SearchCap: Google to sell Zagat, videos in Google My Business & new research

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

From Search Engine Land:

• Unite your team at SMX West! Save big on SEO & SEM training with group rates!
  Jan 4, 2018 by Search Engine Land

  SMX West will be here before you know it! The largest gathering of search marketers on the West Coast is happening March 13-15 in San Jose, California. You’ll get three days of unparalleled SEO & SEM training — more than 60 thoughtfully sequenced, expert-led sessions and keynotes across eight deep-dive tracks. SMX is the place […]

• How to reverse-engineer your online advertising strategy
  Jan 4, 2018 by Jacob Baadsgaard

  In PPC, we often talk about eye-catching ad copy — but columnist Jacob Baadsgaard suggests that, rather than focusing on different ways to catch your customer’s eye, advertisers should start by looking at what customers are already responding to.

• Holiday Retail Search Strategies 2017: What worked, what didn’t
  Jan 4, 2018 by Digital Marketing Depot

  Join our experts as we explore how search marketing strategies fared in the 2017 holiday season. We’ll share results of a year-end survey that reveals how marketers adjusted their search strategies in 2017 and take a look at overall results of the shopping season to see if those efforts paid off. We’ll also examine best […]

• Holiday shoppers increasingly turned to Google Maps in the countdown to Christmas Day
  Jan 4, 2018 by Andy Taylor

  Columnist Andy Taylor from Merkle shares data on how consumers engaged with Maps and Local Inventory Ads over the holiday shopping period.

• Search marketing to enjoy ‘late-stage renaissance,’ according to analyst firm
  Jan 4, 2018 by Greg Sterling

  Privacy, brand safety and other factors will make paid search even more attractive to marketers going forward, according to Forrester Research.

• Google My Business dashboard showing video upload section for some business owners
  Jan 4, 2018 by Barry Schwartz

  Some business owners can now upload videos to their local listings in their Google My Business photos section.

• Report: Google exploring sale of Zagat reviews
  Jan 3, 2018 by Greg Sterling

  Might there be an Act 3 for the venerable restaurant guide?

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

• Personalization & machine learning in 2018: From comms to content
• How much will privacy regulation disrupt the local search market in 2018?
• Mark Zuckerberg’s New Year’s resolution is to solve Facebook’s issues
• Unite your team at SMX West! Save big on SEO & SEM training with group rates!
• Terminus buys BrightFunnel, adding multichannel analytics to its ABM-targeted ad campaigns
• Increase of extortion-fueled reputation attacks points to a need for legal change
• New report: Customer Data Platforms doubled over last year
• Survey: Amazon Echo owners spend $400 per year more than Prime subscribers on Amazon

Search News From Around The Web:

• How to Create a Foolproof SEO Game Plan That Will Skyrocket Your Rankings, Search Engine Guide
• 5 Ways You Probably Let E-commerce SEO Slip for The Holidays and What to Do Next, Portent
• A Beginner’s Guide to Getting Valuable Links for Your Site, Majestic Blog
• Don’t make your focus keywords too long, Yoast
• Google Adds Insult to Injury as They Enter the Google Hall of Shame in 2018, Mike Blumenthal
• Google AdWords Social Support Team Changes; Expect Delayed Responses, Search Engine Roundtable
• How to Increase Click-throughs on Organic Search Listings, Practical Ecommerce
• SEO Metrics You Need to Focus on in 2018, Hallam Internet
• Some Google Featured Snippets Showing "According To" Above Result, Search Engine Roundtable

About The Author

Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land and a member of the programming team for SMX events. He owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry's personal blog is named Cartoon Barry and he can be followed on Twitter here.