Thinking about business blogging? If not, then why not? Blog readers have increased by 300% and they say blogs influence their purchase decisions.

In a study sponsored by BuzzLogic and conducted by JupiterResearch, the reliance upon blogs for information has increased significantly. Even more important to your business:

• 50% of blog readers say that blogs influence their purchasing decisions
• 31% of readers say that blogs are useful for technology purchases
• 56% of people who say that blogs are useful in purchasing decisions say that blogs with a niche focus and topical expertise are the most useful

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Demystifying the Google Universal Search Engine

It has been more than a year and a half since Google launched Google 2.0, otherwise known as Google Universal Search. If that term doesn’t mean anything to you, don’t worry, you’re not alone! If you’re like most people, you probably didn’t even know it existed. And maybe that’s just what Google had in mind.

What is the Google Universal Search Engine anyway?

Google’s universal search engine now integrates search engine results from its regular “horizontal” search engine along with its many vertical search engines, which you may not have known existed. If you take a look at Google’s home page, you will notice the links along the top left for Images, Maps, News, etc. These are specialized, or “vertical,” search engines that deliver more specific search results from within a particular topic.

With Google Universal Search, the listings presented are a blend of search engine results, consisting of a mix of “regular” results and more specialized results from the vertical search engines.

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