SearchCap: The Day In Search, November 28, 2007

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

From Search Engine Land:

• The Anatomy of a Google Search Result
  As Barry noted earlier, Matt Cutts, keeper of all things webspam and webmaster for Google, is reviving his video series. This new set is on the official Google Webmaster Central blog, rather than his personal site, and so far, don’t seem to feature either of his cats. But even cat-free,…
• Speaking At SMX West
  Interested in speaking at our upcoming SMX West conference? We’re now taking submissions through the Speaker Pitch Form that was updated today, with all open sessions listed. Please use this form even if we know you and you have spoken before. We’re moving to a centralized conference management system and…
• It’s The (Other) Algorithm, Stupid! Understanding DiggRank
  Have you ever wondered what it really takes for a story submitted to Digg to get to the home page? Or why a certain story—even a really good, social media friendly story—never got to the home page? I’m frequently asked the question “Hey, my story has [number] of Diggs but…
• Google Gadgets Meets Apple’s Dashboard Widgets
  Google Gadgets can now run on Apple’s Dashboard, as a native Dashboard Widget. So now you can have the same Google Gadget on your iGoogle page and Google Desktop Sidebar as well as in your Apple Dashboard. From a developer’s standpoint, now if you make a Google Gadget, that gadget…
• Google Introduces New “My Location” Feature for Mobile Devices
  Many mobile industry insiders and pundits have argued that when GPS becomes ubiquitous then “location based services” will really take off. The problem is: GPS doesn’t always work, it isn’t yet in every device, and isn’t always enabled even if it is present. But the premise that passive location awareness…
• AOL Launches New Money & Finance Site, Powered By Relegence Search Engine
  Roughly a year ago, AOL acquired Relegence a search technology company that offers real-time information and data feeds on a subscription basis to Wall Street professionals. Now AOL is bringing the fruits of that acquisition to a newly redesigned Money & Finance site intended to go head to head with…
• Google’s Malware Warnings Not Working?
  Subverted search sites lead to massive malware attack in progress from ComputerWorld reports that Google, along with Yahoo, Live Search and other search engines are being targeted more than ever with sites that contain malware. Alex Eckelberry, Sunbelt Software’s CEO said “So far we’ve found 27 different domains, each with…
• Google AdWords Tests Campaign Template Feature For My Client Center Users
  Kevin Gibbons reports he has a new feature in his AdWords account. He is now able to use the “Google AdWords Template Center.” The Google AdWords Template Center enables him to create a template that can be used across all his campaigns for any of his clients. So if you…
• Google’s Matt Cutts On Cloaking & Search Snippets
  Matt Cutts of Google has written two posts on the topic of SEO: Detecting more “undetectable” webspam The anatomy of a search result…
• Google Maps Balloon Now Contains Street View Image
  The Google LatLong Blog announced that when you do a search in Google Maps and click on a listing, they will now show, when available, a “street view” image of the location within the pop-up bubble. For example, a search on abigaels, new york, ny will return three results on…
• Google Allows Group Collaboration On My Maps
  The Google Lat Long Blog announced that My Maps now can be built by groups of people, not just individuals. Maps can be edited by only selected friends and family or by Google Maps users at large. The benefits of this are fairly straightforward: group travel planning, collective favorites, better…

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• ZXing 1d/2d Barcode decoding source code released, Google Code Blog
• Gmail vs. Hotmail vs. Yahoo Mail, Web Analytics World
• Microsoft’s Windows Live Yahoo Hotmail Problem, New York Times

Business Issues

• Google’s Muddy Retreat, Forbes
• Source: Yes, LinkedIn and News Corp. are working on a deal, VentureBeat
• Video Ad Agency Spotzer Raises $14.8 Million For US Expansion, paidContent.org
• Go West LinkedIn CEO: We’d only sell for "a helluva lot", CNN
• Hearst-Argyle Television and Google Strike Reseller Agreement, CNN Money
• Scripps says not looking to sell Shopzilla, Reuters
• Yahoo, AOL May Abandon Web Radio After Increase in Royalties , Bloomberg

Conferences

• Microsoft at WebmasterWorld PubCon Vegas, adCenter Blog
• Presentation Changes at SES, Search Engine Tigers
• Search Marketing: Everything You Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask – A Free Webcast, Search Marketing Expo Blog
• Like Las Vegas Shows? I Have Tickets During PubCon, Joseph Morin

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Explore new terrain, Google LatLong
• Local Search Guide 2.0, Screenwerk
• Citysearch and MerchantCircle in Repicrocal Deal, Screenwerk
• Google Maps offering limited options to "flag" inappropriate reviews, Mike Blumenthal
• Is Google Maps in your neck of the woods? A new, interactive way to find out!, Google Maps API Blog
• Major Wireless Carriers Coverage Locator Databases and Maps, ResourceShelf

