Last month comScore, an online market research group, published fascinating trends in what it calls expanded search usage.

Expanded search refers to websites (including but not limited to search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing) on which searches are performed.  The chart below will help you understand this definition more fully.  The purpose of this entry is to uncover ‘movers and shakers’ in the expanded search landscape and offer advice on how to cater your online strategy to these outlets.  Let’s jump right in:

A) GOOGLE: Google continues to be the dominant player in the search field.  In January 2010, Americans conducted 15.2 billion core searches, with Google Sites accounting for 65.4% search market share. A Search Engine Optimization company like ours helps you to perform best as possible in search engines such as Google.  However, you must understand Google’s dominance in ‘organic search’ extends into other core offerings (such as Google Maps, Google News, Images and Video).  Increasingly, strong representation in these Google subsets will be vital to online marketing success in any industry.  Claiming and editing Google Maps listings is a great first step!  We can help.

B) YOUTUBE: Why? Because online video consumption rose 59% in 2009 and YouTube leads the pack. YouTube allows a link into your website to appear on your video’s page, and the ability to add keywords so your video is found more often by people who want to see it.  If you have not published any business videos on YouTube, do it today.  Publish your: expertise (presentations, trade show videos, interviews with experts on-staff), any TV commercials you’ve created, a How-To on a process performed at your business, a funny or controversial video interweaving your product, etc for increased website traffic and viewing by YouTube’s 1 billion daily users.

C) BING: Bing’s June 2009 launch has proven successful.  Bing usage is 4% over predecessor MSN/Live’s market share last year at this time (jump from 5-9% of all search engine usage).  We are continuing to watch Bing for further growth, as it continues healthily.  We do not anticipate Bing’s growth to affect our overall SEO strategy, but businesses are definitely receiving more traffic from Microsoft’s search engine than ever before.

D) CRAIGSLIST: If your business provides a product or service that is a Sales Category on Craigslist, you are competing with them for site visitors.  (Visit your city’s subpage at Craigslist.org for a full view of Sales Categories).  The more Craigslist continues to grow, the higher its Category pages will rank in Google results.  Describe your products as fully as possible on your website to ensure Craigslist directory pages do not beat out your site’s rankings on general (Google) results pages.

E) FACEBOOK: Your business needs a Facebook Fanpage, even if you don’t think your business is ‘cool and hip.’  Enough said!  Facebook allows so many customizable fields that elevate your Fanpage’s placement within Facebook Search and Google results.  If I type our business name, “Upright Communications,” into Google, our Facebook Fanpage is the 3rd result! The ability to describe your business, add photos and videos, provide your business address and phone number, etc. allow you to make your business appear healthy and credible, in addition to increasing exposure across the online market.

If you’re lucky enough to live in a city that has an IKEA store, then you may have taken a trip inside their massive building and viewed the showrooms chock full of stylish furniture and accessories. I’ll be the first to admit that Cincinnati got a little better the day the IKEA opened. And yes, sometimes I go there just for the Swedish Meatballs. Don’t judge me.

But those of us that aren’t fortunate enough to live near this giant showroom and warehouse of Swedish furnishings and treats, still deserve to get as close to the IKEA experience as possible. And IKEA seemingly thought this exact thing when they made a brilliant move with their Facebook Showroom. Check out the video to see how they did it. And if you have a Facebook page for your business, perhaps IKEA’s story will get your creative juices flowing. Me? I’m gonna take a trip to get some meatballs this weekend. Mmmmmm meatballs.

Have you ever heard of the game “telephone”? What happens is the first player whispers a phrase or sentence to the next player. Each player then whispers what that player believes he or she heard to the next. The last player shares the statement to the group. As you can imagine, large amount of errors typically occur in the retelling, so the statement announced by the last player is often hilarious.

In this funny “desserts gone wrong” feature story, I can’t help but wonder if the customer and the specialty cake designer played “telephone” that day.

Have your own cake disaster stories?  Share them with us- we’d love to see the photos.

As we have said before in previous blog posts, Facebook is the world’s largest social media networking site, with over 400 million users.  The average user in the United States is a female between the ages of 25 and 34.  From 2008 to 2009, total minutes spent on Facebook increased from 1.7 billion to 13.9 billion, an annual growth of 700%.  Currently, most Facebook users spend, on average, 7 hours a month on the social networking site, passing Google by a long shot, where most people were not even spending 2 hours a month. Though Google responded to those statistics by saying: “We may be the only people in the world who can say our goal is to have people leave our homepage as quickly as possible.” Good answer.

