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Upcoming Seminars: SEO and Conversion Rates: Hand-in-hand - RX for Large Paid Search Advertising Campaigns: Anatomy of an Enterprise Solution - Big Brand Search Engine Optimization: Managing Large Campaigns

Stories Discussed In The Show

• Google Local Business Hijacking: Microsoft Acquires Yahoo, Becomes Escort Service
  Mike Blumenthal has been diligently covering how local listings can be hijacked by other businesses in Google Maps. He's also been frustrated that Google doesn't seem to be fixing the local hijacking problem. So to illustrate the problem, he's posted how he took over Microsoft's business listing -- turning it into Microsoft Escort Service -- and how those from Apple, IBM, Coca-Cola, GM among others were also vulnerable.
   
• Google Explains Malware Warning Policy & How To Fix Your Site
  Some search industry watchers have called Google the "internet's traffic cop," and it's a role Google seems to be growing more comfortable in, too. Late last week, for example, Google published an explanation of how it handles pages that are found to house malware, and how webmasters can clean up the problem and get back in Google's good graces.
   
• Microsoft Adds Virtual Earth Images To Live Search
  Microsoft has added Virtual Earth "Birds Eye" panoramas to Live Search image search results. They appear to be live in the US only right now and around selected points of interest (images below) but they're very striking. You can pan and zoom and switch from a Birds Eye view to aerial or map views and back.
   
• Google Earth For The iPhone Released
  Google announced the release of Google Earth for the iPhone (iTunes link). It is a free app that brings many of the features of the desktop version of Google Earth, to your iPhone. I played around a bit with the app and I am very impressed. It takes advantage of many of the iPhone's capabilities. Clearly features such as the GPS are used, but it also uses the accelerometer that allows you to tilt the iPhone and it moves the maps around. Panoramio layers are available, so are geo-located Wikipedia articles. You can also search the maps for cities, businesses and so on, but it also integrated with your contacts. Many of these features were actually available on a non-Google product named Earthscape (iTunes link). I reviewed Earthscape on my personal blog a while back. One clear benefit of Google Earth over Earthscape is the clarity of the images.
   
• New iPhone Report From comScore: Everything You Wanted To Know And Then Some
  To use a variation on a familar phrase, the iPhone changes everything. Indeed it has; and everything you ever wanted to know about iPhone adoption and usage is contained in a new report from comScore ("All about the iPhone"). The headline on the press release is about lower-income groups adopting the device for a broad range of activities (music, games, video and internet). Based on behavioral data from a sample of roughly 100,000 iPhone users in the US and Western Europe, the report goes into a great deal more than that. Below I do a quick "dive" into a couple of the search-related findings.
   
• SEO Tools Come To iPhone
  I was waiting for the day someone would bring an SEO tool to the iPhone. Today is that day, Infindigm released a tool named proSEO - iPhone SEO Content Analyzer. You can download the tool on iTunes or on your iPhone. To see the tool on iTunes, use this link. It does cost $14.99 but it seems to have a nice feature set, including:
   
• Tools of the SEO Trade
  In SEO, success is as much about your toolkit as it is about your skillset. Without great tools at your disposal, your ability to get the job done is really hampered. At SMX East this month I presented some of my favorite tools on the "Tools, Glorious Tools" panel. (Download my Powerpoint.) What I came to realize from gauging the audience's reaction to my presentation was that many of the tools I presented were new to much of the audience. That surprised me. This stuff isn't exactly a government secret. There are blog posts about them, and many are free or inexpensive.
   
• Bookshelf: New Column From Search Engine Land
  Our newest Search Engine Land column, Bookshelf, launches today. Bookshelf features reviews of books, white papers and other publications that help search marketers do their jobs or gain a better understanding of general digital marketing issues. The Bookshelf column appears periodically at Search Engine Land. In today's debut post, I review the newly updated second edition of a book that can justifiably claim the title of the "bible" of search marketing: Search Engine Marketing, Inc. by Mike Moran and ...
   
