SearchDay | Google and the Obama Administration

SearchDay | Google and the Obama Administration [TEASE” Today’s search engine marketing news and opinion: Google and the Obama Administration; Share Your Location with Friends on Google Maps; FriendFeed Updates Search Functionality; and more. Today’s Top Story:

Kevin Ryan

Google and the Obama Administration SEW EXPERTS: SEARCHING FOR MEANING I thought we were moving past paying back campaign favors with key positions. I thought we were changing the world. Transparency doesn’t mean appointing your supporters so they can continue building their brand by plugging in familiar connectivity. » Full story » Print version

Search Engine Watch Experts Columns

Mark Jackson	Using Search to Help you with Search Engine Optimization SEW EXPERTS: AU NATURAL Link research can take time, but there are several ways you can use a search engine to find quality links. Today we’ll look at queries you can make using your favorite search engine that can help you find places to acquire links to your Web site. » Full story » Print version
Carrie Hill	Users and Search Engines Want the Same Things SEW EXPERTS: LITTLE BIZ Optimizing your site for users is just as important as optimizing your site for search engines. While those are two very different things, you can often serve both audiences by being smart with your Web site development. » Full story » Print version
William Flaiz	Is Your Landing Page Relevant? SEW EXPERTS: OUTSOURCED Your landing page is the first impression by which search engines and users alike will judge your site. And when a searcher first lands on your Web site, you have but mere seconds to establish credibility. Web sites must rise to the occasion and create landing pages that rank for important keywords while engaging the reader. » Full story » Print version

News from the Search Engine Watch Blog

FriendFeed Updates Search Functionality Posted by Nathania Johnson Feb 4, 2009 FriendFeed has updated its search feature with added functionality. If you’re not familiar, FriendFeed is a social aggregator that enables users to track activity on various social networks and social bookmarking sites from one place. Now, you can conduct the following search functions: Search for words only in entry titles or … » Continue reading

Google Adds Location-Aware Social App to Google Maps
Posted by Kevin Newcomb Feb 4, 2009
With the launch of Google Latitude, Google Maps for Mobile users can now opt into a service that allows users to see where their friends are on a map. The Latitude service is available now on Blackberry, S60, and Windows Mobile, and is expected to be available on Android in the …
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Yahoo Patent App Sheds Light on SEO Priorities
Posted by Kevin Newcomb Feb 4, 2009
A recent patent application from Yahoo highlights several factors that Yahoo itself proposes to use for optimizing Web pages for its search engine, according to the ever-vigilant patent-watcher Bill Slawski. The application, “Automated System to Improve Search Engine Optimization on Web Pages,” was filed in June 2007 and published last month. …
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AOL Not the Bright Spot in Time Warner’s Q4 2008 Earnings
Posted by Nathania Johnson Feb 4, 2009
While search was a bright spot in the earnings of Yahoo and Microsoft, and Google beat Wall Street estimates, AOL is not faring as well. Time Warner released its 2008 fourth quarter earnings and AOL lost 18% in ad revenue. Last year, Time Warner announced that it would split AOL into …
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Microsoft Adds Live Search Instant Answers to Internet Explorer 8 Search Box
Posted by Nathania Johnson Feb 4, 2009
Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) now features Live Search Instant Answers in the search box. The types of instant answers you’ll see include: Financial informationWeather conditionsMovie show timesCalculationsEquationsConversionsDefinitions Here’s an example of looking up a stock, in this case, Microsoft (MSFT): Related Reading: Live Search Adds Shopping and Flight Instant Answers Live Search Implements Instant Answers …
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Search Engine Watch Forum Discussions

What could cause massive drop in CTR? Feb 3, 2009 OK. I’ve been running pretty much the same ad forever. My competitors have been running the same ads. All of a sudden about a week ago my CTR has dropped from 5-6% to 1-2%. But nothing else out there has changed. My ads haven’t changed. … » Join the discussion

Irrelevant Links Feb 4, 2009 Can irrevlevant inbound links hurt you in search rankings? If not, do they help at all? » Join the discussion

java hurt rankings? Feb 3, 2009 On a financial site I would like to put a java applet for a ticker on the main index page. But not having java on a new pc build, I’ve noticed that the entire page won’t load if java isn’t installed locally. This notion presents the prospect of java’s absence hurting not … » Join the discussion