The Week’s Industry News

Compiled By Rocket Clicks Staff

It’s A Good Time To Be An Internet Marketer, So Infers A Study Predicting 2012 Ad Spend

According to eMarketer, search ad spending is expected to increase by 27% this year. That would push total search ad spending from $15.36 billion to $19.51 billion. One look at the chart below should make you (if you’re an Internet marketer) crack a smile:

Search ad spend graph

Source: Search Engine Land

Mobile Ad Spending Will Increase Drastically In 2012

Mobile advertising spending is expected to exceed $2.6 billion in 2012, according to a recent eMarketer study. Online ad spend has grown constantly over the past few years, but no realm of advertising has expanded at the rate of mobile and tablet ads. Look for this trend to predictably continue, and possibly pass expectations, in the year to come.

Source: Search Engine Watch

Google, Apple, Intel, Others Face Anti-Poaching Lawsuit

Poaching isn’t just for Russian tiger hunters and American paddlefish egg enthusiasts. Google, Apple, Adobe, Intel, Intuit, Lucasfilm, and Pixar are in hot water for illegally making a pact to not “poach” each other’s employees. The lawsuit was brought forth by a group of those companies’ employees, claiming they were either fired for breaching the agreement or hindered in their career growth.

Source: Search Engine Journal

Google Wants To Explain Its Privacy Policy With Congress In Private

Google is requesting the private company of Congress for the purpose of discussing their ever-evolving privacy policy. Google knows people aren’t happy about its newest privacy brief, and plans to send two reps to D.C. to preemptively discuss it with members of the U.S. government.

Source: Search Engine Watch

The Panda Is Coming! The Panda Is Coming!

Bamboo haters and Ursidae-phobics unite! Google has confirmed Panda Update 3.2 is under way. However, it is just a “data refresh” at this point. Google’s last Panda update occurred on November 18, 2011, so this is just another likely step forward in the algorithm catch-up process since the holiday hiatus.

Source: Search Engine Land

Facebook’s IPO Reaches $5 Billion

Facebook’s initial public offering asked for $5 billion in funding, which is very high, but expected given the popularity of the web’s top social network. Wired follows up this report by offer speculation about where Facebook is headed as a public company. Because it took eight years to go public, some people believe Facebook will be more like Groupon than Google in terms of share prices dropping after the IPO bar is set.

Source: Wired Epicenter

INFOGRAPHIC: How Pinterest Produces More Referred Traffic Than Google+

Google must really hate Pinterest right now. After spending much of the backend of 2011 promoting Google+, Pinterest has skyrocketed to become the “next big thing” in social networking. And now there are numbers backing up its viability.

According to multiple reports, Pinterest accounted for more referral traffic in January (3.6%) than YouTube (1.05%), Reddit (.83%), LinkedIn (.20%), and yes, Google+ (.22%). Pinterest will likely pass Twitter (3.61%) in referrals for February, and Search Engine Watch includes a cool infographic illustrating the possibility of Pinterest as a “game changer.”

Source: Search Engine Watch

Microsoft Updates adCenter Ad Descriptions, Mobile Targeting, And A Budget Widget

Microsoft has revealed its first round of adCenter updates for 2012:

Ad descriptions have been extended from 70 to 71 characters.
A one-click widget now takes you straight to the overview of your campaign’s budget.
You can now target a diverse range of mobile operating systems that is limited only by your imagination!

Source: Search Engine Land

Remember This Acronym: ACTA

While SOPA and PIPA are freezing to death on the island of misfit legislation, an internationally-supported treaty is threatening similar restrictions on Internet freedom of speech in the name of intellectual property rights.

Entitled the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), the treaty is backed by 22 European Union members, and is basically an internationally recognized version of the two unpopular U.S. bills. Mashable also includes some analysis of how ACTA would impact the Internet in the U.S., depending on whether the president ratifies the “executive agreement.”

Source: Mashable

‘Average Search Ranking Position’ Has A New Meaning

Google had redefined the calculation for “average position” displayed in Google Webmaster Tools search query and Google Analytics SEO reports. Now, when you see the average search position for your website, it is indicative of the average top rankings for your site. The metric was previously determined through an average of a site’s collective rank in the SERPs.

