Highlights from the SEW Blog: August 6, 2007

By Kevin Newcomb, Search Engine Watch, Aug 6, 2007

We've collected all the search marketing news from selected posts to the Search Engine Watch blog in the past week, along with recent search-related headlines from around the Web.

From the SEW blog:

Organic Search

• Bye Bye Supplemental
  Predictably, the Google post announcing that the supplemental label is gone has predictable resulted in a firestorm of commentary.
• What Else Can You Do to Get Indexed?
  SEOs pay a lot of attention to issues like duplicate content, link building, and link structure. But they might want to think more about proper Web development methodology.
• SEW Experts: Avoiding Cookie Cutter SEO
  Mark Jackson explains why no two Web sites are created equal.
• SEW Experts: Think You're Done With SEO? Think Again
  Aaron Shear explains that search engine optimization is never a one-time process; it takes time and constant tuning to stay on top of the rankings.

Search Advertising

• Commission Junction Offering Search Marketing Services
  Affiliate marketing giant Commission Junction wants to start offering search marketing services.
• Camoflage Your PPC Ads From Competitors
  EngineReady has shared a great tip about camoflaging your ppc ads from your competitors
• Google's New Behavioral Targeting For AdWords Reviewed
  Zachary Rodgers over at ClickZ has written a good overview of the recent addition of behavioral targeting by Google AdWords.
• SEW Experts: PR Pros Make Great Search Marketers
  Tony Wright tells you why public relations pros make the best search marketers and wants to convince more of them to participate in "The Search."

Linking Issues & Social Media

• Cross Linking Between Sites
  Before you begin cross-linking sites, consider the user's perspective and whether the crosslinks provide value.
• SEW Experts: Understanding the Definition of Link Building
  Sage Lewis gives you his definition of link building, and by understanding that definition, you can create a link-building campaign that is truly effective.
• Microsoft to acquire Social Media Sites?
  It would be a very smart move for Microsoft to acquire Facebook, and potentially Digg as well. But it's not likely to happen.

Analytics & ROI

• 11 Cool Things with HBX Analytics
  Eric Enge continues his series on Web analytics applications.
• SEW Experts: The Impact of Comparison Shopping Sites on E-Commerce Sales
  Eric Enge discusses comparison-shopping sites, and their impact on buying decisions, resulting in shorter conversion times.
• Google Analytics Up and Running Again
  Many Google Analytics users were subject to a temporary reporting delay over the weekend, which seems to be resolved now.
• Alexa Toolbar Accuracy and Uses
  Philipp Lenssen at Google Blogoscoped posted yesterday about how the accuracy of Alexa data is really poor.

Local & Mobile Search

• SES, Local and The Kelsey Group
  Incisive Media's Search Engine Strategies announced a partnership with The Kelsey Group that will enhance the content at both companies' events by combining their collective focus and expertise.
• The Gphone and Mobile Local Search
  The Wall Street Journal reports today that we could be getting closer to the realization of the long-rumored Google phone.
• Large Scale Bulk Spam Uploaded to Google Maps
  Mike Blumenthal has uncovered a case where a computer repair company is using mass uploads to Google Maps to generate national business.
• Metacrawler Obovo.com Goes Mobile
  Obovo.com, a metacrawler search portal, which searches and returns results from MSN Live Search, Gigablast, LookSmart, and Alexa is now available through mobile devices.

Vertical & Specialty Search

• SEW Experts: Travel Search: Up Close and Personal
  SES Travel Edition organizer Elisabeth Osmeloski gives you an update on trends in the travel search industry.
• Hug the Reservations
  If you listen to some of the Travel Search competitors, then you might come to this same conclusion too. The prime opportunities are "hugging" or driving demand for travel reservations.
• SEW Experts: Taking Off at SES Travel Edition
  Kevin Ryan returns from the recent SES Travel event in Seattle with carry on, sage advice.
• Spock Launching People Search Engine, Not Going to the Dogs
  Do a search for boxer on Google and you get a bunch of dog sites - reasonable unless you are looking for people. Do a search on Spock Inc.'s soon to be released engine and you get info on California Sen. Barbara Boxer and Muhammad Ali.
• Search marketing to Latinos – Interview with Manny Ruiz of Hispanic PR Wire
  Grant Crowell interviews Many Ruiz, President and CEO of Hispanic PR Wire on optimizing news releases for the Latino market.
• Google Adding Copyright Filters To YouTube
  During a copyright-infringement lawsuit hearing involving Viacom and Google, a Google attorney told the judge the company was working "very intensely" on a video recognition technology.

