The numbers are in- both Statcounter and ComScore show Microsoft’s Bing search engine, launched two weeks ago, chipping away at the solid hold Google has long maintained on search engine traffic.  Within a week after it launched, Bing had jumped Yahoo! for the #2 spot, and caused Google’s market share to drop 6 points.  Granted, the drop was from 78% to 71.99%, but if early data is any indication, Bing could be poised to make even bigger gains as more users become familiar with its features.

So what does this all mean for the average business?  If you’re spending money on online marketing services, such as SEO (search engine optimization) services or PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns, the fact that there’s a new search engine on the block is big news- and can mean some big changes in your online marketing strategy:

Time to make adjustments? Not so fast…
If your web traffic has gone a little haywire in the past few weeks, you’re not alone. But don’t make any quick decisions to change your site or find a new online marketing service just yet. As users switch to Bing-which uses different algorithmic variables to return results based on certain keywords and business segments- you may have seen a huge spike, or a huge dip, in web traffic.  Google also made adjustments to a few processes during the past few weeks.

Think about content.
Rumor has it that Bing rewards content-rich pages more heavily than other search engines.  As Bing becomes more popular, it may be a good idea to focus on finding more quality content for your site.  Most online marketing services can help you with this- if they don’t provide copywriting services, they might be able to recommend a source that does.

Think about links.
Microsoft search engines typically give more weight to internal (inbound) links, as opposed to Google, which purportedly values external links more.  If you have the ability to edit site content yourself, make sure all internal links are working correctly.  You can also enlist web designers or search engine optimization services to create internal links that make your site more navigable, increasing your search engine ranking in the process.

Be thorough.
Bing removes duplicate results from search engine pages- one of the initial complaints about the service is that some search results return a “low ranked” page- for example, rather than displaying your site’s homepage, a product page would be displayed.  Don’t make the mistake of thinking that customers will see your homepage first, be blown away, and keep browsing.  They might just land on one of those other pages- you know, the ones you haven’t updated in a while.  Be thorough when you update information on your site.

Consider PPC.
As Bing becomes more popular, spending more on pay per click services might be good idea.  Microsoft typically produces a high return on investment for pay per click efforts.  Coupled with the highly qualified traffic Bing is predicted to generate, a PPC campaign might be looking like a better investment.  A skilled online marketing professional will be able to help you create the best PPC campaign for your goals.

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It’s official- Facebook has become the most popular social networking site in America, edging out MySpace by a slim margin: 7.278 million U.S. users are now on Facebook, compared to 7.255 million using MySpace. To many, Facebook’s surge was inevitable, especially now that it offers one of the key features that differentiated the two sites: personalized URLS.

Over the weekend, over 5 million current users scrambled to get their hands on a vanity username- a feature already provided by MySpace.  Businesses with fewer than 1000 fans or users who created pages after May 31st, when the announcement was made, must wait until June 28th- next week- to register a username of their choice.

As it turns out, many popular companies have been using Facebook for a while. According to a 2008 study by Rosetta, 59% of the top 100 retailers maintain branded Facebook pages. Here are five companies you’ve probably already heard of that are harnessing the power of social media to build an online reputation:

1. Starbucks

The coffee giant uses Facebook as part of a successful online/offline marketing strategy.  Starbucks’ love for Facebook is mutual- Facebook recently announced Starbucks as one of three “Blue Ribbon Award” winners: companies with the “top most creative and innovative campaigns and most engaging pages each month.” (See #2 and #3 below for the other award recipients)

2. H&M

Also a Facebook award winner, the trendy discount clothing retailer has taken advantage of several different advertising tools on Facebook, helping boost it’s international and U.S. popularity.

3. Vitamin Water

The recent “Great Debate: Kobe vs. LeBron” campaign tied in television ads with a Facebook page asking fans to “state the case” for their choice in an online video.

4. Nutella

The fan-created page for the chocolate hazlenut spread ranked #3 on Facebook earlier this year- even though the company spent only $300,000 on advertising and didn’t even create the page itself.

5. Microsoft

Users with a Microsoft corporate e-mail address were among the first to be offered accounts when the service was extended beyond the student user base in 2006.  Microsoft also owns a small stake in Facebook, the purchase of which included the right to place ads on the site.

Facebook- and social networking in general- is becoming a very valuable tool for businesses of all sizes.  From corporate giants like Microsoft and Coca-Cola to smaller, local businesses, companies of all sizes are discovering the value of online marketing and social media.

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