Happy Fall, everyone! Now that Halloween is out of the way and you didn't get any candy, we can reminisce the funny outfits that people wore during the holiday.
So let's start with the highlight of the week for many:
Halloween and the Search Sphere
This is Matt Cutts.
This is The Lisa Barone.
This is Lee Odden. This photo was not taken on Halloween but it was posted to Flickr on October 31st so it's totally fair game. Sorry, Lee. :)
The search engines (and Search Engine Roundtable!) dressed up for Halloween too. Did you see?
For more great Halloweeny goodness, check out Search Engine Land's Search in Pictures column for today. That Ask.com pumpkin looks awesome.
New Google Webmaster Tool: Geographic Location
Vanessa Fox is so proud of herself: she wrote on Search Engine Land about Google's brand new tool to set the geographic region of your website. Can I say awesome? Vanessa did. Now it's your turn.
Social Stuff
Facebook is soon to start a pay per action model to make money off their network. Google has opened its OpenSocial network and has had MySpace, SixApart, and Bebo sign on. The competition mounts.
US Residents: Get More Microsoft Analytics with Gatineau
Microsoft Gatineau has opened its beta doors to US residents only so that you can take advantage of the new analytics which will soon become a competitor (or complement) to Google Analytics. Sign ups begin now. US residents need only apply.
Microsoft Webmaster Tools Coming Soon
Now that Gatineau is out of the way, Microsoft needs to tackle another obstacle: Live Search Webmaster Portal, which will compete with Yahoo! Site Explorer and Google Webmaster Central. It's coming, but how soon?
Gmail Comes Out with Version 1.1
Like I said, it's not version 2.0, but Gmail has begun sporting a newer interface with a few small tweaks and speed gains. For those of you who still don't have it, you're really not missing much. For those of you who think you've had it for a few months, I don't buy it; it really isn't that much different. :P
Oh, and by the way, not everyone has Gmail IMAP either. It's not the end of the world. I promise. I don't even use it.
GOOG = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
I want 10,000 shares of Google stock. Right now. Today. Please? That would make me a millionaire since Google hit the $700 barrier this week. Some people are seriously partying. Google just invests in aircraft. Maybe they're planning on wiring the skies. Sweet.
Is Yahoo Search Marketing Encouraging Laziness?
This one advertiser using Yahoo Search Marketing decided to ban a domain that he didn't want his ads displayed in. Well, guess what: they circumvented the ban and created similar domains to display their ads on. Should they be doing their due diligence about who they accept as publishers? You tell me.
Get Google AdSense Resources
Google AdSense has added a resource tab where you can access the blog, webinars, the AdSense calendar, and the AdSense Help Forum. This certainly makes life a little easier for some.
AdSense Reporting Issue is Fixed Again
Google AdSense stopped reporting for awhile. Then it was fixed. Then it broke again. Now it is fixed again. In other words, it's a matter of time until it breaks again.
Yahoo Search Update
It seems that rankings are dropping and increasing in Yahoo's latest 2007 search update. It's too early to tell how this will impact Yahoo search, but Yahoo has confirmed that it is indeed happening.
Google Does Not Assign Dollar Values to Organic Listings
Even though we've posted a screenshot and explained that there are dollar values associated to organic results from an internal Googler, it's actually used by the AdWords team and has no relationship to the organic SERPs. Big whoops to whoever leaked that photo.
And Finally, PageRank
Come on, you knew we'd save the worst best last for last. We talked about the big PageRank update last week, and now we followed up this week with a confirmation from Matt Cutts that selling links got you in trouble. How do they know that you're selling links? SEOs are probably ratting on each other. All hope is not lost, however, because you're getting increased traffic now, right? If not, you might be seeing lowered rankings. Where are you at now if your PageRank dropped? It's been a few days; let's revisit the question again in the comments.
Have a great weekend!
