SearchCap: The Day In Search, September 21, 2011

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

From Search Engine Land:

• Bing “Action Buttons” Lets You Book Flights, Rent Cars & More

  Bing announced a new feature in the search results named “Action Buttons.” Action buttons give you quick links to perform specific actions on specific web sites. IF you are searching for an airline, the Bing action buttons may include items like check flight status, book a flight or check in to a flight. If you […]

• Live Blog: Yelp, NexTag & Others At The US Senate Hearing

  OK, it’s round two. And I can tell you no, don’t expect much. How do you clear the press table when Google competitors are about to testify at a Senate hearing? Have Eric Schmidt do a post-game recap in the hearing room hallway. He’s done, I’m back, will catch up as best I can. Susan […]

• 13,000 Precision Evaluations: Schmidt’s Testimony Reveals How Google Tests Algorithm Changes

  Precision evaluations. Side-by-side experiments with human focus groups. Click evaluations. All of it led to more than 500 algorithm changes in 2010. Eric Schmidt is speaking today at a Senate subcommittee hearing in Washington, DC, about Google’s business practices, and answering claims that Google’s business practices are anti-competitive. As part of his appearance, Schmidt (as […]

• Twitter Buys Julpan To Boost Content Discovery

  Twitter has acquired Julpan, a small start-up search service in New York that had focused on analyzing social activity in order to improve search results. Twitter says the acquisition will be used to boost its ability to help users discover interesting content. “We’re looking at how to best surface content to users based on their […]

• Live Blog: Google CEO Eric Schmidt At The US Senate Hearing

  Today’s the day. Google CEO Eric Schmidt is being called on the carpet in front of a US Senate subcommittee, to talk about whether his company is a monopolistic orge. I’m here, live blogging. Fun starts at 2pm ET. Here’s a quick note. I barely made it in, went to the wrong place, long story, […]

• Am I KW Crazy? A Guide To Tackling An Ubercompetitive Keyword Strategy

  In which I recommend (a very limited) focus on ranking reports . . . I’ve long railed against the stupidity of keyword ranking reports and the insufferable myopic thrashing that occurs when consultants or business units get wound around the axle trying to diagnose a two spot slip for a favorite pet term. (Or worse, […]

• How To Watch Today’s Google Hearing On The Web & Television

  The Google hearing in Congress is less than an hour away. It’s scheduled to begin at 2:00 pm Eastern. Here’s a guide where to watch (and listen) on television and online. Television The hearing will air on C-SPAN3. It’s available on some cable systems (incl. FiOS and AT&T Uverse) and on Dish Network (Channel 212). […]

• 3 Steps To Ensure Accountability For B2B SEO Results

  Since every marketing dollar counts, especially in this tough economy, how can you get the most out of your search investment? Here are three critical questions every B2B marketer should be asking their agency or in-house search marketing team, to hold them accountable for results. Keyword Targeting Methodology Every effective search program is built on […]

• Keyword Optimization For Retargeting: Why Automation Matters

  Search marketing practitioners get the value of keyword optimization. When it is applied, honed and refined over time, a high-value corporate asset emerges: keyword lists that translate into powerful institutional knowledge. But is there an opportunity to create the same sort of asset beyond search? Absolutely. Search retargeting can provide marketers with a totally transparent, […]

• Stupid Short URL Tricks: Content Swapping, QR Codes, Mobile Microsites & More

  How many links are there still floating around the Internet pointing to old, outdated content? How many links are now returning 404 errors because the content has disappeared altogether? What can you do with your webinar registration links once the webinar is over? The obvious answer is to change where the links point. While this […]

• Master Social Media Marketing – Attend SMX Social Media, December 5-6 in Scottsdale, AZ

  Maximize ROI from your paid social media advertising. Improve search results via organic social media tactics. Successfully manage your company’s online reputation. Get management to support your social media marketing efforts. Attend SMX Social Media Marketing, a two-day, tactic-rich conference that tackles key social media marketing issues. Register by October 8th and save with Super […]

• Google Expects A Black Eye At Today’s Senate Antitrust Hearing

  We’re apparently not going to hear anything new at today’s Senate subcommittee hearing on Google and competition. (Danny Sullivan and Gary Price will attend and blog the live testimony.) What we’re likely going to get are very polarized views of Google and how it operates: Google the benign promoter of consumer-centric content and Google the […]

• Bing Still Seeking Magic Formula To Challenge Google & Turn A Profit

  Despite making incremental gains in market share, Bing is still searching for the “secret sauce” that will help it challenge Google’s dominance more quickly. That phrase — “secret sauce” — is how a CNN Money article explains what Microsoft thinks will ultimately set it apart from Google. The article describes a recent meeting in which […]

• Should Rick Santorum’s “Google Problem” Be Fixed?

