The Week in Review

Facebook Could Be Launching Credibility Scores

Facebook may be preparing to introduce a new version of its Social Commenting plug-in, which could assign each user an aggregated credibility score. "Since this score travels with users wherever the plugin is integrated, it should encourage more civil, thoughtful commenting." The formula appears to be: total Likes – total instances marked as unhelpful or spam) / total Likes. (Inside Facebook)

Is Bing Copying Google’s Search Results?

"Google has run a sting operation that it says proves Bing has been watching what people search for on Google, the sites they select from Google’s results, then uses that information to improve Bing’s own search listings. Bing doesn’t deny this." This is a rundown of what this "copying" looks like, how the sting worked, whether this is cheating and other juicy tidbits, including the "search voice." (Search Engine Land)

Is SEO Immoral?

A question on Quora asks whether SEO is immoral. Here’s a broad answer to such a big question. Black hats, white hats and Cheetos are all part of the discussion. (SEOmoz)

Is Google Filled with More Spam Than Usual?

Some users think they’re seeing more spam than usual in Google’s search results, though the search engine disagrees. Here’s a look at this issue from the angles of the problem with PageRank, skewed search results and game theory. A solution is proffered at the end. (Search Engine Watch)

A Blueprint for Link Building

More than ever, it’s important to use a wide variety of link-building tactics. Here’s a look at what Google’s latest algorithm tweak means for linking, along with two tactics for building foundational links: associations (credible sources, credible links) and DMOZ/Yahoo Directory. (Search Engine Land)

Internet Users Don’t Like Mobile Ads

According to a recent survey from Advertising Age and Ipsos Observer, 63 percent of U.S. Internet users somewhat and strongly dislike mobile ads, while just 15 percent somewhat and strongly like them. A separate study from Yahoo and The Nielsen Company found that Internet users want mobile ads to be informative and relevant to their interest. (eMarketer)

Volvo Gets Huge Response to Mobile Rich-Media Ads

Volvo and AdMob recently teamed up to launch a video ad campaign that yielded click-through rates of 3.91 percent, 10 times higher than those of traditional banner ads. “Rich media ads are still an emerging product, but they’re poised to become an important way for large brands and companies to drive awareness and engagement on mobile devices.” (GigaOM)

6 Ways to Get Banned from AdWords

If don’t want to get banned from AdWords, remember to save your arbitrage site from too many ads by adding more content above the fold, make sure “free” offers are easy for the consumer to attain and don’t use sites that don’t enhance the search experience (i.e., jump pages or thin pages). Click through to read about cloaking, rebilling and dubious ad serving. (Search Engine Land)

Facebook and Face.com’s Uncertain Relationship

Facebook and Face.com have a cloudy relationship. While there is word that Face.com turned down an acquisition offer from Facebook for “tens of millions of dollars,” there’s also word that Face.com is powering Facebook Photos’ facial recognition functionality, which was recently upgraded. (TechCrunch)

Demand Media: Spam or the Future of Content?

Demand Media has sparked a lot of conversation recently, and much of it isn’t centered on its successful IPO. Instead, the so-called content farm has been the object of controversy, and may or may not have been the targeted problem of Google’s recent algorithm tweak. If it is able to evolve itself in terms of verticals, sponsored content, and Q-and-A and content, it may be able to salvage itself. (GigaOM)

What Keeps Facebook Fans Coming Back?

Local businesses account for 17.6 percent of Facebook fan pages, according to Wedbush, a financial services firm. Social media marketing agency Cone found that 77 percent of new media users want brands to give them incentives online, while 28 percent want to be entertained. “Engagement, interest and constant connection keep fans coming back to a company’s Facebook fan page, and local businesses can learn from these larger examples as they create and populate their own Facebook fan pages.” (eMarketer)

Does Facebook Threaten Google’s Dominance?

Is Facebook Yahoo’s Google? In terms of Web activity, social search and ad relevancy, yes, Facebook appears to have some real weapons to threaten Google with. (Seeking Alpha)

Google Algorithm Changes Combats Content Copying, Maybe Content Farms

Google’s most recent algorithm tweak jabs at the problem of spam, including sites that copy content from other sites or have low levels of original content. It’s a slippery slope, though only a very small portion of search results will be affected. (CNET, WebProNews)

5 Tips for Better Mobile E-mail Marketing

Mobile e-mail marketing requires plain text, uncrowded links, good subject lines, correct use of image tags and clear call-to-actions. (Copyblogger)

SEO vs. SEF

Too many people mistake “search engine friendly” with search engine optimization. Here’s a look at what the difference is in some key areas of developing your site and content. (Search Engine Watch)

Using Negative-Keyword Lists

A negative keyword is "a term that can be added as a broad, phrase, or exact match to filter out ‘bad’ traffic." Here’s a rundown of how you can generate negative lists using AdWords, which recently unveiled this feature. (PPC Hero)

6 Tips When You Have Nothing to Write About

Have you run out of ideas for content on your site? Among the suggestions for content that will give you the most bang for your SEO buck are Q-and-A/FAQ sections, transcriptions of videos and podcasts, and ranting. (Search Engine Land)

Google Censoring Torrent-Related Searches

If you’re looking to download a torrent, Google might not be the easiest place to search anymore. That’s because the search giant has begun taking steps to remove references to torrents from its Instant search and autocomplete features. There are already those crying foul, claiming that many users rely on their torrent services for legitimate interests. (ReadWriteWeb)

Display Ads Tested in Gmail

Google is testing display ads in Gmail. A Google spokesperson said the ads began running last Friday. (Search Engine Land, Brafton)

2011: Year of the Triggered E-mail?

A recent benchmark survey from Silverpop shows that eight in 10 marketers will deploy cart- and browse-abandonment e-mails this year. Cart reminders yield higher click-through and conversion rates, though many marketers stop after one message and wait too long before sending their first (or only) reminder. Post-purchase e-mails are also underutilized, while browse-reminder e-mails are next on the horizon. (MediaPost)

SEO is Underfunded

SEO is a long-term investment, but it’s often underfunded because: 1) short-term goals are hurting long-term success; 2) executing SEO work can turn into a nightmare; 3) marketing managers get lost in jargon without knowing the positive effects SEO will have on a site; and 4) organic search traffic isn’t properly valued over time. (Search Engine Watch)

A Post-Click Marketing Heuristic

Post-click marketing is a vast land. Here’s is a visual guide through the creation and optimization of post-click experiences. It’s intricate, but helpful. Four things to remember are: great post-click marketing starts with context, delivers great content, follows through on conversion and is driven by metrics and testing. (Search Engine Land)

Marketers Don’t Fully Understand Social Media

According to a study from Alterian, about 70 percent of marketing professionals either have very little or no understanding (31 percent) of relevant social media conversations around their brands or their clients’ brands, or use a few ad-hoc tools (39 percent). Also included in the study is that e-mail is the most personalized marketing channel. (Marketing Charts)

Click Fraud Rate Drops to 19.1% in Q4 2010

According to Click Forensics, the overall industry average click fraud rate was 19.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, lower than the 22.3 percent rate observed in the third quarter. However, this was still higher than the 15.3 percent rate in the fourth quarter of 2009. (Click Forensics)

Mobile App Store Revenues: $15 Billion in 2011

Global mobile app store revenues will surge to $15 billion in 2011, about three times as much as the $5.2 billion generated in 2010. By 2014, this number is expected to reach $58 billion. (TechCrunch)