SearchCap: Google Updates Local Guides, Bing Rewards On MSN & New AdWords Tests

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 Using Points To Boost User Reviews, Beef Up Maps Content
  Nov 13, 2015 by Greg Sterling
  A couple of years ago, Google created a program in the mold of the Yelp Elite Squad called City Experts. It was intended to accelerate the acquisition of “high-quality” local business reviews. The name of the program was changed in January of this year to Local Guides.
• Bing Rewards Members Can Now Earn Credits On MSN.com
  Nov 13, 2015 by Amy Gesenhues
  MSN’s homepage now has a new “Rewards” tab where users can redeem credits for gift cards, sweepstakes entries and more.
• Google AdWords Testing Nearby Store Reminders For Google Now Users
  Nov 13, 2015 by Ginny Marvin
  With the tap of an AdWords ad extension, Google Now will set reminders for users to visit an advertiser’s location the next time they are nearby.
• Using Paid Search To Bring Customers In-Store
  Nov 13, 2015 by Amy Bishop
  With the holidays quickly approaching, what better time than the present to look for ways to increase foot traffic to your stores? Columnist Amy Bishop shows how to leverage geography & intent, audiences and your web experience to drive more in-store traffic.
• Search In Pics: Google PageRank Factory, Cop Pulled Over Self Driving Car & Google Gum
  Nov 13, 2015 by Barry Schwartz
  In this week’s Search In Pictures, here are the latest images culled from the web, showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have and more.
• Can You Now Trust Google To Crawl Ajax Sites?
  Nov 13, 2015 by Mark Munroe
  On October 14, Google announced it no longer recommends the Ajax crawling scheme they published in 2009. Columnist Mark Munroe dives into the question of whether this means you can now count on Google to successfully crawl and index an Ajax site.

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

• Google’s DoubleClick Extends Active View Reporting To Apps, Adds Viewability Bid Optimization
• Will Marketing Addressability Leave SEO In The Dust?
• Yandex Takes Fight Against Google & Android To European Commission
• Google’s Efforts To Monetize Mobile Pay Off, But Sites See A Hit To Organic Visits
• Don’t Be Deceived: Fake Reviews Are A Real Marketing Problem
• The Secret To A Winning Content Marketing Strategy? Just Ask.
• Microsoft To Build German Data Centers To Address US Govt “Spying”
• Marketing Land Quiz — November 13: Do You Know The Latest Digital Marketing News?
• How Martech Is Like Fantasy Football: Drafting The Right Players In 2016
• Why Manual Link Building Will Never Be Obsolete
• MarTech Today: Bing’s Mobile Testing Tool, Robocallers Beware & Content Marketing Software
• New Study: Video Ads With Anti-Bot Tech Lead To Higher CPMs And More Brand Engagement

Search News From Around The Web:

Link Building

• Good News: We Launched a New Index Early! Let’s Also Talk About 2015’s Mozscape Index Woes, Moz
• 5 Essential Insights into Sustainable Link Building, Search Engine Journal

Local & Maps

• How to Boost Black Friday Sales With Local Search, Small Business Trends

Search Marketing

• How to Prioritize SEO Tasks & Invest in High-Value Work Items – Whiteboard Friday, Moz
• Video: Overstock.com Google Issues, Matt Cutts Secret Google Sauce & Bing Mobile Friendly, Search Engine Roundtable

SEM / Paid Search

• The Complete Guide to Tackling Ghost Referral Spam, Ahrefs Blog
• Why You Should Consider Using Dynamic Search Ads, Marketing Mojo

SEO

• 5 Ways To Increase Your Non-profit’s Online Exposure, Search Engine People
• A Non-Nerdy Deep Dive Into Search Engine Optimization, The Sales Lion
• AI Is Here, and It’s Affecting Your SEO: A Look at Google’s RankBrain, Search Influence
• Is Google about to Kill Its Penguin? Is It the End of Link Spam?, Bruce Clay, Inc.

About The Author

Amy Gesenhues

Amy Gesenhues is a senior editor for Third Door Media, covering the latest news and updates for Search Engine Land, Marketing Land and MarTech Today. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs, SoftwareCEO, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy's articles.