Bing Success grows
OLD API system to shut off
Microsoft announced that that it is phasing out version 1.1 of the Bing Search API. This comes as no surprise, as version 2.0 was launched over a year ago.
Version 1.1 will no longer be supported as of November 1, 2010. Webmasters and developers still using the version 1.1 API will need to migrate over to version 2.0 by then. "In addition to the improved features, a single Bing Search API means streamlined maintenance, updates and support," a representative for Bing tells WebProNews.
Version 2.0 comes with support for new source types like translation, answers, video, and related search. It also supports protocols like JSON, XML, and SOAP. Version 2.0 users can also send an unlimited number of query requests (for legitimate uses described in the terms of use).
Bing - Switch to newer version of API "There are other benefits of this transition as well," says Bing Developer Platform Senior Product Manager Reed Shaffner. "The new Bing Search API introduced considerable improvements for maintenance and updates so that going forward, we can introduce feature improvements and other changes without switching API versions. Furthermore, we will better able to aid you in your requests for assistance as there will now be a single version to monitor and support."
Version 2.0 is also accompanied by a new developer center and Project Silk Road, which is a set of tools from Microsoft for online publishers and developers aimed at generating traffic and increasing engagement on their sites.
Showing posts with label Gasta Bing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gasta Bing. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Monday, July 27, 2009
Gasta Tech News: Search Advertising remains king of the Marketing world
Search engine marketing, like nearly all digital media forms, is evolving rapidly. Text ads
accompanying search results came into the world with little fanfare, but the real-time,
individually targeted, bid-based buying system they spawned is now on the verge of
becoming the dominant method for all commodified media buying. During the most
difficult economic times that the search marketing industry has seen in its decade-long life,
search marketers are more relevant than ever.
The Web itself is getting ―smarter.‖ Web 1.0 was mostly static with publishers
communicating to consumers. Web 2.0 is two-way, with consumers talking back to
publishers. Web 3.0 uses information from the consumer to tailor the experience to
individuals. Gmail ads already do this. By taking advantage of email content, Google is
able to serve ads that are immediately and individually relevant. The new search site
Hunch.com asks searchers to tell the site about themselves in order to predict interests and
suggest searches. Why this matters to search marketers is that the entire infrastructure of
the Web 3.0 economy is built on what‘s known as the ―semantic web.‖ Having a
background in search engine optimization and PPC advertising is just about the best
possible way to prepare for the new ways of doing business this technology enables.
While the consumers of the world get nervous about change, it won‘t be long before an untargeted
―dumb‖ ad provokes as much consumer backlash as the first targeted ads did in
the last few years. As advertising undergoes a transformation from annoyance to utility, it
will be the semantic marketers of the world who make it happen. It‘s a very good time to
be in this business for a variety of reasons. You represent the first wave of a new media
economy. If that isn‘t enough to convince someone of the increasing relevance of search
marketing, perhaps the promise of money to be made will.
accompanying search results came into the world with little fanfare, but the real-time,
individually targeted, bid-based buying system they spawned is now on the verge of
becoming the dominant method for all commodified media buying. During the most
difficult economic times that the search marketing industry has seen in its decade-long life,
search marketers are more relevant than ever.
The Web itself is getting ―smarter.‖ Web 1.0 was mostly static with publishers
communicating to consumers. Web 2.0 is two-way, with consumers talking back to
publishers. Web 3.0 uses information from the consumer to tailor the experience to
individuals. Gmail ads already do this. By taking advantage of email content, Google is
able to serve ads that are immediately and individually relevant. The new search site
Hunch.com asks searchers to tell the site about themselves in order to predict interests and
suggest searches. Why this matters to search marketers is that the entire infrastructure of
the Web 3.0 economy is built on what‘s known as the ―semantic web.‖ Having a
background in search engine optimization and PPC advertising is just about the best
possible way to prepare for the new ways of doing business this technology enables.
While the consumers of the world get nervous about change, it won‘t be long before an untargeted
―dumb‖ ad provokes as much consumer backlash as the first targeted ads did in
the last few years. As advertising undergoes a transformation from annoyance to utility, it
will be the semantic marketers of the world who make it happen. It‘s a very good time to
be in this business for a variety of reasons. You represent the first wave of a new media
economy. If that isn‘t enough to convince someone of the increasing relevance of search
marketing, perhaps the promise of money to be made will.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Microsoft and Yahoo struggle to catch up with Google
Another week, another demonstration of Google’s dominance. While Microsoft and Yahoo have posted poor Q2 results this week, with online ad revenues down by 14% and 16% respectively, last week Google revealed its revenues were up 3% for the quarter.
