Danny Sullivan believes it's time for Microsoft's search engine to stop generating fake information that can make site owners think they're getting erroneous search traffic, including porn. It's been happening for more than two years, he writes, pointing to Microsoft's crawler as the culprit. The crawler, known as MSNBot, gathers information from a Web page. The problem is ot sometimes "leaves behind 'referrer' information in a Web site's logs -- fake referrer information." Sullivan explains that crawlers don't normally report referrer data. He also explains why Microsoft continues to use this practice.

Personalization, net neutrality, ubiquitous service, databases that self-destruct and semantics that finally begins to make some sense. These are a few of the nine ways the Internet could change to make search as we know it today, obsolete, according to Naoise Osborne. "The way that we've evolved in our mode of seeking information has always been a function of the medium that holds what we're looking for," Osborne writes. Although he doesn't claim the title "futurist," Osborne throws out some thought-provoking concepts. "Search will change, and the entire paradigm of what it means to 'look something up'" will …

Google plans to open its AdSense network to other ad networks, potentially giving the company access to display ads moving through countless other networks, according to Kate Kaye. Google released information Wednesday that it will allow networks to bid via auction to have their ads appear on AdSense partner sites, like an exchange. Google believes the offering can help boost publisher revenue by increasing competition for ad placements, according to Kaye. She writes that certified network ads will go head-on with Google's AdWords ads. The offering becomes available to publisher sites based in North America and Europe …

Richard MacManus takes a look at the top 50 Web properties in the U.S., according to comScore, and analyzes the changes during the past year. Facebook, one new entrant on the list, appeared at No. 5. MacManus also takes a look at a site not on the list a year ago, but now No. 26. Answers.com gets more than 28 million unique visitors monthly, according to comScore. He points to articles on the site peppered with links to other Answers.com pages as a catalyst.

Dave Harry breaks down the results from a survey he posted on the HuoMah blog asking SEO professionals if they use reciprocal links. An overwhelming number of respondents said they no longer have use for reciprocal links. This week's question reflects on analytics. Harry wants to know if you trust analytics programs.

Users abandon the conversion or the sales funnel for a variety of reasons. When conversions dropped off for one client, Joe had to find the reasons for the decrease in both online and offline leads, such as phone calls, for a client who sells high-end, custom office furniture. For starters, Joe began analyzing ad texts, keywords, bids, ad positions, search query reports, and other factors that could cause the performance of the site to fluctuate. He details the findings of numerous reports and provides insight on how to correct the problem.

How do you approach a SEO Web site project where the CEO or marketing team wants to focus on adding "impressive graphics," rather than "keyword-rich" content? Susan Kelly suggests ways SEO experts can "think outside the box" to find the balance when management wants to keep the copy light, but expects improved search results. Kelly serves up advice on adding local and regional content pages, and an FAQ section on the Web site to give CEOs what they want, as well as successfully improve results. She suggests adding local keywords and unique content for each region in which a …

Don't worry about the next Google, stay focused, say no 80% of the time, and budget enough time and money to market your company because the world won't beat a path to your doorstep if they can't find you on Google. Open Forum asked 50 of the top small-business bloggers to share tips for small-business owners. The 101 posts range from "nuggets of wisdom" to "actionable tips." (The Open Forum post could serve as an example of the ultimate link bait.)

Things are always in the last place you look because once you find them you stop looking. That well-known idea led Tom Costello to research why loyalists would want to leave Google for Bing, so he took a survey of 400 queries, the kind that might prompt people to switch search engines. Costello provides stats on overlap, differences and the ratio of spam in results, along with notable differences in rankings. He writes that people often claim search engines rank "sufficiently similar," so you can't tell the difference. But a well-designed test can tell them apart, he …

Angie Haggstrom, who defines "theming" as grouping words together by subject, describes how to take full advantage of the practice. She suggests ways to organize keywords that will "qualify and sort your audience." And while organization helps visitors find information on the site, Haggstrom writes that analyzing landing and exit pages can help determine the type of customers the Web site attracts, information site visitors seek, and improvements to make. She explains how to give customers what they want with the least amount of work without making them search other portions of the site.