  Is Google (and Bing, by the way) not being “responsible” by failing to remove an anti-Rick Santorum web site? The Republican presidential candidate believes so, speaking out this week against an unfavorable listing for his name. But “fixing” Santorum’s “Google problem” isn’t as easy as it sounds. Defining Santorum For those who aren’t familiar with […]

• Google +1s On Ads Added To Google Display Network, Will Influence Auction

  Search AdWords have had +1 buttons since late May, and now the +1 functionality is coming to the Google Display Network (GDN). Additionally, +1 data will, for the first time, serve as a signal of relevance in the AdWords auction — for display only, for now. As with the +1s that accompany text ads, people […]

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• Google Wallet Update For Sprint, Business Insider
• Introducing multiple sign-in and preferences on Gmail for mobile, Official Gmail Blog

Business Issues

• Blekko’s not afraid of Google, why is Washington?, Skrentablog
• Facebook is set to pass $4B in revenue this year, thanks to Credits, VentureBeat
• Bad SEO Advice May Support Negligence Claim–D’Agostino v. Appliances Buy Phone, Eric Goldman

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Iran set to launch Google Earth rival, Ogle Earth

Searching

• Food Delivery Search Engine GrubHub Raises $50M, Buys Campusfood And Allmenus, TechCrunch
• Google and Your Memory, Online Colleges

SEM Industry

• The Wikipedia SEO Killer, koozai.com
• SMX East 2011 Recap for SEOBook, SEO Book

SEO & SEM

• When SEM Platforms Rebrand As DMS, MediaPost
• 4 Pro Tips To Write Titles & Meta Descriptions That Make Your Site *Pop* In The Search Results, Search Engine People
• Are You Asking The Right SEO Questions? Part 1, SEO.com
• How Google Counts Organic Search Impressions, Search Engine Roundtable
• Nine Ways to be a Competitive SEO, explicitly.me
• Panda, PogoSticking & Post-Click SEO, managinggreatness.com
• The 20-Minute SEO Audit Infographic, Search Engine Journal
• The Basics of Combining Graphic Design and SEO, Daily SEO Tip

Social Media

• Facebook Increases Character Limit on Posts to 5000, Rolls Out Floating Navigation Bar and More Amid Unrest, Inside Facebook
• Google evangelist warns Facebook could be the next AOL or IBM, The Guardian
• Share a photo via text message, Twitter Blog
• Twitter to launch political advertising, POLITICO.com

Video, Music & Image Search

Web Analytics

• A World of Insights – Google Analytics and Facebook Tabs, Bruce Clay Australia
• How to track phone calls leads in Google Analytics, econsultancy.com

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

• Discussion: Are Google's Business Practices Anti-Competitive? – In less than an hour, hearings will begin in Washington DC to discuss Google's business practices and, more specifically, claims that Google is anti-competitive. Yelp and Nextag will speak to what they believe are anti-competitive practices, while Eric Schmidt will present Google's side. In our "Discussion of the Week," we want to know your opinion: Is Google anti-competitive? Does Google play fair in presenting search results and providing opportunities for competing sites to be visible in its search results? The floor is open!
• IP Delivery and Geo Targeting by SebastianX – Great insight into geo targeting with ip delivery.
• The 4 Types of Content Metrics That Matter – Good insights into Consumption, Sharing, Lead Generation and Sales Metrics for content.
• The Real Problem with Facebook – The problem for tech watchers is that Facebook doesn’t let the innovator’s dilemma narrative get off the ground.
• Klout Score Optimisation or Influencer SEO – Love it or hate it, Klout is one of the best ways to measure online influence without only looking at follower counts, etc. Here are tips on how to optimize your own profile as an influencer and find critical people in the niche you want to dominate.
• The Life Cycle of a Business Blog Post – Know it and Maximize Your Marketing – Good stuff from Michael Martine: "If you want to see real influence and traction from your blog posts, you need to understand the life cycle of a blog post. Once you understand it, you can find ways to take advantage of it to get the maximum return possible on your marketing efforts."
• Ultimate Guide to PPC Metrics: 17 Experts on the Top 3 Must-Check PPC Metrics – Overwhelmed by all the metrics available in your AdWords account? Information is good, but information overload is paralyzing, so it’s crucial to strip away the excess and overkill – and focus on the metrics that really provide valuable insight into your PPC performance. So what are they? Which PPC metrics work the hardest and speak the loudest?
• How to Evaluate Links – A Checklist + Tools – Nice concise checklist on Sorbet Digital showing us how to critically evaluate links.
• Google Analytics Multi Channel Funnels show SEO drives 30 percent more revenue – Not only is does this article provide a step-by-step tutorial on how to implement, but it also explains the value of doing so (e.g. giving individual marketing channels their due credit).