SearchCap: Google Weekend Update, Rogue Google Ads Settlement & Our New Site

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

From Search Engine Land:

• Indian Govt. Rages At Google Maps Outing Of Secret Bases
  In 2013, Google imitated a “mapathon” project in India, offering prizes to encourage people to help fill in gaps and improve Google Maps in the country. At the time, India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) asked the company not to collect “classified data,” such as the locations of military installations. The mapathon focused on business […]
• Perseid Meteor Shower 2014 Stars In Its Very Own Google Logo
  Last night’s Perseid Meteor Shower won a spotlight on a number of Google’s international homepages, but has yet to make it to Google’s U.S. site. Designed by Google Doodler Sophie Diao, the animated logo is an illustrated time lapse of the meteor shower set to music by Niko Leiva. The annual Perseid meteor shower gets […]
• Chinese Man Sues Baidu Over “Gay Conversion” Ad In SERP
  A gay Chinese man sued search engine Baidu in Bejing for allowing an undisclosed ad for an allegedly unlicensed psychological counseling center to appear at the top of search results. He underwent “gay conversion” therapy and was traumatized by the experience. Without the benefit of knowing Chinese law, the case appears to raise two issues: […]
• Google: No Comment On Possible Google Algorithm Update Over The Weekend
  On Friday, August 8th, there appears to have been a Google algorithm update that Google said they will not comment on. It may likely be a monthly Google Panda refresh but we cannot confirm if there was an update and if so, if it was Panda or not. I reported the details at the Search […]
• Using Autocomplete To Hijack Local Search Results & Improve Online Reputation
  Google is constantly refining its search engine algorithm in an effort to root out spam and improve the search experience for users. Over the years, this refinement process has largely rewarded those employing ethical search engine optimization (SEO) practices, as it is no longer easy to “cheat” the system with manipulative, blackhat SEO tactics. Yet […]
• 10 Reasons To Attend SMX East, Sept. 30-Oct. 2 in NYC
  We get it. You’re responsible for increasing site traffic, sales and ROI. You cope with constant algorithm updates (Penguin/Panda/Pigeon, oh my!). Evaluate new ad formats and platforms. And test, test and test again to maximize conversions. Your continued success depends on keeping up. That’s why you should come to SMX East for search and internet […]
• Music Is Google’s Latest Ad Test In The Knowledge Panel
  Search Google for bands or musicians from Katy Perry to Cat Stevens, and you’ll now see ads appearing in the Knowledge Panel. The ads are Google’s latest effort to test new ad formats and monetize the prominent real estate of the Knowledge Panel. It should also be noted that the ads provide Google’s own streaming […]
• Introducing The New Search Engine Land!
  Notice anything different today? I sure hope so, because we’ve just launched the new Search Engine Land website! This is Search Engine Land’s first redesign since March, 2011. Our sister site, Marketing Land, has also been relaunched. While both sites obviously look different (more on that below), let me begin by talking about what hasn’t […]
• A Search Marketer’s Guide To Becoming An Excel Power User
  Start here to fine-tune your marketing analytics skills using Microsoft Excel and similar functions in Google Spreadsheets to build custom reports and executive marketing dashboards. Plus, find tips to integrate your data from Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools, related APIs and other search marketing platforms into custom reporting dashboards. Getting Started: Build Your Excel Skills Search […]
• Google Settles Shareholder Suit, Will Set Aside $250M To Disrupt Rogue Online Drug Ads
  Google will create a $250 million internal program to battle rogue online pharmacies as part of a deal to end a shareholder lawsuit, Reuters reported today. The litigation was sparked by Google’s $500 million settlement in 2011 with the U.S. Justice Department, which alleged that the search company accepted advertisements from foreign pharmacies that illegally […]

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

• Page Admins Stick To Native Facebook Apps For Posting On Business And Brand Pages
• Questions To Ask About Your Biggest Marketing Technology Challenges
• Yahoo’s Twitter Account Hacked, Tweets Out Ebola Outbreak Report
• Dodge Dart Finds Humor In The Endless Scroll On Its YouTube Page
• Viewability Rising As Programmatic Dominates & Fraud Proliferates
• 10 Reasons To Attend SMX East, Sept. 30-Oct. 2 in NYC
• Prep For Email Segmentation To Reap These 3 Benefits
• Introducing The New Marketing Land!

Search News From Around The Web:

Industry

• Bill Hunt: State of Digital Summer School, Learning from the Experts, State of Digital

Link Building

• Google Penalizes Two More UK Link Networks, The SEM Post

Searching

• Answer: Earthquake data?, SearchReSearch
• Google’s Knowledge Graph Shows Neptune Picture Instead Of Uranus, Search Engine Roundtable
• Why Ebay Tells Manufacturers in China What You’re Searching For, Atlantic Mobile

SEO

• HTTPS Google Ranking Factor: Make It Work for Your Site, Stone Temple
• HTTPS To HTTP Status Report On RustyBrick, Search Engine Roundtable
• Is the Google update mostly SSL implementation issues?, The SEM Post

SEM / Paid Search

• 4 AdWords Automated Rules To Try, PPC Hero
• Get Started Australia (Part 8/9): AdCopy Best Practices & Landing Page Relevancy, Bing Ads Blog
• The Importance of Structure in a New Paid Search Account, SEMrush Blog
• Top Paid Search Advertisers Spent 63% of Budget on Product Listing Ads, Adgooroo
• What I Learned During My First Year in PPC, PPC Hero
• Yandex.Direct now provides account health check, Russian Search Tips

Search Marketing

• Beyond Search: Unifying PPC and SEO on the Display Network, Moz
• Google’s New AdWords Tracking Follows User Between Apps & Mobile Web, The SEM Post

Pending

• Query, a new board game for the age of Google autocomplete, www.newyorker.com