Here's a recap of this week's columns and news stories for the week of March 20 to 26, as reported by Search Engine Watch, as well as search news and tips from around the web.
Search Engine Optimization
The Slippery Slope of SEO by Josh McCoy
Recent algorithmic updates didn't just hurt the bad guys and clean up the SERPs. Many other sites felt the wrath of Google's tweaks. So, how do you adjust fire and move on from here?
Control Your Brand's Reputation Using SEO by John Lynch
Branded search is your moneymaker, but is probably also the most neglected aspect of SEO. Here are some ways to keep your branded traffic coming into your site with a positive outlook.
MajesticSEO Announces the New Freshness Index by Brent Rangen
Majestic SEO announces a "freshness index" tool to the Site Explorer, Clique Hunter, Advanced reports and Standard Reports.
- Wait... Google Banned BeatThatQuote Again! - Search Engine Land
- If You're Copying Content, Don't Tell Google You're Being Copied - Search Engine Roundtable
- On the Maturation of the SEO Industry - Conductor Blog
- Running A Seasonal Website - Michael Gray
- UGC Gets an A+ on Google Test with Panda Update - SEOmoz
- Helping Keywords Find Their Long Lost URL - SEO.com
- Google: Facebook Likes "Will Not Influence Your Ranking" - Search Engine Roundtable
- Google's Page Segmentation Patent Granted - SEO by the Sea
- Headsmacking Tip #18: Use Discussion Search as Competitive Intel - SEOmoz
- Index page count: sometimes less is more! - Searchmetrics Suite Blog
- How a Search Engine Might Visualize and Rerank Web Pages Based Upon Credibility - SEO by the Sea
- How SEO Consulting Has Changed - Search News Central
- Future Trends for Marketers in Search & Social Media - TopRank
- Defining Your True Competitors - SEOmoz
- Mike Dillard Sues Website Owner Over Manipulative Search Engine Optimization Techniques - Bill Hartzer
- How should I handle localized content? - GoogleWebmasterHelp YouTube Channel
- What are some of the projects that the webspam team might tackle in 2011? - GoogleWebmasterHelp YouTube Channel
SEM Basics
Where to Get Inspiration for Blog Posts by Bas van den Beld
Twitter, Google Trends, comments, RSS feeds -- there are numerous ways to find blogging topics. Here are a few to get you started.
Search Advertising
A 12-Step Program to Improve Your CTR by Melissa Mackey
Before a PPC ad can generate a conversion, it needs to generate a click. If you want to improve your CTR, these steps will help you.
- In PPC, Let Probabilities Rule Over Passion - ClickZ
- How PPC Advertisers Can Respond To High Bidding New Competitors - Search Engine People
- Google, Yahoo and TRUSTe Advance Self-Reg Plans - ClickZ
- Google to Change Tablet Targeting Options - Rimm-Kaufman Group
- Media Ads Joins the New Ad Formats Family - Inside AdWords
- AdWords Campaign Experiments (ACE) now available in AdWords reports - Inside AdWords
- Your life as a search professional is about to get much easier - AdWords Agency Blog
- Location targeting on AdWords: Now with more advanced controls - Inside AdWords
- Microsoft adCenter Ignores Advertiser Feedback - Searching Beyond the Paid
- Making the most of the AdCenter platform - EfficientFrontier
- IE9 Bugs With Microsoft adCenter Forums - Search Engine Roundtable
- adCenter UI Experiencing Latency and Intermittent Errors - adCenter Blog
- Yahoo and Microsoft Search Alliance State of the Union - adCenter Blog
- Mother's Day: Insights, Trends and Optimization Tips for Microsoft Advertising adCenter - adCenter Blog
Analytics & ROI
- Cool Tool of the Trade - Capturing Full Screen Search Result Screenshots - Understanding Google Maps & Local Search
- Three Amazing Web Data Analyses Techniques For Analysis Ninjas - Occam's Razor
- A Marketing Optimization Fitness Plan - ClickZ
- Issue with AdSense reports - Google Analytics
Social Media Marketing
Facebook Sponsored Stories: A New Era in Online Advertising by Marc Poirier
Will Sponsored Stories perform better than standard Facebook ad campaigns? Some early impressions.
Social Media and Search Synergy in the Purchase Decision Process by Nathan Linnell
Are your search and social media efforts integrated? Results of a recent study offer insights that could alter your current search and social media strategies.
- Social CRM - Getting Down to Reality - Brian Solis
- 100 million members and counting... - LinkedIn Blog
- Top Socially Networked Towns in the US Show Their Muscles - Marketing Pilgrim
- MySpace loses millions of users in a few weeks - BBC
Will Facebook New Questions Feature Lower Search Volume? by Frank Watson
Facebook launched their new Questions feature Thursday and one has to wonder if this could have an impact on search volume.
Bing Windfall? Facebook Testing Web Search Box by Frank Watson
Facebook issued a statement that the search box is not theirs - must be malware.
