search engine marketing news stories on Newser

For Gaming Search Results, Google Punishes ... Google

Rob Quinn — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:01:36 CST

Google cracks down on companies all the time for trying to mess with its vaunted search results, and it turns out that itself is no exception: Hundreds of bloggers were paid for putting up sponsored links to Google Chrome, with most of the posts containing the kind of irrelevant "garbage"...

Google Goes After Content Farms

Matt Cantor — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:32:10 CST

Google has had it with content farms—websites that seek traffic by amassing material that's often copied directly from other websites, Mashable reports. The search giant is altering its algorithm “to reduce rankings for low-quality sites,” it announces in a blog post . The shift, which will begin in the US,...

Stop the Presses! Story Mentions Conan, Leno, Lady Gaga!

M. Morris — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:38:32 CDT

Back in the day, "drunks with cigars wrote stories," overeducated wiseguys slapped snappy headlines on them, and some hours later, a newspaper appeared on your doorstep. In Internet time, that printed birdcage liner might as well be carved on stone tablets. "Call me a grumpy old codger," two-time Pulitzer winner...

Try a Search Engine Blind Taste Test

Kevin Spak — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:50:00 CDT

So much of our search engine experience is based on branding, but who would come out on top without all the window dressing? Blind Search may help you figure it out. Designed by a Microsoft employee, it spits out unadorned results from Google, Bing, and Yahoo, only telling you which...

Microsoft Blows It With Bizarre Bing Ads

Jason Farago — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:22:44 CDT

Microsoft is thrashing Google in new TV spots for its "decision engine" Bing—understandably, since from Microsoft's perspective their rival is single-handedly responsible for the global financial crisis. "While everyone was searching, there was bailing," says an announcer, as images of fleeting Internet memes give way to frenzied traders and...

YouTube to Sell Ads on Search Results

Jim O'Neill — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:08:58 CST

YouTube yesterday unveiled its latest plan for making money: an auction-based ad system that puts sponsored video clips alongside search results. The video-sharing site's system mimics that of its parent company, Google, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. The company—which ranks second only to Google in searches—is hoping it...

Google, Yahoo in Talks to Avoid Antitrust Case

Ambreen Ali — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:01:31 CDT

Google and Yahoo are working to settle any antitrust issues arising from their proposed joint online ad venture, the Wall Street Journal reports. Google has offered a cap on the volume of ads it sells Yahoo, which may be willing to continue selling search ads to avoid lengthy legal battles...

Search Gamble May Just Work for Microsoft

Kevin Spak — Thu, 22 May 2008 13:38:29 CDT

Many are pooh-poohing Microsoft’s cash-back search scheme, but Michael Arrington of TechCrunch thinks it’s going to work—and be a major pain in Google’s side. With search-market share at a mere 9.1% (and falling), Microsoft has little to lose, Arrington argues, because search is a winner-takes-most proposition. If customers...

Google Readies Defense of Yahoo Ad Deal

Jim O'Neill — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:35:49 CDT

An advertising deal between Google and Yahoo is certain to stir the Justice Department’s antitrust division into action, no matter what the two do to address concerns, experts anticipating a partnership between the two Internet leaders tell the New York Times . Google says a deal would simply be a supply...