Australian Online Search and Directories Advertising Market 2009 -2013 Summary.

This report is a multi-client study produced by Frost & Sullivan’s ICT Practice in Australia during September to November 2009 and published December 2009.

2009 Online Search and Directories Report

Visit Frost & Sullivan for more information

Not sure if the comment will be posted or not, and not sure if I’m the only one who always walks away from a Matt Cutts video and ask myself “did I actually get any concrete information from that, did I learn anything at all?”….

http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/follow-googlewmc-on-twitter/#comment-455135
———————–

Matt, not sure what it is, but when I watch your videos I never really seem to be able to walk away satisfied with an answer.

When it comes to PageRank Google has always said it does not take into account links that have nofollow on them.

The intro to the video says “how PageRank flows from Twitter and Facebook”, I can’t find any links on twitter that do not have a nofollow.

The links on facebook are all HTTP/1.x 302 Moved Temporarily.

You’re saying Google treats links the same, whether they are from facebook or twitter, but since there is a nofollow they don’t get taken into account right? It would have been much easier to say “we don’t take into account any links from twitter or facebook”, unless of course the nofollow rule has changed.

You’re saying that “Links from relevant and important sites have always been a great way to get traffic & acceptance for a website” does not apply anymore and Google only looks at how reputable links are to determine your search rankings. It would have been good if you corrected the guy asking the question first.

“if we can’t fetch then, then we probably cannot” what does this mean? If Google can’t fetch a page then it won’t be able to pass on any PageRank period..

Or am I just completely missing the secret Google talk here?

Tried out our new Czech gas mask today for some lung conditioning, we also have to try stuff out before we offer it to our clients. There were a few times I felt pretty claustrophobic and wanted to rip the gas mask of my face, but I made it through the 8 minute round alive and kicking. I will be doing this more to get in better shape!

PS. my form sucks, shoulder injury and I was fatigued.
Watch this space www.gasmasktraining.com.au

OK, today was total panic mode when I logged in to my Google Webmaster Tools, here is was, a message from Google saying they were going to remove a website I work on from the index because its been hacked. So I go around the office “We’ve been hacked!”, everyone working on this now…

Until someone pointed out to me the date, the message was dated August 17…. Come on Google, why on earth would you put an old message in my Webmaster account as unread? If I add a new domain to my account today I do not expect an old message thats already been dealt with ages ago as unread in my inbox..

Removal from Google’s Index

August 17, 2009

Dear site owner or webmaster of xxxxxx.xx.xx,

While we were indexing your webpages, we detected that some of your pages were using techniques that are outside our quality guidelines, which can be found here: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35769&hl=en. This appears to be because your site has been modified by a third party. Typically, the offending party gains access to an insecure directory that has open permissions. Many times, they will upload files or modify existing ones, which then show up as spam in our index.

The following is some example hidden text we found at http://www.xxxxx.xx.xx/:

crack music software downloads . free software cheap fax free ware software download fallsview casino hotel niagara falls cananda Online Casino gulfstream casino hollywood gun lake casino updated information hammond indiana casino hampton beach fantacy springs casino entertainment barcode software download download free tax software 20 . coolbits software downloads free software for mp3 files downloading Online Software Store – Buy Cheap Software Downloads free quilting software download small b

In order to preserve the quality of our search engine, pages from xxxxxx.xx.xx are scheduled to be removed temporarily from our search results for at least 30 days.

We would prefer to keep your pages in Google’s index. If you wish to be reconsidered, please correct or remove all pages (may not be limited to the examples provided) that are outside our quality guidelines. One potential remedy is to contact your web host technical support for assistance. For more information about security for webmasters, see http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-sites-been-hacked-now-what.html. When such changes have been made, please visit https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/reconsideration?hl=en to learn more and submit your site for reconsideration.

Sincerely, Google Search Quality Team

I’ve recently completed my Caveman Training Trainer Certification from www.cavemantraining.com.au. The seminar and certification was awesome, learned quite a bit. I also organized the course and got 14 trainers together from all over Australia which I consider quite an achievement.

I’ve started planning next years seminar which will be held in Phuket Thailand and will have some of the best trainers in the world, one already confirmed Scott Ramsdell from API (Caveman Training) and the other just as good and similar style of training, also produced some world champions in MMA.

This will be the seminar/workout of 2010, if you attend no other course this is the one you must attend. Of course I will be there myself to experience every bit of physical torture and learn from the best.

Keep an eye out on www.cavemantraining.com.au and www.executiveresults.com.au for up-to-date info.

If you want to add social bookmarking links to your WordPress blog just simply paste the following HTML in your post and it will allow users to post your blog post to facebook, twitter, digg, reddit etc.

<div id=”social-bookmark-F5G6G2S3″><p>Put this on: <a href=”http://www.socialbookmarkinglinks.com/bookmark/facebook/”><span>Facebook</span></a> <a href=”http://www.socialbookmarkinglinks.com/bookmark/twitter/”><span>Twitter</span></a> <a href=”http://www.socialbookmarkinglinks.com/bookmark/digg/”><span>Digg</span></a> <a href=”http://www.socialbookmarkinglinks.com/bookmark/reddit/”><span>Reddit</span></a> <a href=”http://www.socialbookmarkinglinks.com/bookmark/technorati/”><span>Technorati</span></a> <a href=”http://www.socialbookmarkinglinks.com/bookmark/delicious/”><span>Delicious</span></a> <a href=”http://www.socialbookmarkinglinks.com/bookmark/stumbleupon/”><span>Stumbleupon</span></a></p></div>

There is also a better looking version with icons, but this requires JavaScript. I’m working on something more advanced, so stay tuned.

Don’t miss the up-to-date info on the Go Card in the comments below, I travel the bus everyday and record every mishap I encounter with the Go Card, below was my first encounter with the carefully planned introduction of the Go Card by Translink….. NOT. Don’t forget to leave your own feedback at the bottom of the page

Go Card Machine

24 November another beautiful day in paradise waiting on the same bus I’ve been taking to work every day for the last one and a half year. I see the shimmering light of the bus’ window reflection on the top of the hill, I get in line to board, I hear the bus driver say “you cannot pay cash!” to the passenger in front of me, I quickly jump in thinking I can explain to him that he is wrong, after all, I received an email from Translink several days ago and it’s not till 2010 that you can’t pay cash anymore! He wouldn’t hear of it, so I ask “do you mean to say we need to get off the bus because you don’t accept cash!?” his short answer was “yes”, a few more unkind words were exchanged that I normally would not dare take in my mouth in public, but I can tell you that I was very displeased with the disorganized planning of Brisbane’s transport. I think I can also speak for the other countless people I saw still sitting and waiting at the bus stop (for a bus that does take cash) when I drove by in the car half an hour later than normal.

The reason I was fuming with anger:

• never had I seen one sign saying “this bus is going to stop taking cash on ….. and you need to“, I have seen the ads for ice age 3 that clearly are more important than advertising something far more important
• if Translink thinks that getting the grumpy bus driver (who would rather be somewhere else) to mumble “this is a pre-paid service” is sufficient then they should seriously think about firing the person who came up with that idea, as only now do I realize what message he was TRYING to convey, but at the time it meant nothing to me, it certainly did not mean ‘from November 2009 we will stop accepting cash, you need to…’
• I came in two hours late at the job where I’m still on probation and had a very stressful morning
• when I called Translink on 13 12 30 at 8:06am 23 Nov I got to speak to John who was adamant that the bus service I’ve been taking had already stopped taking cash months ago “sorry John, but don’t tell me that I’ve not been paying cash up till today”, “John, let me speak to your supervisor”……. 6 minutes on hold, yes, six whole minutes, I assume he was hoping for me to hang up instead I was keeping track of time so I could include it in my complaint to Translink, again John came back on the phone repeating himself, not putting me through to his supervisor, I started wondering whether John could actually put me through since he sounded like he was in a country where the number one job is telephone customer disservice, you know what I mean, I gave up!

Let’s talk about this go card or (go kart as my wife understood I was needing to buy to get to work). First of all I don’t like to be forced into something, secondly I really hate it when a large organisation like Translink can’t plan something this important properly, thirdly, what in gods name am I going to do when circumstances arise where my go card credit plus topping has run out? Let’s say I can’t top up my card in time, don’t have access to the Internet or the time to do it, I certainly can’t pay with CASH! I guess I better train up to be Brisbane’s fittest so I can run to work.

Let’s have a look at some of the emails I received from Translink before the incident:

Friday 20 Nov 2009
“Single trip paper tickets will still be available under the new fare structure until they are removed in December 2010.” 2010 hence my surprise when being kicked out of the bus while still in 2009.

“go card users have realised how much easier travel is when not having to fumble through their bags looking for change, buying a ticket and putting away their change”, instead I now carry around two kilo’s in coins that I can’t spend on the bus anymore every day.

“With a pre-paid ticket or go card there is no need to look for change and fewer delays when boarding the bus, helping both passengers and drivers have a stress-free trip.” stress free!? You’ve just added to my already stressful day by having to think about touching off when exiting, not to mention all those times these go box gadgets on your buses don’t work, euh is it 20% of the time they don’t work or more? What about when you’re waiving it for 30 seconds only to find out the bus driver hasn’t turned it on yet.

Monday 23 Nov 2009
“There will be a two-week amnesty so passengers can still buy tickets if they need to on board buses until Friday, November 27.” I guess my bus must have been an exception to the rule, ooh and John, how can you say my bus has been paperless for months?

Yes I see the advantage of the go card, but don’t stop accepting cash and force me to use what YOU think is best.

PS. Thanks Translink for a great service and now not having to exchange any words at all anymore with the bus driver…

PPS. Is this part of a bigger conspiracy to phase cash out all together?

I’m looking to gather a resource of Brisbane Copywriters (copywriters based in Brisbane), if you know of anyone, or are a copywriter who is interested in being listed on http://www.clickfind.com.au/developers-directory/copywriters-brisbane.cfm and www.clickfind.com.au then please contact me to find out how you can get listed, get extra business and also receive additional SEO benefits (those that make your site rank better in Google).

In fact if your not based in Brisbane you can also be listed on our Australian Copywriters page.

My email is copywriters-listing@clickfind.com.au

I was working on a design the other day that only had text fields with no labels, the label was in the text field and would disappear when clicked on. Then I came to the password fields and was a little stumped as how to solve this, as any value in a password field is displayed as dots, not text.

I was thinking about using an overlay, but that got too complicated. I figured out a way to do this with JavaScript, basically write a function that on page load converts all password fields to text, but when they get focus they are cleared and the type is set back to type “password”. It worked like a charm.

The code I created is specific to the website I was working on, but I’m pasting it here anyway in case it might be some help to someone.

function doClear( o ) {
function setValue( o, myText ) {
if ( o.value == myText ) {
o.value = ”;
}
else if ( o.value == ” ) o.value = myText;
}
switch ( o.id ) {
case “username”: {
var myText = ‘Enter Username’;
break;
}
case “password”: {
var myText = ‘Enter Password’;
o.type = ‘password’;
break;
}
case “su_emailAddress”: {
var myText = ‘Your Email Address’;
break;
}
case “su_username”: {
var myText = ‘Choose a Username’;
break;
}
case “newsletterEmail”: {
var myText = ‘Enter Email Address’;
break;
}
case “su_password”: {
var myText = ‘Choose Password’;
o.type = ‘password’;
break;
}
case “su_passwordConfirm”: {
var myText = ‘Confirm Password’;
o.type = ‘password’;
break;
}
}
setValue( o, myText );
}

function displayPasswordValue( id ) {
var passwordElement = document.getElementById( id );
passwordElement.type = “text”;
}
function passwordInit() {
displayPasswordValue( ‘password’ );
displayPasswordValue( ’su_password’ );
displayPasswordValue( ’su_passwordConfirm’ );
}
YAHOO.util.Event.onDOMReady( passwordInit );

Always nice to hear “This is one of the best Australian business directories I’ve seen.” which were the words of John Hacking from Search Tempo in Brisbane.

As most of you probably know, I’m associated with Executive Results a health and fitness business based in Brisbane and have recently placed first for Brisbane’s Fittest

It’s not as glamorous as it sounds, although I did beat two of the fittest personal trainers in brisbane I know there must be some seriously fit people in Brisbane who will beat my time by a mile. I pretty much poored everything in the challenge and although I did not puke as some of the others, I did almost pass out! I love it though, bring it on..

Pacific Fox a Business associated with clickfind and Commerce Engine is entering the SEO arena in Brisbane. A new website design will be launched soon for the Brisbane based business and it will reflect the new Search Engine Optimization direction it is heading in.

Visit Pacific Fox (SEO Brisbane) now for an SEO package on Bartercard or cash.

If you’re getting a “Connection Failure” error when using the ColdFusion CFHTTP tag and have absolutely no idea what the problem could be as surfing the page via the browser works, then the web server most likely compresses the content and ColdFusion can’t handle the output.

To fix this issue just add the following two cfhttpparam tags to the request, they will tell the remote web server not to return a compressed response.

<cfhttpparam type=”header” name=”accept-encoding” value=”deflate;q=0″>
<cfhttpparam type=”header” name=”te” value=”deflate;q=0″>

I’ve passed the Google Advertising Professional Exam! The test is $50 and has about 110 questions, nothing to drastic. Some questions are a bit tricky as they are so simple they confuse you, just go with your gut instinct.

If you’re looking to become a Yahoo Local Certified Ambassador – good luck!

I’ve followed several dead links and emailed the email addresses that were listed to get more info, all of them bounced. If you do find the right email address or link please do let me know.

ambassadorteam-ysm@yahoo-inc.com

yahoosearchmarketing@kowabunga.com

ambassadorteam@overture.com

Why are custom Google Analytics settings defined in the client-side code?

I would think the most obvious place for these settings would be through the Google Analytics admin interface or an XML file that only needed to be downloaded once, not upon every page visit.

Would love to know more about the thinking behind this.

I passed my Google Analytics Qualification today and am now Google Analytics Qualified (yeah, if only it would make me more money~!).

You can take the certification at https://www.starttest.com/8.0.0.0/starttest.aspx?cmd=home

First, forget about importing Excel into MS SQL, it is to time consuming to get it right. You are better of converting the Excel file to a simple CSV file, change the setting to a large string value for the columns, import it into MS SQL and then convert the field types to the proper field types.

Why does Google Analytics not track a browser with JavaScript disabled? Surely a simple 1px transparent image would do the trick where JavaScript can’t?

Many times, businesses getting online for the first time will only purchase a domain name thinking that will provide the tools necessary for a proper web presence.  Soon, however, they return when they realise they also need web hosting, which actually provides the ability to produce and store a website and email account(s) for the domain name.  To the unsuspecting business owner, this process can end up being more surprising and stressful than it should be.  For this reason, we have put together a helpful guide for getting your business online for the first time including what is needed to start running email accounts and your own website.

• Register your domain name.
• Purchase hosting for your domain name.
• Set up email account.
• Build a website.
• Market your website.

1) Register your domain name. Find a domain provider, which can depend on the type of domain you want to purchase. Be wary of the price when purchasing a domain name because there is a huge unjustified price gap in Australia. 

Please note:

a)      Since registering domain names falls under a completely different class of rules and regulations than the trademark process, one cannot assume that his/her business name will automatically give them the rights to a domain name.   Therefore, it is important to research the possibilities for a good domain name.  You can use a domain lookup tool to see if your desired domain name is available.

b)      You must also have an ABN, an Australian Business Number, before registering a .AU domain name and pass the eligibility process specified by the auda.  This is done in order to lessen the amount of people purchasing random domain names with intentions of reselling them for huge profits in the future.

2) Purchase hosting for your domain name. Without a hosting account, you simply have the lease for the domain name and nothing else. By not purchasing hosting, which is the space on a server that will store your website, there is no way that you will be able to set up a website or email account.

a)      Deciding on a web host can depend on your business location, or the location of your web visitors.  If you, for example, have a company that markets itself overseas to one specific country, it is wise to purchase a country-specific domain name as well as hosting in that country.  Since the location of your web host is said to identify the location of your website, it has been a highly debated topic by search engine optimisers for years that it will actually give you bonus points in search engine results.  In addition, the speed of website loading and downloads will be better for your visitors.

b)      Many times, web hosting companies also act as domain providers meaning you can purchase and manage both of these features from the same company.  This will save you the trouble of having to manually set up the name servers for a domain name to point to the hosting account in another location.

3) Set up your hosted email address. Now that you have a hosting account where actual space is allocated for storing mail messages, your email address for your domain name can be set up.  With this option, you can now have an email address that reads something like manager@yourdomainname.com.au (or sales@yourdomainname.com and info@yourdomainname.com), which is more professional looking than using an email address from a free provider, such as hotmail or Gmail.  Your web host can most likely provide assistance with the email setup process as it can vary slightly depending on the provider.

4) Build and upload a website. So web visitors have something to look at, it’s a good idea to create a website.  The process involves planning, building and uploading.

a)      Think about how you would like your website to look and be organised.  You can get ideas by looking at other websites and noting what works, and what does not.  A key to a good website is to make it engaging, informative, and most of all, easy to navigate.  If the information is the star of the show in your website, think about how best to deliver it.

b)      As for building the website, you can either attempt to do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you.  The choice here might revolve around how complex and professional a site you are looking for.  Some web hosts even provide easy website building software, such as Sitebuilder, that most beginners can use.  Otherwise, it is a wise decision to pay someone to build it for you, which can save you hours of headaches in the long run. Content management system software such as Joomla!, Drupal and WordPress may also be something worth looking into if you are looking to take matters into your own hands.

c)       After a website is created, it must be uploaded to the hosting account for it to appear on the internet.  This process is completed using an FTP program, one either provided by your hosting company or downloaded from the web. (e.g. FileZilla- free ftp program).

5) Market your website. During the entire building process and follow-up maintenance, importance falls on optimisation.  Optimisation generally refers to Search Engine Optimisation and the importance of presenting your website with appropriate keywords.  Optimisation can also refer to the upkeep process, meaning your website is always in its best working order.  Check for broken links, page loading times and grammatical errors periodically.

Beyond these ideas, successful website marketing has been found through various activities such as joining social networks, blogging, creating email and newsletter campaigns, starting an affiliate program and putting on contests.  Listing your products and services with a reputable online business directory, such as Clickfind, can also increase chances for potential customers to navigate to your website.  Using these possibilities to build a web presence is an essential and ongoing step to getting your business online.

Now that you are armed with the steps involved in getting a business online, and realise it takes more than just a domain name to get there, how about checking out Digital Pacific to help get you started.  Digital Pacific offers a variety of web hosting packages and services, including domain names, hosting for email accounts, website building software and SEO packages that can make the process that much easier.

Written by Brooke from Digital Pacific