Source: Search Engine Land

YouTube Senior VP: Future Ads Will Emphasize ‘Context’

Somewhat foreshadowed by YouTube’s development of topic-specific “channels,” Senior Vice President Salar Kamangar hinted that the future of YouTube advertising will rely heavily on context. Kamangar indicated that ads shown on channel videos would be specifically targeted to that channel’s topic and demographic, thus raising the spot’s value.

Source: Wired Epicenter

HP’s Head Of Anti-iPad Developments Resigns

The final guillotine has fallen through the neck of Hewlett-Packard’s Palm program. Head executive Jon Rubinstein, the ex-Apple tech guru originally penned to counter Apple’s iPad at HP, has officially packed his bags. Rubinstein’s departure signifies the end of a fairly unpleasant mobile hardware era at HP.

Source: Wired Epicenter

IPO Will Force Facebook’s Privacy Issues Into Spotlight

As Facebook adjusts to its life as a publicly-traded company, the world’s leading social network will have to come to grips with transparency. As a private company, any government investigation into company practices would remain out of the public eye.

However, the post-IPO Facebook will be forced to disclose any legal inquiries to stockholders, should they affect company earnings. In the immortal words of Samuel L. Jackson: “Hold onto your butts.”

Source: Wired Epicenter

France: ‘Google Maps Are Free; Therefore, It’s Unfair’

France is to Google as Devin Banks is to Jack Donaghy. France has a rich history of levying fines against Google for various reasons. Their latest penalty cost Google $660,000 and centered on Google Maps, which a French court determined was receiving an unfair competitive advantage for being a free service.

This is easily the most ridiculous thing France has done in months.

Source: Search Engine Land

Matt Cutts Keeps The Googlebot Peace In South Korea

Matt Cutts, Google’s resident bespectacled ambassador, has persuaded the South Korean government to allow Googlebot to crawl its websites. Given Cutts’ teddy bear-like stature, it’s not surprising he was chosen to play the role of international peacemaker in a country that has anti-trust issues with the massive tech company.

Source: Search Engine Land

Prison Is The Least Of Megaupload Founder Kim Dotcom’s Problems

Kim Dotcom, founder of the now defunct Megaupload website, was recently unseated as the top score-holder in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Dotcom was denied bail, and will not be able to defend his Call of Duty legacy as long as he is behind bars.

Source: Mashable

U.K. Website Gets Caught In Major Cookie-Stuffing Scheme

Ben Edelman writes about a United Kingdom website (Eshop600.co.uk) that engaged in a large-scale cookie stuffing operation. Through invisible cookies on over 25 different sites, the offending site was collecting affiliate commissions as high as 40%. The practice is nothing new, but it’s important, as an affiliate marketer, to know how to check for these illegal activities.

Source: BenEdelman.org

Notable Commentary

That’s Very Pinteresting

How Old School Google Spamming Is Hurting Google’s ‘Relevancy’ Agenda

Danny Sullivan brings up a very good point in a recent Search Engine Land article: Google is rubbing a lot of people the wrong way right now, and some of their re-allocated priorities are fanning those flames by ignoring some basic black hat SEO tactics.

Analysis By: Danny Sullivan, Search Engine Land

Constructing Video And Mobile Ads In Google AdWords

Tom Demers offers a detailed, yet simplified guide to creating video and mobile ads in Google AdWords. Both skills will be crucial to reaching two audiences that are growing exponentially.

Analysis By: Tom Demers, WordStream

The Dawn Of A New PPC Era

Alex Cohen brilliantly explains how Google’s Search Plus Your World will change PPC targeting. Since Google ends up with more personal information, it can more easily decipher a searcher’s intent, and therefore serve up even more specifically targeted PPC ads.

Analysis By: Alex Cohen, Search Engine Watch

Bing Local SEO Tips

Local SEO has been a major initiative in the Internet marketing community, driven by Google’s stated goal of shifting the user search experience to a more personal and location-based product. However, there has been little discussion of how to utilize those tactics in Bing. Chris Silver Smith runs down 10 tips for improving local SEO in Bing.

