SearchCap: The Day In Search, August 15, 2007

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

From Search Engine Land:

• 
  Leveraging Existing Assets For B2B SEO
  The typical B2B company often has plenty of literature available on its products and services. Once closely guarded as proprietary and available only to prospects vetted by the sales staff, this literature increasingly appears on company websites as B2B companies struggle to differentiate and distance themselves from competitors. While…
• 
  Will ‘SmartAds’ Give Yahoo An Edge In Online Display Advertising?
  The Wall Street Journal explores Yahoo’s recently debuted “SmartAds” (prior coverage here), which mix behavioral targeting with other forms of targeting and dynamic elements to deliver a reportedly better response to display advertisers. The new ad platform was tested in Yahoo Travel and reportedly performed well (2x to 3x CTRs…
• 
  Reaction Towards Google’s New AdWords Promotion Formula Change
  A week ago today, I wrote about new changes coming to Google AdWords under the title of Want That Top Ad Position On Google? The Rules Are About To Change. As I explained, Google is changing some of the criteria on how an ad gets promoted from the normal sponsored…
• 
  Yahoo Local Gets A Sophisticated Makeover
  Yahoo is arguably the leader in local search, but others including Google, Microsoft and Yelp have been rapidly gaining. The search engine’s venerable Local site was in need of a refresh, which it has now received. With a redesign partly inspired by the Yahoo OurCity sites in India, the new…

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• The Building Blocks of Google Browser, Google Operating System
• Export Your Google AdWords Reports to Google Spreadsheets, Search Engine Roundtable
• Your success stories wanted, Google Analytics Blog
• Google browser rumors surface again, News.com
• Yahoo! shopping adds security information, BigMouthMedia

Business Issues

• Modavox Cashing In On AOL’s Tacoda, Adotas
• Google vs. the World, Search Engine Watch
• Denuo Hires Former Yahoo Exec, MediaPost Publications

Conferences

• Ask.com at SES Chicago 2006, Ask.com Blog
• SMX and Local and Mobile and Puerto and Rico, SEOish
• Bruce Clay visits Search Engine Bootcamp, Melbourne, Marketing Pilgrim
• Got SEM Questions? Ask Them Virtually At Search Engine Strategies, Search Engine Roundtable
• 12 Tips to Optimize Your Networking at Search Conferences, SEOmoz
• Microsoft adCenter at Search Engine Strategies in San Jose, adCenter Blog
• Schedule for Search Engine Strategies San Jose 2007, BruceClay.com
• Search Engine Strategies San Jose 2007 – Parties Update, Search Engine Journal
• Women’s Luncheon at SES San Jose! from, Search Marketing Gurus

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Planning a trip using Google Maps, Google LatLong
• Google denies Oz-blurring black op, Channel Register

Link Building

• Worlds Worst Link Exchange Request, BlogStorm

Paid Search & Contextual

• Google To Fix AdWords Editor Stalling Bug, Search Engine Roundtable

Searching

• Yet Another People Search Engine: Peek You, John Battelle’s Searchblog

SEM Industry

• Talk like a Googler: parts of a url, Matt Cutts
• Does Google Really Hate SEO’s?, ZDNet

SEO & SEM

• Yahoo Tactics Associating Geographic Search with Searcher Location, SEO By The Sea
• SEO Services: Value Meal or Consulting that Provides Value?, Online Marketing Blog

Social Media

• The Impact of Social Media on Search Rankings, Search Engine Guide
• Facebook Adds RSS Feeds to Friend Updates, Rev2.org
• Social Media Manipulation Runs Rampant, SEOmoz
• Vote On the Most Shameful Wikipedia Spin Jobs, Wired Blogs

Video, Music & Image Search

• UMG, Navio, Google Release New Paid Music Service, MarketingVOX

Web Analytics

• Survey-Based Customer Satisfaction Tool, Search Engine Watch

Other Items

• Facebook iPhone = UltraCool, Techcrunch
• DirecTV to offer broadband over powerline this year, Engadget
• Doodle: Korea Liberation Day and India Independence Day, Googlified
• Google Grabs 90% Of The French, WebProNews

Hot Items From Sphinn, Our Social News Sharing Site:

• 10 Questions With Michael Gray (aka Graywolf)
• If you socialize through the internet you’re putting your life, and your possessions, at risk
• Women’s Luncheon at SES San Jose
• Why youíll never be able to automate Search Engine Marketing
• Little Known Source of Expert SEO Tips Revealed
• Top 10 Excuses for Not Sphinning a Good Article
• Worlds Worst Link Exchange Request
• Barry Schwartz’s bird files for ex-bird status
• SEO Quick Reference Sheet
• Gaming Google – It Really Is That Easy…
• 10 Reasons Why RSS Beats Email