According to SEMPO, a search marketing industry association, the US Federal Trade Commission is “strongly considering” a review of how well — or poorly — search engines are compliance with its 2002 guidelines on disclosing paid listings to consumers. The news comes in a letter that SEMPO — the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization — sent to […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: DuckDuckGo’s New Video Targets Google’s “Filter Bubble” Of Personalized Results DuckDuckGo’s ongoing mission to challenge Google (and other search engines, but mainly Google) on privacy issues has taken another turn with […]
Reuters is reporting that majority of those on the US Federal Trade Commission believe an antitrust case should be brought against Google. But if action comes, it doesn’t seem likely to involve Google being found to “favor” its own “vertical” search engines like local or shopping over competing ones. Apparently four of the five FTC commissioners […]
The Financial Times (FT) is reporting that the thrust of Google’s antitrust settlement proposal to European Competition Czar Joaquín Almunia primarily involves “labeling” its own services to distinguish them from other organic search results. According to the FT, citing “people familiar with the search giant’s submission”: Under the proposal, Google would put its brand on any […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: The E-commerce Product Video That Increases Revenue Per Visit Which video recipe will make your cash register ring more often and more loudly? It was the end of a 12-hour video […]
Speaking at an antitrust symposium sponsored by Georgetown Law School in Washington DC, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said that the commission was “on track” to decide on whether or not to pursue an antitrust case against Google “by the end of the year.” In other words: after the election — not that a decision would […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Back To The Future: Google Announces A Meta Keywords Tag Just For News Articles Grab your flux capacitor and fire up the Delorean, folks. We’re going back to the future: Meta […]
If I were a betting person I’d say that the European Commission and FTC antitrust investigations against Google will wrap up without any major “structural” changes or dramatic new rules imposed on the company. Indeed there were premature reports that Google had already settled with the EU. An announcement of some sort is imminent I […]
Fairsearch, a group backed by Microsoft and other Google competitors to lobby that Google isn’t “fair” to them with its search results, has been having a event today to push its view of all that’s wrong with Google. That includes building a myth that Google requires that all Android devices to use Google search. Google […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Apple Demos Local Search (Maps) And Siri Enhancements For iPhone 5 Today at the iPhone 5 launch event Apple announced a thinner, taller and faster iPhone. (Danny is still live blogging.) […]
As the FTC considers whether to brand Google a “monopoly” and initiate an antitrust action against the company, it appears new FTC nominee Joshua Wright, a law professor from George Mason University, is not among those who favor it. In addition to being nominated by President Obama, Wright is supported by Senate Republican Leader Mitch […]
In addition to the various government antitrust investigations against Google going on around the world, there is a parallel world of private lawsuits by Google rivals and critics that make similar unfair competition or antitrust claims against Mountain View. They generally allege, among other things, that Google is unfairly referring traffic to its own “vertical […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Search Activity Makes Michelle Obama The FLOS (First Lady Of Search) A Pew Research study that was released this week showed that Democrats are more likely to mix social media and […]
In July, I wrote the US Federal Trade Commission asking for it to review whether search engines are complying with paid listing disclosure guidelines it created in 2002, since it appeared these were being ignored. After two months, I finally got a response. The FTC is aware of the issues but didn’t have more to […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Search Facebook Friends’ Photos On Bing Microsoft announced on the Bing Search blog that you can now search Bing to discover your friends’ photos within Facebook. If you activated the social […]
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 Webmaster Tools Reports Adds Percentage Changes Bing has added percent changes, deltas, to some of the various reports within Bing Webmaster Tools. The percent changes show the difference from the […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: The Ari Emanuel Update: DMCA Requests Now Used In Google’s Ranking Algorithm Has someone filed a large number of DMCA “takedown” requests against your site? If so, look out. That’s the […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google’s SEO Guide On A/B & Multivariate Testing Google posted their official word on how you can conducting web site testing using A/B testing or multivariate testing and stay clear of […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Search In Pics: Marissa Mayers Yahoo Baby Gift & Goodbye Google Balloons, Android Nail Polish & Chrome Hats In this week’s Search In Pictures, here are the latest images culled from […]
As anti-trust talks between the European Union and Google come close to a conclusion, the key anti-trust enforcer has brought up a new objection. Joaquín Almunia, the EU’s competition commissioner, is demanding the company make broad changes to its mobile services, according to a report in the Financial Times. Google and the European Union have […]
