Bing Search in IE9; Skyhook Sues Google; Latest comScore Search/Mobile Stats & More Search News

Fully embracing HTML 5, the IE9 beta was launched yesterday, and the Bing team says their goal is to provide a “very rich” and “visually appealing search experience.”

Some of the new search features:

• Query to Results: Smoother transitions from search page to results. There is no more flickering.
• Images, Videos, Text: Previews are bigger, bolder and easier to trigger.
• Quick Tabs/Visual Search: A more “application-like” experience.
• Scrolling: Related searches, search history, and search box are locked in place as you scroll.
• “Jump List”: A pre-programmed list lets you jump to your most important search tasks, from shopping and travel to maps, news and entertainment.
• Optimized for Smaller Screens: Results “accordion out” as you scroll, expanding site descriptions as you scroll down.
• Animations: HTML5 make search “come alive.”

Here’s a demo from Bing:

What are your thoughts on Bing and IE9?

Skyhook Sues Google

Boston-area startup Skyhook Wireless is suing Google for interfering with its business and patent infringement, claiming that Google forced one of its paying customers, Motorola, to ditch Skyhook to pass Google’s compliance tests.

Business Insider reports that Skyhook is seeking an injunction and “millions of dollars” in damages. Skyhook sells a mobile location platform to wireless handset makers and app-makers.

comScore Search & Mobile Stats for August

According to comScore, Google’s search market share dropped to 65.4 percent, down from 65.8 percent in July and 66.2 percent in June. Yahoo’s share increased to 17.4 percent, up from 17.1 percent in July and 16.7 percent in June. Bing’s share increased to 11.1 percent, up from 11 percent in July and June.

Also yesterday, comScore reported that Google saw significant growth during the three month average period ending July 2010, rising 5 percentage points to capture 17 percent of smartphone subscribers

Interbrand’s 100 Best Global Brands: Google Up, Yahoo Down

Interbrand has released their rankings of the 100 best global brands for 2010 (full report here). Microsoft (Bing) was third on the list, Google checked in at No. 4, while Yahoo dropped to 66. Here’s what Interbrand had to say about the companies:

Here’s a roundup of this morning’s other top search headlines and tips from around the Web, sorted by category.

Search Industry

MySpace and Google Zero in on Renewing “Realistic” Search Deal – All Things Digital
Sources say Google and MySpace are close to signing a new agreement that will keep Google providing search and online advertising technology to the social networking site. This deal, however, won’t include huge guaranteed payments because MySpace’s traffic has declined so much over the past four years.

Sources Detail Google’s Proposal For A Music Service – Billboard.biz
Service will include an iTunes-style a la carte digital download store as well as a subscription-based ($25/year) cloud-based locker.

No ‘Fairy Dust’ for Yahoo Turnaround – Wall Street Journal
CEO Carol Bartz says she needs time to remake the Internet giant; plans to retain Alibaba stake.

Yahoo Loses Another Long Time Exec: SVP David Ku – TechCrunch

Exploring Trends in U.S. Retail Sales with Wolfram|Alpha – Wolfram|Alpha Blog

Search Engine Optimization

How to Track Google SERPs in Various Ways – Search Engine People
Three methods for tracking SERPs: Using Google SERPs Checker (keyword position tool), Rank Tracker (a desktop application), and Update Scanner (a Firefox add-on).

Search Advertising

Holiday Preparation Series: Travel PPC Insights and Optimization Tips (U.S. Market) – adCenter Blog
‘Tis the season to add destination keywords, add long-tail keywords using seasonal terms, and add popular holiday event keywords.

Facebook Launches Dashboard for Multiple Advertiser Accounts – Inside Facebook
Facebook has introduced a dashboard that allows them to see basic information about each of their accounts in a single window, similar to Google AdWords My Client Center.

Yahoo economist rebuilds ad empire with ‘Magic Formula’ – The Register
Preston McAfee created a formula designed to keep Yahoo’s largest advertisers as happy as possible by letting them pick and choose how their ads are targeted.

Social Media Marketing

Twitter Talks About New Video Ads, Movie Marketers Can’t Wait – ClickZ
The micro-blogging site’s multimedia opportunities for brands follows Facebook’s entry into online video advertising.

Facebook Traffic Powers Through July, Third Party Measurement Services Show – Same for August? – Inside Facebook
comScore, Google Ad Planner, Quantcast, and Compete all show Facebook is growing.

Marketers Gravitate to Facebook As Most Trusted Referral Source – HubSpot Blog
Poll: Facebook is more trusted among marketers than company websites, Yelp, Twitter, and advertising.

Local & Mobile Search

For your viewing pleasure: a new and improved way to explore online photos – Google LatLong Blog
Feature lets users flip through pictures of a location.

Bing Maps & Internet Explorer 9 (Beta) – Bing Maps Blog

Bing Is Battling Google Hard Over Local Advertisers – Business Insider
Bing becoming an aggressive competitor as newspapers transition advertising online.

SMB Search Marketing

Signing up for Google Tags is Quick and Easy – Google Small Business Blog
Google simplifies the process for small businesses to sign up for Tags, its online advertising offering.

Social-media malware hurting small businesses – CNET News
Panda Security’s “Social Media Risk Index for Small to Medium Sized Businesses” report finds that a third of small and medium businesses have been hit by malware from social networks

International Search

Google Korea Shows Related & Hot Topics On AdWords Column – Search Engine Roundtable
Google Korea is showing related searches and hot topics on the right of its page — a spot normally reserved for Google AdWords ads.

Revealed: Google’s new mega data center in Finland – Royal Pingdom
Google converts a paper mill into its first dedicated major data center in the Nordic countries.

China Mobile Plans Online Search, Challenging Baidu – BusinessWeek
As mobile growth stalls for China Mobile, the company plans to start a search engine next year to challenge Baidu.

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