SearchCap: The Day In Search, April 2, 2008

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’s First Layoffs: 300 To Go From DoubleClick
  Google to Lay Off About 300 at DoubleClick from the New York Times reports that Google will be firing about 300 employees at DoubleClick. The layoffs will cut down the American division of the company by 25-percent, currently employing about 1,200 people. Google has not yet confirmed these layoffs. In…
• 
  Google Selling Performics — Thanks, Google!
  Last month, I did an open letter to Google wishing they’d quickly sell off Performics, to avoid the conflict of having a search marketing firm that works to improve results on Google’s own search engine. Well, thank you Google! They’ve acted far more quickly than I would have hoped for,…
• 
  Megachart & Analysis: Google Management Changes, 2000-2008
  With two high-ranking Google executives leaving the Big G within a month’s time, I thought it would be interesting to go back through Google’s executive management page over the years and see how it reflects changes among the higher-ups. Below, there are a series of tables and commentary that hopefully…
• 
  Yahoo Introduces Wide Range Of Mobile Search Improvements
  Yahoo made a range of mobile search-related announcements today at CTIA. At a high level, these include: Open oneSearch (Search Monkey for mobile), Search Assist for mobile, voice-enabled oneSearch, and “idle screen” search….
• 
  Google Lets Business Owners Take Control Of Plus Box
  Mike Blumenthal has detailed on his blog how Google is now letting business owners provide the address information that’s mapped when a “plus box” is opened in search results associated with their listings. Previously Google determined what address/mapping data to show in the plus box, which resulted in errors on…
• 
  Verizon Enters The ‘Voice Search’ Fray With 1-800-THE-INFO
  Verizon is formally launching an ad-supported free directory assistance/voice search product in the US called 1-800-THE-INFO. It joins an increasingly crowded field that already features Google, Microsoft, and AT&T, among others. As I said yesterday in my post about the launch of a new voice search offering from ChaCha, most…
• 
  Google Update Dewey – Google Confirms Algorithm Change
  Remember a couple days ago I reported on some major shifts in the Google search results? Well, this morning I spotted Google’s Matt Cutts requesting feedback on the change at WebmasterWorld. In short, Matt said he did not see “large differences in rankings between these datacenters,” but he would like…
• 
  Microsoft To Upgrade Mobile IE Browser, Live Search For Mobile With New Mapping Features And Voice Search For Blackberries
  At the CTIA wireless industry trade show yesterday, among the scores of announcements, Microsoft said that it would be releasing a new and improved mobile IE browser for smart phones in the fall that promises to bring “desktop quality” to the mobile Internet experience. (Numerous others are engaged in this…
• 
  Google Loses Another Exec: CIO Douglas Merrill Goes To EMI
  Word is from John Furrier that Google Chief Information Officer Douglas Merrill is leaving the company to become president of EMI. News.com has confirmation of his departure from Google and says sources also say he’s going to EMI. The New York Times also has sources saying he’s headed to the…

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• Google Finance Stock Screener, Google Operating System
• Lights, camera, Google Docs and YOU, Official Google Docs Blog

Business Issues

• Expedia soars on Google takeover talk, East Bay Business Times
• Fidelity funds cut Google, finance holdings in Feb, Reuters
• Google Tackles the Federal Market, Washington Post
• Google/Skype Acquisition or Partnership Imminent, TechCrunch
• Will H-1B caps force the next Google to open in Vancouver?, News.com
• Yahoo CFO announces faux partnership with Google, Valleywag
• Baidu.com names Peng Ye COO, CNN Money
• Competitor: YouTube’s 2008 revenues will reach maybe $90 million, Valleywag
• Google Aims to Gain More Package-Goods Ads, Ad Age
• Industry Moves: Yahoo Media Executive Ian Rogers Leaving; New Startup in Music Space, paidContent.org
• Yahoo Loses Its Musical Soul, TechCrunch
• YouTube ‘rape victim’ arrested, The Register

