SearchCap: The Day In Search, December 29, 2010

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 Fights Order To Surrender Names Of Search Marketers

  A federal judge has ordered Google to reveal the identities of four AdWords advertisers who were clients of search engine marketing agency Wpromote. The order comes as part of a lawsuit involving Google’s AdSense for Domains and AdSense for Errors programs, in which plaintiffs argue that the search company placed their ads on low-quality web […]

• Google And George Clooney Founded NGO Launch “Anti-Genocide Paparazzi” Project To Prevent Sudanese Violence

  Satellites have long been used for good and ill but never before have they been marshaled to help prevent human rights abuses and political violence — before they happen. But that’s the aim of a project that involves the UN, Google, Harvard and a non-profit organization called Not On Our Watch, co-founded by US actor […]

• Paul Allen Refiles Patent Suit Against Google, Facebook, Yahoo & Others

  As expected, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has re-filed his patent infringement lawsuit against some of the biggest companies on the web. The suit alleges that 11 companies have infringed on technology developed in the 1990s by Interval Licensing (AKA Interval Research Corporation), one of Allen’s companies. The 11 companies named in the suit are Google, […]

• Want To Speak @ SMX West? Here’s How

  The agenda is live, and we’re now accepting submissions to speak at Search Marketing Expo – SMX West 2011, March 8-10, 2011 at the San Jose McEnry Convention Center. To increase the odds of being selected, be sure to read the agenda. Understand what the sessions are about. Ensure that your pitch is on target […]

Search News From Around The Web:

Business Issues

• Why Google Needs Bing to Be Better (BIDU, GOOG, MSFT, OPEN), fool.com
• Google TV’s Death Greatly Exaggerated: Logitech, MSNBC

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Google Maps Reverting UK Junction Labels & Fixing My Maps Printer Issues, Search Engine Roundtable

Link Building

• How To Create Link Bait Content, ProBlogger

Paid Search & Contextual

• All boat design is a compromise – Rubbish, Duckworks
• Holiday reminder about IDs, AdWords API Blog
• You’ve Been Issued A Payment From Google AdSense Email, Search Engine Roundtable

Searching

• Google’s First OneBox for Web Search Results, Google Operating System

SEM Industry

• Interview with Lisa Barone, Chief Branding Officer at Outspoken Media, Search Engine Journal

SEO & SEM

• The power of Google Universal Search, Optimisation V
• 10 Search Engine Marketing Statistics for B2B Marketers in 2011, KoMarketing Associates
• Breaking Down the Mormon SEO Strategy, Distilled blog
• Google On How To Structure An Adult Site, Search Engine Roundtable
• HTML Entities In Google AdWords Sitelinks, Search Engine Roundtable
• The SEO Wish List – Part 3 Pages and Content, Vertical Leap Blog

Recent Hot Items From Sphinn, Our Social News Sharing Site:

• “Merry Christmas” vs. “Happy Holidays” showdown – nearly double the conversion rate! – Here's a short & sweet case study showing the difference in click-thru rates on emails that address the recipient with "Merry Christmas" versus "Happy Holidays" — it proves the benefits of testing.
• Fifteen Questions to Ask Your Future Website Designer – So what should you look for when hiring a website designer? While this will vary based on your individual needs, there are fifteen criteria and/or questions that I consider fairly universal to the process of selecting a website designer. This may not be all-inclusive, but it is a great starting point for locating and interviewing a consultants or design firms.