SearchCap: The Day In Search, July 29, 2009

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 Search Eulogy For Yahoo
  

  And then there were two. Make no mistake, Yahoo’s out of the search game. I know the spin. Better user interface, new ways to innovate, a winning play. Let’s not kid ourselves. They’re done. Not today, not necessarily in a year but down the line at some point. Done. And it’s sad, because they were one of [...]

• Micro-Hoo Details: Q&A With Mehdi & Schneider
  

  Danny and I had an opportunity to talk with Microsoft SVP Yusuf Mehdi and Yahoo EVP Hilary Schneider earlier this morning. Both were instrumental in the deal and will be deeply involved going forward. They characterized the parties’ search integration as a long-term partnership, which implies ongoing cooperation and a high degree of collaboration. We had a [...]

• Microsoft-Yahoo Deals 2008 & 2009, Side-By-Side
  

  We’re about to do a call with Microsoft and Yahoo for more details about their proposed search deal. As part of that, I wanted to outline what we know so far and how that compares to the deal Microsoft made last year. At first glance, Microsoft is getting a huge bargain courtesy [...]

• SEO BS: Avoiding And Responding To The Big Surprise
  

  I recently encountered this tweet from Aidan Beanland, a Regional SEO Manager at Yahoo!: When the SEO manager is the last to know about a new site section that’s already live –> big fat FAIL. This is, unfortunately, such a common occurrence for SEO managers that it should have a name: the Big Surprise (conveniently abbreviated as [...]

• Collecta Upgrades Video, Image Results
  

  Collecta has announced improvements to its handling of images and video in real-time search results. The company says it’s now including video feeds from 12seconds, Qik, and uStream — three popular video sharing services. On the image side, Collecta says it has “enhanced” how it handles photos posted to TwitPic and yFrog, two of the [...]

• Ask.com’s IAC Revenue Drops 10%, Revenue Per Query Down
  

  Ask.com’s parent company reported second quarter earnings, which showed an overall decline in revenue of 4% for the overall company, but dipped 10% in the media and advertising category, the category Ask.com fits into. IAC said revenue per query declined because of an “improved experience on Ask.com following its relaunch in October.” The [...]

• How Social Media Monitoring Can Benefit B2B
  

  B2B Marketers, stop guessing and start monitoring! Social Media, that is. By monitoring social communities, you can better understand where conversations are taking place, by whom, and the topics being discussed. Learn more about your customers’ needs, wants, issues and frustrations – then integrate these findings into your search marketing program. This can help strengthen [...]

• Google AdSense Radio Ads & Microsoft Bing Travel TV Commercial
  

  Google has been recently promoting AdSense over the radio, in fact, @AdSense tweeted about the radio commercial, asking if “you heard it, and where.” A Google spokesperson confirmed the AdSense radio ads in a statement to Search Engine Land: Google is currently running radio ads to promote AdSense. AdSense is an innovative program that [...]

• Live Blogging The MSFT – YHOO Search Press Conference
  

  Microsoft and Yahoo are making it official: a deal about search. And to share the news, they’re gathering thousands of their closest friends to a press conference at 5:30am Pacific time today. Having been awake now for nearly 30 minutes, I’m just itching to get in and live blog this puppy. So come along for [...]

• It’s Finally Official, Microsoft & Yahoo Make A Deal, Yahoo Gives Up On Search
  

  As expected, Microsoft and Yahoo have finally struck a deal, one that with regulatory approval, they hope will be in place by early 2010. Microsoft has issued a press release and created a minisite about the deal. A press conference is happening later today (which we’ll live blog), and we’ll have continuing coverage. The [...]

• 7 Tips To Boost Brand Reputation In Search Via Corporate Responsibility
  

  Despite the economic quagmire we’re in, consumers’ brand expectations are up – especially when it comes to corporate responsibility. Given that, marketers should capitalize on these expectations by leveraging their corporate responsibility initiatives as a means to boost brand reputation in the search results. Why you should care In slower economic periods such as we’re experiencing now, [...]

• Search At Core Of New Twitter Home Page
  

  As promised last week, Twitter has launched its new home page with a new focus squarely on search and discovery.

  The new design invites you to “see what people are saying about…” by using the search box. Below that are three rows of popular topics: by the minute, day, and week. In a post on the [...]

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• Keeping up-to-date with the new homepage, Yahoo Profile Blog

Business Issues

• Second Advertiser Alleges Facebook Click Fraud, MediaPost
• The Department of Justice should take a hint from the Microsoft suit: Don’t go after Google., Slate Magazine
• AOL revenue slides 24 percent in 2nd quarter, News.com
• Changing Stride, Glass House
• Yahoo’s Bing Deal Puts Delicious, BOSS & More at Risk, Read/Write Web

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Citysearch Kills Free Business Listings, Small Business SEM
• Pigs Fly As Facebook And Google Work Together On An Android App, TechCrunch
• Biking and Hiking Trails on Google Maps, Google Maps Mania

Link Building

• LinkMoses Resurrected #2 – What If Everything You Know About Link Building Is Wrong?, Eric Ward
• Links That Effect Ranking Change In Google SERPS, Hobo

Paid Search & Contextual

• How Foundation PPC Ad Texts Can Help Mitigate Quality Score Shock, PPC Hero
• Google AdWords Quality Score Goes After Names?, Search Engine Roundtable
• PPC Quality Score & Google’s Search Network, Periscopix

SEM Industry

• How Not to Request an SEO Proposal: An Epic Email Fail to 51 Top SEOs, SEOmoz
• SEO News Bites, BruceClay.com
• SEO Predators: Prepared to Suck For Business, AIM Clear Blog
• Top 10 Things You Don’t Want To Hear From Your SEO, seoroi.com
• My Big Ass List of SEO Blogs, Huomah.com
• You’re Invited To Yahoo! To Chat About Search!, Nine By Blue

SEO & SEM

• How to Evaluate an Expired Domain Name, Bill Hartzer
• Measuring SEO Success Metrics, Shimon Sandler
• Great Headlines, Poor Rankings – Why Clever Headlines Don’t Beat Optimized Title Tags for SEO, Search Engine Journal
• Is image optimisation overrated?, The SEO Scoop
• MSNBot Clicking on Bing adCenter Search Ads?, Search Engine Roundtable
• SIGIR 2009: Day 3, Industry Track: Matt Cutts, The Noisy Channel
• The Ultimate List of Basic SEO Resources for a Kick-Ass Start, Search Engine Journal
• Top 10 Things the Microsoft/Yahoo! Deal Changes for SEO, SEOmoz
• What is Digital Asset Optimization?, Online Marketing Blog

Social Media

• 1-800-FLOWERS.COM Sets Up Shop Inside Facebook, TechCrunch
• Amanda Bonnen Sued for Twitter Libel, NowPublic
• Facebook Tightens the Rules on Facebook Platform Ad Networks, Inside Facebook

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