- Will Facebook Ads Soon Reflect 'What's On Your Mind?' - ClickZ
- Facebook Refers More Traffic, Not Google's Loss - All Facebook
- Twitter Conducts Geotargeting Test - ClickZ
- New York Times asks Twitter to help cut off paywall-curbing aggregators - Los Angeles Times
- Happy Birthday Twitter - Twitter Blog
Link Building
What Makes a Link Target a Bullseye? by Jennifer van Iderstyne
Why authority, relevance, and accessibility are the trifecta of desirable qualities link builders should look for when determining potential links.
- Link Building With Elizabeth Taylor - Link Spiel
- 3 Limitations on Guest Posting's Scalability for Link Building - Ontolo
- What Checking Broken Links Can Teach You About the Web & Linking Out - SEOptimise
Local Search
Healthy Local Search by Dean Stephens
The health industry has realized that local search marketing can have great benefits. An overview of health-related tools, directory and review sites, and location-based services.
- Google Places Dashboard: QR Code MIA, Good riddance! - Understanding Google Maps & Local Search
- Bing Maps venue maps now feature nine largest US malls, 148 total - Bing Maps Blog
- TripAdvisor issues warning after part of email database is stolen - Tnooz
Mobile Search
- Google Holds Honeycomb Tight - Bloomberg Businessweek
- Microsoft takes aim at Google's Android again - MarketWatch
- Survey: Android Most Desired OS By Non-iPhone Users - Search Engine Land
- Google Patent Shows Its Mobile-Payment Ambitions, but Raises Privacy Flags - BNET
- In-App Billing on Android Market: Ready for Testing - Android Developers
- Explore the world with updated apps for iPhone: Check in with Latitude and use Places in 30 languages - Google Mobile Blog
- Sprint integrates Google Voice - Official Google Blog
- Introducing Nexus S 4G for Sprint - Google Mobile Blog
- Getting 'mobile-ready' part 1: Creating a mobile-optimized website - Google Mobile Ads Blog
- The Bing for Mobile Browse Experience Gets Even Better - Bing Search Blog
- Baidu Plans Operating System for Mobiles - Financial Times
International Search
If Yahoo Exits Japan, How Will it Impact Search Marketers? by Adaline Lau
Assessing whether business will go on as usual for marketers and users.
France Fines Google for Street View WiFi Data Grab by Danny Goodwin
France has fined Google a record €100,000 (about $142,000 U.S.).
Google Teams with British Retail Consortium on E-Commerce Web Traffic Report by Danny Goodwin
E-commerce traffic, trends, and multi-channel measurability are the focus of a new alliance between Google and the British Retail Consortium.
- Germany Rules Google Street View Legal - ReadWriteWeb
- Advocate General Rules on Interflora vs. M&S in Brand Bidding Case - Blogstorm
- Virgin Mary in a Lancashire sandpit? Construction engineers stumble across 'remarkable' Google Earth image - Mail Online
- Google Street View: pranksters dressed in scuba gear with pitchforks - The Telegraph
- Italians Issue Another Dubious Anti-Search Decision - Search Engine Land
- Google, Yahoo, Skype targeted in attack linked to Iran - CNET
- New Maps domains in 11 countries in Middle East & North Africa - Google LatLong
- China dismisses Google accusations on Gmail - Reuters
- Baidu to introduce anti-piracy technology for books product - Reuters
- Music Industry Pleads With Baidu To Help Stop Piracy - paidContent
The Search Industry
The Social Evolution of Search Engine Result Pages by Erez Barak
How Google is changing the way they integrate Twitter results into search results and how Bing is evolving their inclusion of Facebook Like data in SERPs.
comScore, Nielsen Battling Over Online Measurement Patents by Frank Watson
The two leading online measurement companies are in court fighting over patent infringements.
FTC Realizes 'Do Not Track' Too Complicated For Quick Decision by Frank Watson
FTC Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch gave AdAge some insight into the difficulty of implementing a Do Not Track registry or plugin and why the commission is taking its time before making any permanent decision.
NachoFoto Semantic Real Time Image Search Engine Out of Beta by Brent Rangen
Nachofoto, dubbed the world's first "Semantic Real Time Image Search Engine" is finally out of beta.
Has The Web Diluted Language? OMG, LOL, BFF Now In Dictionary by Frank Watson
OK, I understand slang terms becoming so popularly used that they enter our mainstream vocabulary, so the adding of muffin top to the Oxford dictionary makes some sense. But now text terms OMG, LOL, FYI and BFF have been added, along with the texting symbol for love <3.
Google News
Google Doodle Gets Its Own Patent by Thom Craver
You read that correctly, Google Doodles - the mashup of artwork and the Google logo - have received an actual U. S. Patent, number 7,912,915.
Houdini Does Not Escape Google Doodle On 137th Birthday by Frank Watson
In honor of Harry Houdini's 137th birthday Google has given the famed illusionist a Google Doodle.
Google Finally Releases Page Speed for Chrome by Brent Rangen
The Page Speed tool, previously available for Firebug/Firefox, can be downloaded and installed as an additional component of Google Chrome Developer Tools.
Google Unveils a New Quarterly Publication for Business Owners by Brent Rangen
Google (UK) released a new web site, a digital magazine layout, brings forth resources in the form of interviews entitled; Think Quarterly, also available for mobile users.
