SearchCap: Bing drops URL submission tool, Ask the SMXperts, Google Maps, link building & more

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

From Search Engine Land:

• Google Maps now available for Apple CarPlay
  Sep 18, 2018 by Barry Schwartz
  The moment many Apple fans have been waiting for – Google Maps on CarPlay devices is now here.
• How to choose the best content format for link building
  Sep 18, 2018 by Paddy Moogan
  Thinking about creating an infographic or GIF as a way to attract links? Here’s a list of pros and cons of different visual elements and their effectiveness at attracting links.
• Customer Data Challenge: Improve martech efficiency and ROI with unified data
  Sep 18, 2018 by Digital Marketing Depot
  Unifying the data that resides in your martech stack is a huge challenge — one that costs US brands millions of dollars annually. Nearly half of marketers surveyed say data silos affect their ability to engage, support and meet customer needs.
• Ask the SMXpert — Page speed, site migrations and crawling
  Sep 18, 2018 by Debra Mastaler
  Our SMXperts share their tactical insights on optimizing crawl budgets, fine-tuning page speed and how to execute on large-scale error-free site migrations.
• Bing shuts down public URL submission tool
  Sep 18, 2018 by Barry Schwartz
  This decision may help Bing reduce spam shown in the search results and focus on more trustworthy content.
• How e-commerce can compete for informational queries by optimizing for intent
  Sep 18, 2018 by Bill Sebald
  How do you optimize for search intent? Here’s a look at how Google may return informational queries to relevant e-commerce pages and how you can optimize on-page content for ‘intent.’
• Bing improves visual search, adds educational carousel, American Sign Language and NFL answers
  Sep 18, 2018 by Barry Schwartz
  Microsoft’s search engine adds a robust image search feature and educational results just in time for the school year.

Recent Headlines From Marketing Land, Our Sister Site Dedicated To Internet Marketing:

• Google is right; click-through and conversion rates kinda don’t matter
  Sep 18, 2018 by Andy Taylor
  Say what? Turns out you may be focusing on the wrong things if you’re fixated on click-through and conversion rates. Here are a number of reasons why.
• Keyword research strategies in a close-variant world
  Sep 18, 2018 by Megan Taggart
  Revisiting your keyword research approach is essential to preparing for imminent match type changes. Here are some considerations for a successful keyword research strategy in a close-variant world.
• Win more conversions with ‘The Marketing Automation Playbook’
  Sep 18, 2018 by Digital Marketing Depot
  Marketing automation gives you the power to generate more leads, drive more sales and optimize your spend. It helps you target your customers with personalized communication based on their interests — so they receive the messages they actually want, not the messages you think they want. Marketing automation provides a wide range of tools and […]
• Working with an AI vendor: How marketers can take the leap
  Sep 18, 2018 by Robin Kurzer
  Siara Nazir, head of digital marketing for Autodesk, says marketers need to work closely with their data scientists and with their vendors to make sure everyone’s on the same page.
• Facebook job ads excluded women, ACLU complaint says
  Sep 18, 2018 by Greg Sterling
  Federal complaint alleges that roughly 10 employers targeted job ads to male candidates across a range of openings, from construction labor to police work.
• How to turn negative online reviews into marketing wins
  Sep 18, 2018 by Megan Krause
  It’s tempting to fall into a funk when your business receives a negative review. Here’s how to turn things around and benefit from critical customer feedback.
• SEO PowerSuite Review: features, analysis, results
  Sep 18, 2018 by Sponsored Content: SEO PowerSuite
  SEO software is what makes automation of SEO processes possible. However, the choice is so vast today that it is hard to find a winning set of tools for each cycle of an SEO campaign. Of course, there is an option to run down a perfect tool for each part of your SEO routine, but […]
• Quora introduces Broad Targeting, says audience hits 300 million monthly users
  Sep 17, 2018 by Ginny Marvin
  Broad Targeting relies on machine learning to optimize ad delivery to reach users most likely to take the desired action.
• Instagram rolls out Shopping in Stories globally, launches Shopping channel in Explore
  Sep 17, 2018 by Amy Gesenhues
  After testing Shopping in Stories with a select number of e-commerce brands in June, the app is expanding the e-commerce feature globally.
• iHeartMedia to acquire Stuff Media as podcasting continues its rise
  Sep 17, 2018 by Robin Kurzer
  Publishers continue to invest in podcasts despite marketers’ concern about the lack of 3rd-party measurement standards.

Search News From Around The Web:

• Amazon is stuffing its search results pages with ads, Recode
• Exploring Googles new carousel featured snippet, Getstat
• How Many New Backlinks Do Top-ranking Pages Get Over Time, Ahrefs
• How to Use Link Retargeting to Leverage Other People’s Content, Marketo
• John Mueller said: “you don’t have to guess, ask, or test what search engines will do”, Reddit
• Measuring user journeys across the AMP Cache and your website, AMP
• Mental health in the workplace – what we are doing to help our team, Aira
• Show me the links!, SEMrush
• The Google Ads Remarketing Tactic You Aren’t Using (But Should Be) , Adespresso
• Updated: Building a strong internal linking campaign, IQSEO
• Why Google Ads Optimizer Often Fails to Show Your Best Ad, Adalysis

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.

About The Author

Debra Mastaler

Debra Mastaler is an internationally recognized authority on link building and is an OMCP Certified Link Building Trainer. Based in Washington DC, Debra is also a columnist for Search Engine Land, has written for or been featured in numerous tech publications and is active on the search marketing conference circuit as a speaker and trainer. Debra serves as a judge for the Landy Awards and is the President of Alliance-Link.com. Connect with Debra on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay in touch.