SearchCap: The Day In Search, April 22, 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:

• Yahoo Q1: 9 Percent Growth Overall, 19 Percent In US Segment, International Down 11 Percent
  Yahoo just released Q1 earnings. Here’s the top-line: Revenues were $1,818 million for the first quarter of 2008, a 9 percent increase compared to $1,672 million for the same period of 2007. US segment revenues were $1.3 billion, a 19 percent increase compared to $1.1 billion for the same period…
• Former Googlers Ready Mechanical Zoo Social Recommendations Engine
  CNET writes about a new “stealth startup” from former Google News product manager Nathan Stoll. The new site “Mechanical Zoo” is reportedly in alpha right now. Here’s how CNET’s Stefanie Olson describes its intended function:…
• Search Illustrated: International SEO Tips
  Search engine optimization can extend far past domestic versions of the major search engines. Some globally-focused companies want increased visibility in country-specific search engines outside of the U.S. market. This week’s infographic illustrates some tips and best practices associated with successful international optimization….
• Google’s Releases More Public Transit Info, Other Green Initiatives For Earth Day
  You’ve seen the Earth Day logos, now comes several Earth Day related announcements from Google. The most significant of those involves the expansion of Google Transit to nine new US locations, including San Francisco, Denver, Millwaukee, Ann Arbor and Holland, MI, Kansas City, MO, Framingham and Cape Cod, MA. Here’s…
• Earth Day Logos From The Search Engine Industry
  As I posted earlier this morning, here is a quick compilation of logos for Earth Day from the search industry….
• All Eyes On Yahoo Earnings Today
  Today after the stock market closes Yahoo will report earnings. Silicon Alley Insider offers a preview based on sources cited in the NY Post: “Several sources close to Yahoo! said the company will not blow the lid off earnings, but will likely beat analysts’ expectations of 9 cents a share…
• Yahoo Including Facebook Profile Images In Search Results
  The Digital Inspiration blog is reporting that Facebook profile images are now appearing as thumbnails in general Yahoo search results (as opposed to image search results). I tried several times to find the images, using different people’s names along with related phrases including “Facebook profile,” and was unable to duplicate…
• Google Yet To Make Headway On Cookies Pledge In Privacy Debate
  Google and the other major search engines have all been criticized in both the US and Europe over privacy issues and consumer data retention. More generally there’s an intensifying debate about behavioral ad targeting and privacy occurring on both sides of the Atlantic. The European authorities have been considerably more…
• Google StreetView Sees Expansion In Europe, With Automation Of 3D
  CNet speculates about expanded Google StreetView coverage in Europe and the coming automation of 3D mapping for Google Earth and, perhaps, the desktop. Google’s StreetView project is definitely global and there have been sightings of the camera-equipped vehicles throughout Europe. It’s thus only a matter of time before the major…
• Ratings Service Faceoff: Search Share Compared, June 2007 To March 2008
  I’ve now compiled the latest search popularity stats from Hitwise, Compete, comScore and Nielsen Online. That means it’s time to put them all together once again, to see what a "panel" of ratings services agree on — and don’t agree on — in terms of search engine popularity….
• Nielsen: Google Continues High But Others Rise In Share
  Continuing from previous search stats from Hitwise, Compete and comScore, Nielsen Online is now out (PDF file) with search engine share figures in the United States for March 2008. Similar to Hitwise and comScore, Google remains at a high but unlike some of the others, Microsoft and Yahoo come…

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• An iGoogle Preview With Friends Features, Expandable Views, Google Blogoscoped
• Google Apps goes on tour, Official Google Enterprise Blog
• Spanning Sync plans Gmail Contact syncing for version 2.0, Ars Technica
• Yahoo! BrowserPlus: The rumour is true, Ajaxian

Business Issues

• In The Batter’s Box: Yahoo To Report Tomorrow, paidContent.org
• Report: Google plans to hire 200 in China this year, News.com
• Sources: Microsoft Signs Letter Of Intent To Acquire Xobni, TechCrunch
• Yahoo Hopes a Solid Profit Report Bolsters Its Leverage, Wall Street Journal

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Dynamic data in Google Earth, Google LatLong
• Growth Boosts China Mobile’s Net, Wall Street Journal
• How to Optimize Local Business Profiles for Free Local Directories, Search Engine Journal
• Safari and iPhone get the Birds Eye Treatment, Virtual Earth / Live Maps
• The iPhone video threat: Can networks keep up?, InfoWorld
• Yahoo Local Bug: San BuenaVentura Ca located just off African Coast, Mike Blumenthal

