SearchCap: The Day In Search, April 25, 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 AdWords Tests Display URL Above Ad Description
  The Get Elastic Blog noticed Google testing displaying the AdWords URLs above the ad description. Typically, the AdWords URLs are displayed below the ad description. Here is a compare and contrast picture:…
• Click Fraud Rate Declines Slightly, Says Click Forensics
  Click Forensics released their statistics on the click fraud rate for the first quarter of 2008, showing a click fraud rate of 16.3 percent. That number is down from the previous quarter, which was 16.6 percent. Compared to a year ago, when the click fraud rate was 14.8 percent, we…
• Search in Pictures: Yahoo’s Real Monkey, Yahoo Kids Day & More Yahoo
  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….
• SMX Local & Mobile In SF; Best Rate If You Act Now
  Believe it or not, July is just around the corner. And so is SMX Local & Mobile, the event that prepares internet marketers for the emerging opportunities of local and mobile search. Register today at the pre-agenda rate of just $995. That’s $400 off the rate procrastinators will get by…
• YOS: Rewiring Yahoo From The Inside Out
  Yahoo’s relatively new CTO Ari Balogh expanded upon Yahoo’s “open” initiatives in a keynote speech to the Web2.0 conference yesterday. There’s a very extensive discussion, including a video of the keynote, on the TechCrunch site (additional coverage in Search Engine Journal). The SearchMonkey beta is the first step in executing…
• YouTube Adds Search Suggestions To International Sites
  Google Operating System spotted that YouTube is now offering search suggestions on their international sites. For example, if you go to YouTube UK and starting typing in a search phrase into the search box, YouTube will begin to offering you suggested results, much like Google does at Google Suggest….
• Microsoft Adds RSS To Live Search News
  The Live Search Blog announced the much requested addition of RSS to Live Search News. A little over a week ago, Microsoft launched Live Search News and one of the biggest feature requests off the bat was an RSS option. 9 days later, Microsoft has added the RSS icon to…
• US Court Learns SEO, Decides META Keywords Don’t Matter
  Court Says Keyword Metatags Don’t Matter–Standard Process v. Banks by Eric Goldman uncovers a recent case between Standard Process, Inc. v. Banks that shows that the court has ruled that the META keywords tag is “immaterial.” Goldman said this is the first time the courts ruled based on knowledge of…
• In The Trenches, April 25, 2008
  In The Trenches is a weekly spotlight of tips, tricks and news about the tools search engine marketing professionals use to give them a leg up on the competition. Today: News from the search engines, today’s in-depth look, “Geo-Targeting On The Engines” and this week’s free tips and tools….

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• Google’s ‘Blogger’ under attack by streamlined Anti-CAPTCHA operations for spam, Websense Security Labs

Business Issues

• A Radio Interview with Marissa Mayer, Google Operating System
• AOL’s Web Sites Show Gains in Traffic, Wall Street Journal
• Google misses $200 million a year on image search, Valleywag
• AOL Acquires Fantasy Sports Site Fleaflicker, TechCrunch
• Google’s chief economist waxes optimistic about Internet sector, News.com
• What Yahoo’s board did wrong, Steve Tobak

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Eco Everest expedition, Google LatLong
• Google Maps Currently Does Not Support Multi-Language Listings, Search Engine Roundtable
• Google Maps in the news, Google LatLong

Link Building

• Holy Mother of Linkbait, SEOmoz
• 600,000 backlinks in one go, David Naylor

Microhoo

• Microsoft issues final threat to scotch Yahoo deal, Reuters

Paid Search & Contextual

• PPC Management Software: Problem Solved, ILoveJackDaniels.com
• Tips for preventing your budget from exceeding prematurely – adCenter Advertiser, adcentercommunity.com

Searching

• Diverse Google Results Are Good, Google Blogoscoped
• Is Keyword Search About To Hit Its Breaking Point?, TechCrunch

SEM Industry

• The Future of Search Conferences: Smaller Is Better, Small Business SEM
• Whiteboard Friday – How to Get an SEO Job, SEOmoz

SEO & SEM

• Revised Guide: How to Set Up Yahoo! Site Explorer with a Yahoo! Store, Karl Ribas
• Foundational SEO: Branching Out With Best Practices Keyword Research, SEO Speedwagon
• Google’s pointers on countering Web spam, News.com
• How Google Views Four Ways Of Hiding Content, Search Engine Roundtable
• Online Content Strategies: One Hit Wonders or Writing for Your Audience?, Search Marketing Gurus

Video, Music & Image Search

• Using tags to improve the Flickr experience, News.com

Web Analytics

• Track Blog Trends with Trendpedia, Read/Write Web

Other Items

• Video Recap of Weekly Search Buzz :: April 25, 2008, Search Engine Roundtable

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

• Can PageRank Sculpting Get You Penalized?
• SEOmoz | Holy Mother of Linkbait
• Google Shaking Up URLs in Search Ads?
• There’s a New SEO Baby Coming to Town!
• Building Communities in Social Media