SearchCap: The Day In Search, April 9, 2008
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Yahoo has confirmed a Wall Street Journal report that it will be testing Google’s paid search ads alongside its own for the next two weeks and involving no more than 3 percent of Yahoo’s search pages in the United States. From the Yahoo statement
In large organizations, it takes the effort of several internal groups to accomplish top level business goals. When natural search optimization for web sites, commonly called SEO, is moved in house, it generally is the task of a combination effort from IT and Marketing. Below are five steps for moving SEO in house, as well […]
By now, many B2B marketing professionals know the basics of content optimization and how to make a site search-friendly. With that complete, their focus turns to link building. While that’s an admirable pursuit, it may not yield the maximum results if unaddressed website issues aren’t resolved. Here are some of the most common mistakes we […]
Kara Swisher reports that Yahoo’s former senior vice president, Tim Cadogan, is taking the CEO post at OpenX (formerly OpenAds, formerly PHPAdsNew). Cadogan has been with Yahoo for five years and before that was at GoTo.com. He was the senior vice president for ad products and was instrumental in the Yahoo Panama launch. Cadogan was […]
The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that Yahoo’s second largest shareholder, investment firm Legg Mason, characterized Microsoft’s recent ultimatum letter as a tactical “blunder” and said it would support Yahoo’s independence if Microsoft maintained or lowered its current offer.
Google offers Google Analytics. Microsoft has its "Gatineau" or recently renamed Microsoft adCenter Analytics service in beta. So I suppose it was inevitable that Yahoo get in on the web analytics action. The company announced today that it is acquiring Tensa Kit, which produces the IndexTools analytics service.
Flickr is arguably the jewel in Yahoo’s crown — a great site that in many ways has no peer. Now, after a long wait, video has been added. One might imagine that this is intended to compete with Google’s YouTube, but as the Flickr blog explains the new capabilities have been set up to complement […]
When Google launched StreetView it was widely discussed (and in some cases disparaged because of the privacy implications), but few people regarded it as a practical tool. However, in what appears to be the first implementation of StreetView on a third-party site, Trulia has incorporated its imagery and functionality in 40 US metropolitan areas, with […]
Do you have a topic you’d like to see covered in a session at SMX Local & Mobile in San Francisco on July 24-25, 2008? Something you’d like to see covered in depth, or a discussion of advanced strategies and tactics for getting the most out your local and mobile search marketing campaigns? If so, […]
Mixx, a social media submission site, is a newcomer on the scene, so it understandably will take a while for it to catch up with older sites like Digg, Propeller, Reddit, and StumbleUpon. That said, this article looks at the current state of Mixx and the potential future of its small but devoted community. This […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Eric Goldman reports that an 11th circuit, US Court of Appeals has upheld a district court’s decision that the use of trademarked terms in meta tags can cause confusion and thus can constitute trademark infringement. North American Medical Corp. v. Axiom Worldwide, Inc. docket number 06-01678 CV-JTC-1 (PDF) doesn’t specifically say if the trademarked terms […]
Google announced that it had expanded Google Transit to cover Chicago, the second largest public transit system in the US. That brings to 37 the number of cities in the US and abroad offered on Google Transit.
Did you know there’s only 261 shopping days left before Christmas? That might seem like a crazy thing to worry about in April but you know what they say, the early bird gets the link. Using the holidays to attract links is fun, good for trend watching, and an excellent opportunity to generate positive publicity. […]
My site’s been hacked – now what? from the Google Webmaster Central team provides a much needed guide on how to recover from your site being hacked. Sites are sometimes hijacked in an attempt to inject code and links into that site, to try and boost the hacker’s site ranking in Google and other search […]
Last night, at Campfire One, Google launched an Amazon S3/EC2-like product named Google App Engine. For non-techies, Google App Engine will allow you to host your web sites and applications on their infrastructure. Not only that, this service will automatically grow in resources and capacity, as your application or web site requires. If you launch […]
Often, the hardest part of any search engine optimization or marketing campaign is getting changes made to the website. Figuring out what to do is often easier than convincing all the stakeholders—including marketers, IT departments, web developers—to take the necessary actions, and coaching them along the way as they apprehensively take baby steps forward. As […]
Are all links created equal? Most search marketers know the answer to that question is a resounding no. But, how do you differentiate between links to figure out which ones are better than others? Today’s infographic visualizes the various site and link components that combine to form “nutritious, healthy” link juice.
