By:Mikhail Tuknov | Source: site-reference.com

There are certainly newer search engine algorithms being developed for the web but effective linking continues to be the most decisive factor in search engine optimization and will likely be for several years more.

Links as the name implies, are the most basic connectors to all the pages on the Internet and is the easiest way for a given application to gauge the relevance and integrity of a web page.

People love lists; find a way to integrate a list into your site. This can be anything from a list of tips or things to avoid or a list suggested reading, for example. Lists give the impression of being a definitive source of information and many people will want to link to them.

Often people will link to a site if they feel that it is an authority on a given subject; they will then feel confident about recommending that site to other people. That is what link building is all about after all, a sort of digital referral or stamp of approval.

Read the rest of this entry »

By: Mike Sachoff | Source: webpronews.com

The rumor that Google was setting aside $500 million for their deal with YouTube is false. Its only $200 million. CEO Eric Schmidt previously denied the rumor that Google would use the money to fend off any lawsuits regarding copyright infringement.

In a statement Google said they would be withholding 12.5% of the stock that they owe YouTube for one year ""to secure certain indemnification obligations." While it is not an unusual practice why would Google deny this in the first place? It is not a secret that there has been controversy about copyright infringement surrounding YouTube.

They have been quick to pull any footage when they received complaints about copyright infringement from major media. Google has been working with media companies to try and form agreements. Schmidt said last week "We have visited as many media companies as we can"

YouTube could still be in danger of lawsuits over copyright infringement now that Google officially owns them. YouTube features both original content videos and pirated videos. The money is there and so are the lawyers.

Read the rest of this entry »

By: Marshall Kirkpatrick | Source: techcrunch.com

Besides its new people search functionality Wink seems to be a pretty run of the mill social search engine. Once Wink users login they can create collections, upload bookmarks, tag items, change rankings of results.

Social search site Wink released a new feature called People Search this weekend and I think it’s going to be a big move for the company. Wink People Search searches over the user profiles of MySpace, LinkedIn and Bebo. It’s not a mashup of the sites’ own search functions, it’s an original indexing of more than 100 million profiles over these three social networking sites.

Wink says it will be adding new social networks to People Search every two weeks, which ones will be voted on by registered Wink users. As niche social networks proliferate, an aggregated people search is so smart. Someone from the Open ID community should buy a big ad on the results page of Wink People Search.

Read the rest of this entry »