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Where in the world is…, Google LatLong
• Does Local need to be held to a higher standard? Bill Slawski Responds, Mike Blumenthal
• Google Map Plus Box is All Over The Place, eVisibility
• Google Maps Street View Welcome to Atlanta, beu blog
• Google urges mobile revolution, The Times
• Last summer, somewhere in the Adirondacks…, Google LatLong
• More good news for mobile, Google Photos Blog
• The New Opera Mini Arrives – Now 50% Faster Than Before, Read/Write Web

Link Building

• Make Sure Your Links are Legit (5 Easy Steps), The SEO Scoop
• Natural Link Building Top 20 Tips, David Naylor
• Who Has the Best Link Building Techniques?, SEOmoz

Microhoo

• Microsoft-Yahoo deal ‘preaction’, News.com

Paid Search & Contextual

• adChamps 2008 Interview: Jennifer Slegg – adCenter Advertiser, adcentercommunity.com
• BT advert trials were ‘illegal’, BBC NEWS
• Dear AdWords, Please Change These 2 Things, PPC Discussions
• Is Google’s AdWords Spider Lowercasing Destination URLs?, Search Engine Roundtable
• Risky Advice on Evading Adwords Display URL Rules, SEO Fast Start
• Scrolling Arrows Now On All Google AdSense Ads?, Search Engine Roundtable
• Show me the ads, Inside AdSense

Searching

• Black Hat SEOs: Is This the Future of Search?, CSO Online
• Europe-Focused Blog Search Engine Twingly Goes Into Private Beta, TechCrunch

SEM Industry

• What To Look For When Hiring InHouse SEOs, BruceClay.com
• Google Algorithm Exposed : SearchToons, Search Engine Journal
• How to Survive a Recession … In Search, Search Engine Watch

SEO & SEM

• SEO-Browser.com Update, McAnerin Muse
• Audio and Transcripts of Google Webmaster Chat, JLH Design Blog
• Diagnosing Site Infrastructure Issues: The Big List Of The Best Firefox Plugins, Vanessa Fox
• Google Blog Post Snippets Are Now Dated For Keyword Searches, BPWrap
• Google Showing Same Result in Positions 20 Through 120, Search Engine Roundtable
• How to Prevent SEO Bloat from Overcrowding Your Marketing Campaign, Search Engine Guide
• Improvements to iGoogle Gadgets for Webmaster Tools, Official Google Webmaster Central Blog
• March ’08: Best Search/Marketing Posts, Small Business SEM
• What Do You Expect To "Get" Out Of Image Search Traffic?, SEOmoz
• Yahoo! Site Explorer UK , SEOptimise

Video, Music & Image Search

• Flickr’s New Friend Finder: Data Portability or Privacy Violation?, Read/Write Web
• YouTube’s Video Identification in Action, Google Operating System
• Blinkx Dabbles in Broadband TV With Its Own Joost-Like Service, TechCrunch

Other Items

• Daily SearchCast, April 1, 2008: April Fools Day For The Search World, Daily SearchCast
• Google Granted Patent Can Filter Distortion in Unused TV White Spaces, SEO By The Sea
• Politics: Zuckerberg, Decker and Brin walk into a Jerusalem bar…, Valleywag

Recent Hot Items From Sphinn, Our Social News Sharing Site:

• 5 Easy Steps to Make Sure Your Links are Legit
• Defining Link Building Best Practices
• StumbleUpon Changes – List or Grid?
• The World’s Absolute Best Link Building Technique
• Google Algorithm Exposed
• Google Now Controls 69% of Online Advertising Market
• Why You Shouldn’t Stumble Yourself
• Treating Your Blog as a Business: 8 Aspects to Consider
• Google Blog Post Snippets Are Now Dated For Keyword Searches In The Searcher’s Language
• Google Loses Rock Star CIO to EMI Music
• Digg’s April Fools Joke Backfires on Them
• Vangogh’s Must Read List for March
• Rand Fishkin on Evaluating Link Authority
• Google Dance Is Back?
• 14 Website Usability Guidelines That Keep them Coming Back for More
• Do-It-Yourself SEO: Effective Keyword Research Utilization
• Enemies Are Important: Branding Your Website With the Right Villains
• I’m Getting Pretty Tired of Startup Advice that Doesn’t Include Any Mention of SEO
• Google: Gmail Custom Time