Changes to the Wall Street Journal Online's StartupJournal.com weren't just made to upgrade the user experience -- the site has been optimized for search engine crawling and maximum ad exposure, according to Kate Kaye. Repackaging the property as the WSJ's "Entreprenuer" section is part of a strategy that will bring other standalone sites like CareerJournal.com and RealEstateJournal.com into a more searchable, one-stop online business information shop.

Some search pros say that search engine optimization has become a science: follow specific rules like putting keywords in the domain name and the Meta description tag, link to relevant, trusted sites, bundle in properly tagged images, and you've got the makings of a site that should soar to the top of the search rankings. But Jill Whalen argues that SEO is more of an art, one that requires creativity and thinking that goes beyond established tools and tactics. Whalen even calls attention to the fact that using too many common SEO tactics may get a client's site …

Two weeks ago MSN announced that it would be rolling out a portal to preview upgraded versions of its Live Search offering. Search Engine Roundtable is reporting that as of Aug. 31, Webmasters have been invited to the beta (via info from the WebmasterWorld forum), where they can test out the new features and submit the URLS they'd like to be included in the index.

The four-year fight between American Blinds & Wallpaper Factory and Google over whether the search giant violated American Blinds' trademark by letting competitors buy specific keywords has ended in a settlement -- with Google as the victor. According to attorney, law professor and blogger Eric Goldman, the settlement is a "stunning victory for Google," as the search giant isn't paying any money to settle the dispute, and American Blinds agreed to give up any further legal action if Google adheres to its current trademark policy. Goldman links to a .pdf of the actual settlement agreement, and gives other …

Advertising via mobile phone seems like a no-brainer for local businesses -- that is, once the tech improvements and user adoption rates make it a clearly profitable and accessible option. But even though a critical mass of users hasn't yet materialized, marketers and agencies are still hot for the mobile ad space, gravitating toward paid search as the preferred ad channel. But there are clear hurdles that mobile search providers (from the big engines, to smaller services like Local.com and NearbyNow) and service carriers have to tackle before PPC can become the dominant mobile ad model. Combating click …