SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 20, 2008

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.

From Search Engine Land:

• Local Business Marketing Tip: Turn Economic Lemons Into Sales Lemonade For The Holidays
  The chain-reaction of foreclosures, mortgage company failures, banking sector woes, and see-sawing stock market are making for a very scary-looking retail season here in the fourth quarter. The U.S. Department of Commerce recently said that business sales have dropped the largest amount in two years, further fueling speculation that the holiday shopping season might […]
• Google Hosting Live Chat Event Wednesday
  Google has announced the third ever webmaster live chat event is taking place this Wednesday at 9am (PST) or noon (EST). You can register for the event over here, Google will be using Google Moderator for the management of questions. Adam Lasnik is introducing the event, while John Mueller will be presenting for […]
• OK, We Admit It: Paid Search Works Best for High Intent Prospects
  Since 2002, we who advocate the paid search niche of marketing have been pretty vocal about how much more this stuff can do than people realize. It’s not pure direct marketing, we’ve pleaded. It can do other stuff too! It can sing, dance, weld, flutter, soar, and giggle. It deodorizes, disinfects, […]
• Google Beefs Up Lobbying Efforts In DC And Among Advertisers To Support Paid Search Deal With Yahoo
  An extensive piece in the NY Times from Sunday discusses the behind-the-scenes drama of the Google-Yahoo paid search deal and how Microsoft has worked to derail it. Consumer and advertiser groups have also expressed objections to the potential arrangement. Entitled “Google Learns Lessons in the Ways of Washington,” it further describes how the Mountain View […]
• Missing Data In Google Webmaster Tools? Check Your Domain Name
  The Google Webmaster Central Blog has a post on common questions sent to them about data issues found in Google Webmaster Tools. The short answer that Google gives is that if the data is off, then it might be due to your site being listed in Google as both the www and non-www and […]
• Yahoo Plans Major Layoffs & Cost Cuts
  TechCrunch reports Yahoo is planning of laying off between 1,000 and 3,000 employees. Yahoo Plans Major Cost Cuts, Including Layoffs from the Wall Street Journal expect the cuts to start as early as tomorrow. The cuts come after Yahoo hired consulting firm Bain & Co. to cut costs and improve efficiencies. Yahoo has been struggling […]
• Microsoft Rebranding Live Search As Windows Live Search?
  The LiveSide blog reports on screen captures showing that Microsoft may be testing rebranding Live Search as Windows Live Search. Here is a snippet from one of the screen captures: As you can see, Microsoft is testing adding in the “Windows” brand, before Live Search. Danny and I have often mocked Microsoft for changing […]
• SMX West 2009 Registration Now Open
  We’ve now launched the site for Search Marketing Expo – SMX West 2009. The event will be held February 10-12, 2009 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Pre Agenda Rate Available We’ve held the line on rates for this year’s show. Register now at the pre-agenda rate of just $995! Once the agenda […]

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• Destruction Of Bloglines Now Complete; Founder Prepares To Switch To Google Reader, TechCrunch
• Google Chrome Adds Greasemonkey Support, GHacks
• Google ordered to disclose data on Gmail user, ITworld
• Yahoo Changing Its Home Page, Gradually, New York Times

Business Issues

• Search engine startup SearchMe cuts 20 percent of staff, VentureBeat
• Twitter to Get Down to Business in 2009, Investors Say, Wired
• Why Is Jerry Yang Still In Charge?, Newsweek
• Google CEO Backs Obama, Wall Street Journal
• Google Diluting Quality To Remain Profitable, ShoeMoney
• Google Turns to Direct Response TV, AdWeek
• Rough Seas Ahead?, AdWeek

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Motorola Readies Its Own Android Social Smartphone, BusinessWeek

Link Building

• 7 Things You Can Do With Xenu Link Sleuth, Search Engine Journal
• Do You Hate Link Building?, Link Building Best Practices
• How to Get Blogs to Link to Your Posts, ProBlogger