On its earnings call today, an analyst asked Google about the new paid inclusion model for Google Shopping. The analyst got corrected. Google doesn’t call what it’s doing paid inclusion, he was told. That’s because Google is comfortable continuing to ignore the US Federal Trade Commission’s definition of what “paid inclusion” is. It’s yet another […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google, Bing Hit All-Time Highs In June Search Market Share [comScore] Google and Bing have reached all-time high levels, while Yahoo reached an all-time low in the latest comScore search market […]
A month ago, I sent a letter to the US Federal Trade Commission asking it to review how search engines are complying with its guidelines on disclosing listings where payment is involved. The silence since then, as the saying goes, has been deafening. That’s a pity given how important that review is to the on-going antitrust […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Sued By Texas Attorney General To Turn Over Documents According to a report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Google has been sued by the Texas Attorney General’s office. The […]
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Google has been sued by the Texas Attorney General’s office. The Texas Attorney General is currently investigating Google’s alleged anti-competitive behavior and potential abuse of power. That investigation is essentially parallel to what’s going on at the Federal Trade Commission. The suit, filed Monday in […]
I keep hearing people talking about Apple finally going “thermonuclear” on Google with the forthcoming iOS 6 mobile operating system. No, it hasn’t. In fact, there are good reasons why it can’t, though Apple is certainly exercising a much more subtle and smart containment strategy. Themonuclearly Renewing With Google The thermonuclear reference comes from the […]
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 Is For Doing Things It Tells You Not To Do “Bing Is For Doing” is the catchphrase being used in new ads for Microsoft’s Bing search engine. But in a […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Apple Siri To Add Sports, Restaurants, Reservations, Movies & App Search Apple at their World Wide Developer Conference today announced iOS6 with some really nice features to Siri, their voice search […]
This morning I read Danny Sullivan’s letter to the FTC about paid inclusion and search engine disclosures. It was prompted by NexTag CEO Jeffrey Katz’s article last week in the Wall Street Journal complaining about Google’s market dominance and alleged abuse of that position. Contained within Danny’s article is a potential face-saving solution to the […]
In 2002, the US Federal Trade Commission created guidelines on how search engines should disclose paid placement and paid inclusion listings. It’s become clear to me over the past two weeks that the search engine industry has either largely forgotten these guidelines or is ignoring them. That’s why I’ve written a letter today to the […]
Nextag CEO Jeffrey Katz is out today in the Wall Street Journal with an opinion piece taking Google to task over a lack of transparency and fairness. Perhaps it’s not the smartest move, given that all his arguments can be neatly turned back against Nextag. Moreover, unlike Google, NexTag is probably in violation of US […]
European Commission (EC) antitrust chief Joaquin Almunia is engaged in what amounts to a poker game with Google — or if you like a “game of chicken.” In a highly public and slightly uncharacteristic move the EC offered to not bring a formal antitrust complaint against the company if it voluntarily addresses four issues or […]
Google Product Search is getting a new name, Google Shopping, and a new business model where only merchants that pay will be listed. It’s the first time Google will decommission a search product that previously listed companies for free. The company says the change will improve the searcher experience, but it will also likely raise […]
Move over JC Penney. Another brand is getting attention over buying links, this time Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corporation. Today’s news is less news and more a reminder of lessons that SEO companies, clients and publishers all need to keep in mind, to avoid trouble. Josh Davis drew attention to the DBCC situation in his […]
European Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia issued a statement this morning offering “preliminary conclusions” of the EU’s investigation of numerous antitrust complaints against Google. It lays out “concerns” about Google’s market power in four areas. Almunia acknowledges Google’s prior statements about a willingness to settle and suggests that if a settlement can be reached Europe and […]
Google is playing a sophisticated form of “head games” with antitrust regulators. A second legal report-cum-brief (embedded below) has appeared. It argues that antitrust challenges against Google are likely to fail because Google’s critics’ arguments lack legal merit and/or make little sense from a policy perspective. The report was written by lawyers from the Ammori […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: 10 Great Adwords Options For Boosting Conversions We all know that Adwords is the most used system in the world to drive paid traffic to websites. The Adwords system is an […]
Google now faces antitrust investigations on multiple continents. The US FTC recently hired a prominent outside litigator in a sign that it may be preparing to bring an action against the company. But does Google have a “slam dunk” defense against such a case (at least in the US) under the First Amendment of the […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: StarCraft Themed Google Easter Egg “Zerg Rush” Calls An Attack On Your Search Results Google’s newest Easter egg, a search for “zerg rush,” forces to to fight an onslaught of invaders […]
Last week in the Chicago Tribune former judge and scholar Robert Bork (who is also a Google advisor) penned an opinion column arguing that by the accepted standards of antitrust law Google has done nothing legally wrong. Bork says, “There is extraordinary competition in the search engine business. Look at the proliferation of what are […]