Link Building

• SEO Linking Gotchas Even The Pros Make, Andy Beard
• What the Heck is Reputation Link Bait?, Search Engine Guide
• Purchase Links or Build Website Networks?, Marketing Pilgrim
• Linkbait 101: How To Create Linkable Content and Get Others to Link to It, Search Engine Journal

Paid Search & Contextual

• Google Content Network Tips: Part 2 – Targeting Options, Environments, and Ad Formats, Inside AdWords
• Baidu offers brand advertising service, CCTV International
• Online Display Advertising Needs Better PR, ClickZ
• Reviewal Time Frame for Google Image Ads, Search Engine Roundtable
• Why Facebook Ads are a Better Opportunity Now than Adwords in 2000, SiteVisibility

Searching

• Announcing OmniFind Yahoo! Edition 8.4.2, IBM Omnifind Yahoo! Edition Blog

SEM Industry

• Werewolves, Search Spam & Custom Cards – If You Are Going to Pubcon, Do Not Miss This, SEOmoz
• My 5,000th Post at the Search Engine Roundtable, Search Engine Roundtable

SEO & SEM

• Banned From Google – How I Finally Got Listed, Chris Webb
• Easier-to-use news sitemaps, Google News Blog
• Can Multiple Hyphens in the Domain Name Raise a Red Flag with Search Engines?, Search Engine Roundtable
• Complaining about Some Google Missteps, SEOmoz
• Do Search Engines Prefer Default or Custom 404 Error Pages?, Search Engine Roundtable
• Press Release SEO Tips, Online Marketing Blog
• SEO 101: Domains – Picking them, getting them, keeping them, Cshel
• SEO for Widgets: CLIQ Case Study, Search Engine Watch
• Advice from Aaron Wall on SEO Tracking Software, WebProNews
• Google Global Firefox Extension V2, RedFlyMarketing
• Niche SEO : Image & Video, Local Search & Social Media Optimization, Search Engine Journal

Social Media

• Push Marketing V.S. Pull Marketing: Using Both Strategies to Promote Your Site, www.doshdosh.com
• Mixxing In, and Why Early Adoption is Important: A Review of the Newest Social News Network, Techipedia
• Publicize Your Publicity to Create Successful Viral Marketing Campaigns, SEO Book

Video, Music & Image Search

• Yahoo executive speaks at U-M, Michigan Local
• CondeNet Will Distribute Video, Sell Ads On YouTube; Online Ad Net Being Considered (Of Course), paidContent.org
• YouTube pulls plug on Egypt activist over brutal videos, The Guardian
• Could Be Nothing, Could Be Something: YouTube Abandons Gadgets, TechCrunch

Web Analytics

• comScore Ranks Top Web Sites in France, Germany, and UK for October, ResourceShelf

Other Items

• Doodle 4 Google winner announced, NEWS.com.au
• It’s here: the Google Highly Open Participation Contest, Google Code Blog
• Of Starlets And Yahoo Music, paidContent.org
• What the Google Intranet Looks Like, Google Blogoscoped

Last 20 Hot Items From Sphinn, Our Social News Sharing Site:

• Stressed Out? 3 Simple Ways To Relieve Stress When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed…
• Some Digg Functionality is Broken … Ohhhh It Hurts.
• Werewolves, Search Spam & Custom Cards – If You Are Going to Pubcon, Do Not Miss This
• Seth Godin Interview – What’s a Meatball Sundae?
• What A Mixx Up: Interview With Mixx Founder Chris McGill
• Facebook’s Billion Dollar Evaluation Hinges On Apathy. Our Apathy.
• TopRank PR for Free Seminar: “Are Your Landing Pages Lean, Mean Conversion Machines?”
• Rustybrick’s 5,000th Post at the Search Engine Roundtable
• Google Admits Paid Link Stupidity: A Blogger’s Sarcastic Fantasy Scenario
• 5 Bloggers From Sphinn and YOUmoz That You MUST RSS
• Mixxing In, and Why Early Adoption is Important: A Review of the Newest Social News Network
• The Pros and Cons of Hiring a web consultant
• 21 Factors that Influence the First Impression of Your Website’s Visitors
• Understanding the Marketer’s Relationship With Google: Why Google Hates You.
• Niche Directories Still Offer Link Building Potential
• Google Patent on Web Spam, Doorway Pages, and Manipulative Articles
• SEO & Press Releases: Lee Odden Reviews Top Wire Services
• Ten Web Strategy Blog Post Must Reads
• Search 3.0: The Blended & Vertical Search Revolution
• Great, Now Domain Registrars Offer SEO Services…
• Using Urgency Tactics to Increase Your Online Conversions
• Is the G-Drive Poised for Launch?
• SEO Linking Gotchas Even The Pros Make
• Step Right Up! Try and Stump Tim Nash
• Social Media and Gender Issues