Wiki-Based Search Engine Claims To Be Web’s Biggest
(January 28, 2005 - URLwire)
The Web’s Biggest search engine claims to search more websites than any other search engine. The wiki-based search engine also lets individual searchers modify everyone's search results.

Google's AdWords Gets API Beta
(January 28, 2005 - News.com)
Google said the API will allow advertisers to more closely tailor ad content to reflect specific needs. The API, for example, will let advertisers create customized reporting tools that offer more detail on how successful their ads have been.

AlmondNet Debuts "Post-Search" Search Behavioral Ad Network
(January 27, 2005 - SearchDay)
AlmondNet is unveiling a new program today to deliver advertising across the web targeted to the topics someone has searched on recently, including queries done on major search engines such as Google and Yahoo.

Sponsored Links Extend Their Reach
(January 27, 2005 - eWeek)
Faced with advertisers who want to place more ads and publishers who seek more revenue, sponsored-link providers such as Google Inc. and Kanoodle.com Inc. are trying out approaches ranging from putting sponsored links in e-mail newsletters and syndication feeds to letting users choose the ads they read.

Yahoo Heads for Hollywood
(January 26, 2005 - News.com)
Yahoo has set up stakes in Southern California, forming a media group to house various entertainment properties and to court Hollywood, according to an internal company document.

Search Engine Users Head Offline to Shop
(January 26, 2005 - Search Engine Guide)
While search engine marketing has long been touted for its ability to deliver targeted traffic and generate high conversion rates, the reality is that most searchers research products online, but purchase them from brick and mortar stores.

'Plan 9' from Google
(January 26, 2005 - CBS.MarketWatch.com)
What's to stop them at the operating system level? What about a Googlebox? An actual machine. Since all the X86 computers are essentially generic machines made in China, why wouldn't Google leverage its brand name and roll out the Google X1 -- the "computer for the X-Generation!" It could probably get an Apple-like premium for such a machine and load it up with proprietary software too.

Most Search Engine Users Still Naive
(January 25, 2005 - Search Engine Guide)
What I found most surprising was that surveyed individuals use search engines sparingly. Almost half of Internet users say they use search engines just a couple of times a week and nearly two thirds claim they could stop using search engines tomorrow without it significantly impacting their lives.

Google Gears Up for a Free-Phone Challenge to BT
(January 24, 2005 - Times Online)
Google looks set to launch a free telephone service that links users via a broadband internet connection using a headset and home computer.

Google to Provide AdWords API to Advertisers
(January 21, 2005 - SiliconValleyWatcher.com)
Google is about to announce technology that will allow its advertisers unprecedented levels of control over when, where, and who can view their advertising on Google search pages and those of Google partner web sites.

Google Loses Trademark Dispute in France
(January 20, 2005 - News.com)
French court orders search giant to stop using the trademarks of a European resort chain to trigger keyword ads.

AOL Search: Playing In the Big Leagues Now
(January 20, 2005 - SearchDay)
AOL is rolling out several enhancements to its core search functionality that position it as a clear contender in the battle for eyeballs between Google, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves and MSN Search.

Google Aims To Outsmart Search Tricksters
(January 18, 2005 - News.com)
Called a "no follow" tag, the control when placed before pages of blog comments will signal to Google as it indexes the Web that the pages are to be overlooked. That will render comment spam ineffectual.

Businesses Must Target More Than Just Google
(January 18, 2005 - Search Engine Guide)
The days of simply worrying about gaining a strong ranking in Google, sometimes at the expense of rankings in other engines, are long gone. Companies need to focus on building a strong organic and PPC presence on all of the top engines, or risk alienating a large portion of their potential audience.

Online Ads & Search: Looking Back, Looking Forward
(January 17, 2005 - SearchDay)
Paid search led the resurgence of online advertising in 2004 with a 34% increase in growth, and this trend is expected to continue over the coming five years.

