SearchCap: The Day In Search, July 27, 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:

• Report: Bing Generates More Clicks Than Google

  Chitika, a veritable fountain of data lately, has generated some new interesting findings from activity on its search-based advertising network. The company compared ad click behavior on Google and Bing and found that Bing generated about 50% more clicks:
  Across the sample of nearly 15 million impressions used for this study, Google users clicked on […]

• How To Focus On Content To Create Great Linkbait

  Linkbait is quality content that people want to share or link to due to its engaging layout, ideas, and concepts. Although the name ‘linkbait’ sometimes carries a negative connotation, the fact remains that it is a great way to drive traffic, get links, contribute to the web, and share ideas. For bloggers and writers that […]

• Google Webmaster Tools SiteNotices For Site Error Notifications

  The Google Webmaster Central Blog announced they are stepping up their notifications within Webmaster Tools. They will now send “SiteNotices” for a “significant increase” in unreachable content, that is when GoogleBot cannot reach a number of pages on your web site.
  Here is a picture of what a SiteNotice may look like:

  Google will only send […]

• Yahoo Japan Switches To Google, Microsoft Calls It ‘Anti-Competitive’

  AllThingsD reported that the Softbank majority owned Yahoo Japan has decided to replace Yahoo Search (soon Yahoo-Bing) with Google. Yahoo owns a minority stake in Yahoo Japan and so can’t control or block the decision.
  According to a statement released by Yahoo it will “support” the deal as it is contractually bound to do:
  Yahoo! Japan announced […]

• Ask Comes Full Circle With “Q&A” Offering

  As Matt posted earlier this evening Ask is in beta on a new approach to search, or perhaps more accurately: a return to an earlier approach but with greater experience and sophistication. The IAC-owned company is returning, conceptually, to its origins as a question & answer engine, when human editors were involved. This has been […]

• Choosing Domain Names For International Business

  If you’re choosing domain names for your business with the intention of going global, then you have quite a lot to think about. You might want to incorporate keywords in your domain name — but how do you handle this across multiple different languages? Or you might choose an invented new word to be your domain — but how do you check if that will work in international markets. A few simple checks prevent lots of pain!

• Wolfram|Alpha Query Widget Builder

  Wolfram|Alpha, the fact engine has released a neat new feature today. Wolfram|Alpha is allowing anyone to build query driven widgets that can be embedded on any web page.
  The purpose is to enable publishers, bloggers, professors, teachers and so on to easily build quick widgets to add to their content and materials. […]

• The New Ask.com: A Little Bit Search, A Little Bit Answers

  As we (and others) hinted a couple weeks ago, Ask.com is re-launching as a cross between a traditional search engine and the question-and-answer service that it was back in the site’s heyday.
  NOTE: SEE OUR FOLLOW-UP PIECE, Ask Comes Full Circle With “Q&A” Offering

  The new Ask.com homepage represents a pretty dramatic change. Search is still […]

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• Google Punch, Google Operating System
• Translation and undo smartquotes in documents, Official Google Docs Blog

Business Issues

• ComScore Admits It Screwed Yahoo (YHOO), San Francisco Chronicle
• comScore Reports Error in Yahoo! June Page View and Duration Metrics, Yahoo Press Releases
• Google Cuts Ties With China Ad Agents, InformationWeek
• New Questions Emerge In Facebook Lawsuit, Forbes
• Yahoo changing its model for building media products, San Francisco Chronicle

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Google Places Police, Search Engine Journal
• Yelp Gears Up To Take On Groupon, Starts Testing Local Deals, TechCrunch
• Camera Scanning On The IPhone App, Bing Community
• Google Launches Licensing Service For Android Applications, thenextweb.com
• Google Places team answers questions via YouTube, Google LatLong

Link Building

• 8 New Link Types That Exist On The Web, outspokenmedia.com
• If Links Age, What Are The Possibilities, Search Engine Roundtable

Paid Search & Contextual

• Updates to how our partners work with advertisers, Inside AdWords

Searching

• Back to the future: Why push technologies and search are about to explode, VentureBeat
• Can you make the realtime results more conspicuous?, YouTube

SEO & SEM

• Primal: Semantically Driven Keyword Research and Brainstorming Assistant, Search Engine Journal
• Search Engine Optimization: Why Image Alt Tags are Important, Bill Hartzer
• Should I remove widgets that increase my site’s load time?, YouTube
• 12 Ways Your SEO Mileage May Vary, Search Engine Watch
• Adding PowerReviews to the Google Product Reviews Program, Google Merchant Blog
• Blog Your Way to Success With Frequency and Long Tail Keywords, dailyseotip.com
• Branded vs Keyword-Rich Domain Names, Search Engine Journal
• Digg Vs. Reddit: The Infographic, TechCrunch
• Four Tips to Effectively Manage Data in an SEO World, SEO.com
• Google’s One Language Per Page Rule, Search Engine Roundtable
• Playing Brand DE-FENSE With Search Reputation Management, Search Engine Watch
• SEO Chrome Toolbar is Here! Download the Mozbar for Chrome Today, SEOmoz
• SEO Hot Tub – 16th July 2010, BruceClay
• Site Navigation is integral to Information Architecture, Search Engine Journal
• The Thinning Line Between SEO and Social Media, Search Engine Journal
• Video: Why SEO Fundamentals Still Matter, WebProNews

Social Media

• Now You Can Bump iPhones to Connect on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, mashable.com
• Twitter Begins Testing Inline Photos And Videos On Its Website, TechCrunch
• 7 Ways To Make More Social Media Friends Who Matter, AIM Clear Blog

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

• Will the Old Spice Guy Get Old? – One of my biggest concerns was that what started as a phenomenal idea might get old quickly, becoming a joke rather than making them. So I think their timing in that sense is perfect — avoiding the issue of overexposure.
• What Do You Love About Your Favorite Bloggers? – Great tips from Lisa Barone of Outspoken Media on what it takes to be a blogger that people will add to their feedreaders.