SearchCap: Matt Cutts On Links, Spiderman Drops Bing & DuckDuckGo’s New Design

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

From Search Engine Land:

• DuckDuckGo Releases New Beta Site With Redesigned Look & Added Features
  DuckDuckGo. the search engine known for protecting the privacy of its users, announced a new “reimagined and redesigned” beta site today. According to the announcement, the new site will deliver smarter answers and have a more refined look. DuckDuckGo has also added new features, including an image search, auto-suggest and places. The new site is […]
• Google’s Matt Cutts: Over Time Backlinks Will Become Less Important
  Google’s head of search spam, Matt Cutts, said in a video that backlinks, over time, will become a little less important. Matt did say that backlinks in the Google ranking algorithm still have many years left in them. Matt explained that Google is focusing a lot now on working on ways to determine if a […]
• Secret Contracts Keep Google In Control Of Mobile Search Argues Lawsuit
  A would be class action lawsuit was filed last week against Google in Federal Court in California. The action seeks to resurrect some of the themes and arguments raised in the now settled FTC antitrust case against the company. While repeating familiar abuse of market power allegations against Google, the new civil case is focused […]
• How To Build A Local Brand Through Online Marketing
  The terms Brand and Brand Marketing are usually associated with large businesses. Having a brand is seen as something significant — something that only businesses with big ideas and even bigger wallets can afford to invest in and create. But that’s not true. Businesses of all sizes can be Brands. A brand can’t be built in […]
• Where SEM Is Concerned, Google+ Appears To Be Alive And Well
  Last week saw a flurry of speculation on the future of Google+ after the head of Google+, Vic Gundotra, announced his departure. The question raised most often is whether Google+ is going away. Although some are reporting that G+ will kill the product side, the platform (in terms of data collection and unique user sign-ins) […]
• Bing Tests Search Results Without Underlining Hyperlinks
  Rubén Gómez reports that Microsoft is testing removing the underlines on the hyperlinks within the search results in Bing. The Bing search results still have the blue hyperlink look, but the underline was removed in this Bing test. Bing is constantly testing large and small changes like this to see how searchers interact with the […]
• Indoor Maps & Mall Directories Come To Google Now For Android
  As we reported last week, similar to the offline Google Now cards, Google has made indoor maps within the Android Search App’s Google Now cards live. Google Indoor Maps was introduced in 2011 for select malls and shopping centers. Now, if you are using the latest Google Search App on Android, a Google Now card […]
• Google Now Cards Now Work Without An Internet Connection
  As we expected, the Android version of the Google Search App now supports offline mode for Google Now cards. So if you are in a location without internet, such as a subway, somewhere out in a deserted island or just in the middle of Manhattan and you have poor reception (no joke), Google will still […]
• Spider-Man Switches From Bing To Google
  Spoiler alert: ComicBook.com reported this weekend everyone’s favorite spider-bitten superhero has switched from searching on Bing to being a full-fledged Google user. According to the report, Spider-man alias Peter Parker used Bing in the 2012 The Amazing Spider-Man film, much to the disbelief of many hardcore comic book fans: In a world where somebody bitten […]
• Audrey Hepburn Google Logo Marks The Star’s Humanitarian Efforts On Her 85th Birthday
  Today’s Google logo is a tribute to British actress Audrey Hepburn on what would have been the star’s 85th birthday. Hepburn, who is known as much for her style as the roles she brought to life in films like Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and My Fair Lady, was an avid humanitarian. Hepburn’s Google logo […]
• Google Injects Google Shopping With Amazon Talent In Rangespan Acquisition
  Google’s ongoing efforts to bolster its product search portal, Google Shopping, and take on Amazon and Ebay has got another boost. The company has acquired Rangespan, a London based start-up that developed backend supply chain management software for online retailers. Founded by Amazon veterans, Rangespan’s predictive software helps surface products that are likely to be […]

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

• Twitter’s SMB Leader Russ Laraway: Go Organic, Then Amplify With Ads
• Patent Verdict: Apple Wins The Round But Fails To Land A Blow Vs. Samsung
• Camera Embedded In Greeting Card Captures Moms’ Reactions
• Amazon’s Cart Gets More Mobile: Now Add To #AmazonCart While Browsing Twitter
• Facebook Upgrades Video Metrics To Track Duration Of Views & Audience Retention
• Google’s Same-Day Delivery Pilot Goes Bi-Coastal
• Top Tips For Optimizing Your Content: 9 Experts Weigh In
• StumbleUpon Adds A Handful Of Targeting & Delivery Options For Advertisers
• Creativity Unbound: How Current Digital Publishing Spotlights Brands
• Get To Know: DTS Inc. CMO Kevin Doohan
• Google+ Breaks Into The Top 15 Mobile Apps — comScore
• HootSuite Rolls Out A New Social Visualization Tool For Enterprise Customers

Search News From Around The Web:

Industry

• Clearing up some misconceptions…, Help Desk Hangouts
• SEOs Debate If Google Is Ethical Or Not, Search Engine Roundtable

Local & Maps

• How to Structure Your Site for Local Search Visibility That Lasts, LocalVisibilitySystem.com

Searching

• Through the Google lens: search trends April 25-May 1, Official Google Blog
• Yahoo! tests a white background, allgoogletesting.blogspot.com
• Vurb’s Contextual Search Engine Blows Away Those Stupid Lists Of Links, TechCrunch

SEO

• Googe: Don’t Use Site Removal On HTTPS Version; It Will Drop The HTTP Version Too, Search Engine Roundtable
• May 2014 Google Webmaster Report: Updates, Penalties & Same Old…, Search Engine Roundtable
• Why does it take so long for SEO to get traction?, CanuckSEO

SEM / Paid Search

• AdWords scripts – New code snippets are now available!, Google Ads Developer Blog
• What You’re Missing with Your Keyword Research, Shimon Sandler
• Bing Ads Insider’s Podcast: Tips for Going Global with Bing Ads, Bing Ads
• Household income targeting: the early results are in!, 3Q Digital

Search Marketing

• Chinese Digital Strategy: Baidu is only the Beginning, Covario
• Harvesting Bulk Negative Keywords with Excel, Portent