And how this impacts later search results and AdWords performance of these websites? Today’s Google Doodle is a nice animated graphic of Tomato throwing festival in Buñol – nice work. Opposite to San Fermin, I love this festival. I was surprised when I clicked through, and I noticed SERP is for the keyword “La Tomatina” and on the top of the results I can see an organic listing – a microsite made for SEO purposes!   I know this market quite well, and I used to compete with PPTravel, The company behind this particular microsite (That’s my connection with this SERP for you). Guys from PPT are seasonal spenders (PPC, Contextual, etc.) and heavy SEO focused lot. Ages ago they created a lot of landing pages and microsites to deals with all the events they have in their annually repeating portfolio (very simple and sensible solution in my opinion). For all of you interested my former client is no longer in the top section of the search results for this term after they changed their approach to the online marketing and priorities.

Coming back to  the point I know how hard is to fight for the top spots in this area and I know what money are generated for the next year bookings from all of these people who missed on the event this year. I wonder how such exposure will work for PPT in the long term (try to imagine re-marketing audience alone). Their “Made for SEO” microsite that is created to increase PPT’s main website search footprint.

It was earlier this year I came across a Google’s Search Quality team post about Doorway Pages (Sites) post. Pretty much this website from PPT does not represent unique content and you are diverted to the main website with this same content to close the deal and book tours or read again this same text – so…

After viewing “La Tomatina” SERP to which Google Doodle sends today millions of users I wonder:

1) When your “Made for SEO” microsite is legitimised? The moment it has over 5K likes on Facebook? The moment Google Doodle leads you to this page?

2) Should Google team send traffic from Doodle to such a business critical search results or should links from Doodle be limited to some non business critical (unless charity) to assure things like today’s “accidental” exposure do not happen? How about sending people to publishing based SERP “70th Anniversary of La Tomatina” instead of “La Tomatina”?

I don’t know, but this would be my choice of link for Google to consider for their La Tomatina Doodle

Please note I strongly believe product pages, microsites that allow us to pitch different elements to different audiences are a great way to segment our online marketing efforts. Whatever is the “dream” search output Google expects the duplication of content is unavoidable but what I am asking here is related to power of links like Google Doodle. With high profile links and traffic – is Google in right to promote SERPs that are questionable?

source: Motorola

The news hit markets just six days after purchase of the Motorola Mobility by Google was completed.
The story is here and it is potentially big one for many reasons:
a) Google can make Android restricted for other users this will create bipolar market iPhone vs AndroMoto (ultimate Google Phone)
b) Moto X was announced to be the first phone to return to US production line – This is proper Wow! If you imagine the number of currently used phones in US that have been assembled in US.
We are waiting for trend here!
With horse meat in food, faulty extinguishers, poisonous plastic toys and other surprises from the market making us more aware about supplier chains. You no longer have a clue where the things you use come from. What is the real standard of items around you.
On the top of this we have the speed at which response to market changes and needs factory under your control gives you more flexibility and quicker response times. Google and Motorola decided to cut out the middleman and produce Moto X in an old Nokia factory in the US, this is faster and better from product cycle point of view. On the top of that PR connected to this assembly line will bring them an extra weapon against Apple.
If during next few months we will hear about more production lines coming back to US it might be not comfortable situation for China. Traditional producers of electronic accessories from Taiwan, Japan, Korea will stay untouched but Chinese assembly lines may disappear very quickly especially as standards in South America go up due to time zones and proximity to US companies see more advantages in working with Brazil than the Far East.
c) We have now proper Google “Big Brother” vision.  Motorola Mobility with all its assets including 17000 patents related to mobile technology holds enormous potentials for expansion. Google looks in to the bright future.

We will posts more about Moto X later the year as it will have significant impact on direct customer marketing. We will also look in to future of Android as open source platform.

This will sound like a proper whinging but if you survive first part it get’s better towards the end (is not all that bad after all we just need some truly comprehensive industry gathering with good organisation).

Short Internet World 2012 summary:

speakers and exhibitors – premier class,

organisation – third league

It supposed to be the biggest and best Internet show in London in 2012 at least this is what you would expect from internet trade show which is around for 20 years! – It wasn’t :-(.