- At Google, Page Aims to Clear Red Tape - The Wall Street Journal
- Easy Cash!? Google Beats 'Google Money' Scammers, Is Awarded $1.6 Million - TechCrunch
- Google may face antitrust probes in Ohio, Wisconsin - CNET
- What The Collapse Of The Google Books Deal Really Means - paidContent
- Citi: Google's YouTube Revenues Will Pass $1 Billion In 2012 (And So Could Local) - TechCrunch
- Google Tops the Brand Finance Global 500 - Brand Finance
- Google Is No. 1 on List Of Desired Employers - The Wall Street Journal
- Google Plays To Its Strengths, Succeeds Brilliantly, With Lady Gaga Interview - TechCrunch
- Googlers Buy More Junk Food Than Microsofties (And Why Rapleaf Is Creepy) - TechCrunch
- Bookmark This: Google's Official Form for Court Ordered Removal of Negative Web Pages - Marketing Pilgrim
- Bug Prevents TMZ & Others From Displaying In Google News - Search Engine Roundtable
- Google News Features Article With F-Word - Search Engine Roundtable
- NYC Schools Bans Google Images - Search Engine Roundtable
- Google search now supports Cherokee (ᏣᎳᎩ) - Official Google Blog
- Talking to your computer (with HTML!) - Google Chrome Blog
- Switch to Gmail - Gmail Blog
- Google begins testing Google Music internally - CNET News
- Wael Ghonim, Egyptian revolutionary and Google exec, to receive JFK Profile in Courage Award - Fast Company
- Google spends $1 million on censorship and throttling detection - Ars Technica
- Google Headquarters Tests Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging - Fast Company
- Scared of Facebook tags? Google street view? Wear a Pixelhead. - The Next Web
Bing News
Bing News Jumps on the Tweet Train by Brent Rangen
Bing News is now streaming in Twitter results on the search pages sidebar and displaying relevant tweets in the news results.
Yahoo News
- Quick Stat: Yahoo!'s Share of Search Ad Market to Fall to 8.1% This Year - eMarketer
- Weekly Yahoo! Search Trends - March 25, 2011 - Yodel Anecdotal
- IE9: Internet Exploration...with a Yahoo! Twist - Yodel Anecdotal
- Search Trends: Japan Earthquake 2011 - Yahoo Search Blog
Blekko News
- Google's Garbage Search Results Are Not Going Away -- Blekko CEO - Silicon Alley Insider
- Blekko, BrightEdge Team To Bring Brands Into Battle Against Spam - BrightEdge
Video Marketing
- Revealed: Which Video Platforms Get Results in Universal SERPs - aimClear Blog
- No video camera? No problem! Create original videos with your own photos, clips or just an idea - YouTube Blog
- Lights, Camera... EDIT! New Features for the YouTube Video Editor - YouTube Blog
- Why Connecting your YouTube and Google Accounts Matters - YouTube Blog
- Tag Your TV Shows! - Google Webmaster Central Blog
- Exclusive Evan Emory Video Interview - "I Don't Feel Like I'm A (YouTube) Criminal" - ReelSEO
SES Conference & Expo
SES New York 2011 - Day 3 Coverage #SESNY by Danny Goodwin
A roundup of Day 3 live blogging and coverage of SES New York 2011.
SES New York 2011 - Day 2 Coverage #SESNY by Danny Goodwin
A roundup of Day 2 live blogging and coverage of SES New York 2011.
Panda: The Aftermath - #SESNY Round Table Discussion by Thom Craver
Google's recent Panda algorithm update affected many Web sites. History is repeating itself again. For many site owners, this is a lot like Florida update all over again.
SES New York 2011 Day 1 Coverage #SESNY by Danny Goodwin
A roundup of Day 1 live blogging and coverage of SES New York 2011.
Top 5 Things I Learned at SES NY: Analytics Sessions by Thom Craver
Day one at Search Engine Strategies New York 2011 and the analytics tracks are in full swing.
- The Ancient Geek History of Web Analytics - aimClear Blog
- SES New York: 3 Content Marketing Principles - TopRank
- 5 Tips for B2B Search Marketing - adCenter Blog
- Microsoft Bing Search reinforces content is king at SES New York - SESConferenceExpo YouTube Channel
- Twitter assumptions are mistaken, according to Duncan Watts, Yahoo! Research Scientist - SESConferenceExpo YouTube Channel
- Blekko, the search engine disrupter at SES New York 2011 - SESConferenceExpo YouTube Channel
- How to fight web counterfeiting and brandjacking at SES New York 2011 - SESConferenceExpo YouTube Channel
- SEO, social media optimization, link building and reputation management with Freshrank at SES - SESConferenceExpo YouTube Channel
- Link Building with SubmitEdge at SES London 2011 - SESConferenceExpo YouTube Channel
- Tips for musicians and artists wanting to make money online using SEM and SEO from Sony - SESConferenceExpo YouTube Channel
Search Week in Review 2011 Archives
March 19 | March 12 | March 5
Feb. 26 | Feb. 19 | Feb. 12 | Feb. 5
Jan. 29 | Jan. 22 | Jan. 15 | Jan. 8
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