Eric Enge recently sat down with Matt Cutts, head of Google's Web Spam team for those who don't know. He offered up a bunch of link building tips and advice, but they were all directed around a central theme: Voluntary, editorial, and informed links will stand the test of time. Almost every link building topic Cutts discussed was filtered through that one theme. Link bait ? Original research is better than just saying controversial things or being sarcastic. Widgets ?

Even though Carl Icahn has said the Yahoo-Google deal might have merit , former search technologist Mark Nelson has announced his support for Icahn's proxy board, according to Barron's . Nelson founded search technology company Ovid Technologies and sold it to Wolters Kluwer for $200 million in 1998. Today, Nelson is a partner at Mithras Capital, which holds 1.7 million shares of Yahoo. In a letter addressed to Jerry Yang , Susan Decker and Roy Bostock ,

Here's a must-read for the week: a great interview with Google's Matt Cutts by Eric Enge, CEO of Stone Temple Consulting, in his blog this morning. There's terrific information on link building from Google's perspective, among other topics. What Google looks for are links that will stand the test of time. In Matt's words: So, what are the links that will stand the test of time? Those links are typically given voluntarily. It is an editorial link by someone,

Carl Icahn has gone soft in the wake of the Yahoo-Google deal , telling Reuters that the deal "might have some merit." Icahn hasn't made any actions )such as withdrawing his proxy board ( or written any more letters . Meanwhile, Yahoo investor Eric Jackson is urging other shareholders to vote on a board that would keep 5 of the existing board members while bringing in 4 of Carl Icahn's proxy board, again according to Reuters .

Continuing its dominance in search , Google saw 61% of mobile searches in the first quarter of 2008, according to data released by Nielsen Mobile. Yahoo came in second at 18%, while MSN lagged behind at third with 5%. 65% of Google searchers were male while 63% of Yahoo searchers were male. When it comes to what mobile searchers are looking for,

Mobile is the wave of the future and accessing the web is increasingly becoming a must for mobile phone users. Smartphone sales are up and the iPhone is hot! But the internet is not as fast on your phone as it is on your laptop. That's why Google's news about an update to mobile search will come as welcome news to many. Writing on the Google Mobile blog , Software Engineer James Watts explains: "When you navigate to google.com in your browser,

Google Website Optimizer has launched the Technology Partner program , which shows which CMS platforms are compatible with their JavaScript-based testing tool. Website Optimizer can still be used on CMS platforms not listed in the program, but the certified CMS partners come with documentation and support. Jon Stona of the Website Optimizer team, wrote on their blog, "We see this program as a win for CMS providers and website-owners alike.

In an effort to boost its search game, Microsoft recently announced its Live Search Cashback program which rewards those who make purchases as a result of Live Search ads with cash rebates. Now, eBay is part of the program , but in a more streamlined way. When searching for a product, you'll now see a cashback gleam next to eBay paid search ads. You'll be able to get cashback on "Buy It Now" products directly through eBay instead of going through the cashback site.

If you're getting ready to go to Search Engine Strategies Toronto next week â€" or still on the fence about whether to attend SES Toronto June 16-18 â€" then check out the buzz from more than two dozen search blogs that has been leading up to the SEM conference . If fact, the buzz in Canada has been louder this year than the one coming from the periodical cicadas that emerge every 17 years from underground haunts on Cape Cod. )Hey, I'm not making this up.

Google has announced that their related search suggestions are now extra fresh. Writing on the Official Google Blog , Rajat Mukherjee, Group Product Manager, Search and Adam Westall, Software Engineer said, "Recently, we improved our algorithms to process new information faster, and the result is quite tangible - you should now see fresher suggestions for queries on current topics of interest." They gave several examples. One is the iPhone. Now,

Jerry Yang has opened up about the non-exclusive search advertising deal with Google with a post over at the Yahoo! Anecdotal blog . Yang started off by writing, "It's no longer a rumor." Considering Yahoo! issued a press release regarding a test of Adsense last April , I'm not sure rumor is the right word here, but let's move on. Yang justified the deal by saying the move is part of Yahoo!'s open strategy: " WebMD sells their audiences on Yahoo! ,

Google's official spin on the Yahoo-Google search deal portrays the pact as a technology play. Yahoo will have access to Google ad technology under the terms of the agreement. Yahoo stated to Microsoft yesterday that an independent search business is critical to its future. We're puzzled how a partial outsourcing of search ads to Google would somehow ensure its independence. If anything,

A year after launching a comprehensive search offering , CNN.com beat out Google when it comes to searching for news, according to a survey conducted by ROI Research for DoubleClick. 57% of the 500 participants surveyed said they search CNN.com for news while 53% say they search Google. Here are the top ten sites, with the percentage of participants who use them for news search: CNN - 57% Google - 53% MSNBC - 41% Yahoo - 40% MSN.com - 31% Foxnews.

Yahoo signed a new advertising deal with Google that will face antitrust scrutiny during the next 90 days or so. The deal, which will not be executed until regulatory review is completed, will allow Yahoo to display some ads sold by Google. U.S. Senator Herb Kohl )D-WI(, chairman of the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee,

In what must be one of the seven signs of the apocalypse, Yahoo and Google have agreed to extend the advertising tests they participated in last month to a broader-scale distribution partnership. Under the agreement, Yahoo would outsource a portion of its search ad inventory to Google, and potentially to other providers in the future. Yahoo now has the option to display Google ads alongside its own natural search results and other Web properties in the U.S. and Canada. Yahoo!

Google and Yahoo may announce a partnership this afternoon at 4:30pm EST / 1:30pm PST. At least, that's the rumor coming from TechCrunch . Of course, this is the same rumor that the Wall St. Journal published on May 2, 2008. There's no question a Google-Yahoo partnership would throw a wrench into Microsoft's merger plans to create MicroHoo. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn's efforts to oust the current Yahoo management would also be derailed.

MicroHoo is dead. RIP Microsoft-Yahoo. Today Yahoo made the official announcement that they've concluded discussions with Microsoft. The possibility of a full acquisition or a partical acquisition are nil. What's more, Yahoo indicated that an independent search business will be critical to its strategic future and would not be in the best interests of Yahoo! stockholders. That casts doubt on the veracity of the TechCrunch rumor . Full Text: Yahoo! Inc.

Yesterday, Google's CEO Eric Schmidt was interviewed by Ken Auletta on stage at a San Francisco event hosed by Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications. Schmidt offered up insight on a variety of issues. Let's dig in. Yahoo An independent Yahoo would be better for innovation and competition, in Schmidt's opinion. He feels that Microsoft has delivered products such as Windows that limits the choice of consumers.

Travel search site Kayak.com has announced the launch of a targeted display advertising platform. The platform was developed by SideStep.com, which Kayak acquired in December 2007. Kayak says display advertisers will be able to target a variety of search criteria, similar to existing text ads offered through the Kayak Publisher Network.

Yahoo! and Coupons Inc. are launching a mobile coupon platform. Coupons Inc. is a leading online coupon distribution network and has relationships with 800 brands. The mobile network will immediately be available to all brands within the network. "We see mobile coupons as a natural extension of our leading digital marketing platform and a way to turn coupons into a strategic marketing vehicle that delivers value," said Steve Boom, Senior Vice President, Mobile, Yahoo!.