SearchCap: Google Flights updates, SEM testing & MarTech Today launch

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.

From Search Engine Land:

• Google Flights now shows expected airfare cost increases & filter for hotel discounts
  Oct 17, 2016 by Amy Gesenhues
  During the coming weeks, Google Flights will also roll out email notifications to alert users when prices expire for tracked flights or routes.
• Just launched: Search Engine Land’s new MarTech Today website!
  Oct 17, 2016 by Matt McGee
  Our new editorial website is laser-focused on the fast-growing world of marketing technology, an area of increasing importance to all marketers.
• Perfect Your SEM Testing: How & Why To Evaluate Everything: SMX East 2016
  Oct 17, 2016 by Aaron Levy
  Looking for inspiration when it comes to designing and running tests in your PPC accounts? Columnist Aaron Levy recaps a session on this topic from SMX East 2016.
• [Reminder] Upcoming webcast: Take back control of your content
  Oct 17, 2016 by Digital Marketing Depot
  Are you losing control of your content? If you’re like the majority of marketers, you’re going to produce more content in 2017 — but feel less than confident about your content marketing operations. Join experts Arnie Kuenn, CEO at Vertical Measures, and Brian Kavanaugh, U.S. Marketing Strategist at Bynder.
• Google on what’s important for 2017: Machine learning, AMP & structured data
  Oct 17, 2016 by Barry Schwartz
  We asked Google’s Gary Illyes what SEOs and webmasters should think about as this year closes.
• Dear Google, how about OS targeting? Programmatic search?
  Oct 17, 2016 by Kevin Lee
  In light of the recent updates to device bidding in AdWords, columnist Kevin Lee suggests ways in which Google might build on these changes to make the platform even more valuable to advertisers.
• Hermit Crab SEO
  Oct 17, 2016 by Bryson Meunier
  You’ve heard of Barnacle SEO, but what about Hermit Crab SEO? Columnist Bryson Meunier sheds some light on this troubling black hat practice and urges search engines to do something about it.
• What are Google’s Gary Illyes’ favorite ranking signals?
  Oct 17, 2016 by Barry Schwartz
  Gary Illyes from Google loves Penguin, Panda and localization algorithms.
• MarTech Europe is just 2 weeks away. Don’t miss out!
  Oct 17, 2016 by Search Engine Land
  As marketers, we all strive to create the ultimate customer experience. And in two weeks, experts are gathering at MarTech Europe in London to share insights into how they’ve aligned their organizations’ technology, marketing and management to serve evolving customer needs.

Recent Headlines From MarTech, Our Sister Site Dedicated To Internet Marketing:

• DialogTech and LiveRamp join to make calls a display optimization tool
• The ins and outs of keyword research
• What Google’s experimental content podium means for SEO
• What you need to reach the big leagues of local SEO
• Can location make native ads better and more relevant?
• 4 tactics to generate quality leads from social media
• Viewability is a big part of the journey, but it’s not the destination
• MarTech Today: Intelligent agent Ozlo, mobile wallet versus apps & Alibaba backs ‘location as platform’
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 adds predictive lead scoring from Versium to its B2B CRM

Search News From Around The Web:

Industry

• China’s Baidu sets up $3 billion internet investment fund, Reuters
• Double-Digit Decline in Ad Revenue Expected for Yahoo, eMarketer
• Google launches Firebase Cloud Messaging for the web, VentureBeat
• Trust Flow Yo-yo? An Algorithm Update at Majestic., Majestic
• Yahoo to Lose First Search Engine Partner Since Its Scandal. Will Others Follow?, StartPage

Link Building

• Google: Still Use the Disavow Tool for Bad Links, SEM Post

Local & Maps

• Google’s Card for Directions, Google Operating System

Searching

• eBay’s new high-end furniture shop, eBay Collective, includes a visual search engine, TechCrunch
• Found in Related Searches, Google Operating System

SEM / Paid Search

• 3 Simple PPC Formulas Proven to Lower Your Costs, WordStream
• Account-Based Marketing: a Guide to Digital Advertising Options, 3Q Digital
• AdWords Is Removing Converted Clicks. Now What?, Luna Metrics
• Bing Ads Exclusive: Broad Match Modifier Keyword Opportunity, Bing Ads
• Expanding Your PPC Account with Ad Extensions, Beyond the Paid
• Google Shopping partners with ecommerce platforms to make selling online easier than ever this holiday season, AdWords Blog
• How to Choose The Right Keywords to Optimize For, Search Engine Journal
• Weird Science: A Lesson in Failed Experiments, PPC Hero

SEO

• 39% of SEOs Tackle Technical SEO First, Search Engine Journal
• 4 Myths About Google Panda That Are Still Doing the Rounds, Search Engine Journal
• A Complete Guide to Log Analysis with Big Query, Distilled
• Ask Yoast: when should I use hreflang?, Yoast
• Google Hints Many Sites Rankings Dropped With Penguin 4.0, Search Engine Roundtable
• Google: Machine Learning Will Never Take Over the Whole Search Algorithm, www.thesempost.com
• How to Use Search Analytics in Google Sheets for Better SEO Insights, Moz
• SEOs Also Notice Negative Impact Of Google Penguin 4.0, Search Engine Roundtable
• The Importance of Content Marketing to Your SEO Strategy, Search Influence
• Why Brands Need to Master Prompted Search, Street Fight