Organisational failures:

- seminar programe unconfirmed to the last moment, about third of seminars unknown –  hilarious outputs of last minute patchwork - SYNOPSIS NEEDED

- Popup Seminar theaters with inadequate sizes – mobile – perhaps the hottest  topic of the year ended up with the smallest theater!

- Not unified strategy regarding “fast track” badge holders advertised on homepage “Guarantee a seat at all education with a Fast-Track Pass”. I didn’t made to 3 seminars! Despite of being at the “gates” on the time before seminar theoretically started. I was told there is no space for me in Advertising, Affiliate & Search Theatre twice (I was told: “You can complain to organizers sir”) and ended up with cancelled – “Best practices: Advice for taking your social media programme global” in social media theater. For people who didn’t pay to attend seminar program this is perhaps fine but for someone who spent money on these “Fast Track badges” it was poor organisation.

- Useless and confusing “Club Visitor” upgrades – Why? – Organizers had this idea of treating potential buyers better – in  general good idea but if you won’t create correct infrastructure it does make no sense! Few tables and chairs is not enough – I spent 15 minutes in a queue for my tea as area was available for everyone else on the first day – never used again simply pointless.

But there was a lot of  good stuff @iwexpo

- The idea of six worlds as there are complimentary sector specific events from UBM gives impression of holistic approach to Internet Industry. And this is very good idea.

- Surprisingly the best element of this show were seminars and presentations or FREE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME. Speakers step up and they presented high quality stuff. For a very first time only couple of people treated potential buyers as “uneducated lunatics” with budgets to spend (this happens a lot on consumer focused trade shows where sales people try to act as knowledgeable industry leaders). I suppose the harder market becomes the tougher is to sell crap.

Well done Internet World speakers!

To be honest looking on Earls Court Two yesterday I have bad feeling this show didn’t make expected profit as there was a lot of empty space and unused stands. Show didn’t seam to be busy at all with visitors – maybe there is no need for shows like this?

Get a grip of course it can’t be true – worth over £100Bn UK industry can’t make a trade show which would allow potential buyers to show comprehensive internet technology offer from ISPs to Hosting, Ecommerce and online marketing? Internet World has great potentials: Name and established brand but it felt as provincial show. You compare this to Travel shows like ITB in Berlin or WTM in London and you will understand what I am talking about. When I’m entering WTM or ITB I know I can meet there everyone from industry either as visitor, exhibitor or speaker – I mean everyone. Technology section on ITB has got separate building and if organised on its own would perhaps be bigger then all UBM shows put together!

“IS OBVIOUS WE NEED INTERNET INDUSTRY TRADE MEGASHOW”

Are we unable to create a real world class show for internet industry? It is well known fact there is no other unorganised, polarized and divided industry in the world. See cookie law comes across in EU.

There is no formalised industry voice?- sorry guys this is stupid law and has no sense whatsoever. We just start talking who should handle this – browsers, websites, ISPs etc. How nice would be to meet together and write document to EU commissioners or lawmakers – No sorry look 90% of industry says your law makes no sense whatsoever – go fish.

Where it gets wrong?

Opposite to for example Travel Industry which seems to have one of the best trade shows in the world – engaging , lead generating and well organised from infrastructure point of view we are unable to gather everyone in one place. When I’m on WTM I can see Accor Hotels next to Holiday Inn brands, 5 the biggest car hire companies, even Palestine and Israel have both stands there. Despite their different opinions and native technologies people from top players in each section of the industry argue their points in seminars and conferences and create industry standards to keep external regulators away. Unfortunately I am yet to see Internet Trade Show where in Search Engines section I can see stands from Google, Bing, Yandex and Baidu and Top players from Ecommerce or Social Media World launch new products for business or layouts for customers.

Tell me who wouldn’t join big arena for 1h mobile panel of experts talk – Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, RIM where we would have top Googler, Apple guy, RIM and Microsoft guy replying to some unexpected questions from audience. This same with Browsers standards, ISP speeds etc. We all know how painful this is.

Maybe egos in our industry are too big for such a show ? Or technology leaders are petrified to go head to head during knowledge based not sales based event and discover some company which doesn’t want to be purchased and has got no connections to Sequoia Capital.

Benefits from such a show for the entire industry are obvious – things like SOPA could be discussed across all industry sectors and actions with programme for lobbing politicians and media could be nicely put in place so we would talk using one voice or at least we would be able to identify what is the majority voice in this area.