Dave Davies' post on the "Dark Art" of SEO isn't about using schemes or tricks to generate traffic, it's about uncovering some of the typically overlooked practices that search pros can use to rank better and gain more clicks. Crafting a "sticky" site is the first tip - because search engines are able to gauge how long users stay on a given property. When it comes to algorithms, more time spent equals more relevance and usability, which ultimately leads to better rankings. Next is optimizing a site's title and description (which seems like common sense), and …

Scott Hendison recounts an experience that search blogger Shimon Sandler recently had with seemingly being "blackballed" by Google. When Sandler's site was listed in the SERPs, a "this site may harm your computer" message appeared below the title. Sandler railed against the search giant for what he felt was an unwarranted label that would kill his traffic and tarnish his reputation. Naturally, Sandler thought it had something to do with his links (and the much ballyhooed PageRank update) - but his site had actually been hijacked by Adware and Spyware hackers. Hendison found out by examining some code …

While Google's AdWords accepts multiple credit cards for payment, Search Mojo's Janet Driscoll Miller cautions advertisers against using an American Express card. It seems that the card's fraud protection features get a bit overzealous and often end up rejecting legitimate charges from the ad program. These chargebacks can ultimately cause an advertiser to be denied the option of working with AdWords on an invoice basis - and American Express makes it more difficult for Google to get their payment after the error.

Yahoo's new Search Assist feature is aimed at improving results for users, but Jody Nimetz lists three ways Webmasters can turn it into an SEO tool. For keyword analysis, Search Assist can provide insight into the myriad of phrases that can be made from a specific keyword - for example, typing "online grocery" pulls up "online grocery shopping," "online groceries," and even "online Indian groceries" as possible options. Search pros can also use Search Assist for long tail optimization and a better understanding of searchers' behavior.

TopRank Marketing often conducts reader polls to gauge the pulse of its readership on current issues facing the online marketing community. While some polls barely get 20 responses, others get more than 500 - providing a great read on which regional and vertical-specific topics resonate with the entire search community. Lee Odden posts the results of the last 14 reader polls, providing an aggregate view of some of the trends. For example, 69% of readers said that both established and new search marketing conferences can all coexist and succeed. Meanwhile 13% of readers said that their employers didn't …

While Google's Quality Score is feared and loathed by some search marketers, the team at The Adventures of PPC Hero has wrapped up a five-part segment on understanding and using the Quality Score ranking to your advantage. This final installment lists four ways site owners can leverage a better Quality Score to outrank and underbid their competitors at the same time. The steps are focused on optimization of all aspects of said PPC campaign -- from keyword organization within ad groups, to ad copy and landing page relevance.

Patrick Schaber chats with Michael Dorausch (owner and operator of ADIO Chiropractic in LA) who recently (albeit unknowingly) used Google's Universal Search to his advantage. Dorausch posted a two-minute video that showed how chiropractors use a "drop" table to adjust a patient's spine -- and ended up garnering nearly 10,000 views and new clients (through organic search) in the process. The doctor hadn't even optimized the video for search, and explained his rationale in an interview with Schaber, saying: "I already owned a video camera, and had enough knowledge to know how to create a short video, and …

It seems as if Google is following in Yahoo's footsteps for once when it comes to search, as the search giant announced that it would give advertisers more insight into the Quality Score of their various AdWords campaign keywords. Yahoo's Search Marketing Quality Index is relatively an open book for advertisers, giving them tips on how to rank better, craft more high quality ads and ultimately drive better campaign performance. Google is less transparent with how it determines an ad's Quality Score -- much to the chagrin of search marketers, since it's such a huge factor …

IT and in-house search pros often have to cover the same territory (namely, the company Website), and while the two parties should be able to work together for the site's safety, visibility and optimization, it's not always a cooperative environment. Simon Heseltine outlines some of the culture clashes that can happen between an organization's in-house search and IT teams (including dealing with know-it-alls and control freaks), and provides tips to help search marketers lead the efforts for more effective collaboration.

Microsoft's Live Search team continues to peel back the layers behind the software giant's latest search upgrade. This post outlines two features that are aimed at getting user results based more on the intent of a query than the actual words typed in the search bar. With AutoSpell correction and the Stemming feature, Live Search refines and tweaks the query both in front of the user and in the algorithm -- delivering results that more effectively match the user's intent. The team does note that deciphering the intent behind specific keywords or queries is an imperfect art, and …