SearchCap: The Day In Search, July 8, 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:

• Search Volume Comes To Google Keyword Tool & Live Search Updates
  I reported at the Search Engine Roundtable that Google has added search volume numbers to the external keyword tool. The volume numbers are approximations, and I would guess are from the same sources Google obtains data for Google Ad Planner and Google Trends for Websites. Here is a screen capture…
• Search Illustrated: The Impact Of Social Media On Search Results
  A search engine marketing campaign isn’t complete without including some elements of social media. While engaging in social media alone can provide impressive results, this week’s infographic illustrates how properly planned tactics can have a positive impact on your search results:…
• Google Maps To Add Walking Directions?
  Google Operating System reports that Google Maps is testing out walking directions in some locations. I was personally not able to replicate the walking directions, but Ionut has a screen capture as proof. We all know Ask.com had walking directions, but when Ask.com killed off their maps product, they also…
• Privacy Concerns Raised (Again) About Google StreetView As It Formally Launches In Europe
  Privacy issues are back with a vengeance. Everywhere you look now NGOs, legal experts, and government officials are raising questions about this or that online or ad initiative and privacy. The most recent privacy debacle was the Viacom-YouTube ruling, which is being circumvented by cooperation between the parties. Now, as…
• SPONSOR MESSAGE: Marin Software: The New Standard In Enterprise-Class Search Marketing
  Marin Search MarketerTM is the industry’s first enterprise-class search marketing platform. Designed for the search professional, Marin delivers improved financial performance and significant operating efficiencies to large advertisers and agencies. If you’re spending $50k or more per month on paid search, you owe it to yourself and/or your clients to…
• Paid Search Testing & Experimentation: SMN Webcast With Chris Sherman
  Are you, like the majority of search marketers, not doing any testing of your paid search campaign? Or, are you testing but not really sure what or why? This Thursday, at 1 PM Eastern, join Chris Sherman for another Search Marketing Now webcast, “Paid Search Testing & Experimentation: Optimizing for…
• Search Month: June 2008 Search News, In Review
  Search Month is a monthly newsletter that recaps stories covered on Search Engine Land over the past month. It’s also available by feed here. Below, news about Search Engine Land itself, then our 10 most popular stories from June 2008, then a major story for various search topics along with…
• June 2008: Search Engine Land’s Most Popular Stories
  Below are Search Engine Land’s 10 most popular stories from June 2008:…

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• Protocol Buffers: Google’s Data Interchange Format, Google Open Source Blog
• My Yahoo Rolls Out New Interface, Tries To Fend Off iGoogle, TechCrunch
• Remote sign out and info to help you protect your Gmail account, Official Gmail Blog
• Fighting phishing with eBay and PayPal, Official Gmail Blog

Business Issues

• Any Yahoo-AOL deal unlikely before Aug 1: source, Reuters
• AOL’s Bebo Snags Former Google UK Director for Bebo Europe, Search Engine Journal
• Twitter to buy Summize.com!, Josh Chandler’s Blog
• Yahoo board likely to be ousted — S&P; Piper Jaffray expects Microsoft deal, Forbes

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Google Mapspam: Time for a formal solution, Mike Blumenthal
• Mapping Balloon Travel Patterns, Virtual Earth, An Evangelist’s Blog
• Local Search for Little Biz, Search Engine Watch
• SBS Mailbag: What’s Up with Google Maps?, Small Business SEM

Link Building

• Rewriting the Beginner’s Guide Part VII: Growing Popularity , SEOmoz
• Hey Google Going to Drop the Paid Links Hammer on Coke, Michael Gray
• What are Good Links, Anymore?, Search Engine Watch
• Trade You A Smarte Car For A Link, The Link Spiel

Paid Search & Contextual

• AdWords Keyword Tool – Now With "Real" Numbers, PPC Discussions
• Google Affiliate Network Launches New Interface, ProBlogger
• adCenter Analytics Feedback Request From Our Dev Team – adCenter Analytics, adcentercommunity.com
• Google AdWords Editor 6.0 Users Report Statistic Download Glitches, Search Engine Roundtable
• Stop Competitors from Stalking Your Website Using AdWords, eKstreme.com

Searching

• Behind the Scenes of a Google Query, Google Blogoscoped
• One Subpoena Is All It Takes to Reveal Your Online Life, New York Times
• Wildcard Search : When and How To Use It, Search Engine Journal
• Yahoo Gains, Google Declines, and MSN Plummets for Q2 2008 Search Ads, Search Engine Watch Blog

SEM Industry

• Job Highlight – Hulu.com Marketing/SEO, SEOish
• Does SEO Consulting Have a Future?, SEO Book

SEO & SEM

• The PageRank Hierarchy, As Defined By Celebrities, SEOmoz
• Top 10 URL Design Failures of Famous Websites, SEO 2.0
• 5 basic tactics for improving your search engine rankings, Pandia
• Google Really Messing up in the UK, Andrew R H Girdwood
• 78 Essential Search Engine Marketing & SEO Resources!, SEOptimise
• Google Webmaster Tools Collecting Incorrect URLs In Duplicate Title Tags Section, Search Engine Roundtable
• Headsmacking Tip #2: Top Level Navigation Naming Conventions, SEOmoz
• How a Search Engine Might Rank Bookmark Sets, Playlists, Directory Pages, and other Collection Items, SEO By The Sea
• Template to Request For Reconsideration When Your Site Gets Penalized in Google, Digital Inspiration
• A History Of Search Spam, SEOco
• Further Beyond the Top 10 SEO Factors, Scott Hendison

Social Media

• FriendFeed’s Top 250 Most Followed Users, User 21
• The Importance Of Blog Linking Seems to Be Declining, louisgray.com
• Twitter gets its sexy back. And by "sexy" I mean users, VentureBeat
• Why Reddit & StumbleUpon Are Better Than Digg, BlogStorm
• Social Networks and Spam, Read/Write Web
• The Definition of Social Media Marketing: How to Find the Best Social Media Consultant, Techipedia

Web Analytics

• Are RSS Subscriber Numbers Bogus?, Copyblogger

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

• Reciprocal Linking : SEO’s Longstanding Contradiction
• 'You&A With Matt Cutts' Video From SMX Posted and 'Give It Up' Session Embargo Lifts
• Google 'Leaks' Search Volume
• Developing An Internet Business Plan The Simple Way
• Google's Keyword Tool Now Showing Search Volume Numbers
• Does Your Company Name Really Belong In Your Title Tag?
• The Definition of Social Media Marketing: How to Find the Best Social Media Consultant
• How Matt Cutts Got Ranked for "Cheap Viagra" (Again!)
• 78 Essential Search Engine Marketing & SEO Resources!
• The End of Paid Links is Near
• The New Sphinn Blog Launches
• The Doug Heil Movement
• Trickle Down Link-O-Nomics : Reaching the Messenger
• Crossing the Line at SMX Give It Up?
• When SEO Isn’t For Increasing Sales
• Still Selling SEO Consulting Services?
• How to Use Google Webmaster Tools for SEO