SearchCap: Google Robots.txt Tester, Bing Ads Bid Suggestions & AdWords Express App

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

From Search Engine Land:

• Blogger Fined By French Court, Negative Restaurant Review Too Prominent In Google
  A French court has ordered a blogger to pay a substantial fine and change the title of a restaurant review because the review was too prominent in search results and harmed business at the restaurant. The review/post has since been removed but can be viewed here (via TechDirt). The restaurant, Il Giardino, complained to the […]
• Google’s New Calendar Feature Lets You Schedule Events Directly From The Search Page
  It appears Google had added another new calendar feature via its knowledge graph box. By searching “schedule appointment” or “add event” while logged into your Google account, Google will deliver a dynamic knowledge graph box that lets you automatically add an event to your Google calendar without leaving the search page. Clicking the “Create event” […]
• New Google Translation Tools: Edit Text, Change Language & Hear Translation Directly Within Search
  Google has added new translation features, making it easy to edit translation search terms, change languages or hear the translations directly within search. Going off a tip from @WilliamHarvey, when searching the word “translate,” Google now delivers a quick search option for entering text or choosing the translation language via a dynamic knowledge graph box as […]
• PPC Automation 2014: The ROI of Paid Search Automation – Live Webcast at Digital Marketing Depot, July 22
  On Tuesday, July 22 at 1 PM EDT, Digital Marketing Depot presents “PPC Automation 2014: The ROI of Paid Search Automation,” a live webcast that looks at how automation can enhance the success of paid search marketing campaigns. In this webcast, PPC experts Brad Geddes and Ginny Marvin will discuss what automation can do to […]
• Google Launches Free AdWords Express App For iOS And Android Devices In The US
  Today, Google launched a free app for Android and iOS devices for AdWords Express, the simplified version of Google’s search advertising platform designed for small business. The app has all the features of the web version, allowing advertisers to edit ads and set targeting parameters more easily from their mobile devices. Google is also making […]
• Is Microsoft Blocking Google Search On New Lumia Phones?
  According to a story appearing in The Verge yesterday, Microsoft is not allowing users to set Google as the default search engine for mobile web browsing on new Lumia 8.1 devices (630 and 930). As the article points out, the search button on the handset uses Bing and cannot be switched. I reached out to […]
• How Press Requests Can Be A Link Building Gold Mine
  Building genuinely powerful and authoritative links isn’t easy. Sure, there are tons of ways to build links, but how many of these techniques actually enable you to gain real editorial mentions from top tier websites? The answer: not many. Getting a link from a leading publication within your industry can’t even be compared to something […]
• Three SEO Personas – Are You One Of Them?
  Organic search used to just be for the technophiles, the Excel-lovers, the self-proclaimed geeks, etc. Now, SEO is all grown up and has welcomed all types of people, each of whom have a hand in the channel’s success. Let’s go over three primary personas involved in organic search today, and then you can tell me […]
• Google Webmaster Tools Updates Robots.txt Testing Tool
  Google announced they have updated their robots.txt testing tool in Webmaster Tools. The update brings you a few more features including: (1) Highlights which line in your robots.txt file is blocking a specific page. (2) Make test changes to the robots.txt tool and test it before you make the file live. (3) Google will also […]
• Link Building Study: SEOs Spending Less On Link Building?
  Skyrocket SEO has published their link building results for 2014, surveying over 300 SEOs on questions around link building. The big question is how are SEOs and agencies changing their link building efforts and spend over this and next year. You’d think with all the penalties, both through algorithms such as Penguin and the manual […]
• Google Finally Adds Bitcoin Conversion Search
  Following in the footsteps of both Yandex and Bing, Google has finally added Bitcoin currency conversion to their knowledge graph/one box results. If you search for a conversion for Bitcoin, you will get the answer: TechCrunch reports Google has partnered with CoinBase to power the conversion feature. A Google spokesperson told CoinDesk.com: You can also […]
• Right To Be Forgotten: Do Users Even Care?
  In the last few weeks, two monumental events related to Internet privacy caused the biggest uproar in discussions about personal privacy since Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA. In May, the European Court of Justice ruled that Google must respect the “right to be forgotten” and at the request of private individuals remove “irrelevant” and […]
• Bing Ads Puts Estimated Keyword Bid Suggestions In Columns, Adds Keyword Delivery Status Alerts
  Bing Ads launched a couple of relatively small but helpful features today. Both bring keyword status and bid insights into closer parity with Google AdWords. To get a better understanding of where keyword bids stand in relation to the competition, Bing Ads has added estimated bid suggestions for first page bid, mainline bid and best […]

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

• Senators Resuscitate E-Commerce Sales Tax Issue With New Bill
• Facebook Rolls Out Ads Manager For Mobile Devices
• ShareThis Goes Mobile With An AT&T Text To Share Button
• Now That The World Cup Is Done, Twitter Tries To Interest You In Something Else
• Reports Show Paid Search Spend Is Up Over Last Year
• Benjamin Moore Creates World’s Largest Wooden Yo-Yo
• Get To Know: CMO & SVP Of Business Development For Sperry Top-Sider Chris Lindner
• Finding Tumblr’s Place In Your Social Strategy
• How To Do Location-Based Push Marketing Without Going Too Far
• Eight U.S. Firms Control 80 Percent Of Worldwide Mobile Ad Revenue
• Survey: 74% Of U.S. Adults Would Delete Themselves From Search Results If They Could
• Yahoo Earnings Disappoint, But Search And Mobile Revs Up
• Google+ Drops Real Name Requirement, Apologizes For Delay

Search News From Around The Web:

Industry

• The 58 SEO’s Authorities on Twitter You Need to Follow, Search Engine People Blog

Link Building

• Link Detox Screener update July 2014, linkresearchtools.com
• Outreach Emails: The Best of the Worst, Renegade Search
• Power User Tips: Advanced Report Filtering, Majestic SEO Blog

Searching

• Google Completely Disables Discussion Search Feature, Search Engine Roundtable
• Google Tests a Search Card for Live Events, Google Operating System
• Google Tests Adding Back The Black Top Navigation Bar, Search Engine Roundtable
• Wednesday search challenge (July 16, 2014): What can you find out about this property?, SearchReSearch

SEO

• 13 simple SEO processes you can use to improve client acquisition and retention, Kaiserthesage
• Client SEO Process, SEO Book
• Google Authorship Photos Removed, Author Rank Ahead, BruceClay.com
• Google Manual Actions Updated In Webmaster Tools Twice A Day & Emails Send Once A Day, Search Engine Roundtable
• Low-Tech Local SEO Fix-ups for Your Site, LocalVisibilitySystem.com
• Webmaster Tools Showing Sharp Drop in Structured Data, Local University

SEM / Paid Search

• Think Twice Before Using Top of Page Bidding in AdWords, SEER Interactive
• Understanding Causation and Correlation in Paid Search, PPC Hero

Search Marketing

• ISOOSI Chat – Beyond Keywords: Moving From Words to Concepts, ISOOSI Blog
• The Efficiency Frontier and How to Reconcile Conflicting PPC Metrics, 3Q Digital
• What Is A Good Click Through Rate (CTR)?, PPC Hero