SearchCap: The Day In Search, March 26, 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:

• Does CEO Coffee Summit Equal Détente For Apple, Google?

  Gizmodo shows amazing pictures of Steve Jobs and Google CEO Eric Schmidt having coffee in a public place in Palo Alto, CA. Here is one of the shots from the encounter, which reportedly ended or moved when a crowd started gathering:

  While Apple and Google were close partners and even collaborators for several years Google’s Android […]

• Facebook Nabs Google’s David Fischer & Google Nabs Oracle’s Amit Singh

  We had two interesting employments changes at Google reported both at AllThingsD. First, Google lost their VP of Global Online Sales & Operations, David Fischer to Facebook. Then we learn that Google hired Oracle’s 20-year executive, Amit Singh. Amit will be Google’s VP of International Sales for Google’s enterprise business.
  David Fischer will be […]

• CPA Vs. ROI Optimization: What’s The Best Practice?

  Performance measure on a CPA basis is usually is a limitation of tracking – the advertiser cannot associate true revenue with the conversion. Managing to an ROI, and moreover, managing to maximize profit margin for each keyword will open up new doors for PPC efficiency.

• Q&A With Brian Clifton, Google Analytics Guru Extrodinaire

  Brian Clifton (PhD) is an independent author, consultant and trainer who specializes in performance optimization using Google Analytics. Brian has been involved in web design and SEO since as far back as 1997, when he built his first website and started defining best practise to advise clients. From 2005-8 he was Head of Web […]

• Google Fights “Pogostick Searchers” With New “Get More” Option

  It’s common for searchers to do a search, click on a result, then go back to the results page and select another listing or do a new search. Now Google’s fighting this “pogosticking” behavior, as it is known, with a new feature – “Get More” links that appear when a searcher comes back to the […]

• Managing Tail Terms: Balancing Risk & Reward

  The savvy search marketer always explores tail terms to improve overall performance. If done right, tail terms can convert better than the head and can also be cheaper in terms of Cost Per Click (CPC). Hence, effective tail management lifts the performance of the overall campaign.
  When exploring the tail, marketers are always faced with the […]

• Creating An Emotional Response From Your Web Site

  I hadn’t seen my artist friend in nearly a year, nor was I even sure he was still painting. But there I was the other day, standing with him in his art studio, chatting about the new things he wanted me to add to his web site. Suddenly he led me to one […]

• The Things That Facebook Causes, According To Google, Yahoo & Bing

  I had a good chuckle over the news yesterday that Facebook apparently has caused an increase in syphilis (or not). So reported the Daily Telegraph, which turns around today to add that to a list of other things Facebook supposedly causes, such as cancer or a surge in rickets. Anything missing? How about […]

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• Here’s How Google TV Will Work – And What It Might Mean, videonuze.com
• Wikimedia gets ready for some big changes, Wikimedia blog

Business Issues

• Four VC Firms Battle For Foursquare, Valuation Goes Stratospheric, TechCrunch
• Google finds few allies in China battle, Reuters
• Another Step in Open Site Governance, Facebook
• Next steps for our experimental fiber network, Official Google Blog
• Speculation: Google To Disallow Search Partners From Changing User’s Default Settings, Search Engine Roundtable
• Yahoo to give Boys Town in Nebraska $25,000, Nebraska

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Google Mobile App now available for BlackBerry Storm, Official Google Mobile Blog
• Imagery update, Google LatLong

Link Building

• Linkscape Index Update and a Peek Behind the Curtains, SEOmoz

Paid Search & Contextual

• Discover v2009: Do more with mutate, AdWords API Blog
• Google AdWords ReMarketing – Everything You Need to Know, Portent Interactive
• Google Backs 3rd Part AdWords Webinar by Top Forum Contributor, Search Engine Roundtable
• Improve your account structure to improve your results, Inside AdWords

Searching

• Google To Fix Google China Bug With /NCR URL, Search Engine Roundtable
• New Math Features in Wolfram|Alpha, Wolfram|Alpha Blog

SEM Industry

• Video Recap of Weekly Search Buzz :: March 26, 2010, Search Engine Roundtable

SEO & SEM

• Google Webmaster Tools Verification Goes Down, Search Engine Roundtable
• Is Alexa Relevant in 2010?, SEO Book
• The Fastest Easiest Cheapest Keyword Research Tool, Vertical Measures
• Whiteboard Friday – Influence of Usage Data, SEOmoz

Social Media

• 9 Social Media Topics that Need To Die, altitudebranding.com
• Twitter’s Stone Teases New Details About Those Money-Making Plans Coming Next Month, paidContent.org
• Facebook To Release A “Like” Button For the Whole Darn Internet, TechCrunch

Video, Music & Image Search

• New video page adds comments highlight view and ratings improvements, YouTube Blog

Web Analytics

• Facebook Insights To Take On Google Analytics, All Facebook

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

• Clearing The Air on VerifiedSEO.com
• Qualifying SEO clients; keeping Pareto at bay
• Nine common SEO campaign mistakes
• How to Smartly Interlink Your Blog Content with SEO Smart Links