Two years ago, my brother was getting married, and he had asked me to help design his invitations and the maps showing how to get from the church to the restaurant where we were holding the rehearsal dinner. I used to be a professional cartographer, so making a map was not a problem, particularly since […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Maybe it’s just me, because I’ve spent years ingesting the Purple Cow Kool-Aid. But I can never get over the number of cookie-cutter, copycat businesses that spring up online. Choosing the exact same business model as someone else almost appears to be a favorite pastime in North America these days. Kind of a macho, or […]
Google, Yahoo Keep User Data Too Long, EU Group Says from Bloomberg reports that 27 EU nations privacy officials unanimously are supporting a new proposal that may require search companies to delete search data before six months. The proposal, Article 29 Data Protection Working Party, requires “valid justification” to store any search data, and says […]
On Saturday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer sent a public ultimatum of sorts to Yahoo’s board: accept our offer or we’ll force it on you. Today Yahoo responded publicly to Ballmer’s letter. In essence it says: we’re “not opposed to a transaction” but pay us more.
In articles on the NY Times and Wall Street Journal sites this morning, more details are surfacing about the intended Q3 rollout of Yahoo’s new ambitious, integrated ad platform — what President Sue Decker previously called “APEX” (advertiser-publisher exchange) and is now apparently being called “AMP.”
Since the advent of “blended” or “universal search” last year across the major engines, there’s been ongoing discussion and speculation about its impact on user behavior and search marketing. Gord Hotchkiss last year wrote extensively about how blended search (on Google) has in fact shifted the user focus from the so-called “golden triangle” at the […]
Later this week — on Thursday, April 10 — I’ll be interviewing Google’s Marissa Mayer, vice president, search products & user experience, as part of her keynote at our SMX Sydney show. I’m looking for your help. What burning questions do those in the search and the search marketing space have for Marissa? I’ve got […]
Below are Search Engine Land’s 10 most popular stories from March 2008:
Trying to keep up with where the Olympic Torch is headed to next? Google’s launched a nifty custom map showing you where it is, has been, and is going to, along with information about each place. A custom add for Google Earth is also available, and you can embed the map into your blog or […]
Microsoft has had enough, it seems. The company has fired off a written ultimatum to Yahoo’s board. Either conclude an agreement to be acquired by Microsoft or Microsoft will engage in a proxy fight to oust the board with one favorable to the deal. Microsoft says that despite what it calls its “generous” offer, Yahoo […]
Reuters is reporting that Microsoft may be reconsidering its bid for Yahoo in light of changed market conditions and signs of potential weakness in Yahoo’s “core business.” The article cites as sources the familiar unnamed “people familiar with the matter.” There are few details and nobody from either company comments.
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Writing the Search Biz column is challenging because of the diverse group of stories that get collected every day. Today there’s an unusually large number; however, there are basically three broad themes: Google and the company’s legal challenges, Yahoo’s Jekyll and Hyde positions on China and human rights, and the revolving personnel door at both […]
In this week’s Search In Pictures, here are the latest images culled from the web, showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have, and more.
Both the Wall Street Journal and CNET are reporting about an apparently unsuccessful meeting between Microsoft and Yahoo this week. According to the Journal, “The Microsoft executives showed no willingness to raise their cash-and-stock offer, and the Yahoo camp continued to refuse to enter formal negotiations without a sweetened bid, people familiar with the matter […]
Google Blogoscoped reports that Google is testing the placement of one box results within the middle of the search results. We have seen Google test “search refinements” within the middle of the search results, but never really one box results, at least not in this separated form. Here is a screen shot, courtesy of Google […]
The UK PPC Blog tipped me off to Google announcing that the UK AdWords trademark policy has been changed to work like the US AdWords trademark policy. What this means is that UK advertisers can now bid on trademark terms. Earlier, those trademarked terms were blocked from bidding on within the AdWords network. The US […]
Few things about the internet generate as much buzz as social networking. Suddenly, it looks like the very fabric of our society might be rewoven online. The world becomes our community as we erase geographic boundaries to connect based on shared interests and ideals. Whether your community of choice is Facebook, MySpace, Second Life, or […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Given that we were unwittingly ensnared by Mike Blumenthal’s authentic sounding April Fools post earlier this week, we’re being a bit more careful and reading items more closely these days. However, one article from Bloomberg that almost reads like an April Fools item discusses a novel program on Google’s YouTube in which computer and printer […]