Below is what happened in search today, as reported on
Search Engine Land and from other
places across the web:
From Search Engine Land:
- Google
Webmaster Central Leaves Beta; Its Blog Gains Comments
Google Webmaster Central has officially come out of beta, about a
year-and-a-half after Google Sitemaps — core of the service later renamed
Google Webmaster Central — launched. To celebrate, a new era for Google. The
Official Google Webmaster Central Blog becomes the first official Google blog
to gain comments. Google… - Google
Officially Opens Gmail To World
Google finally makes it official. Gmail is open to all. An announcement on the
Official Google Blog confirms what everyone already discovered last week, that
Gmail restrictions have been dropped. You still can invite friends and family
to use Gmail, like you did before. However, invitations are no longer
necessary… - Google Earth
Adds KML Search Feature
The Google Maps API Blog announced that Google Earth has added a feature built
into the Google Earth application to enable you to search for Keyhole Markup
Language (KML) files. KMLs allow developers add elements such as geographic
structures and overlays; here are some samples. By searching in Google
Earth,… - VSearch:
Embedded Voice Mobile Local Search
Voice technology provider VoiceSignal and directory services company INFONXX
are launching an "embedded" voice-driven local search product for mobile
phones called "VSearch." Available starting in March, the two companies
described the service in their announcement this morning:… - Google Scores
Higher On Forbes Tests
Google Boosts Its GPA at Forbes rates each of Google’s products and then gives
Google an overall GPA (grade point average). Overall, Google did better than
last year, gaining a B- rather than a C+. Here is a look at how each product
was graded…. - Eurekster Adds
More ‘Wiki’ To Swickis
Eurekster, the social-vertical search engine, has introduced some new features
that make its flagship product Swickis more social. Swickis are social
site-search widgets. Eurekster has added "Q&A" functionality to Swickis and
the ability for site users to add links directly into the site’s index. And
you can now vote on… - Google News:
Top Of Mind, Even If Not Top Of Traffic
I’ve often written about how Google News comes under far more criticism and
attention than its apparent usage as a news resource, considering other sites
like Yahoo News have more traffic. Is Google News the Tail Wagging the News
Search Dog? from Greg Jarboe at Search Engine Watch tries to… - Google’s Matt
Cutts Keynote At SES London
A Keynote Conversation with Google’s Matt Cutts from Search Engine Roundtable
provides live blogging of Google’s Matt Cutts talking to Search Engine Land
executive editor Chris Sherman during the keynote at SES London today. Matt
covers: Eloping, a nice Valentine’s Day topic His typical day fighting spam
Google search algorithm… - Google Ads
Getting New Google Checkout Badges
Since Google Checkout was launched last June, merchants in the program who
also advertise on Google through Google AdWords have had little Google
Checkout shopping cart icons in their ads. Today, Google Checkout announced
the icon will be updated to a badge format similar to the Google Checkout
buttons…
Search News Headlines From Elsewhere
Business Moves
Technorati Loses Key Developer to Google, TechCrunch- Social Search
Service Searchles Receives Gets Angel Funding, PaidContent.org - Krugle to
Power Code Search Engine for Yahoo! Developer Network, Press Release -
Journal Sentinel to Join Google Ad Deal, Forbes.com -
Lenoir Officials Defend $260 Million Tax Incentives to Google, Marketing
Pilgrim -
Yahoo! search marketing director Jones defects to I-Spy, DigitalBulletin - Ex-Yahoo!
executive joins Journal board, Bizjournals.com -
Date Yahoo!, Marry Google, Kill Microsoft, MSNBC.com
Local Search
-
Time travel in Norway with Eniro maps, Ogle Earth -
How Good Are Zillow’s Estimates?, Wall Street Journal -
Google Earth spies on key bases, facilities in S. Korea, World Tribune - Gray
Blob on Google Maps?, Google Blogoscoped
Paid Search
-
Test CPC Site Targeting, Inside Google AdWords -
eBay Pleased With Yahoo Ads, As Google Tests Start, InformationWeek -
Google Quality Score, made Visible, Shimon Sandler -
adCenter Dynamic Link Information Updated and Other Notes, eWhisper - Googlection 2008,
techPresident
Podcasts
-
Rand Proposes, Google Sitelinks Update, Search Algorithms,
StumbleUpon, SEO, PageRank, Yahoo, Keyword Tools & More, Search Pulse -
Google Webmaster Central Leave Beta; Matt Cutts Keynote; Google Checkout
Bigger Badges & More!, Daily SearchCast
Video Search
-
Online Video Industry Index, Read/Write Web -
Video and Podcast SEO at SES London, Search Engine Roundtable - Google
Shifting Resources to YouTube Monetization, GigaOm -
Blogpulse Now Offering Daily Ranking of Most Linked to Videos on the Web,
ResourceShelf
SEO
-
Canonicalization Made Simple, ClickZ
Making the Case for SEO to Small Businesses, Small Business SEM- View All Your
Google Supplemental Index Results, SEO Book -
Network Your Way To Links, The Link Spiel -
Possible Google Valentines Day Update About To Take Place?, Search Engine
Roundtable
Spam
- A Growing Spam Crisis at
Google?, Threadwatch - Search
Spam: Hidden Counter Links, Google Blogoscoped - 13 Reasons Why
NoFollow Tags Suck, Search Engine Journal -
Has the 302 Hijack returned?, Widget Logic
Social Media
- MyBlogLog Interview, SEO
By The Sea -
Pheedo Launches Social Media Ad Widgets, Techcrunch -
Yahoo! Travel in Flickr partnership, mad.co.uk -
Blogs & Social Media Drive Traffic and Search Rankings, Search Engine
Journal -
What the Google Decision Means for Social Media, Pronet Advertising -
Party Report: Diggnation Live @ the Beach Chalet, Valleywag
Valentine’s Day
-
DreamHost CEO Josh Jones Proposed via Google, DreamHost -
More Holiday Gadgets: Valentine’s Day!, Inside Google Desktop -
Yahoo! and Swatch partner for Valentine’s Day, NMA -
What the search industry leaders are doing for Valentines Day, Lunartics -
Win a Date
With Chris Hooley, Graywolf -
Search Industry Celebrates Valentines Day, Search Engine Roundtable - Google’s
Valentine’s Logo Sure Looks Like “Googe