SearchCap: The Day In Search, March 6, 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 Maps Adds More Data, Other Improvements
  Yahoo Maps has announced a range of improvements. These include expanded global coverage, including better data and coverage of Eastern Europe; and, in the US, more “granular” neighborhood data for 300 cities and 12,000 neighborhoods. Functionality has been improved as well. Tiles are “lighter” for faster load times, colors and…
• You’d Be Wise To “NoFollow” This Dubious SEO Advice
  For the past few months, I have been listening to some of my colleagues talk about the nofollow attribute and how to use it to sculpt a page’s PageRank. I heard this SEO advice first at SMX in Stockholm and most recently at SMX in Santa Clara. Stephan Spencer…
• Online Video Advertising + Search Engines = Opportunity For Small Businesses
  Much is being written and said these days about the rising future of online video advertising. Recent articles like one in the NY Times reporting Google’s move to test video ads in search results pages shows that the once abstract promise of online video advertising is now upon us….
• Google Debuts “Search Within A Site” Search Box Feature
  Yesterday Barry blogged about Google testing a search box for site search within general search results. Today the feature is being fully rolled out for selected queries. It’s really an extension and elaboration of Google Sitelinks. The Google Blog explains: [O]ver the past few days we have been testing, and…
• Oops! Google’s SSL Certificate Throwing Out Scary Warnings
  Everyone is noticing that when they go to their Google Account through AdWords, AdSense, Analytics, or any Google page that requires SSL, they are being prompted with a security warning. Typically, not a major deal, right? Well, not if you are trying to get customers to buy on your site….

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• Google Calendar Sync, Official Google Blog
• Introducing the Google Contacts Data API, Google Code Blog
• 3. 2. 1. Contact. The API has landed, Official Google Data APIs Blog
• One more step, Official Google Reader Blog

Business Issues

• Ask.com And Ye Shall Receive, Forbes
• Enterprise Search Firm Coveo Raises $2.5M to Expand Growth , Coveo
• Federated Media Weighing Its Options, TechCrunch
• Gates No Longer World’s Richest Man, Forbes
• Google will have 90% search market share in the US one year from now, Calacanis
• Who Can Stop Google From Gaining 90% Market Share, Gray Wolf
• YouTube rival hires ex-Google executive Kate Burns, The Guardian
• Zuckerberg on Facebook’s Future, BusinessWeek

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Put Your Business on Our Maps, Official Google Enterprise Blog

Link Building

• SEO Link Building: Budget Stretcher for Online Retail and E-Commerce Sites, Search Engine Watch
• Why linkbait is a long term strategy, BlogStorm

Microhoo

• Microsoft to value Yahoo deal based on all cash?, News.com
• Yahoo Gets Upper Hand in M’soft Fight, New York Post

Paid Search & Contextual

• AdWords system maintenance on March 8th, Inside AdWords
• Diagnosing and treating revenue fluctuations (Part I), Inside AdSense
• AdSense-friendly privacy policy sample for AdSense publishers to use, JenSense
• Google Confirms Page Load Time As Future Factor in AdWords Quality Score, Search Engine Roundtable
• Jangl Turns On Audio Ads, TechCrunch
• March 2008 Google AdWords "Slap": Minimum Bids Surge, Search Engine Roundtable
• Which AdSense Rectangle Ad Performs Best?, ProBlogger

Searching

• Google Hacking Database Tool Updated, InformationWeek
• Yahoo Adds MySpace Button to Toolbar : Sign of Yahoo-NewsCorp Partnership?, Search Engine Journal
• Ask.com Remains Committed to Search, Search Engine Watch
• Google Down for Many in Germany, Google Blogoscoped
• Hackers find clever new way to hose Google users, Channel Register
• Metasearch engine SortFix offers new take on search results, Pandia
• Submit Your Website at the hakia Club, Hakia Blog

SEM Industry

• SMX West 2008: Rand Fishkin WebProNews Videos, WebProNews
• Tis the Conference Season, Search Engine Guide
• Checking my older predictions, Matt Cutts
• Conference Controversy: Paying Speakers & Sponsor Paid Sessions, Search Engine Roundtable
• Reviews and Ratings for SEM Companies, Marketing Pilgrim
• SMX West 2008: Chris Smith WebProNews Videos, WebProNews

SEO & SEM

• Using Differentiators in Keyphrases: What Every Search Engine Optimization Company Needs to Know, Search Engine Guide
• 7 Types of Advertising To Drive Sales, Scott Fish
• A CEO’s Perspective On SEO, SEM, SMM, PPC, and ROI, Utah Search Engine Optimization
• Google subdomain & 302 spam, Joost DeValk
• SEO Analytics – Tracking Data Essential to Search Marketing Campaigns, SEOmoz

Social Media

• Allegations swirl around Wikipedia’s Wales, San Francisco Chronicle
• Microsoft Blews : A Blogrunner or a Memeorandum or a Sphere ?, Use Bytes
• The Stumble Upon Commandments, OldSchool SEO
• Video: Twitter in Plain English, Common Craft

Video, Music & Image Search

• Sharing photos with a cause, Yodel Anecdotal
• Excuse Me, WatZatSong? It’s a Song Search Engine, Alt Search Engines
• Musicians still waiting on a YouTube payday, News.com
• Nielsen: YouTube Views Down, NewTeeVee

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

• Reputation Management and Reputation Monitoring Tips
• Saddle up to Sausage & Eggs Each Day & BITCH @ Google
• SEO Resistant Search
• You’d Be Wise To “No Follow” This Dubious SEO Advice
• SEOmoz launches SEO Analytics – Web Metrics Tracking
• SES NYC: Give us Your Questions For Jason Calacanis
• How to Create a Dynamic Blogroll in 5 Minutes
• Danny Sullivan Tackles Search 3.0 and 4.0 in SMX West Keynote
• Everything I know about Social Media I saw in a British Pub
• I Call Them Gonzo SEO’s for a Reason
• Obit: A West Coast Digerati Deadpools Ask.com
• There is more to Social Media than Sexy Buzzwords
• Build Authority by Using Social Media
• CEO’s perspective of SEO…
• Rand Fishkin and Mike McDonald Should Watch Their Language
• 31 Ways to Find Inspiration for Your Writing
• Why Are You Giving Away Content for Free?
• StumbleUpon Alerter
• Top 10 SEO Myths
• Social Bookmark Links that are Worth Building and Pass PageRank
• Practicing What We Preach: A Social Media Marketing Lesson
• Digg Stalker – A Great Tool to Analyze Digg and Find Friends
• Is Writing Magnetic Headlines Art Or Science?
• Negative Voting: I Am Ann Smarty and I’m a Thumboholic
• Does Sphinn Allow Infomercials?