It’s clear that, despite the economic slowdown, Mountain View’s finest are still doing something right. That something, of course, is search, which these result demonstrate the others are still not making work.
The announcements of Yahoo’s and Microsoft’s online revenue shortfalls has inevitably led to more discussion over whether they’ll join forces – a saga that has been dragging on for almost 18 months now. Clearly, Microsoft will want to see how Bing affects its bottom line first. It will be encouraged by the reaction among the industry which, for the most part, has looked on Bing favourably.
However, any market share increase has so far been minimal. Microsoft hopes new initiatives will help drive this, of course, not least its forthcoming ad-funded online Office Suite. It’s move in this space was inevitable due to the increasing popularity of free offerings such as Open Office and Google Docs, so it’ll be interesting to see how Bing and other online ad services will be integrated.
Perhaps most worrying for Microsoft and Yahoo is Google’s move into the multi-million-pound ad exchange sector (nma 23 July 2009). This is an area in which Yahoo, with Right Media, is an established player but will be looking over its shoulder with concern. Google CEO Eric Schmidt has said it’s the big focus for the company, but Microsoft has said its own exchange, currently being tested, is still a couple of years off. It’s a potential goldmine for any company that gets it right.
Microsoft and Yahoo have both undergone significant changes this past year, not least redundancies and launches like Yahoo’s new home page. However, it’s clear that both still have a long way to go before they start worrying Google.
It’s clear that, despite the economic slowdown, Mountain View’s finest are still doing something right. That something, of course, is search, which these result demonstrate the others are still not making work.
The announcements of Yahoo’s and Microsoft’s online revenue shortfalls has inevitably led to more discussion over whether they’ll join forces – a saga that has been dragging on for almost 18 months now. Clearly, Microsoft will want to see how Bing affects its bottom line first. It will be encouraged by the reaction among the industry which, for the most part, has looked on Bing favourably.
However, any market share increase has so far been minimal. Microsoft hopes new initiatives will help drive this, of course, not least its forthcoming ad-funded online Office Suite. It’s move in this space was inevitable due to the increasing popularity of free offerings such as Open Office and Google Docs, so it’ll be interesting to see how Bing and other online ad services will be integrated.
Perhaps most worrying for Microsoft and Yahoo is Google’s move into the multi-million-pound ad exchange sector (nma 23 July 2009). This is an area in which Yahoo, with Right Media, is an established player but will be looking over its shoulder with concern. Google CEO Eric Schmidt has said it’s the big focus for the company, but Microsoft has said its own exchange, currently being tested, is still a couple of years off. It’s a potential goldmine for any company that gets it right.
Microsoft and Yahoo have both undergone significant changes this past year, not least redundancies and launches like Yahoo’s new home page. However, it’s clear that both still have a long way to go before they start worrying Google.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Baidu on hunt for Acquisitions
Hoping to expand its already dominant position in the Chinese internet market, Baidu (NSDQ: BIDU) is on the hunt for an acquisition. CFO Jennifer Li tells Bloomberg News that the “Internet is at an early stage of its development. It’s dynamic, and we need to stay ahead.” Li didn’t provide many details, but Bloomberg points out that the company wants to expand its position in both e-commerce and mobile-Internet services. As it looks for companies to buy, Baidu could face competition in both categories from Alibaba Group, which has indicated it will spend at least $200 million on acquisitions over the next several years.
Baidu’s possible expansion comes as rival Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has run into trouble from Chinese authorities. Just last week, the government warned Google about the availability of pornography on its site and also told the company to stop linking to certain unspecified foreign websites, according to the WSJ. However, the WSJ reported Monday that those critiques may be inciting a backlash, noting that internet users are highlighting the likelihood that a university student who criticized the availability of pornography on Google on state television was an employee of state television.
Baidu has not been too active on the acquisition front in the past. In September, however, it did purchase a stake in Chinese online TV firm UiTV for $15 million.
Baidu’s possible expansion comes as rival Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has run into trouble from Chinese authorities. Just last week, the government warned Google about the availability of pornography on its site and also told the company to stop linking to certain unspecified foreign websites, according to the WSJ. However, the WSJ reported Monday that those critiques may be inciting a backlash, noting that internet users are highlighting the likelihood that a university student who criticized the availability of pornography on Google on state television was an employee of state television.
