SearchCap: The Day In Search, March 7, 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:

• Utah Backtracks Search Ad Trademark Keyword Law
  The Google Public Policy Blog informed us that Utah reversed the law that restricted search engines from triggering ads based on trademarked terms. This reversal now puts Utah in sync with the precedent set forth by the federal trademark law. In short, you can now legally bid on trademarked terms…
• Google Tests More TV Ads With AdWords Integration
  Google Integrates TV Ads Into Adwords Platform by Pinny Cohen shows screen captures of AdWords reports with TV ad integration. Pinny said that Google sent out more invitations for AdWords advertisers to test out TV ads within the Google AdWords system. The features you get with Google TV ads include:…
• U.S. Pentagon Bans Google From Military Bases
  Google mappers banned from U.S. bases from the LA Times reports the U.S. Pentagon has banned Google street view photographers from accessing military bases. The ban came after street view photographs of Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio were found on Google Maps. The Pentagon told all Defense Department bases…
• Microsoft’s Google Obsession, MicroHoo’s Asian Outlook And Competing For Digg
  Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is perhaps showing signs of a mildly unhealthy obsession with rival Google. At Microsoft’s MIX08 online technology conference in Las Vegas yesterday he told interviewer Guy Kawasaki in a question and answer session that he was going to continue to chase Google in search even if…
• Load Time Confirmed As AdWords Quality Score & New Category Exclusion Feature
  Google has confirmed that they will be adding page load time as a quality score metric in the near future. The feature will go live in the “next few weeks” but it won’t impact your quality score right away. A month after the metric goes live, Google will then implement…
• Human Hardware: Working Memory
  At the recent SMX show in Santa Clara I had the opportunity to present at a couple of sessions that explored the topic of user behavior. One of the things I said in one of them is that humans are more alike than we’re different. Because of this, there…
• Coming to SMX Advanced? Register Now for the Best Deal
  Registration is now open for Search Marketing Expo – SMX Advanced, which is taking place June 3-4 back at the incredible Bell Harbor International Conference Center on the waterfront in Seattle. SMX Advanced is for experienced search marketers who want to enjoy sessions conducted at a high-level. If you’re fluent…

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• Google must upgrade hosted apps to appeal to IT, analysts say, ComputerWorld
• How to get "new" Gmail in your Google Apps account, Download Squad

Business Issues

• Ask.com Will "Continue to be a Great Search Engine", Marketing Pilgrim
• Google says spam is huge corporate headache, News.com
• Google: Really, We’re Not Getting Into the Agency Business, Ad Age
• Tech Beat A Few Answers on Ask.com’s New Strategy, BusinessWeek
• hakia Participating in LangTech 2008, Hakia Blog
• Yahoo! wins sponsored links ruling in High Court, The Register

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Social Media Meets Local Search, Search Engine Watch

Microhoo

• Who mourns for Yahoo! Internet Life?, Los Angeles Times
• Microsoft-Yahoo deal would be a blow to Google in Asia, Reuters

Paid Search & Contextual

• AdWords Quality Score FAQ, PPC Discussions
• Diagnosing and treating revenue fluctuations (Part II), Inside AdSense
• Focus On Exact Match, adCenter Blog
• Optimizing your ad title colors for higher click through rate, JenSense
• Save Money to Make Money : Paid Search Auditing , Search Engine Journal
• Test Your Page Load Time Before Google Tests it For You, Search Engine Roundtable

Searching

• Confirmed: Google News closes eyes, hopes we’ll go away, Valleywag

SEM Industry

• 2009 SEMMY Awards: Planning is Underway (Wanna Help?) , Small Business SEM
• SEO License Plates | Funny SEM License Plates, I Am Not a Doctor
• SMX West 2008: Todd Malicoat WebProNews Videos, WebProNews
• SMX West 2008: WebProNews WebProNews Videos, WebProNews

SEO & SEM

• First date with the Googlebot: Headers and compression, Official Google Webmaster Central Blog
• SEO and PR – Online Public Relations and Search Engine Optimization, Online Marketing Blog
• Sometimes Fixing a Site Means Breaking It First, Search Engine Guide
• The Curious SEO, Search Marketing Sage
• Sales and Your Search Marketing Agency – Part 1, Search Engine Watch

Social Media

• Social networks will be like air, Charlene Li’s Blog

Video, Music & Image Search

• Baidu Launches Voice Search Service, ChinaTechNews.com
• Google’s YouTube To Power Other Video Sites? , Silicon Alley Insider

Web Analytics

• Google Analytics integrates with Google Audio Ads, Google Analytics Blog

Other Items

• Doodle4Google: Turkish Edition, Googlified
• Happy Women’s Day From Quintura!, Quintura blog

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

• Why it’s NOT Linkbait, Idiot!
• SEO = Content, Site Architecture, Traffic & Popularity
• Who are the Linkerati?
• 10 Reasons Why Top Ten Lists Rock!
• Video: Twitter in Plain English
• Twitter is The New Facebook
• SEO and PR – Online Public Relations and Search Engine Optimization
• digg Almighty is NOT Social Media Marketing
• Top 10 Social Bookmarking Sites
• SEO Q&A : Should You Use Google Webmaster Tools?
• Twitter Survey – How Do You Use Twitter Poll
• Ten ways market your blog on Twitter without being a spammer
• UK SEO Census – 9 Bloggers Under the Microscope
• Why There’s Nothing Wrong With Sculpting Your Pagerank