Facebook was the most popular branded search query in the UK during 2008, according to new figures from Hitwise.
The social networking website was followed by brands such as Bebo, YouTube, eBay and Argos in the rankings, Hitwise said as it announced its UK Online Performance Awards.
Other brands in the top ten were found to include MySpace, Amazon, the BBC, Yahoo! and Autotrader.
Looking at particular website categories, the Met Office came out on top in the central government category in terms of website traffic.
Robin Goad, research director at Hitwise, remarked: "Internet traffic to government websites increased by 13.3 per cent between February 2008 and February 2009. I would expect this trend to continue during 2009."
The BBC topped the food and beverage - lifestyle and reference category, while Next was found to be the most popular shopping site in the UK.
About 90 per cent of all UK web searches are associated with brands, according to Hitwise.... read full details »
Those starting out in the world of search engine optimisation (SEO) should avoid common pitfalls such as keyword stuffing and neglecting XML sitemaps, it has been advised.
According to Rand Fishkin of SEOmoz, too many SEO beginners fall into the bad habit of keyword stuffing, as well as the practice of targeting one keyword across every website page instead of promoting one keyword per page.
Furthermore, those new to SEO tend to ignore XML sitemaps, which can be useful for websites looking for higher traffic, the expert explained.
"In every instance we've seen them used properly, they've added significant boosts in search traffic over a very short period," Mr Fishkin remarked.
"If you want an easy win and haven't yet invested in the sitemaps XML protocol, go do it."
XML sitemaps are especially beneficial for websites containing dynamic or rich media content that is not easily indexed by search engines, according to Google.
They can also be useful when it comes to optimising brand new sites with little link equity and websites with significant content archives.... read full details »
Companies should aim to make their campaigns as targeted as possible to achieve the best results, according to one expert from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB).
Jack Wallington, chair of the IAB's Search Council, explained that targeted internet marketing campaigns are beneficial for businesses as they are directed at those consumers who are likely to have the greatest demand for their products.
Commenting on the recent launch of new ad targeting services by Yahoo!, he added: "The fact that targeting and retargeting is proven to improve the effectiveness of advertising campaigns suggests that [these new tools] will be even better."
Yahoo!'s new products include targeting offerings for search engine marketers and those running display ad campaigns and were announced by the company last week.
About £333.8 million was spent on display ads by UK marketers in the first six months of 2008, with £981 million being spent on search ads, according to the IAB.... read full details »
The recession should result in businesses refining their marketing campaigns to better suit the new needs of consumers, an expert has said.
While consumers are still making purchases during the downturn, they are doing so differently to before the recession, meaning that companies' marketing strategies need to evolve to fit this new trend, Ray Jones of the Chartered Institute of Marketing told the Technology for Marketing & Advertising event last week.
He said: "Marketers have to adapt to current market trends and if technology can help that in some way then all the better.
"This is a time for innovative thinking and for professional marketers to take advantage of the current situation."
Despite the recession affecting business spending in other areas, expenditure on online marketing is expected to rise by ten per cent across Europe this year, according to Forrester Research.
Search marketing and rich media ads will do particularly well in 2009, the report suggested.... read full details »
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