Yahoo, Verizon Ink Web Tie-In
(January 17, 2005 - News.com)
Yahoo and Verizon Communications on Monday inked a multi-year agreement to package the Web portal into the nation's largest phone company's broadband Internet services

Yahoo & MSN Closing the Google Gap
(January 13, 2005 - SearchDay)
While Big G continues to maintain its leadership position in the eyes of web searchers, a new study finds that Yahoo, MSN Search and Ask Jeeves have all made significant improvements over the past year and are narrowing Google's mindshare advantage.

Can Desktop Search Find Profits?
(January 12, 2005 - BusinessWeek)
The money-making potential of desktop search is dubious in the short term. The various players haven't announced business blueprints, but it's likely that some will experiment with ways to cash in, such as placing relevant ads alongside search results. Such a move, however, would be rife with controversy.

Three Cool Search Gizmos
(January 12, 2005 - SearchDay)
These three simple little search gadgets each do one thing, but do their tasks very, very well. Sometimes less is more.

Yahoo Launches Desktop Search
(January 11, 2005 - SearchDay)
Long anticipated, Yahoo's new Desktop Search beta is a solid contender in the increasingly crowded desktop search playing field.

Yahoo! Plugs Targeting Power
(January 10, 2005 - MediaDailyNews)
Yahoo! plans to use domain targeting with the campaign, which will involve displaying ads to visitors coming from Internet protocol addresses of specific companies--including ad agencies, clients, and prospective clients.

SMA-NA Set to Launch
(January 10, 2005 - ClickZ)
Search Marketing Association North America (SMA-NA) will be a member-focused trade organization with appeal for smaller SEM outfits, said Ian McAnerin, a Canada-based search marketer who is leading the creation of the SMA-NA working group. McAnerin said the new group will provide a marked contrast to the industry-focused SEMPO.

Google's New Ad Policy to Affect Affiliate Marketers
(January 7, 2005 - ClickZ)
The new policy, which will be implemented over the coming weeks, is intended to create a cleaner interface for users, increase the diversity of merchants represented in the links, and reduce duplicate ads, all while recognizing the important benefits affiliate marketers bring to the table, said Salar Kamangar, director of product management at Google.

Blinkx Launches Desktop Search for Mac
(January 6, 2005 - News.com)
Search firm is one of the first to cater to Apple's loyalist audience--but it will have to compete with Tiger.

AutoTrader.com Inks Portal Deal with Yahoo!
(January 5, 2005 - ClickZ)
The relationship will result in AutoTrader.com's 2.5 million dealer and private owner listings supplanting Yahoo! Autos' existing used car classifieds.

Yahoo Offers Content To Set-Top Makers
(January 5, 2005 - News.com)
Yahoo on Thursday will begin licensing Web applications to set-top box manufacturers in hopes of reaching beyond the PC and into the living room.

Will MSN Use PPC to Challenge Google?
(January 5, 2005 - Search Engine Guide)
How will a PPC product help Microsoft challenge Google and Yahoo! in the search wars? After all, no one selects a search engine based on their PPC offerings. That said, search engines rely on earnings from the PPC programs to help fund improvements to their organic search products.

New European Search Engine Seekport Launched
(January 4, 2005 - URLwire)
Sophisticated ranking algorithms and local index teams ensure that Seekport's search results contain less spam and are more relevant than the results of competitors. In this way, Seekport will ensure a search customized to suit local conditions in each country or language area.

Legal Threats Still Loom For Google
(January 3, 2005 - MediaPost)
Geico might have lost the first battle in its trademark infringement suit against search giant Google last month, but officials from the insurance company vowed that the war is not yet over.

Yahoo Offers Real-Time Traffic Reports
(January 3, 2005 - SearchDay)
Largely overlooked during the holiday craziness last month, Yahoo introduced real-time traffic information for 70 major U.S. cities.

Microsoft Notebook: Critical Challenges Lie Ahead This Year
(January 3, 2005 - Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
How easy is it to anticipate what will happen at Microsoft Corp. in any given year? Just try finding someone who would have predicted a year ago that Microsoft's Steve Ballmer and Sun Microsystems' Scott McNealy would end up together on a stage, swapping hockey jerseys and declaring a truce between the longtime technology industry rivals.