Paid Search & Contextual

• Google monetizes start page, vocal minority gets vocal, Ars Technica
• Introduction to Language and Market Distribution and Geo-Targeting in adCenter, adCenter Blog for Advertisers
• A Prisoner’s Dilemma? PPC Advertising During The Current Financial Crisis, Rimm Kaufman
• AdSense for RSS Feeds – How Contextual Are the Ads?, ProBlogger
• Bringing search ads to file sharers, Los Angeles Times
• Learn the Pros and Cons of Each PPC Search Engine, PPC Hero
• Tips On Getting a Perfect 10 on Google Quality Score, Search Engine Roundtable

Searching

• Google Exec Disses Google’s In-House Search, InternetNews
• xTreme movers, Live Search
• A potted history of search engines, E-Consultancy
• Search Engine Scour Ramps Up Search Speed, altsearchengines.com
• Traverse Legal launches UDRP Search Engine, Dominik Mueller

SEM Industry

• How To Block The Bots SEOmoz *Isn’t* Telling You About, Smackdown!
• Open Letter to Google : Why Have You Taken Away my Google & GMail Accounts?, Search Engine Journal
• SMX Singapore Keynote – Gillian Muessig, Search Marketing Gurus
• Hidden text on a television, Matt Cutts
• Lauren Cobb: Search Blogger of the Day, The SEO Scoop
• Professor Lawrence Lessig to Keynote at SES Chicago, Search Engine Watch Blog
• PubCon Las Vegas Kickoff Keynote Address, PubCon
• Scary SEO Rocks My Monkey, Rhea Drysdale

SEO & SEM

• Search Engines and the Most Popular Search Terms, SEO By The Sea
• Comprehensive Guide to Keyword Research, Selection & Organization, Part VII, Search Engine Guide
• Does Ferrari Need SEO and PPC Help, Michael Gray
• Error in Google’s robots.txt Docs, SEO Speedwagon
• Google Webmaster Tools is Incorrectly Displaying Keyword Positions, Search Engine Roundtable
• Why Does Google Try To Crawl When My Site Is Not Public?, Search Engine Roundtable

Social Media

• Your photo albums just got more fun, Orkut Blog
• Yahoo’s Profile Mess, TechCrunch
• Linking the Real Web with Virtual Worlds, Wall Street Journal
• Obama campaign launches Facebook Connect integration, Webware

Video, Music & Image Search

• Google Image Search October 2008 Update, Search Engine Roundtable
• Hulu drops georetardation on SNL clips, still blocking others freely available, Inquisitr
• SearchMe Adds Music Search With Unlimited Streaming Via Imeem Widgets, TechCrunch

Web Analytics

• Tips and tools for maximizing holiday sales, Google Analytics Blog

Other Items

• A Googlicious time, Official Google Blog
• Frozen Slush Possibly Inspired by Google’s April Fool’s Day Prank, Digital Inspiration

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

• Ultimate Google Analytics Plugins, Hacks & Tricks Collection
• Keep Anchor Text Links Under 55 Characters In Length?
• Can I Get Out Of SEOmoz's Linkscape Or Not?
• Alexis Ohanian Is So Much Cooler Than That Panzy Ass Kevin Rose
• 7 Things You Can Do With Xenu Link Sleuth
• Where’s Your Social Media Weakness?
• Ann Smarty: How Guest Blogging Backfires
• Public Speaking Tips To Improve Presentation Skills
• SEO-Time for a Reality Check
• Open Letter to Google : Why Have You Taken Away my Google & GMail Accounts?
• Should Sphinn Close Comments?
• Domain Moving Day the Key Relevance Way
• Social Media Campaigns: Doing It Right
• How to Find SEO Competitor Keywords, Social Media & Backlinks
• How To: Successful Reinclusion Requests
• Social Media Vulnerable & Open To Abuse
• The Internet Marketer's Handbook
• How To Block The Bots SEOmoz *Isn't* Telling You About
• SMX East Charity Party Raises $13,000+!