Jakob Nielsen asks how gullible Web users are in his The Power of Defaults post. “Very” seems to be an accurate description.

Take for example the Accurately Interpreting Clickthrough Data as Implicit Feedback study by Thorsten Joachims, Laura Granka, Bing Pan, Helene Hembrooke and Geri Gay. The 8-page study postulates that Web users are “programmed” to click on the first item in SERPs. That right there is your business case for investing on organic SEO. So you see, SEOs are not just doing it for bragging rights; there really is a strong scientific basis to why we do what we do :)

AdSense publishers can also take advantage of the findings. Here’s one of the most popular ways to take advantage of the “click the first item on the list” phenomenon:
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Here’s something for the viral marketer’s how-to manual from Seth Godin:

For an idea to spread, it needs to be sent and received.

No one “sends” an idea unless:
a. they understand it
b. they want it to spread
c. they believe that spreading it will enhance their power (reputation, income, friendships) or their peace of mind
d. the effort necessary to send the idea is less than the benefits

No one “gets” an idea unless:
a. the first impression demands further investigation
b. they already understand the foundation ideas necessary to get the new idea
c. they trust or respect the sender enough to invest the time

Last I checked, Alex Tew was $180,500 richer.

When Alex Tew of The Million Dollar Homepage came up with his “college sponsorship” solution, I knew some other enterprising copycat would rehash the idea for some other “noble” cause. Not that it didn’t cross my mind, it did but I didn’t have a cause to support then, and I still don’t have one now. Does helping me pay off my car loan count??
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Three excellent pieces on the Google culture by Ben Elgin of BusinessWeek.com.
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One reason why you should add the Web into your marketing mix, and another reason why you shouldn’t abandon TV just yet, from Shankar Gupta of MediaPost Publications:

Although TV still dominates the advertising world, companies are turning more and more toward interactive and viral media as a way to influence consumers directly, said panelists at Media magazine’s 2006 Forecast on Monday.

“In the studies we’ve done, traditional media is a great way to raise awareness,” said panelist Steve Farella, the CEO of Targetcast TCM. “If you want to influence people, it’s interactive and individual media.”

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I think I met Abe Olandres (aka Yuga of Yugatech.com) in college. When we met during the first Pinoy Tech Blog EB, I then remembered seeing him play Magic: The Gathering in the hallowed halls of the Chemistry Building at the Ateneo.

My first impression of Abe was that he genuinely likes what he does and it shows. His enthusiasm for all things Net is contagious. You seldom see veterans displaying the same wonder, the same gusto to evangelize and convert. Perhaps Abe’s most intriguing trait is his genuine desire to make technology work for the Filipino.
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I usually refer to Vaughn’s Google Ranking Factors page when going over the why’s of a SERP listing. It gives a pretty thorough overview of the website factors (or myths, depends on who’s reading) that affect ranking in Google. Having this handly list allows me check or cross out potential ranking factors in my SEO strategy mix when going against entrenched competitive websites.

A recent thread in the High Rankings forum by world33 puts this list to the test. The items in bold are items that I need to run more tests on. I’m shocked that some items I considered as SEO fact are actually myths based on Jill’s experience.
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If you have a Blogspot/Blogger account and you’re looking to cash in on your site’s traffic, you’re in luck. Bloggers can now signup for an Google AdSense account and manage their ad placement and options via a new tab within the Blogger control panel. That’s as easy as it gets ladies and gents.
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Matt Cutts (aka GoogleGuy) has indicated at a new search personalization option for Google. While this is primarily being packaged as a personalization tool, you can bet that this or a variant will be factored in the Google algorithm in the not so distant future.
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If you remember my Retro SEO Tactics II: Ambergris Solutions post a couple of months back, I was talking about the sneaky redirect tactics being employed on the Ambergris Solutions website.

I was checking the site out, and lo and behold they’ve removed the said pages.
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