Baidu has not been too active on the acquisition front in the past. In September, however, it did purchase a stake in Chinese online TV firm UiTV for $15 million.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Gasta Tech News: Bing News
Microsoft Aims Big Guns at Google, Asks Consumers to Rethink Search
Here's Why an $80M Ad Effort for a Search Engine, Bing, Makes Some Sense
Microsoft has used attack ads to go after Apple, and now it has Google in its sights.
The software giant is set to launch an $80 million to $100 million campaign for Bing, the search engine it hopes will help it grab a bigger slice of the online ad market. That's a big campaign -- big compared with consumer-product launches ($50 million is considered a sizable budget for a national rollout) and very big when you consider that Google spent about $25 million on all its advertising last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence, with about $11.6 million of that focused on recruiting. Microsoft, by comparison, spent $361 million. Certainly Google has never faced an ad assault of anything like this magnitude.
JWT has been tapped for the push, which will include online, TV, print and radio. Another sign of the campaign's size: At a time when most agencies are laying people off, JWT added creatives on the Microsoft business last week.
People with knowledge of the planned push said the ads won't go after Google, or Yahoo for that matter, by name. Instead, they'll focus on planting the idea that today's search engines don't work as well as consumers previously thought by asking them whether search (aka Google) really solves their problems. That, Microsoft is hoping, will give consumers a reason to consider switching search engines, which, of course, is one of Bing's biggest challenges.
"If you grab the average user off the street and ask them, 'Does search suck?' I think they'd say no. They don't know what else can be done," said Shashi Seth, a former Google executive who is now chief revenue officer at Cooliris. "They think search does a pretty good job, and if you could prove otherwise with a product that's differentiated, people will sit up and take notice."
Case for refinement
Indeed, data show that about 65% of people are satisfied or very satisfied with online search. But Microsoft sees an opening on its own proprietary search data: 42% of searches require refinement, and 25% of clicks are the back button.
That's why Mr. Seth likens the Bing marketing challenge to that of the Apple iPhone before it was introduced. Most people, pre-iPhone, didn't know they were missing a multi-touch screen, or an application that would enable them to detect what song was playing wherever they were. But Apple, through its ads, showed how markedly different the experience was and created a new de facto standard for phones.
Many will argue that no amount of advertising Microsoft throws at the product will make a difference -- the quality of search results is the only thing that matters. And that may have once been true; after all, Google built its brand on the back of a great user experience, results that were markedly better and zero ad support.
But that's not necessarily true anymore, as the quality of search engines has approached parity. Sure, there are no switching costs, and it's easy to simply type in a new web address should a better engine come along, but the psychological pull of the leading brand in the space overrides those factors for many consumers.
Consider that Google has conducted internal tests, according to people familiar with them, in which the company put its logo and treatment on another engine's search results. Users still prefer the results with the Google logo, even if they're not Google results. Or consider that a revamped Ask.com made its debut in 2007 to a glowing review from The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg, who said it "holds its own with Google, and even beats the champ on some searches." Two years later? Ask's share of search is down 28%.
'Better mousetrap'
"I don't think they can win this game with a better mousetrap," said Allen Adamson, managing director of Landor Associates, New York. "They have to compete with Google on a brand front -- there's no other way to skin this but go head on against the Google brand."
Obviously Microsoft has not shied away from "going head on" in its Windows campaign. Its chief attack on Apple -- that it's too expensive and not worth the high price -- is showing some signs of working. Apple's value perception among 18- to 34-year-olds has dropped significantly since the campaign launched in late March, which might be a testament to the right message at the right time.
Still, advertising isn't a panacea, as even the most self-absorbed ad man knows, especially when it's not the right advertising. Ask.com famously spent $57 million in 2007 to market its engine, and another $22 million last year, according to TNS. The 2007 campaign was an oddball execution from Crispin Porter & Bogusky that touted "the algorithm" -- a concept unlikely to grab anyone not already entrenched in the world of digital marketing. What Microsoft needs to do is go after people who don't know and probably don't care what an algorithm is.
And all the advertising in the world only works if the product backs it up. People who've seen the Microsoft product suggest it's useful and has some nifty filtering tools, even though it's not a markedly different-looking interface, at least for text search (some of the multimedia search results, however, do look quite different from how Google currently displays them).
"It doesn't take a lot to switch people from one type to another and usually it's a unique feature that gets people excited," said David Karnstedt, CEO of Efficient Frontier and former head of sales for Yahoo. He reflected on his days at AltaVista, which Google supplanted. "Google got people excited because it got people and places right early on. That got people to really start to switch, and once developed the habit of using Google, it was hard to get them to switch back."
