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
- SEW Experts: Content Creation About Journey, Not Destination? - Part 2
You can waste a lot of time debating whether content is king. For the sake of argument, let's just all agree so we can focus on business decisions. - Keyword Specific Domains Grabbing Google Real Estate
The ability for a keyword specific domain name to have Google site links at the bottom of their - what now seems default - top listing is creating an interesting real estate bonanza for the people holding such domains. - SEW Experts: SEO versus Branding: Clash of the Titanic Egos
SEOs, meet brand gurus. Brand gurus, meet SEOs. Talk (don't fight) amongst yourselves. - Kim Krause Berg Podcast, Usability and SEO
Eric Enge and Kim Krause Berg discuss usability issues with web sites, and the strong link between usability and SEO.
Search Advertising
- AdSense Reporting Problems
A number of forums have noted that Google's AdSense reporting is having problems. Yesterday webmasters were noticing discrepancies in basic impression numbers between AdSense and their log files. - AdSense to Launch Ability to Change Displayed Ads from Interface
There's no more need to make the changes at the interface and then change the code on the pages. - Google Sheds Light on Ad Quality Score
Ever since Google implemented Quality Score as a criteria for AdWords ad placement, advertisers have been clamoring for more transparency into how Google calculates the score.
Linking Issues & Social Media
- A look into the purpose of Google's "PageRank update"
A lot of blogs have been talking about a PageRank update in progress, but if you look under the covers, it really looks like a manually applied update to a set of sites that are being punished. - Size Matters in Social Media
While many social media marketers focus on the big social sites, there can be hidden treasure in "micro communities." - SEW Experts: Solving the Link Building Puzzle: Do or Die, Part 2
When link building is a life-or-death choice, don't take unnecessary risks. - Microsoft Invests $240 Million In Facebook
Microsoft purchased a 1.6 percent stake in the company, and will handle banner advertising for Facebook outside of the U.S. - Large Scale Link Building
Got a site with tens of thousands of pages? Chasing a lot of long tail terms? If you do, you are probably already aware that this means you need a lot more links than a smaller site, and you need to get deep links as well. - Page Rank Drops For Popular Digg Sites
Andy Beard reports that following the recent paid link hunt, Google seems to be cleansing their database of sites popular in Digg.
Analytics & ROI
- The Impact of the Omniture - Visual Sciences Merger
This move follows closely on the heels of Omniture's acquisition of Offermatica, a leading web optimization company. Clearly, Omniture is moving to consolidate their position as the leading brand in this space. - Google Offering Online Seminars For Website Optimizer
Google announced yesterday that it will be offering online seminars about their new Website Optimizer program. - Google, Nielsen Establish Strategic Relationship
Google will combine Nielsen demographic data with the aggregated set-top box data it is already using, giving advertisers more targeting capabilities. - SEW Experts: Data Segmentation: Web Site Analytics for PPC
Web site analytics is one of the foundations of search marketing. Learn to segment data and act on it, rather than stare at charts and graphs.
Local & Mobile Search
- Judy's Book to be Sold or Shuttered
Local search pioneer Judy's Book is folding to investor pressure and closing its doors, according to CEO Andy Sack. - New CBS/Medio Mobile Search Deal: The Start of a Revolution?
Is this "the shot heard round the world" of mobile search?
Small Business/Big Brand SEM
- SEW Experts: Inside Google Zeitgeist: Google's Annual Partner Summit
If you're just now starting to think about how search and your organization (or internal search department) impact the 2008 planning process, you're a little late to the game.
In-House & Outsourcing
- Developing an In-House Training Plan
Most companies know they need to do search engine optimization (SEO), so they assign the task to one of their employees who they think can "get it." Unfortunately many of the employees do not how to execute properly, and end up frustrated.
SEM Industry Issues
- SEW Experts: Raising Search Standards and the Compliance Bar
New IAB/DMA standards will change the way interactive agencies, SEMcos, and solo search practitioners do business. - Google, DoubleClick: Myths and Facts
The ups and downs of Google's purchase of DoubleClick has created a lot of misinformation. Detailing what is happening may help people get a better grasp on the situation and an understanding of the inner fight going on in the industry.
Searching/Search Technologies
- Strike Outs or Home Runs?
In honor of the current World Series, we looked at search capabilities delivered by the most popular sports web sites. The results were surprisingly inconsistent. - Google Now Using Own Translation Software
Google has replaced the Systran software it had been using on its Google Translate service with its own translation software. - Search Strategy: Best Practices
"Any search for information no matter how 'high' or 'low' the purpose--whether it is baseball statistics or philosophy--is valid because it is a search for truth." - SEW Experts: Machines In Translation: Do MT Engineers Dream of Selectric Sheep? Part 2
The battle for search engine supremacy in machine translation rages on.
More from the SEW Blog
- Google Meets the Financial Press
Google held an all-day briefing for financial analysts and press yesterday at the Googleplex. - Some Loose Connections -- Dave Weinberger Featured Speaker at ClickZ Interactive Marketing Excellence Awards
This evening Dave Weinberger author of The Cluetrain Manifesto and a fellow at Harvard's Berkman Institute for Internet and Society will be a featured speaker at the ClickZ Awards. - Get It Right Now by Reading "Do It Wrong Quickly"
Mike Moran's new book is a must-read for search marketers wanting to play larger, more challenging roles in the organizations they work with or in. - Mozilla Should Be Renamed Googzilla or GoogleFox
Mozilla released their income numbers recently and it seems 85% of their income is from the partnership with Google.
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.
- Effective Keyword SEO Research, Part 2, ClickZ
- The Power of .htaccess, E-Marketing Performance
- How Real Is Mobile Video?, Local Mobile Search
- Thin-Slice Your Target Market, Convert Offline
- Avoiding Ad Fatigue, Yahoo Publisher Network Blog
- Social Media as Part of an Online Strategy, Not Just SEO, SEM Clubhouse
- Social Media Marketing and Irrational Exuberance, Johnon.com
- User-Generated Content Sucks, Vanessa Fox
- 3 Surprises in the Google PageRank Update, Stone Temple Consulting
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