Small Business/Big Brand SEM

• Google Algo Change Hurting Larger Sites
  Seems recent changes at Google have impacted some of the larger established players on the web.

In-House & Outsourcing

• SEW Experts: SEM Support Tools for Enterprise-Level Projects
  Chris Boggs tells you about the latest SEO tools for enterprise-level projects and diagnostic tools that provide site-specific SEO recommendations.
• Training a New SEO
  One of the interesting challenges in managing an SEO company is training new people to be top notch SEOs. Eric Enge shares 8 things to consider when taking on the task of training an SEO generalist.

SEM Industry Issues

• LookSmart Loses CEO Hills
  LookSmart's CEO David Hills resigned effective today, but will continue in an advisor capacity until a replacement is chosen.

Searching/Search Technologies

• New Yahoo comScore Study on Shopping Behavior
  The study released this week reaffirms that shoppers who pre-shop products on the Web in fact purchase more at off-line stores.
• Microsoft Mashup Tool PopFly Examined
  John Montgomery, group program manager of Popfly - Microsoft's MashUp application - told eWeek that he thought if he did not start the non-programmer development tool no-one at Microsoft would have.

More from the SEW Blog

• Congress To Investigate Yahoo's Role In China Arrest
  House Foreign Affairs Chairman Tom Lantos ordered an investigation after documents were released that raised questions about what Yahoo knew when it shared information with authorities about a Chinese journalist.
• AOL Rumored To Be Changing Name to TMZ
  Bill Hartzer is reporting that AOL is moving towards changing its name to TMZ - the large entertainment site.
• Google Finance Canada Launching Tomorrow
  Despite a glitch in naming the date of launch on their blog, Google Finance will start in Canada tomorrow.
• Google Has Fastest Growing Brand
  Interbrand, the brand monitoring company, has found Google to have the fastest growing brand of 2007.
• BBC launches Internet TV service
  On Friday, the BBC launched its online television service iPlayer, which allows viewers to download programs from the previous seven days.
• Deloitte media-consumption study finds user-generated content spans generations
  According to a new study by Deloitte, about 51% of US consumers are interested in watching and reading content created by others, not just stuff crafted by the big Hollywood companies and TV networks.

Search Headlines

We report the top search marketing news daily at the Search Engine Watch Blog. You'll find more news from around the Web below.

• What Plaxo did next, Information World Review
• Answers.com Draws Attention to Google Dance, ClickZ
• IAC Leaves DoubleClick for Atlas, ClickZ
• Is Everything You Know About Social Advertising Wrong?, ClickZ
• Analyze This, That, and the Other, ClickZ
• Trendspotting with Popular Search Sources & a New Tool from SEOmoz to Help, SEOmoz
• When to Respond to Criticism, and When to Keep Quiet, SEOmoz
• Building Ask's Traffic: It's The Toolbar, Stupid!, Search Engine Land
• Building Ask's Traffic: It's The Toolbar, Stupid!, Search Engine Land
• Alternative Engines Competition, AltSearchEngines
• Here Comes the GPhone, Kelsey Group
• ShopLocal and ‘The Trillion Dollar’ Marketplace, Screenwerk
• OJR's 'five guide' to do-it-yourself website usability testing, Online Journalism Review
• adsense vs. fb: apps & oranges, Evans Ink
• Google’s desperate gamble, SEO Theory
• The measured nonsense of SEO relevance, SEO Theory
• Where to Start for a New Web Entrepreneur, SEO Black Hat
• I Suspect a Change in Google PR Calculation Principles, IrishWonder
• Are We Seeing A New Trend Against The Almighty Google?, The Conceptualist
• Dmoz Rewards Smart Domainers, Domainer's Gazette
• Answers.com Loses Significant Google Traffic Despite Google Definition Links, Search Engine Land
• Building Ask's Traffic: It's The Toolbar, Stupid!, Search Engine Land
• Personalized Search - All's Well or Orwell?, Search Engine Guide
• The Strength of Weak Ties and Search, Search Engine Guide
• Improving Your Google Quality Score, Search Engine Guide
• Searching for Multiple Perspectives, Google Operating System
• Increase your ROI with Google Performance Placement Reports and Search Query Reports, Google Blogoscoped
• Server location, cross-linking, and Web 2.0 technology thoughts, Google Webmaster Central Blog
• Imagine no search engines, it’s easy if you try…, Fathom SEO
• If You Like Inaccuracy, You’ll LOVE Alexa!, SEO Chicks
• SEO in 2007: Organizational & Cultural Challenges of SEO, SEO-Space
• Hello! I Could Use a Little Team Effort Here!, E-Marketing Performance