Everything you know about internet url’s is about to change. Well, not everything.
According to a recent article in PC World, ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has given the green light for a change called IDN, also known as internationalized domain names.

IDN will allow non Latin characters to be used in the entire web address of websites. Prior to the change, domains could only use a few non Latin characters, but now their whole website name can be in non Latin characters. Some people are excited about the change because it will encourage more people around the world to use the internet. According to an article on CNET, “IDNs will let people who write in Chinese, Korean, or Arabic use their own languages to surf the Web, and is expected to jump-start Internet use in many regions across the globe.”  For many around the world, especially in China the change is more than welcome.

However, some believe it’s opening the door for mishap. Since, the IDN will allow users to create websites in their native tongue, this means some companies will have to do more policing of their site names across the web, in order to protect them. Imagine, Walmart.com having to make sure there isn’t an imposter using their name in another language. Plus homoglyphs (defined by Wikipedia as one of two or more characters, or glyphs, with shapes that either appear identical or cannot be differentiated by quick visual inspection) may become an even bigger issue. It may be a little harder to tell real sites from fake ones. Do you see the difference between these two websites at first glance- google.com and goógle.com?
 
It should be interesting to see the difference this change will make on internet users as well as companies. It may not be as easy to find the bargain site on the internet when the url changes to non Latin letters. On the other hand, it will allow more people to interact with different cultures. Whether you’re for or against it, the change is taking place.

It should come as no surprise that MSN’s new search engine, Bing has created a rivalry with Google.  On July 29, 2009, MSN declared that they will be merging with Yahoo; this merger will give Bing a much larger share of the search engine market.

Since MSN’s rebranding as Bing, it has reportedly spent $100 million in advertising across multiple platforms including, television networks promotions, television commercials, online entertainment mediums and many more.  According to eWeek.com, this additional exposure helped Bing boost its search engine share to 9.6 percent in August; however September’s search engine volume share fell sharply to 8.5 percent.

Bing continues to brand itself as a ‘decision engine,’ not just another search provider; its goal is to prevent searchers from ‘search overload’ as with other engines.  Bing’s new interface is equipped with tools and a new layout to differentiate itself from the old MSN Live interface.  Whether these new features alone are enough to give Google a run for its money remains to be seen.  However, with the merger, Yahoo will give Bing a larger portion of the search market; making it second only to Google.

According to PC World, the battle between Bing and Google is starting to heat up on Facebook and Twitter.  Google recently announced it plans to launch its social search platform as well as the ability for searchers to stream live music within their search engine.  Google’s new music feature will allow users to eventually purchase songs from large music moguls such as Apple’s iTunes with just a few clicks.  Only a short while later, Bing fired back saying that they will be working with Facebook to incorporate profile status updates within Bing search results.  Although, Facebook claims that ‘no money has changed hands’ concerning the deal.

Even though the Yahoo/Bing merger has not yet been completed, it is apparent that Bing is making strides to capture and retain internet searchers.  The battle is on.  Who will win?  Only time will tell.

Google has recently launched a preview of their new tool, Caffeine. This program provides a developer preview allowing webmasters and power searchers the ability to give feedback on organic search results. In short, we will get to weigh in on Google’s algorithmic changes before they are launched.

So will this new tool affect your Google AdWords campaigns? According to Google, and an interview with Matt Cutts, the answer is simple; No. However, as a Search Engine Marketer, I believe we can use the information being provided from Caffeine to make smarter choices with our PPC campaigns. Unlike with past algorithm updates, we are able to get a preview of how our own listings will look. As we all know, SEO results are long-term and can take some time to change. If your positions drop due to these updates, it is your SEM campaigns that will immediately accommodate for these shifts that we are likely to see in organic results.

Creating a new campaign aimed at top positions for certain keywords that may be affected is a great way to combat an organic drop in visibility. With Google’s Caffeine we can be one step ahead of the curve in proactively selecting keywords to bid on. Be sure to check out this tool so that you can create a strong PPC campaign to quickly reclaim your presence.