Rosetta Acquires Mobile Firm; Facebook Phone; Google TV SERP Ads & More Search News
Digital Agency Rosetta is beefing up it’s mobile efforts with its acquisition of Level Studios. The deal will add 215 employees to Rosetta, and an estimated $45 million in new revenue, reports Advertising Age.
Level, based in California, boasts clients such as Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, Apple, Toyota and Blackberry-manufacturer Research in Motion. Purchase price and terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Facebook Phone Rumors & Denials
PaidContent provides a good summary of the weekend’s big rumor: that Facebook is building software for its own phone. TechCrunch and Business Insider insist it’s true, while Facebook execs are denying. CNET also confirmed that Facebook has reached out to hardware manufacturers and carriers seeking input on a potential Facebook-branded phone. Only time will tell who’s right here.
Google Plans Ads for TV Search Results
Google has told ad executives that it eventually plans to sell ads that appear in Google TV search results when consumers search for shows, but at least not for a year, the Wall Street Journal reports. But those ads won’t interrupt the ad stream that appears during a program.
Here’s a roundup of this morning’s other top search headlines and tips from around the Web, sorted by category.
Search Industry
Google To Distribute Mobile Devices To Businesses For Checkins, Ratings And More – TechCrunch
Google is preparing to distribute as many as 8 million custom mobile devices to small businesses around the U.S. The devices will allow customers to check-in and rate businesses, and possibly purchase items using Google Checkout.
This week in search 9/17/10 – Official Google Blog
New in SERPs: Google adds information about the director and starring cast of movies, an episode/season filter for TV shows (e.g., [Family Guy] or [Glee]. Also, Google has extended their “stars in search” feature to local results so you can mark places and revisit them later via search, Google Maps or on your phone.
A more secure cloud for millions of Google Apps users – Google Enterprise Blog
Google introductes of a more secure two-step verification sign-in capability for Google Apps accounts to reduce account hijacking. All that’s required is a password and a mobile phone.
Yahoo Opens ‘chicken Coop’ Green Data Center – PCWorld
Ribbon-cutting ceremony today in upstate N.Y. for the eco-friendly data center. CEO Carol Bartz, New York Gov. David Patterson, and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer will be there.
Search Engine Optimization
Video Sitemaps: Is your video part of a gallery? – Google Webmaster Central Blog
Optional tag makes it easier for users to find videos on a top-level (gallery) page.
6 Ways to Ensure Better Rankings in Google Instant – Search Engine Journal
Kristi Hines offers her advice: Include a keyword in your brand name, think like searchers, use Google Suggest as a keyword research tool, optimize locally for generic keywords, do online reputation management, and use multimedia.
Search Advertising
Google Inviting Publishers To An “AdSense Phone Consultation” – Search Engine Roundtable
Google is asking some publishers to take part in an AdSense phone consultation.
Google AdWords Ads Now Wrapping – Search Engine Roundtable
As discussed in the Search Engine Watch Forums, it appears as though Google is allowing AdWords ads to wrap.
Analytics & ROI
Excellent Analytics Tip #18: Make Love To Your Direct Traffic – Avinash Kaushik
A missing web analytics tag on your landing pages, untagged campaigns, improperly tagged campaign parameters/site tags, improperly coded redirects, and other things that can cause polluted direct traffic data.
Social Media Marketing
Rotten Tomatoes Exec: Facebook’s Instant Personalization to Bolster Ads – ClickZ
Movie review site expects program will improve delivery of targeted ads and enable social-based paid placements.
Can Digg Find Its Way in the Crowd? – The New York Times
On Page 2 of this article, Digg blames Google for the decline in domestic traffic. “… changes in Google’s search function … resulted in fewer Digg stories showing up in Google searches.”
7 Ways to Make Your Social Media Marketing Work Harder – ClickZ
Since integrating social media into your marketing mix helps expand your reach, increase sales, and build your fan base, it’s important to maximize your efficiency.
Social Media Readiness Tips for Affiliates – State of Search
Nichola Stott offers 10 social media strategies for affiliate websites.
Local & Mobile Search
Report: Apple’s iAd for Developers Yields Poor Results – ClickZ
Some developers say iAds cost too much and result in lower ROI than ads in rival networks.
Shooting From Carol Bartz’s Hip: Apple’s iAds Are Just Awful, Which Is Why Yahoo Buys Them! – All Things Digital
The iAd may “fall apart” for Apple, but it won’t be due to Yahoo, which bought an iAd last week within the Pandora music app.
International Search
Germany debating privacy with Google and peers – Reuters
Calls for regulation of “Street View” and other data protection intensifying; hundreds of thousands of Germans have requested that their homes be kept out of Google’s service.
After Yahoo Talks, Alibaba Says Its Buyback Bid Is Over – Bloomberg
Alibaba says they’ve “moved on,” won’t raise the issue again.
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