelp like comparing apples and oranges? Did his blog help or hurt him with shareholders? Sound off in the comments.