Computer security company McAfee recently published results from a study into typo-squatting, finding that consumers who misspell a popular Web site URL have a 1 in 14 chance (7.2%) of landing on a typo-squatter site. Given that these sites often try to steal personal data and are major sources of spam, McAfee has built tools into its anti-virus suite to protect users from these sites by flagging them as dangerous. But John Andrews takes offense to the "bad, sloppy research" that McAfee used to hone those tools, and argues that the anti-virus software provider will actually be shaping …

Yahoo Maps has added new "drag and drop" functionality for routes, giving users the option of customizing their driving directions for things like shortcuts and traffic avoidance. Yahoo has also upgraded the search interface, putting photos and reviews right inside the window that pops up for business listings. The upgrades are the latest in the long standing "feature war" between mapping providers, and Mike Boland notes that Yahoo has been a contender in the space since the early days, much like Mapquest. Google Maps raised the stakes when the service was launched in 2005, and since then …

Google has rolled out a preliminary attempt at standardizing video search by inviting Webmasters to submit sitemaps of all the video content on their site. These video sitemaps include title and location data, in addition to meta-data that can provide insight into what the video is actually about. Once the sitemaps are uploaded, video thumbnails and URLs will appear in Google Video search results, and likely make them more apt to appear in Universal, Maps and Local search as well.

Ever heard of "Battleship Text Link Buys" or "Spammer Mouse Trap?" Probably not -- but that's because Brian Brown has taken some of the most well-known Hasbro board games and added a search twist, coming up with a list of 10 games to play that only a search marketer could love. For example, "Battleship Text Link Buys," is a game in which Webmasters seek to uncover their opponent's text link buys and report them to Google. The winner is the one who gets their opponent's PageRank to sink first. With "Connect Four Reciprocal Links," the goal …

Rohit Bhargava lists the metrics that brands should focus on when it comes to Internet marketing next year -- deeming his list "The Top 10 Most Underappreciated Metrics to Track in 2008." For search, Bhargava says that marketers should focus on doing a qualitative assessment of the inbound links a site gets. Take the time to figure out how authoritative the sites that drive traffic to your site are. Go beyond PageRank and judge the quality of their content directly, as well as the quality of the audience they bring to you. Measuring how many users …

Think there can't possibly be another set of landing page best practices? Think again. This five-spot of tips comes from Widemile, a Seattle-based tech marketing startup, and optimization analyst Billy Shih serves them up with a distinctly testing and design-influenced bent. "Keep it focused," Shih says, and force each landing page to have only one goal. If two goals can't be avoided then make sure only one is emphasized, and remove excess baggage like ads and nav bars. Create a situation where users have only two choices -- convert or leave. Make sure the landing page …

SEMPO has been running its SEMPO Institute education program for a year now. Danny Sullivan notes that the Institute is one of the few search training organizations that offers actual exercises and tutorials to give both beginners and more advanced search marketers a way to verify proficiency -- and some measure of hands-on experience. SEMPO plans to continue to roll out new courses for the Institute in the coming months. Sullivan also lists four other sources of hands-on search training, including Bruce Clay (who offers classes on PPC, SEO and Web analytics for seasoned vets and newbies), The …

Yahoo's new Tune-Up feature for Panama give advertisers an automated way to optimize their bids on a per keyword basis with regards to clicks, conversions, impressions and revenue. Within 48 hours of running the tool, Panama will send you a set of proposed Max CPC changes and the resulting effect on whichever metric you chose to optimize. Tune-Up provides data on the current Max CPCs and the changes side-by-side, and gives you the option of refusing the proposal. The tool works best if you have a deeper campaign history with Panama, as it can use …