Ad network Chitika recently published interesting findings from an examination of a whole lot of search-driven ad impressions.  Their research shows that three-word search queries hit the sweet spot and drive the most search traffic. Specifically, Chitika looked at a sample of 41,103,403 impressions of search traffic coming into their network between June 13 – June 19.

The company found that 26 percent of (organic) search-driven traffic was the result of “three-word searches.”  Here’s the full breakdown of organic search volume by query length:

1. Three words: 26 percent
2. Two words: 19 percent
3. Four words: 17 percent
4. One word 14 percent

Chitika added that “any query beyond five words will see dramatically lower traffic.”

The Times has published a list of the five most expensive hotels in the world.  The top was the Hotel Martinez in Cannes, France at $37,000 per night.  Ouch.

Here is what $37,000 gets you:

Situated on the famous seafront boulevard, the “Croisette”, Hotel Martinez (pictured above) boasts a Michelin starred restaurant, piano bar and “vast” private beach. Not that you will need to mix with the hoi-polloi if you book the luxurious and very expensive Penthouse Suite. You’ll have a sitting room, dining room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms with hammam, shower, a spa bath, dressing room and sauna at your disposal as well as a huge terrace that overlooks the sea. Can I move in please?

The Four Seasons Hotel penthouse suite in New York City was the only US hotel to make the list.  I think the 10 Weirdest Hotels in the World is more my style!

This is guest post from Ben Johnson of Logoinn, custom logo design service provider based in UK.  It is timely for us here at Blizzard because we have been actively working to redesign our logo:

Clicking on this link is an indication that you are doubtful of your logo. Don’t fret! Time and again, many organizations have realized that their logos have become stale and out dated.  They realize that a logo is the foundation for any business and if there is something wrong with the foundation, disastrous could be the consequences. We all have different tastes and preferences for designs, colors, flavors and so forth. So, naturally when it comes to selecting a logo, business owners would choose the ones which suit their personal tastes. I see nothing wrong with that, in fact, to an extent I believe that following this route results in logo designs, which are truly a representation of their moods, people, and culture of their company.

Hmm! Now that’s quite understandable, however there are still, certain guidelines and criteria that every logo design should comply to. What are those guidelines, we’ll tell you because we don’t want your logo to fall into the category of logos that suck! If your logo already does not comply with these guidelines, you can consider a redesign. Your logo:

1. Should be describable
2. Should be memorable
3. Should be scalable
4. Should depict your company
5. Should be unique

Your Logo sucks if:

Business owners can analyze if their logos fall under the category of bad logos.

It is not describable

You need to ask yourself whether your logo is describable or is it ambiguous. Is it communicating any tangible brand attribute or not? Many companies struggle in describing their logos and their connection with the company’s goals and objectives due to a weak or vague logo that portrays a different image than what the company is actually about. In this case, no slogan line, any suggestive image, or color element help much.

It is not logo memorable [Read more...]