Here's Why an $80M Ad Effort for a Search Engine, Bing, Makes Some Sense
Microsoft has used attack ads to go after Apple, and now it has Google in its sights.
The software giant is set to launch an $80 million to $100 million campaign for Bing, the search engine it hopes will help it grab a bigger slice of the online ad market. That's a big campaign -- big compared with consumer-product launches ($50 million is considered a sizable budget for a national rollout) and very big when you consider that Google spent about $25 million on all its advertising last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence, with about $11.6 million of that focused on recruiting. Microsoft, by comparison, spent $361 million. Certainly Google has never faced an ad assault of anything like this magnitude.
JWT has been tapped for the push, which will include online, TV, print and radio. Another sign of the campaign's size: At a time when most agencies are laying people off, JWT added creatives on the Microsoft business last week.
People with knowledge of the planned push said the ads won't go after Google, or Yahoo for that matter, by name. Instead, they'll focus on planting the idea that today's search engines don't work as well as consumers previously thought by asking them whether search (aka Google) really solves their problems. That, Microsoft is hoping, will give consumers a reason to consider switching search engines, which, of course, is one of Bing's biggest challenges.
"If you grab the average user off the street and ask them, 'Does search suck?' I think they'd say no. They don't know what else can be done," said Shashi Seth, a former Google executive who is now chief revenue officer at Cooliris. "They think search does a pretty good job, and if you could prove otherwise with a product that's differentiated, people will sit up and take notice."
Case for refinement
Indeed, data show that about 65% of people are satisfied or very satisfied with online search. But Microsoft sees an opening on its own proprietary search data: 42% of searches require refinement, and 25% of clicks are the back button.
That's why Mr. Seth likens the Bing marketing challenge to that of the Apple iPhone before it was introduced. Most people, pre-iPhone, didn't know they were missing a multi-touch screen, or an application that would enable them to detect what song was playing wherever they were. But Apple, through its ads, showed how markedly different the experience was and created a new de facto standard for phones.
Many will argue that no amount of advertising Microsoft throws at the product will make a difference -- the quality of search results is the only thing that matters. And that may have once been true; after all, Google built its brand on the back of a great user experience, results that were markedly better and zero ad support.
But that's not necessarily true anymore, as the quality of search engines has approached parity. Sure, there are no switching costs, and it's easy to simply type in a new web address should a better engine come along, but the psychological pull of the leading brand in the space overrides those factors for many consumers.
Consider that Google has conducted internal tests, according to people familiar with them, in which the company put its logo and treatment on another engine's search results. Users still prefer the results with the Google logo, even if they're not Google results. Or consider that a revamped Ask.com made its debut in 2007 to a glowing review from The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg, who said it "holds its own with Google, and even beats the champ on some searches." Two years later? Ask's share of search is down 28%.
'Better mousetrap'
"I don't think they can win this game with a better mousetrap," said Allen Adamson, managing director of Landor Associates, New York. "They have to compete with Google on a brand front -- there's no other way to skin this but go head on against the Google brand."
Obviously Microsoft has not shied away from "going head on" in its Windows campaign. Its chief attack on Apple -- that it's too expensive and not worth the high price -- is showing some signs of working. Apple's value perception among 18- to 34-year-olds has dropped significantly since the campaign launched in late March, which might be a testament to the right message at the right time.
Still, advertising isn't a panacea, as even the most self-absorbed ad man knows, especially when it's not the right advertising. Ask.com famously spent $57 million in 2007 to market its engine, and another $22 million last year, according to TNS. The 2007 campaign was an oddball execution from Crispin Porter & Bogusky that touted "the algorithm" -- a concept unlikely to grab anyone not already entrenched in the world of digital marketing. What Microsoft needs to do is go after people who don't know and probably don't care what an algorithm is.
And all the advertising in the world only works if the product backs it up. People who've seen the Microsoft product suggest it's useful and has some nifty filtering tools, even though it's not a markedly different-looking interface, at least for text search (some of the multimedia search results, however, do look quite different from how Google currently displays them).
"It doesn't take a lot to switch people from one type to another and usually it's a unique feature that gets people excited," said David Karnstedt, CEO of Efficient Frontier and former head of sales for Yahoo. He reflected on his days at AltaVista, which Google supplanted. "Google got people excited because it got people and places right early on. That got people to really start to switch, and once developed the habit of using Google, it was hard to get them to switch back."
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