Analysis By: Chris Silver Smith, Search Engine Land

Streamlining Your Social Media Use

It’s no secret social networks can be a complete time suck, even when all you have is time to waste. Ashley Zeckman offers four tips for avoiding the time waste while getting the most out of your social connections.

Analysis By: Ashley Zeckman, TopRank Blog

Four Techniques To Make Your Submit Button Better

One of the first steps in any conversion rate improvement initiative is evaluating a page’s “Submit” button. John Boyle has a brief four-part list of suggestions that can help to improve the value of this necessary button.

Analysis By: John Boyle, Web Trends

INFOGRAPHIC: How Google Made Its Bones In 2011

Google cashed in big last year, posting revenue totals just south of $38 billion. WordStream put together an infographic parsing out where that revenue was distributed among Google’s many ventures.

Analysis By: Web Analytics World

How To Target Tablets and iPads

Tablets and iPads are growing at unprecedented rates, alongside smartphones. Tablets in particular drive more direct sales (83% of mobile holiday revenue came from tablets), so it’s important to know how to target these spend-happy users.

Analysis By: Bryson Meunier, Search Engine Land

How To Master The Important Aspects Of Geo-Targeting

Geo-targeting isn’t always necessary for an ad campaign’s success, but it can often help you re-allocate efforts to the regions/cities that bring in the most profits for your product. Acquisio has some tips and tricks for maximizing the value of geo-targeting your campaigns.

Analysis By: Alex Schneider, Acquisio

SEOmoz Offers Tips To Boost Your Content’s Viral Chances

SEOmoz’s Whiteboard Friday segments have been en fuego lately, and last Friday’s workshop was no exception. Rand Fishkin explains how content goes viral, and offers recommendations to increase your content’s chances of doing so.

Analysis By: Rand Fishkin, SEOmoz

Making Sense Of Twitter’s New Censorship Policy

Anytime the words “Internet” and “censorship” are mentioned in the same sentence, all hell breaks loose. Twitter’s recent censorship power, on a country-by-country basis, Is most recently in the crosshairs. Attempting to explain the move, Josh Catone of Mashable reasons that the move is actually good for activists, while David Angotti of Search Engine Journal argues that it’s a commonplace policy among tech companies.

Analysis By: David Angotti, Search Engine Journal

Analysis By: Josh Catone, Mashable

Louis C.K. And Emotional Intelligence

In a terse post, Dan Pink explains the behind-the-scenes reason why Louis C.K.’s much publicized self-released comedy special succeeded: a form of emotional honesty.

Analysis By: Dan Pink, DanPink.Com

**The Best Of ‘Sh*t People Say’ Parodies**

One of the most popular video series right now is the collection of “Sh*t People Say,” almost all of which have gone viral. Mashable has compiled the 15 best videos, starting with “Sh*t Girls Say.”

Analysis By: Amy-Mae Elliot, Mashable

Gaming Google For Super Bowl Traffic

“What time does the Super Bowl start?” is a commonly Googled question. As such, the Huffington Post optimized a page specifically for this question that is answerable with one word. Ironically, the Deadspin post that criticizes the move as cheap and shallow is optimized for the phrase as well. At worst, it’s a sign that there will always be a place for crappy content that serves no purpose beyond vanity.

Analysis By: Barry Petchesky, Deadspin

Compare Camera Sizes!

If you’re a casual or hardcore photographer, you are probably looking for a specific style and size of camera. Measurements often accompany camera listings online, but it’s much easier to choose when you can visualize the camera’s dimensions. Camerasize.com now gives you that option.

Analysis By: Camera Size

Happiness Is More Than Just A Warm Puppy

Studies have shown that people who spend most of their time immersed in technology tend to be less happy than those that are sporadic, or limited, computer users. Brian Lam attempts to put that into perspective, and offers some ways to stay happy while working in a tech-dominated industry.

Analysis By: Brian Lam, The Wirecutter