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

From Search Engine Land:

• A Letter From Santa To The Search Community
  

  December, 2011 The North Pole Dear Search Community: Thanks so much for your many letters to the north pole. Your nicely written texts and emails included some familiar requests from last year and some entirely new ones. Lisa and Ian, I’m very sorry, I can’t drop that referring keyword data from signed in users down the [...]

• Should You Expect Sales-Ready-Leads From Search?
  

  This is a mantra we hear far too often. Many B2B marketers expect their search marketing program to generate only high-quality leads that are immediately ready for sales interaction and closing. Question: Is this really realistic? Business Buying Is A Process Think about your own experience — both as a consumer and, if applicable, as [...]

• Thanks for Taking Our Search Engine Land Survey; We Have a Winner!
  

  Thanks to all who completed our annual Search Engine Land’s Audience Survey. The data help us in talking to potential advertisers and that pays to keep the lights on and servers cool. We appreciate your support! Catherine Kellogg of Direct Brands Inc. is the winner of our prize, a ticket to an upcoming Search Marketing [...]

• Blogs, Volcanoes, & Your Conversion Rate Calculation
  

  The Conversion Rate is calculated as the number of conversions – leads, sales, subscriptions, trials, etc. – divided by the number of visitors to the site from organic search traffic, paid search, referrals, email, etc. Thus, your conversion rate can be improved in two ways: get more of your visitors to convert (the top), or [...]

• Search Retargeting: Delivering Bargains For Search Marketers In High CPC Verticals
  

  Coupons, Rebates, Daily Deals…it seems everyone is looking for a bargain. But for search marketers, bargains in paid search can be hard to find. CPC prices continue to rise, making it harder and harder for them to expand search campaigns and achieve their goals. However, search retargeting can offer search marketers a bargain. Let’s take [...]

• Search Trumps Social For Local Business Information
  

  The internet and search engines in particular are the top sources for information about local businesses, according to a new survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Foundation. That’s not really a surprise. But what’s interesting perhaps is how many people rely on print newspapers and how few seem to rely on social media [...]

• Google Tests Its Hotel Finder As A New Comparison Ad Atop Search Results
  

  Hotel industry, you’re on notice: Google appears to be running a test that places its own Google Hotel Finder at the top of very competitive, hotel-related queries. Search Engine Land reader Alex, who works in the hospitality industry, tipped us to this development and at least one of our SEL editors was able to replicate [...]

• Facebook Ranked #3, Google #5 For Best Places To Work
  

  Glassdoor.com, a job and career web site, announced their annual best places to work in 2012 study. Facebook tops Google with the number 3 listing, whereas Google moved up for their 2011 spot of 30 to number 5. In 2010 Google was rated number 14, and in 2009 Google was rated number 7. Glassdoor.com developed [...]

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

• Google’s Check-In Offers Now Live, At Least On Android Devices
• Facebook Begins Testing Coupons In Ads & Page Posts
• Straightforward Metrics And Tactics To Boost Email Conversion Rates
• Square Passes One Million Active Merchants
• 52% Of Sharing Happens On Facebook; Google +1 Has Plateaued, AddThis Says
• Google’s Eric Schmidt To Speak At CES, YouTube To Keynote
• Report: Facebook Planning Push Into Mobile Ads
• Study: Mobile Apps Can Help Build Your Brand
• Lengthy Official Google+ Survey Tests Users Knowledge On Features & Privacy

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• Google rolls out updated Gmail iOS app with custom signatures, vacation responders, Scribbles, more, 9to5mac.com
• New Features Coming From Yahoo’s Livestand (Video Demo), TechCrunch
• Updates to the Gmail app for iOS, Official Gmail Blog

Business Issues

• Authors Guild Files for Class Certification in Google Case, publishersweekly.com
• Back To Square One In The Google Books Lawsuit, paidContent.org
• The Potential Future Of Google Advertising, MediaPost
• UPDATE: Yahoo Shareholder Requests Letters Inviting Buyers, Wall Street Journal
• Google donates $11.5 million to fight slavery, The Associated Press
• Investors Were Kicked Off The Twitter Board “For The Good Of The Company”, TechCrunch
• RUMOR: Google’s Top Salesman Is A Leading Candidate To Be Yahoo CEO, Business Insider

Link Building

• 5 Golden Links for Link Building and Beyond, Outspoken Media

Local, Maps & Mobile

• An Open Letter to Google Places Team: Less Community, More Real Help Please!, Marketing Pilgrim
• Google Places Photo Upload Bug, Search Engine Roundtable
• Mapping made easier with the new Google Map Maker, Google LatLong

Other Items

• Google joins fight against slavery with $11.5 million grant, edition.cnn.com

Searching

• Google’s Suicide Message More Significant During Holidays, Search Engine Roundtable
• Is Google Making us Illiterate?, www.seosmarty.com

SEM Industry

• Google Giving Away Free Chromebook Carts, Search Engine Roundtable
• Search Engine Land Turns 5!, PPC Hero

SEO & SEM

• 10 Most Important SEO Patents: Part 4 – PageRank Meets the Reasonable Surfer, SEO By The Sea
• Google AdWords Labels Ads As Gambling & Pharmaceutical Accidentally, Search Engine Roundtable
• Google Panda Updated On Hold Till After Holidays?, Search Engine Roundtable
• How To Create Great Content For Your Web Site, Search Engine People
• Negative Keyword Audit: Loosen Things Up In Your PPC Account, PPC Hero
• PPC Hero’s Guide to Multi-Channel Funnels for PPC Managers, PPC Hero
• Rich Snippets showing up everywhere, yoast.com
• SEO Is For Tail Chasers. Brand Awareness Is For Pack Leaders, www.adrants.com
• What a Hotlink Costs Advertisers in Magazine iPad Editions, Ad Age
• Why Did Your Google Panda Work Fail?, SEO Theory
• Why SEO Isn’t Dead, Area 224

Social Media

• Google+ Hangouts: going beyond the status update, Official Google Blog

Video, Music & Image Search

• Google’s response to Siri is codenamed Majel, could be released by end of year, Android and Me
• How To Make A Great First Impression With Your YouTube Channel, www.reelseo.com
• It Should Be Harder To Rank In Google’s Universal Results Than This, Small Business SEM

Web Analytics

• Google Analytics Enhancements for Mobile Apps, Google Analytics Blog

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SearchCap

About The Author: Matt McGee is Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Land. His news career includes time spent in TV, radio, and print journalism. His web career continues to include a small number of SEO and social media consulting clients, as well as regular speaking engagements at marketing events around the U.S. He blogs at Small Business Search Marketing and can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee and/or on Google Plus. You can read Matt's disclosures on his personal blog. See more articles by Matt McGee

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