Link Building

• Can PageRank Sculpting Get You Penalized in Google?, Search Engine Roundtable
• Value Links And Understand Search Like Matt Cutts With Submarine Crawling, seoroi.com

Paid Search & Contextual

• AdSense Secrets 4.0 Launches, ProBlogger
• PPC Management - Part 2 - A User’s Review of Yahoo, Stepforth
• The Most Annoying Google AdSense Unit Is: The Large Rectangle, Search Engine Roundtable
• When Google AdSense Doesn’t Provide Relevant Ads On a Blog, ProBlogger
• Where’s My Ad? A new website can help. - adCenter Advertiser, www.adcentercommunity.com
• UK Search Engine Marketing Report 2008, Search Engine War
• If You Don’t Check Your Yahoo! Minimum Bids Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later, PPC Hero
• Multivariate Element Test Variations, Jonathan Mendez’s Blog

Searching

• Google Phishing Warning, Google Operating System
• Omgili evolves, now spiders social media to answer your questions, Pandia
• Accoona Shrinks to Focus on Twing, New York Times
• BuzzLogic Acquires BlogRovr, Screenwerk

SEM Industry

• SBM Unleashed: Building a Community, Search Engine Guide
• SBM Unleashed: Link Building, Search Engine Guide
• SBM Unleashed: Paid Search Advertising, Search Engine Guide
• Unleashed Opening Session: A Common Sense Approach to Online Marketing (Live Blogging), Search Engine Guide
• Unleashed Session: Social Media Conversations, Search Engine Guide
• Unleashed: Site Architecture by Stoney DeGeyter (Live Blogging), Search Engine Guide
• Unleashed: The Joy of Analytics by Matt Bailey (Live Blogging), Search Engine Guide
• Unleashed: Blogging for Business, Search Engine Guide
• Unleashed: Keywords and Content, Search Engine Guide
• Why SEO Ethical Standards Won’t Work., Bob Massa
• Black Hat SEO Terms, www.allthingssem.com
• Blogging for Business - Mack Collier at Unleashed Small Business Marketing Conference, Search Marketing Gurus
• Linkbait - Chumming for Traffic on Social Media Sites, BruceClay.com
• SBM Unleashed: Local Search Workshop, Search Engine Guide
• SBM Unleashed: Usability and Conversion Workshop, Search Engine Guide
• Social Media Marketing Essentials, BruceClay.com
• Unleashed: Building A Community Workshop by Sage Lewis, Search Engine Guide
• Unleashed: Viral Marketing Workshop, Search Engine Guide

SEO & SEM

• Indexing Dynamic Databased Content : Beyond Search, arnoldit.com
• 14 Things You Didn’t Know About Real SEOs, Search Engine Journal
• How to Optimize for Google - Part 2 of 3, Stepforth
• SEO Rank No1 in Google, David Naylor
• Tell Google How to Treat Your Content : Disallow, Nofollow, NoIndex, Search Engine Journal
• Are Google’s Webmaster Tools Designed to Help Prevent Startup Search Engines?, SEOmoz
• PRSA Digital Impact Conference - Optimizing News Content for Search Engines, Online Marketing Blog
• Sitelinks are no longer an indication of trust, BlogStorm
• 12 Steps to Complete Search Engine Domination - From Zero to Hero in Just 6 Months, Search Engine Journal
• On Page Optimization - A Complete Walkthrough, Search Engine Journal
• Search Engine Workshops Now Offering Online Search Engine Marketing Resource Center, Bill Hartzer

Social Media

• Facebook Marketing Social PPC to SEM Pros on the Social Graph, AIM Clear Blog
• Facebook Publishes "Insider’s Guide To Viral Marketing", TechCrunch
• Five ways broaden your social media horizons, Jennifer Slegg
• Forrester: Social networking will be biggest enterprise 2.0 priority by 2013; Smaller businesses reticent, Between the Lines
• How to Adjust Your Twitter Tap, SEO Woman
• Twitter: grabbing defeat from the jaws of success, scobleizer.com
• Twitter May Not Have To Care About Uptime Any Longer, TechCrunch

Video, Music & Image Search

• Beta Launch for YouTube Feature Updates, YouTube Blog
• Photobucket Plays Catch Up To Flickr, API Released Publicly, TechCrunch

Web Analytics

• A Web Shift in the Way Advertisers Seek Clicks, New York Times
• KPIs: An Actionable Few - adCenter Analytics, adcentercommunity.com
• Web Metrics and Grains of Salt, New York Times

Other Items

• Helping others go green, Official Google Blog

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