SearchCap: SSL Ranking Boost, Cortana Compared & Google’s Lobbying Efforts

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’s Matt Cutts Explains How Google Search Handles 404 & 410 Status Codes
  Google’s head of search spam, Matt Cutts, posted a video today explaining the difference in how Google handles 404 and 410 error status codes. Both 404 and 410s are errors for a web page or document not being available, however a 410 is defined as “gone” forever. So 410s are more of an explicit response […]
• Google’s Matt Cutts Lobbying To Reward Secure Sites With Better Rankings
  Rolfe Winkler on the Wall Street Journal blog reports on “private conversations” that Google’s head of search spam, Matt Cutts has within Google about rewarding sites with higher rankings in the search results that have better security. This is news that has come out of SMX West, as we covered just about a month ago […]
• Videos: Comparing Cortana & Siri & Google Now
  Today, Microsoft released the developer preview of Windows Phone 8.1 and with that, the ability to play with a preview of Cortana, Microsoft’s answer to Apple Siri and Google Now. Both Gizmodo and CNet have released video demos comparing Cortana & Siri & Google Now. I like the Gizmodo comparison a little more, so we […]
• Report: Google Now Master Of Lobbying, Backroom Dealing
  An article in the Washington Post asserts that Google has now become a master lobbyist and behind-the-scenes manipulator in Washington. It details the company’s increase in campaign contributions and outreach efforts to influence legislators. The message of the lengthy article is that Google is now buying influence and policy outcomes that favor the company. Source: […]
• Bing Ads To Give Agencies More Functionality To Manage Client Relationships
  The way agencies manage their customer accounts using their agency login in Bing Ads is soon to undergo a revamp. Currently, client account lists are housed under the Agencies tab, but Microsoft acknowledges there have been limitations to the functionality offered. The update is meant to fix these shortcomings. Instead of a separate Agencies tab, […]
• Survey: Older Generations Embrace Mobile As Local Shopping Companion
  Conventional wisdom tells us that younger generations trump older generations in their use of mobile devices during the local purchasing process. While teenagers use their smartphones at every opportunity to find local businesses, read reviews and scan deals, their parents and grandparents rarely rely on their devices to take advantage of what is increasingly available […]
• The War On Links
  In case you didn’t notice, we are waging a war over links. Some would say that SEOs are at war with search engines, but I disagree. Search engines and SEOs have a symbiotic relationship; and without meaning to, we’ve killed the value of the link. The link, once a simple connector from one site to […]
• The Latest on “Not Provided” and More at SMX Advanced – Register Now
  Ask a search marketer what they love about their job and you’ll likely hear “it’s always changing.” Just this week, Google upset the apple cart by announcing it’s extending “not provided” to paid ads. Will that change have meaningful impact for you? That’s just one of the topics SMX Advanced will tackle, without getting bogged […]
• Report: Google Running Another Test To Map In-Store Sales To AdWords Ads
  When Google introduced Estimated Total Conversions in AdWords last September, the company made clear it was working on ways to measure the impact of online advertising on in-store sales as it outlined the initiative to give advertisers a complete view of the effect their search advertising has on purchases. At the time of the announcement, the […]

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

• #USAirways Deletes, Apologizes After A Pornographic Reply On Twitter
• ‘World’s Toughest Job’ Applicants Pranked With Heartfelt Reveal
• Facebook Is Testing A ‘Pages Popular In Your Area’ Feature
• VIDEO + SLIDESHOW: From Content Marketing To Media Company
• The Latest on “Not Provided” and More at SMX Advanced – Register Now
• How Estimated Reading Times Increase Engagement With Content
• Hacking, E-Theft Grow As 18 Percent Report Data Stolen
• CMOs, Keep Your Company On Track And Avoid “Communication Debt”
• Get To Know: VerticalResponse Senior VP of Product & Marketing David Williams
• Like Facebook & Twitter, Google Reportedly Teaming With Data Providers To Track In-Store Sales
• Without Fanfare, Facebook Releases Updated Android App, And It Still Has Chat
• Social Media, Mobile And YouTube Changing The Nature Of “TV”
• Report: Amazon Releasing Smartphone Later This Year

Search News From Around The Web:

Industry

• Space Quest: Google Needs More Offices in New York City, Wall Street Journal
• Google Buys Drone Maker Courted by Facebook, Wall Street Journal
• Google’s Heavyweight Drag on Nasdaq, Wall Street Journal
• Interview with Julie Joyce, Link Building Expert, Kumail Hemani

Local & Maps

• Cortana Guide: How to Use the Windows Phone Voice Assistant, Digital Trends
• Integrating Store Apps with Cortana in Windows Phone 8.1, Bing Search Blog

Link Building

• A Myth Revived: Matt Cutts on Thematic Links, SEO Theory
• Outsmart Your Competitors by Building a Better Backlink Audit, Search Engine Journal
• The Ninja Guide To Broken Link Building, top5seo.co.uk
• Trivago.com Can’t Sleep: 95% Loss of Search Visibility, linkresearchtools.com

Searching

• Public Transit Directions in Google Search, Google Operating System

SEO

• Data Claiming: The Secret Sauce Behind Local SEO, ISOOSI Blog
• Getting hreflang Right: Examples and Insights for International SEO, Moz
• Is Google Pushing Out The Softer Panda Update Now?, Search Engine Roundtable
• SEO: The Tortoise or the Hare?, digitalthirdcoast.net

SEM / Paid Search

• 5 Reasons SEO & PPC Work Best When Used Together, Vertical Measures
• How Search Insights Can Shape Your Event Strategy, AdWords Agency Blog
• Why Your Business Can’t Afford To Ignore PPC, koozai.com

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.