March 20, 2007

From the SEW Blog:

• Google to Test Pay-per-Action Ads
  Google today announced a limited beta test of pay-per-action advertising, a new pricing model for certain AdSense ads on its content network that pits the company squarely against affiliate programs.
• Microsoft Researchers Show How Advertisers Are Funding Search Spam
  Researchers at Microsoft and U.C. Davis show the path whereby the ads of legitimate web site owners come to be shown on spam pages.
• Yahoo Increases Reach of OneSearch
  Yahoo today made its OneSearch mobile search product available to all WAP-enabled devices, broadening the reach of the service to more mobile Web users.
• Website Pros Acquires Submitawebsite
  Website Pros, a Web design and marketing firm targeting small to mid-sized businesses, has acquired SEO consultancy Submitawebsite.
• Nofollow and Social Media Sites
  There was a lot of discussion not too long ago when Wikipedia decided to Nofollow its links, but many people may not realize that Nofollow is used on other social media sites as well.
• Innovectra Launches LeadStream
  The new local search product combines the personal touch of a telesales force with the automation and tracking synonymous with search advertising.
• Google Makes Plus Box Official
  The "Plus Box" feature, which was spotted in November and which Matt Cutts blogged about in December, is now an official feature in Google SERPs.
• Britney Can Use K-Fed To Find Bars and Rehabs
  Okay it could be the sign of the apocalypse -- or just another example of bad arbitraging -- but K-Fed has a search engine.
• Gmail Blocking Yahoo Groups Emails
  It seems Google does not like Yahoo Groups, and the problem still has not been corrected after 3-4 days.
• Google Blog Search patent application reveals keys to ranking
  A patent application for Google Blog Search reveals some of the factors that can impact ranking.
• Move Over Dave Pasternack. Travelocity's Glueck Wants the Hot Seat
  Travelocity's CMO Jeffrey Glueck is now under the spotlight, following his comments that it is a waste of time buying nonbranded search terms and that measuring ROI of search is not possible.

Headlines & News from Elsewhere:

• Fundamental Questions about Local, Screenwerk
• Is It Legal To Include Competitor's Brands in SEO Strategy?, SearchRank
• Researchers Track Down a Plague of Fake Web Pages, New York Times
• Google's Supplemental Index: Questions and Inconsistencies, SEO Speedwagon
• Yahoo Research Looks at Templates and Search Engine Indexing, SEO by the Sea
• Recovering from NoIndex/NoFollow on Google, Web Analytics World
• How Google Blog Search Ranks Results, Google Operating System
• Breaking Up with Bad Clients: It's Not You…It's Me., Stuntdubl
• AdWords Optimization Tips: Part 3 - Account Structure, Inside AdWords
• Excellent Analytics Tip #10: How Thick is Your Head and How Long is Your Tail?, Occam's Razor
• comScore adds sessions to their reporting, Web Analytics Demystified
• Click Fraud Lawsuit Survives Motion to Dismiss--Payday Advance v. FindWhat, Technology and Marketing Law Blog
• Servicing Search: A Better Ad Model?, ClickZ
• Overcoming Objections for Google's Pay-Per-Action, SEO Refugee
• The Hunt for Search Engine Innovation, Part 2, Search Insider
• Four Sources of Links, SEO Theory
• Search Marketing for Those You Know and Those You Don't, Biznology
• Embrace Risk. Then Optimize It., Think About Search
• Buying Branded Keywords: A Case Study on Traffic, Conversion and RPV, Optimize and Prophesize
• Organic Search Marketing Needs Words, Biznology
• Growing local ad spend: Top seven predictions, ZDNet Digital Markets
• The future of Local Search: Report from the field, ZDNet Digital Markets
• Local '07: SEO/SEM for the Little Guy, The Kelsey Group
• Top Ten In Serps Within Days, v7n
• Do Outbound Links Matter for SEO (and more), ProBlogger
• ICrossing Acquires Analytics Firm, ClickZ