In addition to today’s Internet Marketing Monitor coverage, we felt these stories were worth pulling out of the multitude of news items for August 21, 2007:

An update on Google Video feedback [Official Google Blog]

Google really ticked a lot of folks off when it announced 1) it was closing the paid Google Video service 2) videos would be unwatchable after August 15 and 3) refunds would come in the form of Google Checkout credit. Needless to say, the vocal Internet masses let Google have it. In response, Google has changed its mind and tried to make amends. Full refunds will now be given via whatever credit car was originally charged, videos will be available for watching for another 6 months, and users get to the keep the Google Checkout credit on top of the refund. Checkout is already hemorrhaging money like crazy. What’s a few more free credits, huh? Kudos to Google for seeing the error of their ways and attempting to make the situation right.

When a Good Domain Name is Bad [SoloSEO]

Michael Jensen makes a good point here: keep the customer in mind when choosing a domain name for your online presence. Using a real-world example, Jensen illustrates how a furniture company tried to play up a company slogan when choosing their domain name - but it just doesn’t work. It doesn’t hurt to create sites around slogans, tag lines, and variations of your corporate name. But keep in mind that most of your customers won’t be looking for your slogan when they search you out - they’ll be looking for your name. Remember the research we referenced yesterday about offline influences of online search? Nearly 70% of the respondents said a company name was the first thing they looked for online in response to some offline stimulus.

Google News Adds YouTube Videos [Search Engine Journal]

Google has added related video to it’s Google News results. A scroll through the “Most Popular” section of Google News currently reveals a couple of news stories with video content. Using the familiar Plus Box icon, Google has embedded the videos inside an expandable YouTube player that can be viewed directly inside Google News. SEJ reports that content partners like CBS will be providing the video for these search results. The Google News Blog has the official announcement and says that in addition to CBS, Reuters and several local Hearst stations are providing the video footage for now… with new sources being added over the coming months.

How a Single Email Led to the Best Product Launch Ever [MarketingSherpa]

The best product launch ever? Because of one email? That’s what high-end bicycle creator Trek Bicycle Corp. tells MarketingSherpa. So how did one email help the company pull off the best product launch ever? In a nutshell, the company created a compelling microsite, compiled a list of potentially interested customers from an existing mailing list, and sent them an engaging, well-designed email. With an open rate of 21% and a clickthrough rate of 43%, it’s easy to see that the email was a hit. And the product it was designed to advertise? Sold out… and on back order until October. If that’s not a successful marketing campaign I don’t know what is! MarketingSherpa has all the details as well as creative samples from Trek’s campaign.

Search Engine Strategies Coverage [Search Engine Roundtable]

SERoundtable gets the nod again today as the best SES coverage I’ve seen. TopRank’s Online Marketing Blog is also doing some great coverage today, too. Between these two sources, and a Google Blog Search for “ses“, you should be able to stay up to date on what’s going on in San Jose.

G’night folks!