We’ve heard why so many people are spending less time on Google’s search engine, let’s take a look into why so many people are spending more time on Facebook.  Can there ever be a time when it’s too much- at least in Facebook’s mind?

According to many studies and blogs authored, Facebook has grown so popular because of the strong desire for people to communicate.  In a 2009 survey, most Facebook users log in to maintain those relationships with people they have met offline.  According to Facebook themselves, they suggest that it gives people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.

When you are given the power to share and connect, can Facebook stop you from doing so?  The short answer is “yes”.  In fact, a message shown below can actually appear.

I’m off to check my Facebook, but be aware of the amount of communication you are doing.  It may be more about quality vs. quantity.

Choosing an Internet browser (the program you use to access the Internet) may seem like a non-decision.  Historically, many people have simply used the Internet browser that ‘comes on their machine.’  They assume all browsers are the same.  However, with each new version released, browsers like Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari are differentiating their features.  If your needs demand features like:

• hi-speed program launch
• built-in password management
• spell checking
• anti-virus protection
• parental controls

…it might be time to update your current Internet browser, or change to a new one completely!

Would you like the change the way you view the online world?

Chart comparing the Top 10 Internet browsers, by feature
Top Browser Display Resolutions, 2010
Top Operating Systems, 2010

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Not on the Social Media bandwagon?  Check out what Nielsen Online, the global leader in media information, is saying:  It may be time to hop on.

In terms of “traditional media”, first came the radio, taking 38 years to capture an audience of 50 million.  Then came the television, which took 13 years to capture an audience of 50 million.  While it took the internet only four years to reach an audience of that size, it took Facebook less than 9 months.

According to a survey taken in Cincinnati, Ohio- 74.8% of respondents stated they find business value in social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  However, only 45.7% stated that their organization was part of a social media group.

Where is the disconnect here?

In our experience, often times people are hesitant to use social media because of the complexity of it all. However, it is important to increase your brand visibility as well as conversing with your customers.  Check out this video that describes social media in “plain English”.

You may see that it’s not so confusing after all.

Today, Google announces their latest Google Buzz.  In the past, Bradley Horowitz, Google’s vice president for product management, dreamed for Google to have a platform that allowed its users to share experiences, much like Facebook and Twitter.  Horowitz’s dreams came true.

Google Buzz allows you to “follow” people as well as have them “follow” you back.  Buzz lets you post links, share photos and comment on just about anything. In order to access this feature,  you must have a Gmail account.  Below are instructions on how to access the latest tool (assuming you are already on the Google bandwagon).  Let us know what you think!

First you will want to visit: http://www.google.com/buzz and then click “Try Buzz in Gmail” to get started.

CareerRocketer.com published Upright’s advice!

Is your career a perpetual “countdown to blast-off”?  Well our friends at CareerRocketer.com have the remedy.  Their website functions essentially as an advice column for job seekers, personal branding enthusiasts, and career developers.  Why is this site vital?  Because the job recruitment process has changed so radically over the past 5 years.  And unless you work in HR or have had 10 employers since 2005, you might not realize it.

Not currently looking for a job?  You must still pay attention to career activities in social media. Completing a LinkedIn profile today, for example, will put you on an HR professional’s radar from today onward.  And in our current economic times, that simple action could define whether you’re out of work for days…or months.

That’s my two cents, but CareerRocketer.com has millions of ‘em.  CareerRocketer.com published our advice in recommending Twitter to job seekers. It’s a great article, but only one of a thousand published on the topic.  So check out our mention and keep exploring CareerRocketer.com, even if your current job is a slice of paradise.  There’s always room to grow.

Our Friday Funk today comes with a message. Sometimes it takes a little silliness to get people’s attention. “General” Larry Platt proved that with his viral hit “Pants On the Ground” in the American Idol audition recently. Haven’t seen it yet? Well, check it out…
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Are you an administrator of a Facebook Fanpage?  If yes, you know Facebook features are constantly “tweaked.”  The basic capabilities for posting data and reaching fans stays consistent, but the methods change sporadically, just to keep us crazy.

For months, business owners have flooded Facebook message boards asking how to send Fans a direct note (an email viewed in their Facebook inbox). Facebook has responded!  Those who assumed they could only reach fans by posting a status message now have a better solution.  Please follow the steps below to send a “Facebook email” to your Facebook Fans:

As an administrator of the Fanpage, log into your Facebook account and visit your Fanpage.  Then follow these 3 simple steps:

Fans will find these messages here: