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Bing’s Last Hurrah for 2009, an iPhone App

cgseo — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:15:43 +0000

What could be a more fitting way for Bing to end the year on the right note but to release its very own native iPhone app. It’s free and available now at the iTunes Apps Store (iTunes Link). Key Features of the Bing iPhone app include: Daily image from Bing.com Easy to access voice search Tips and tricks on the home page “Locate Me” functionality Ability to add pushpins and save locations Show multiple locations on a single map The Bing iPhone app adds to previous Bing-related iPhone apps released by Microsoft which include – Bing for Windows phone, BlackBerry, Sidekick and select BREW-based devices on Verizon and Bing for Mobile . It also competes with rivals Yahoo Mobile and Google Mobile iPhone apps. Downloading Bing iPhone now and will see how it works and update this post. Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Bing’s Last Hurrah for 2009, an iPhone

Google Sends Out Decals with QR Codes

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:11:02 +0000

In a rather unusual move to promote its services, Google has started sending out stickers of business entities on its Places Pages to various locations. Those are not ordinary stickers though as they bear QR Codes which can be scanned by supported mobile phones which are then linked to the specific businesses on Google Places Pages. More than 100,000 local businesses have been sent out with these stickers, and chances are you might see these stickers on local shops in the coming days. These businesses are the most sought out and researched businesses on both Google.com and Google Maps. The window stickers contains QR Codes which are supported by the iPhone, Android mobile phones, BlackBerry and other mobile handsets. To put this into action, your mobile phone needs to have QR Code-related apps. Once this is settled, you can start reading those QR Codes on stickers place on store windows to find reviews and discount coupons. Soon, Google will also let you write a review about a particular product or store, right there on the spot. Google will issue new decals in the coming days to include new places. To get your business on Google Places you need to claim your listing from Google’s Local Business Center. So have you seen any of those decals yet? Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Google Sends Out Decals with QR

Black Friday Searches on Google Increased by 20%

cgseo — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:07:04 +0000

Here’s some more Black Friday-related search statistics to digest. The Google Retail Advertising Blog (Yup, there is such a blog on Google) is reporting that online shopping searches on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday were at its all time high this year. Searches for “Black Friday” increased by more than 20% year over year, while searches for “black Friday sales” and “black friday ads” also increased by more than 50% YOY. Likewise, fast rising search terms are also Black Friday-related and retailer specific. These include – “Walmart Black Friday”, “Kohls Black Friday Ad”, “Sears Black Friday Sales”, and “Target Black Friday Deals Online”. Amazon, which was the most visited site during Black Friday was not searched that much, may be because it was pretty much aggressive informing registered consumers of its Black Friday deals. Another interesting thing to point out is the fact that value minded searches such as “printable coupons” and “sales” are also up with 50% and 25% increase YOY, respectively. Likewise, searches for bargain deals on apparel and toys were also pretty hot with specific search for “Toys R Us Black Friday Sale”, “Best Buy Black Friday Deals” and “Black Friday Computer Deals’ as the fast rising searches during on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Black Friday Searches on Google Increased by

Amazon is the Most Visited Website on Black Friday

admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 06:08:03 +0000

Now that Black Friday is over and everyone is in the U.S. are probably busy finding the best Cyber Monday deals online , it’s interesting to note which online retailers made it to the top of the charts during Black Friday’s shopping craze. And according to Experian Hitwise data it was none other than Amazon – their second in a row. As this year’s Black Friday traffic to retail websites went up by 9% compared to 2008, Amazon received 13.55% of U.S. visits among the top 500 Retail Websites monitored by Hitwise. Walmart followed with 11.8% of all visits, followed by Target.com getting 5.65%, Best Buy with 4.64% and Sears with 2.95% Meanwhile, the Apple Store got the largest increase in visits from Thanksgiving Day to Black Friday 2009. It was actually a 110% increase. Staples on the other hand got a 47% increase while Dell saw a 40%. Amazon which topped the most visited site list only managed to get a 9% increase in traffic. Looking into the traffic from Black Friday sites, Wal-Mart got most of the referred traffic with a 32% increase this year compared to 2008. Best Buy and Target follow as the second and third to get the most traffic from Black Friday sites. So, which of these online retail websites do you think would get the most traffic this Cyber Monday? Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Amazon is the Most Visited Website on Black

Cyber Monday?

cgseo — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:22:05 +0000

Cyber Monday is the first Monday after Thanksgiving when Americans return to work and begin their online shopping. Black Friday vs. CyberMonday Cyber Monday is supposed to be the online equivalent of Black Friday. If Google Trends last thirty days search traffic is an accurate indicator of demand, Cyber Monday 2009 might instead be called Red Cyber Monday.

The rest is here:
Cyber Monday?

Black Friday Ads Online for Smart Shopping

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:13:03 +0000

Black Friday just isn’t what it used to be (not that we’re complaining). Gone are the days of lining up outside of Macy’s in your pajamas at 6 am with grandma. Thanks to the Internet and online Black Friday ads, you can map out a plan for the biggest shopping day of the year at the click of a mouse from the comfort of your home. To give you a head start, here is a list of the top 10 sources for ads on Black Friday. Click on each link below for the best bargains money can buy on the biggest shopping day of the year. Happy Thanksgiving and smart shopping! Bfads.net Blackfriday.info Black-Friday.net Blackfridayads.com Theblackfriday.com 2009blackfridayads.com Blackfriday.fm YouTube [Black Friday] Blogtoplist.com/rss/black-Friday.html Blackfriday.gottadeal.com P.S. The word on the web is, Apple is saving their big sales for Cyber Monday (that’s the Monday after Black Friday for those who don’t know). Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Black Friday Ads Online for Smart

Black Friday Sales Ads Drive Traffic to Online Retailers

cgseo — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:10:50 +0000

Online stores are probably raving right now with the current traffic spikes that their sites are getting this Thanksgiving week. According to Hitwise , online traffic for Black Friday sales websites increased by 4% as compared to the same week in 2008. This stat was due to the online traffic directed by Black Friday advertising websites which saw an increased of 87% for the week ending Nov. 21, 2009. Consumers are really getting into online shopping, checking out sales and promos offered by various online retailers . And they do this by checking out referrals of Black Friday websites. Last week alone, there was a recorded 12 percent increase in referred traffic of the top 500 retail websites. Among the online retailers benefitting from Black Friday online traffic is Wal-Mart with a 13% increase in site traffic. Target and Best Buy followed with 4.12% and 4.04% increase, respectively. Even traffic from paid search ads is registering an upward trend. Sites such as Dealighted.com, Target, BlackFriday2009.com, Wal-Mart and Bing Shopping are getting up to 20% increase in traffic from paid search ads for the week ending Nov.21, 2009. As for the top visited websites during Thanksgiving week, Amazon got the most number of visits, roughly around 15% overall. The rest of the sites in the top 5 most visited sites are Wal-Mart, Target, Sears and BestBuy. So, have you checked out all the Black Friday sites yet? Are you going to go online shopping or to the actual stores instead? Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Black Friday Sales Ads Drive Traffic to Online

Black Friday Ads Online : Sites to Check Out

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:01:27 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving Week to our American readers of Search Engine Journal. This week will be marked with stuffing ourselves on turkey & dressing, watching football, napping and for most importantly for some, Black Friday shopping the day after Thanksgiving. Not all of us want to brave the 5 am morning rush to get deals at Best Buy, Walmart and other stores; as the greatness we know of the Internet and online shopping can ease our pain, and let us shop online while others are standing outside in the cold and chaos. Here are 4 online destinations to check out for finding great Black Friday deals both online and offline : Bfads.net : Probably the absolute worst domain of all of the Black Friday Online sites, BFads.net is one of the longest running Black Friday sites and has highlighted Black Friday flyer adscans for years. The site is kind of a mix of online deals and brock and mortar ads now, and still serves as an authority hub for finding Black Friday deals. You’ll also find some great Black Friday Forum interaction at bfads.net BlackFriday.com : A newbie to the mix, BlackFriday.com lauched this year on a golden domain and offers all kind of online deals updates and tips for Black Friday shopping, complete with a history of Black Friday . BlackFriday.info is again, a collection of online ads and offline information about the sales that the local Wal-Marts and Targets in different areas are having the morning after Turkey Day. Notice a trend here? A lot of these sites serve as resources, communities and affiliate sites and BlackFriday.info is no exception. FatWallet’s Black Friday : If you like saving money and tips for online shopping, then be sure to visit FatWallet and their Black Friday page. The great thing about FatWallet.com is that it’s powered by a great social community and has been around for a long time, so even after Black Friday, the site will still be around and still be of use. Offers.com is also a similar yearlong discount site which offers Black Friday 2009 Online Deals . This week, the Mrs. and I are packing up to head over to Dave Snyder’ s parents’ home for a Thanksgiving Feast and then a day of shopping over at Sawgrass Mills Mall, so unfortunately, I won’t be shopping from the peace and quiet of my home. But I hope that you all have a safe and happy Thanksgiving and Black Friday, whether you be enjoying it from the Mall or Amazon.com Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Black Friday Ads Online : Sites to Check

Google Product Search Prepares for the Holiday Shopping Season

cgseo — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:17:32 +0000

By now everyone in the U.S. are probably busy looking out for the best consumer electronics deal that various stores, both online and brick and mortar stores are offering this coming Black Friday sale. For its part Google is looking ahead as it prepares Google Product Search for the official start of the Holiday Shopping season. Hence, some new Google Product Search features to help you get the best value for your bucks. First up is the new gallery view which now shows larger and higher-resolution images to help see the closest thing to actually holding the products you want to buy on your hands. The review sections of the Google Product Search now includes review summaries to give you quick overview of what other consumers are saying about the products you want to buy. Then there’s the recently integrated video product reviews coming from YouTube. These videos are display right on the product pages so you can easily click on them and have a more “real-life” look into the products before you buy them. If online shopping is not yet your cup of tea and you would rather buy the product from the brick and mortar store, Google Product Search can also help you find the nearest stores via Google Maps. And finally Google Product Search also works on your mobile phones, allowing you to compare prices, read reviews and find discount coupons as well. So, what’s on your Chrismas shopping list? Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Google Product Search Prepares for the Holiday Shopping

Turning the Ordinary into the Extraordinary with Adobe Photoshop

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:03:26 +0000

by David Peters Have you always wanted to take photos like a professional? Have you gone out and purchased the best camera on the market today but your photos still turn out too dark? Have you become so frustrated that you are ready to simply chuck it all out the window? Before you do this you might want to know that it’s not all your fault, even professional photographers have a bit of help making their photos look amazing. Adobe Photoshop is one of the most popular photo editing software programs available on the market today. The program is simple to learn and provides all the tools necessary to edit your digital photos to give them that professional quality. If you want to make your subjects look model perfect you can simply use the smudge tool to edit out wrinkles, acne, or any other imperfection. You can even make people look thinner using the liquefy gallery in Adobe Photoshop. These are only a small part of the tools that professionals use to enhance their photographs. In fact, even if you took pictures in bad lighting condition, you can easily edit the photo using Adobe Photoshop basics and make it look like as if it was taken with a very good lighting condition. As you can see, this is usually what professional photographers do. They are able to get the best lighting conditions because they make it so by using Adobe Photoshop basics. There are quite a lot of tools that you can use in Adobe Photoshop basics. You can paste objects from another picture in to another picture. For example, if you want to be beside a celebrity, you can do it with Adobe Photoshop basics. By adjusting the lighting effects as well as doing a bit of erasing and editing, you can make it look like it was real. In fact, you can even change the clothes of someone with Adobe Photoshop basics. It may require a bit of work, but it will produce great results. These are just some of the few things that you can do with Adobe Photoshop basics. There are so many effects that you can try with this software. Restoring old photographs is one more job you can accomplish. Simply scan in your black and white photographs and use Photoshop to eliminate fading and discoloration as well as fix tears. You can also add color to your black and whites to create amazing effects. There are so many possibilities that you can do with Adobe Photoshop basics. Although it may be hard to master especially when you are just a beginner in the world of photo editing, you will see that with experience, you will be able to get the hang of it and start converting your amateur looking photographs in to professional looking ones. Using Adobe Photoshop tools you can turn any picture you take into something extraordinary. Regardless of red eye or poor lighting you can be assured that Photoshop will be able to rescue your photos. So, the next time you take pictures with your SLR camera and you still can’t get it right, just remember that with Adobe Photoshop basics, you can get everything right. Get this free report and discover our totally unique step-by-step video training system, designed to make any newbie user completely competent with the basics of any Adobe Photoshop Software in record time. About the Author: Did you like this article? Curious about learning photoshop fast ? Well now you can by getting this free Guide …what are you waiting for?

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Turning the Ordinary into the Extraordinary with Adobe Photoshop