• The “Bible” Of Search Engine Marketing
  It's common for comprehensive books written by respected authorities to be tagged as the "bible" of a particular topic or industry. My vote for that distinctive title in our industry goes to Search Engine Marketing, Inc. by Mike Moran and Bill Hunt. Both Mike and Bill are longtime search marketing veterans who were responsible for the search marketing strategy and implementation for IBM.com's massive global network of web sites. They're both currently active marketers who work with a wide variety of well-known organizations and brands, primarily now at the strategic level. The hefty 626 page book is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of search marketing, from basics like search engine friendly site design and keyword research to more sophisticated topics such as optimizing paid search campaigns and creating viral social media campaigns. Given the authors' experience, this is all solid stuff, representing best practices that can benefit just about any search marketer, from beginner to expert.
   
• What’s Ahead For Search Marketing In 2009
  It's an understatement to say that we live in uncertain times, and that any data that can help us strategize, plan or even to some extent predict what's ahead is worth its weight in... well, let's just say this kind of information is invaluable. That makes the Marketing Sherpa 2009 Search Marketing Benchmark Guide very timely for just about everyone involved in our industry. The Guide is packed with data, analysis, charts, graphs and all manner of other useful info. This is the fifth annual Search Marketing Benchmark Guide that Marketing Sherpa has produced, but its unlike any of the others I've seen. It's far more comprehensive and detailed, pulling together stats compiled by Marketing Sherpa as well as "best of" research from more than 50 respected research partners. The result is nearly 300 pages of no-fluff data, with 215 charts, tables and eyetracking heatmaps covering just about all aspects of search marketing. The Guide has five major coverage areas:
   
• Presentations & Q&A Sessions From Google’s Third Chat Session
  Google hosted their third webmaster chat event last Wednesday. The event had three presentations from Googlers and plenty of question and answer time between webmasters and Google employees. The Google Webmaster Central blog has announced they have posted a recap of the live chat session. Below you will find the presentations from John, Jonathan and Maile of Google. You can also read the comprehensive Q&A session over here.
   
• Yahoo Search Assist At 1; Google Toolbar At 8
  Break out the birthday candles for Yahoo's Search Assist and Google's Toolbar. Yahoo reminds us today that its Search Assist feature was launched a year ago this month. Search Assist is the feature that suggests words and phrases while you type in the Yahoo search box; it also suggests related concepts -- something, Yahoo tells us, that no other search engine is doing.
   
• Gmail Adds Emoticons, Canned Responses & Updates Mobile Client
  The Gmail team has been busy over the last few days. They have added emoticons to mail messages, created a new labs project for canned responses and updated their mobile client for J2ME-supported phones and Blackberry devices.
   
• Gmail Adds Gadgets & Google Reader Adds Subscription Stats
  The Gmail Blog announced a new labs option that gives Gmail users the ability to add Google Calendar, Google Docs and other gadgets directly on their Gmail interface. Plus, Steve Rubel reports Google Reader has added subscription statistics, which I find to be awesome. Let me explore both features below.
   
• Google Adds RSS Feeds For Web Search Results
  As expected, Google has added an RSS feed for web search results to the Google Alerts service. As seen in the screenshot above, when creating a new alert, you can now choose to get the alert via email or RSS feed. RSS feed alerts are only available to logged-in Google account holders.
   
• Google Rolling Out “SearchWiki”? Move Results Up, Hide Them Or Suggest Your Own
  A year ago today, I wrote about an experimental feature Google was showing off. I titled that article Google Like/Don’t Like: Move Results Up, Hide Them Or Suggest Your Own. Now it appears Google might be rolling the feature out, at least to a subset of Google searchers. We have several blog posts across the web documenting them seeing these features in their Google web search results. Those blog posts include Justin Hileman, Garett Rogers, Alex Chitu, a German blog and my coverage at the Search Engine Roundtable, which documents a couple people noticing it in a WebmasterWorld thread. How does it work? Justin Hileman has posted several screen captures and a screen cast movie. Below is the movie:
   
• Is Yahoo’s Buzz A Buzz-Kill?
  When Yahoo Buzz launched back in February of 2008, it was thought by many to be the next big player in the social news community space. This was largely due to the fact that if your content got the most "buzz" it had a chance to be featured on Yahoo.com, which can send millions of visitors to your site over a short period of time. Of course it didn’t take long for people to find themselves at Yahoo’s first major Buzz-kill.
   
