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
- The Impact of Universal Search
Will personalization drive universal search? Will universal search make vertical search irrelevant? - Creating a Global SEO Strategy
If you have a worldwide presence, or plan to have one in the future, you should be thinking about SEO globally. - Universal Search and SEM
Google’s move to a “universal search” model is bound to bring changes for both searchers and search marketers. - Top Three SEO Mistakes
SiteLogic’s Matt Bailey has distilled the essence of SEO into three common mistakes many businesses make.
Search Advertising
- Google Adds School Report Sellers To Banned AdWords Advertisers’ List
The list of non-allowed advertising at Google’s AdWords just got a little bigger. - Google Testing AdSense for Video
Google has announced a pilot with a small group of publishers to insert streaming video ads into publishers’ video content. - Chasing the Long Tail
Looking at the real search terms entered by people really reveals something about the human mind. And, man, the human mind is all over the place. - Google Cracking Down on AdSense Arbitrage
Several AdSense publishers have received notice that their AdSense arbitrage sites are being kicked out of the program as of June 1. - Indeed Testing Pay-per-Action Ad Model
Job search engine Indeed.com has been testing a pay-per-action (PPA) advertising model, which for recruiters means a pay-per-applicant ad model. - SEW Experts: Ego Bidding Gone Wild
In today’s Search Ads column, Tony Wright talks about the danger of ego-bidding and how to stop a client from bidding their business into the ground.
Linking Issues & Social Media
- SEW Experts: Building the Love
It takes more than business basics on a Web site to create link bait, and even a site offering the most mundane products can create compelling content. - Winning on Digg Podcast
Eric Enge and Neil Patel have created a second podcast focused on becoming a top Digg user, and how to get content to the Digg home page.
Analytics & ROI
- SEW Experts: Measuring ROI Can Be Difficult for SEO
Chris Boggs offers tips on calculating ROI to see if your SEO campaign is cost-effective. - SEW Experts: Digging Deeper Into Google Analytics
In today’s By the Numbers column, Eric Enge explores the subtle differences in the latest version of Google’s metrics tool. - Salesforce.com, Google Partnership Discussions
This move is another direct challenge to Microsoft, which offers CRM products, but also could add an element to Google Analytics.
Mobile & Local Search
- SEW Experts: Getting Hyper-Active in Local Search
Michael Boland dives into the world of hyper-local, where newspapers and online startups use local online communities to get an edge on news aggregators like Google and Yahoo. - Google Patent Details Mobile Search Plans
A new patent application published today may reveal some of Google’s plans for mobile search. - Local.com on a Roll II
Following its string of recent announcements, Local.com today unveiled a new mobile search product. - Google Adds Neighborhood Search
Google has added a neighborhood search capability for 50 U.S. cities, catching up with sites like Ask.com, Trulia and Yelp.
Vertical & Specialty Search
- Blinkx savors IPO success, announces video search growth plans
Blinkx’s CEO tells Reuters UK what lies ahead for the video search provider. - Blinkx IPO shares soar to near-record debut
Blinkx’s stock performance is reportedly the second best debut in the last two years, on UK or U.S. exchanges. - Hakia Holds Concert To Launch Music Search
Hakia is throwing two concerts to promote the launch of their new music search. - Technorati Retools, Gets “Universal” Too
The biggest change is a shift away from searching only blogs to include more kinds of user-generated content, including photos and video. - People Search Makes up 30% of All Searches
This is yet another vertical search area where specialized search tools that access uniquely structured databases can do quite well.
Small Business/Big Brand SEM
- Enquiro Finds Search Plays an Integral Role in B2B Purchases
For business to business (B2B) buyers, search engines are the primary research source, and one of the top influencers on purchasing decisions, according to the latest research from Enquiro. - SEW Experts: Blog Your Way to the Top
In today’s au Natural column, Mark Jackson takes a look at the benefits of blogging on a corporate Web site.
In-House & Outsourcing
- SEW Experts: Convincing the Executive Team to Invest in SEO
In today’s Big Biz column, Aaron Shear shares tips on how to get the executive management team to buy into the idea of search marketing.
SEM Industry Issues
- Search Still Leads Online Ad Spending
According to the IAB, search advertising made up 40 percent of the $16.9 billion spent in the U.S. for online advertising last year. - What Should Ask.com Do?
An interesting discussion has begun on several blogs this week considering what Ask.com should do to be successful. - Microsoft’s Berkowitz: Consider aQuantive Deal a Merger
At a JP Morgan Technology conference Tuesday (link to webcast), Steve Berkowitz, Microsoft’s senior VP of online services, told investors that they should consider the company’s $6 million purchase of aQuantive as “more of a merger” than an acquisition. - “Microsoft Does Not Need Yahoo Anymore” MSN Strategist Claims
With the purchase of aQuantive and its other advertising assets, Microsoft says it no longer needs to buy Yahoo to conquer the online advertising world. - Google Buying Feedburner?
Sources have confirmed that Google is acquiring Feedburner for close to $100 million. - Google Is Big Brother
The messages may be mixed, but the intent seems to be focused: “Total Global Domination.” - Will Ad Targeting Change?
Now that the ad network/server companies are shifting around, we should make our online ad targeting dreams come true. - Who Said It…
After major ownership changes have been announced in the online ad business, let’s try to match the players with these “unquoted reasons” for the moves.
Searching/Search Technologies
- Google’s Cross-Language Search Launches
The cross-language information retrieval (CLIR) technology which Google VP Udi Manber previewed at Searchology last week has launched. - Google Tracking Hot Trends
Google has introduced Hot Trends, “sharing the hottest current searches with you in very close to real time.”
More from the SEW Blog
- Lee Odden Polls For Best Search Podcast
Lee Odden over at Top Rank Blog asked a number of search marketers for some input on what they consider to be the better search podcasts. - Marchex Teams with Fox for Latin Web Sites
The potential of the Latin market is obviously not lost on the Marchex team. - Changes at SEW: Moving Over Yonder
SEW Editor Elisabeth Osmeloski is departing to join travel search start-up zonder.com.
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.
- Putting users in charge, Google Blog
- The Ultimate Deadline, Yahoo Publisher Network Blog
- Don’t be evil? Are you sure?, Information World Review
- AOL To Name Burbank as CMO, MediaPost
- Semantic Search: An Antidote for Poor Relevancy, Read/Write Web
- Virtual Earth Expands 3-D to Include NYC, Screenwerk
- Is Google Buying Companies to Add to Google Pack?, Marketing Pilgrim
- Link & Ranking Strategies for Enterprise Sites, SEOmoz
- Will .edu Links Ever Lose Their Luster?, SEOmoz
- Loki 2.0 And The ‘Geo-Web’, Search Engine Land
- 8 More New-ish Social Media Sites (That Actually Send Traffic), Tropical SEO
- The Web Analytics Dip: Oh my god, MATH!, Search Marketing Gurus
- Second Tier Search Engines & Clean Traffic Sources, SEO Book
- The Most Important Element of Your AdWords Campaign is…, PPC Discussions
- User Intent and Characteristics of Search Queries, SEO by the Sea