SearchCap: The Day In Search, December 19, 2013

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 Latest Transparency Report Shows Rise In Content Removal Requests From Russia & Turkey
  Google announced today it has released its eighth Transparency Report since 2010 when the search engine began providing data on government requests to remove content. According to the latest Transparency Report covering the first half of 2013, Google saw a “significant” increase in the number of requests from Turkey and Russia, with Russia’s requests to […]
• Confirmed: Google Reduces Authorship Rich Snippets In Search Results
  The head of search spam at Google, Matt Cutts, has confirmed with us that Google has applied a 15% reduction in the amount of rich snippets displayed in the search results. Matt Cutts announced at PubCon a couple months ago that this would happen, saying that the ability to have and use rich snippets may […]
• SMX West Rates Increase Saturday – Register Now & Save $300!
  SMX West Super Early Bird rates – the lowest offered – expire Saturday, December 21st. Register now for an All Access pass and join us in San Jose March 11-13. Here’s what you get: Exceptional content: 60 tactic-packed sessions, inspiring keynotes and clinics Invaluable connections: Meet others attendees and the expert speakers pre-show and in-person […]
• Google Denies A Major Update On December 17th
  Yesterday, most of the Google search results tracking tools showed major changes in rankings within Google’s search results; but, during my analysis of webmaster communication within the discussion forums and social space, I saw very little discussion around changes in rankings at Google. Then, Google’s Matt Cutts implied there was no update on Twitter saying […]
• Google Maps Pegman Is Now Santa For Christmas
  If you go to Google Maps and look at the Pegman used for browsing street view images, you will see the Pegman is wearing a Santa hat. The Santa Pegman is not new, it was shown to us when Google had a welcome back party for the Pegman in the new version of Google Maps. […]
• What Will 2014 Bring For Local Search? 6 Predictions
  Another year is closing and search marketers are anxiously looking ahead to what is on the horizon for local search in 2014. As opportunity grows for businesses to connect with customers via search, so do the challenges of determining the best approach and the potential for search engines to change the game entirely, as Google […]

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

• How Ad Retargeting Ruined Christmas
• Now Official: Google Glass Supports iOS With MyGlass App
• Allstate’s “Holiday Home Decorator” Site Lets You Decorate Your House, Then Mayhem Guy Destroys It
• Facebook Now Number 2 In US Digital Ad Sales, Thanks To Mobile [eMarketer]
• Studies Show Instagram Ads Boost Recall, Awareness
• Report: Online Retailers See A 30% Increase In Site Traffic During Thanksgiving Week
• Mobile Activity On Xmas Eve 24 Pct. Higher Than Black Friday
• SMX West Rates Increase Saturday – Register Now & Save $300!
• New To Mobile SEO? 5 To-Dos To Help You Start 2014 With A Bang
• Holiday Social Media Marketing: Wonders & Blunders You Can Learn From

Search News From Around The Web:

Industry

• Spain privacy watchdog fines Google for breaking data law, Reuters

Local & Maps

• Google’s Location History Browser Is A Minute-By-Minute Map Of Your Life, TechCrunch

Link Building

• Yahoo! tests green search ads, allgoogletesting.blogspot.com

Searching

• 2013: A Visual Year, Bing Search Blog

SEO

• Authorshippocalypse! Has the Google Authorship Penguin Finally Appeared?, Virante Orange Juice
• Barnacle SEO for Local Business Success, Sixth Man Marketing
• Did Google Help or Hurt SEO in 2013?, Search Engine Watch
• How to Succeed at SEO with Social Media Marketing, The ExactTarget Blog
• I Am an Entity: Hacking the Knowledge Graph, Moz
• SEO for Lawyers: 4 Tips to Get New Clients through Your Website, BruceClay.com
• Trade in Your PR & Creative Agencies. SEOs Do it Better., seogadget.com
• Why White Hat SEO Will Win And Black Hat SEO Will Lose, top5seo.co.uk
• Wikipedia and SEO: what every digital marketer needs to know, Econsultancy

SEM / Paid Search

• A Guide to all the Google AdWords PPC Settings, stateofdigital.com
• Always segment PLAs at the SKU level!, 3Q Digital
• Engagement Ads for Everyone, Inside AdWords
• Google AdWords – A Year in Review, Luna Metrics
• Mastering PPC: Improving Conversion Rate, SEER Interactive
• Mastering PPC: PLAs – Mysteriously Murder Your eComm Competition with PLAs, SEER Interactive

Search Marketing

• The Shape of Things to Come: Google in 2014, Moz