• Republican Congressman Calls For More “In-Depth” Review Of Proposed Google-Yahoo Search Deal & Another Microsoft-Yahoo Deal On Deck?
  Texas Republican Congressman and Google critic Joe Barton wants more information about the proposed paid-search deal between Google and Yahoo. Dissatisfied with Yahoo's responses to his questions to date, Barton has asked the US Department of Justice to "thoroughly investigate issues of competition and privacy that Yahoo failed to address fully."  He is concerned about Google developing "an effective monopoly" in paid search.
   
• Microsoft adCenter Fall Upgrade
  The Microsoft adCenter blog has an army of posts containing details of their large fall upgrade. The main features most advertisers may notice are: Campaign Management: ability to pause and resume ads and keywords, geo-targeting enhancements, and improved performance reporting on the Ads page Editorial Improvements: faster reviews, dynamic feedback about why ads and keywords were disapproved, and inline notification when dynamic text causes your ads to exceed character limits User Management: if previously you were only able to have one user, now you can create multiple account users Content Ads (U.S. only): get keyword bid suggestions and performance estimates for your content ads
   
• Google, Yahoo, Microsoft Agree To Common Guidelines On Free Speech & Human Rights
  The Wall Street Journal reports that Google, Yahoo and Microsoft have agreed on a common set of principles governing how they intend to do business in countries that restrict free speech and human rights. All three companies have been criticized by rights groups and the US Congress in the past for putting profit over principles and human rights, in China in particular.
   
• Google Settles Book Search Copyright Lawsuit For $125 Million, Paves Way For Novel Services
  Google has settled the class action litigation entitled The Authors Guild, Inc., et al. v. Google Inc., which alleged that Google Book Search, including the company's practice of scanning books to distribute them online, violated the copyrights of publishers and authors. Subject to final court approval, the settlement calls for Google to pay $125 million to litigants and clears the way for Google to continue scanning books. It also establishes some novel services and distribution mechanisms for the future.
   
• 5 Reasons To Register For SMX West Today!
  Search Marketing Expo - SMX West is coming to the Santa Clara Convention Center in the heart of Silicon Valley, February 10-12, 2009. Here are 5 reasons why you should register today. This 3-day, multiple track event has programming for all levels of search marketing experience. The show is programmed by Search Engine Land editors Danny Sullivan and Chris Sherman - the most knowledgeable and experienced conference team anywhere. We're offering a great deal if you register today - just $995 for all the tips, tactics, and networking. We guarantee your satisfaction. This is a limited time offer!
   
• YouTube Adds “Jump To Time Segment” Deep Links & Customizable Home Page
  YouTube had added a couple new things over the weekend. The more exciting feature is that you can now link to a starting point within a YouTube video. The other feature is that you can now customize the YouTube home page, based on your preferences.
   
• What Does Search Activity Say About The Election?
  With less than a week to go until U.S. voters choose a new president, Yahoo is sharing what it knows about White House-related search activity. Here are some highlights from Yahoo's blog post today, which taps into data from Yahoo Buzz:
   
• Google Adds Fighter Jet To Air Fleet
  A New (Fighter) Jet for Google’s Founders? from the New York Times reports Google has added a new jet to their fleet of Boeings. The new Jet is actually a fighter jet, commonly known as an Alpha Jet. This jet has rights to land at Moffett Field, like the others. NASA told the NY Times that this jet will be outfitted with "scientific instruments for NASA missions, including instruments that the other planes could not carry." Matt Furman, a Google spokesman, told the NY Times, "because of the type of aircraft we are talking about, NASA now has the ability to do even more than they could before."