As for universal search and the compartmentalized UI at Ask.com, I’m very interested in how this
will affect search behavior and interaction with the results pages. I was really amazed by a recent
eye-tracking study from Gord Hotchkiss of Enquiro who found that the “golden triangle” is broken
as images are introduced. This sounds somewhat obvious, but the implications on paid search and
emphasis of top position natural rankings might be less intense as marketers discover where users
are clicking.I’m also interested in seeing the evolution of “link bait” and bloggers. I think the time and knowledge
involved in implementing a high quality viral marketing campaign will leave many marketers scratch-
ing their heads. As for bloggers, their credibility is often called into question, but more importantly,
the amount of noise on the Web is unbearable. I’m hoping that over time we see a decline in the
number of bloggers and an increase in their quality.With both bloggers and viral marketing, I think that companies that embrace these campaigns early
on will do much better in the long run than those that wait for a proven return and “safe” approach.301
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