I recently had the opportunity to sit down for an extensive interview with Luther Lowe, Yelp’s Business Outreach Manager. Luther was in town to speak at SEMpdx’s Searchfest, and was kind enough to set aside some time to enjoy a couple pints of locally brewed IPA and answer questions regarding his role at Yelp, the recent lawsuits brought against their company and how small businesses can get the most out of their Yelp business listing.

Following is part one of my three part interview with Luther:

In case you have not yet heard, Bing’s Search Share Grew in February and their Market Share was up for the Third Straight Month in a row. The 4% to 6% month over month growth in search traffic is pulling Bing an estimated search share of somewhere between 9% and 12% of all total monthly US searches.

There are many debatable reasons why Bing is growing, but to me the reason is clear:
The Wetlands near Anchorage, Alaska

Yea, that’s right. I said the Wetlands.

In Alaska.

MVP Seminars - Business Training Speakers

Client Spotlight – MVP Seminars

At WebRanking we believe that our success is best measured by the success of our clients.  In my 8 years with the company, I have had the privilege of working with a diverse range of amazing clients, and I am happy to say that we have played a small role in helping many find online success.

For our first Client Spotlight post, we are extremely lucky to speak with Dr. Ron Marquardt, co-owner of MVP Seminars.  Ron has been a client with WebRanking since September of 2004.

Bing Winter Olympics Homepage - February 25th 2010

I really didn’t think these Olympic games would draw me in… but they did. And Wow, what a finale!

Back to business as usual at Bing?

 
That’s exactly what Bing is doing. Well, sort of…

Oops, not quite business as usual for Bing after the 2010 Winter Olympics coverage.

Ignite Portland #8

WebRanking is a proud sponsor of Ignite Portland 8, which is being held on Wednesday March 3^rd at 7 PM at the Bagdad Theater. 

For those unfamiliar with Ignite, this geek friendly event gives 20 speakers 5 minutes on stage with 20 slides that auto advance after 15 seconds.  The speakers for this event were selected from over 75 entries and the topics vary from funny, to serious to the downright obscure.  A complete list of the speaker topics can be found at the Ignite Portland website.

The Ignite events are free and the doors open at 5:30 PM.  This is an extremely popular event, so if you want to attend make sure you get there early.  It fills up quick.

Well this has to be a first! It now appears that Google is showing their special Holiday and Event logos in their search engine result pages in a very similar manner to how Bing has been for almost a year.

Here are a few screen captures that show the new SERP’s.

Google Logo in SERP's

Yesterday on their official blog, Yelp.com announced that they have launched new categories for business owners.  The expansion is quite thorough and allows the niche business to separate themselves from some of the more general category listings.  From “Disc Golf”, “Tattoo Removal”, “Window Installation”, “Lasik” and “Cosmetic Dentists”, there are now specific categories to match up with more specific user searches (see the complete list of 70 new categories below).

If you have not yet claimed your business listing on Yelp…well, what are you waiting for?  Yelp is a fantastic way for local businesses to promote themselves to their community and allows business owners to gauge the pulse of how they are being received by their customers.  Smart business owners will see definite benefits when they monitor their reviews, respond professionally to negative reviews, and interact positively with their current client base that utilizes Yelp.

If you find a reoccurring theme in your reviews, like your receptionist is frequently rude, your valet parking prices are too high, or cleanliness does not appear to be a priority, then these are all areas that can be addressed internally and if rectified will create a positive buzz and better customer experience.  And most importantly…better reviews.

There have been many reports and rumors about the forthcoming Open Directory Project overhaul, dubbed DMOZ 2.0, from as far back as March 2008. Recent info has hinted at the End of Q1. But just yesterday (Thu. Feb. 11th 2010), there was a strong rumor of a dmoz.org launch that might set one of the last days of March as the Full Launch date.

 
So what exactly is going to change with the launch of Dmoz 2.0?

I love you. 

No, scratch that. I hate you. 

Wait, please don’t unfollow me.  I didn’t really mean that.  I’m sorry. I was…drunk, yeah that’s it. I wasn’t thinking straight. Really, it’s not you…it’s me. 

I really do love you…but to be honest, I think I might hate you at the same time.

Social Media is Breaking My Heart

We have been seeing each other casually now for quite some time, but I have to wonder where this is going?  I remember the early days of our relationship, when you were just an occasional blog post, or we would slum around together on SixDegrees & Friendster. 

Boy, the times sure have changed and you are more popular then ever before.  Everyone is talking about you and seems to want a piece of you.  Maybe it is out of jealousy, but it  hurts to hear my friends and Search colleagues talk about how you “put out” great results when they are with you. 

Personally, I don’t like to tweet and tell.