Should Google and Microsoft step in to require an attribution certification program for AdWords and adCenter, respectively? Attribution management is the science of calculating the contribution of each marketing touchpoint experienced by a consumer through actions generated -- an online purchase or download of a white paper from a Web site.

Sharing data with Google or Microsoft isn't new. Install a Web browser and the respective company likely asks for help in identifying bugs and glitches by agreeing to share data collected from an event.

Twitter has created a Web site for the more than 750,000 developers who design and build platforms that complement the company's social site. (Did you catch that number?) Dev.Twitter.com debuted Monday, developed with support from the company Acquia.

If images improve click-through rates and help sell products and services, Vertical Search Works (VSW) may be onto something. The company offers marketers at Web publishers an alternative to Google paid-search ads, adding an image of the product being sold with a 140-character description, and a search box under the listing. The attached engine allows consumers to further the search through an on-site engine.

The inflated revenue growth that some brands experienced in 2010 will make this year's revenue appear to be slowly growing, especially for companies in retail and high-tech. Perhaps I'm an optimist, but "slow growth" -- rather than "no growth" -- remains the keyword phrase that search marketers should lock into.

It's difficult to imagine the impact Microsoft's partnership with Facebook will have on paid search, but let's try. One thing's for sure: The two companies have gotten pretty chummy. Combining likes with search could have a big impact on Bing search. Google responded to the move toward social search with the +1 button. Marin Software VP Matt Lawson calls it a "war of features" to prompt people to search more per session.

Today, Google+ profiles are limited to individuals, not businesses. But the company will create profiles for a small group of brands and business to test how Google+ members interact with them through Circles, Streams and Hangouts.

While U.S. workers enjoyed a long holiday weekend to celebrate Independence Day, Google executives learned about a new challenge the search engine will face in China. Its main U.S. rival, Microsoft, will support all redirected English-language searches on Baidu through Bing.

Some tech brands miss opportunities to tap into SEO in all stages of the purchase funnel other than to drive awareness and generate new leads, according to a recent Forrester Research study. While 92% of survey participants used SEO in a least one stage of the campaign, the parts lacking SEO support include cultivating leads to sales status, supporting sales in moving prospects through the sales process, and retaining customers and cross-selling services.