Powerset has been in somewhat of a stealth mode since last year, with only bits and pieces of information about the "natural language" search engine showing up on blogs and tech Web sites. At yesterday's TechCrunch40 Conference, the startup officially unveiled Powerset Labs -- an online community aimed at culling tester feedback and developer insight to help build and improve the search engine before it goes public next year. The goal of natural search is to make the act of searching online easier by letting users ask questions as they would when speaking naturally. So instead of "Google acquisitions …

Finding videos in Ask 3D or Google Universal Search results is still the exception -- not the rule -- for most queries, and searchers using video-specific search engines like Blinkx or Pixsy may not find exactly the results they're looking for. Video search is still in a nascent stage -- as the crawlers and the users are both learning how to get it right. Webmasters can help improve video search by optimizing all video content on their site, and this piece lists tips, best practices and the rationale behind video optimization.

Local.com has launched a contest to boost usage of its new Local Mobile service. With the Apple a Day Giveaway, a different user will win an Apple iPhone each day for the next 30 days. The service reduces mobile searching to entering a keyword and a location -- then Local Mobile returns business listings, driving directions and even a click-to-call option.

Driving traffic is often the focus of a Webmaster's natural and paid search efforts - but moving beyond increased page views is key if the site is e-commerce-heavy or built for lead generation. Andy Hagans lists five steps search pros can take to "triple" their site's conversion rates in about six weeks!

Google has officially changed the name of Google Docs & Spreadsheets to simply Google Docs, and also unveiled its presentation software Presently (dubbed the PowerPoint-killer by some in the blogosphere). Combined with Yahoo's recent acquisition of hosted-mail provider Zimbra, and IBM's announcement that its Lotus Symphony office software suite would now be free -- the hosted application/desktop/office landscape is now very competitive indeed. Watch out, Microsoft!

Google has been part of this year's widget craze by allowing users to embed a number of "Google-sponsored" portable applications to their Web pages, as well as their iGoogle homepage. The search giant has even launched Google Gadget Ventures -- a program that grants developers of popular widgets seed investments of up to $100,000. But according to Jeremy Luebke, there are some third-party gadgets that seem to have sinister motives (like stealing AdSense account information or worse). Luebke argues that even the most experienced Web users (or search pros) could be duped into giving their Google login and …

For e-commerce Web sites or other properties where promoting products is key, getting listed in comparison shopping engines like Brilliant Shopper and Become.com should definitely be part of the organic search strategy. Knowledgeable shoppers often move beyond the big search engines -- preferring sites that allow them to research products, user recommendations and prices all at once. This post details the basics for submitting, describing and categorizing product lists for comparison shopping engines -- with a nod to the skill sets inherent to SEO and SEM.

Search blogger Brian Gilley lists 15 tools Webmasters can use to maximize their search efforts -- from a Rank Checker created by one of the most widely consulted search firms, to an application that tests whether all of your site's links are working correctly -- and they're all free.

Google has upgraded its suite of Webmaster Tools. The biggest change is for feed publishers, as the interface will now show subscriber statistics (aggregated from services such as Google Reader, iGoogle and Orkut) in one window. The post also highlights new support for multiple languages and improved sidebar navigation.

Search consultant Jennifer Slegg serves up a list of the top mistakes newcomers to SEO make -- from misusing the robots.txt file (essentially making sure that your page is NOT crawlable by any search spider), to focusing only on traffic numbers (and not engagement time). The post is a great refresher for search vets as well.