SearchCap: The Day In Search, June 29, 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:

• 
  That 25% New Queries Figure? Ballpark Estimate, Says Google
  Last week we had a lot of attention over Google saying 20 to 25% of queries are new. Well, it turns out that the figure is not an exact figure. Google now said it is a ballpark figure, as quoted on Google Blogoscoped: First, I want to clarify that we…
• 
  Search in Pictures: Flying High, Signs & Google Chicken
  In this week’s Search In Pictures, here are the latest images culled from the web, showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have and more….
• 
  Searcharazzi: Potpourri
  How, we ask, can Searcharazzi compete with the iPhone today? Any salacious details on the first malfunctions? Disappointed users? Easter egg functionality? Do tell, as Searcharazzi is not exactly camping out in front of an Apple Store. We did, of course, get our email from Apple saying that the…
• 
  Google Launches “Question and Answers” In Russia
  Googling Google reports Google Russia has launched a Questions & Answers service in Russia. Although Google closed down Google Answers late last year, this launch of Questions & Answers is a new flavor of such an application. To me, it looks more like a Google Groups approach than anything else….
• 
  Google Sued In UK For Defamatory Postings In Search Results
  Google sued over defamatory postings found on web search from The Independent reports that the company could be held liable for the publication of inaccurate, malicious or damaging material on the internet, even though Google did not create the content and is simply listing what’s found on the web. The…
• 
  “Negative SEO” – Harming Your Competitors With SEO
  The Saboteurs Of Search from Forbes has been getting some buzz from around the search industry. In short, the article interviews two SEOs about how they can potentially use “negative SEO” tactics to harm a site in Google….
• 
  Google Released Referrals Beta To All
  The Inside AdSense blog announced the launch of “Referrals 2.0.” Now instead of AdSense publishers seeing only Google ads within their referrals section of the AdSense setup page, they will also see ads from Google’s AdWords advertisers. The new releases for this Pay Per Action product include: Mass release to…
• 
  The “Slums” Of Search
  A few weeks ago in Toronto at Search Engine Strategies, I mentioned in one of the sessions I was moderating that in Canada, the sponsored search listings are the slums of the results page. In this case, I meant that until the big brands and the recognized advertisers move…
• 
  Google Customizes Map Directions
  Not long ago Google introduced an “avoid highways” checkbox on Maps that provides alternative routing. Now Google has gone much further in that direction (so to speak), allowing users to drag icons on the map to create customized routing. With each change directions update automatically. Here’s the Google Lat Long…
• 
  Yahoo Search Marketing Adds New Keyword Tool & More Features To Panama
  Yahoo will be launching new features within Panama today. The features include: An improved keyword selector tool giving you an estimate of the monthly searches. An easy way to move and copy keywords from one ad group to another. To do this, go to your ad group page and under…

Search News Headlines From Elsewhere

Applications & Portal Features

• “Enterprise”
  Google Gadgets, Google Enterprise Blog
• AOL
  Betas: Full Integration of Instant Messenging with AOL Webmail,
  ResourceShelf

Business Issues

• Net
  neutrality, con’t (part 3): payment for bandwidth, Google Public
  Policy Blog

• Yahoo
  hires ethics chief officer, News.com

• Microsoft’s
  Latest, Best Hope in Search, BusinessWeek
• Former
  Sony CEO joins Baidu’s board, Webwereld

Paid Search & Contextual

• Yahoo
  Search Marketing Ads Rotating Via Flash on Yahoo Internal Pages,
  Search Engine Journal
• Top Google
  AdSense Ad is Highest Paying AdSense Ad, Search Engine Roundtable
• MSN ContentAds
  are Now Live to All Advertisers, Search Engine Roundtable

Searching

• Savvy
  Little Searchers, Search Engine Watch
• Credibility Versus Popularity,
  Hakia Blog

• Powerset:
  The natural language search mashup platform, ZDnet

• So,
  You Really Want to Integrate Search?, Out of my Gord
• Google Janitors Clean Up Facts
  on the Web, SEO by the SEA

• A
  Selection of Recently Published Patent Applications from Microsoft: From
  Factoid Search to Ad Keyword Cross-Selling, ResourceShelf

SEM Industry

• Reader
  Poll: Best Blog Content, Online Marketing Blog

• Comments
  on our webmaster guidelines?, Matt Cutts

SEO & SEM

• How
  to Protect Your Site from Canonical Triggers, Search Engine Journal
• Synergy Between
  Domain Names & Keyword Based Search Engine Optimization
  Strategies, SEO Book.com
• I’m
  Just Tired of Craigslist and Wikipedia’s in Commercial Serps, Wolf
  Howl
• Black
  SEO Tactics – Fighting Dirty, Fantomaster
• Network
  Solutions Guarantees Top Search Engine Rankings, Search Engine
  Roundtable
• Stop
  In-house SEO Disasters Now!, Search Engine Watch
• Online Auction
  Listings Ranking Lower in the SERPs?, Search Engine Roundtable
• The Google
  Parasites, eWeek
• SEO
  & Blogging Success Story : Diabetes Blog Earns $40K per Year,
  Search Engine Journal

Social Media

• Why
  Use Digg Search When You Have Google Search?, Pronet Advertising
• Twitter
  to nab VC funds?, News.com
• Whiteboard
  Friday – “Sneaky Link Liaison”, SEOmoz
• Is
  There a Tipping Point in Social Media?, Techpedia

Video, Music & Image Search

• MySpace
  to follow rival’s lead, Financial Times
• Video
  Search Optimization Tech Tips Knowing the 4 P’s, Search Engine Watch

Other Items

• Fashion:
  The new Larry Page, Valleywag
• The Tech Lab:
  Bradley Horowitz, BBC News
• Yahoo!
  Announces Small Biz Winners, Entrepreneur