The BBC reports that an Italian court has convicted Google executives for a video showing an autistic teenager being bullied. A video accompanying the post provides a statement from a Google spokesperson, who says Google plans to appeal the ruling. The verdict will have ramifications for content providers worldwide. Google was accused of breaking Italian privacy law by not getting the consent of all the parties involved before allowing it to go online on YouTube, shortly after it bought the site in 2006.

While it's no surprise that Google's search engine landed in the No.1 spot on Compete's top 50 list for January 2010, take a look at where other engines landed. Yahoo took No. 3, Bing came in at No. 11, and Ask took No. 16. The list also provides unique visitors for the month. Compete explains that the top five fastest growing Web sites in January were tax-related, while five of the top 20 high-growth sites were dedicated to travel. In aggregate, the top travel sites attracted more than 21 million unique visitors, while the tax and accounting category saw more …

Bill Slawski points to a patent dispute filed by Xerox in the Wilmington, Del., federal court that asks for cash damages and an order that would keep Google, Yahoo and YouTube from continuing to use a system for automatically generating queries. Slawski explains the patent describes a way to automatically generate queries based on the content of Web pages that show related advertisements through Google's Adsense and Adwords programs, as well as through Yahoo's Search Marketing and Publisher Network.

Tom Demers fills in the blanks with tips on search ranking algorithms. He tells us effectively targeting long tail keywords is one pivotal aspect of driving large volumes of search traffic in most verticals. While ranking for competitive phrases and developing link authority remain crucial SEO skills, he explains why rankings depend on properly targeted long tail keywords.

Sharing insights on link-building techniques, Arnie Kuenn suggests the amount of time SEO professionals should devote to the task. Kuenn also defines what factors go into quality links, and provides opinions on favorite link-building tools and tips for marketers embarking on link requests. When asked whether a link from an authoritative, yet totally unrelated Web site, or a link from a pretty authoritative, highly relevant Web site helps the asking Web sites more, Kuenn replies, "Can I have both of them?"

Michael Bolan explains Google's click-to-call mobile application that the Mountain View, Calif., company launched last month. Google took the business model behind pay-per-call on the PC and stuck it on mobile. Bolan tells us why this strategy for mobile makes more sense. The post also details activating and tracking pay-per-call in AdWords, and how this relates to Google's Local Extensions.

An effective brand marketer can dramatically improve the chances of establishing a successful SEO campaign. With enhanced attention to personalized search from Google, and click patterns and brand preferences emerging through individual search history, having an identifiable brand becomes a major asset, Rand Fishkin says. He also discusses cannibalization of link graphs, social graphs and other new signals that search engines take into consideration when ranking sites.

Similar to flipping homes, apparently there's a strategy to flip Web sites, too. Mark Daoust tells us what to look for when deciding to buy and sell Web sites. He advises against getting involved with businesses that have systemic or marketplace problems. Daoust also provides insight on what to look for, such as sites that are not monetized to their full potential, conversion tracking and out-of-control business expenses.

For those of you who don't use Buzz, Google's social add-on for Gmail, here's a look at some of the stats that Google can collect and serve up to you in the dashboard for your Buzz account. Google software engineer DeWitt Clinton says the dashboard keeps track of the posts, mentions, connected sites, list of followers, comments, most contacted contacts in Gmail, number of emails in your Gmail inbox and much more. Good thing the dashboard is private. Well, private to you and Google.

Leach Betancourt tells small businesses how to adopt online geographic location to help consumers find them while on the go. She provides insight into a few ways companies can become part of social media's location-tagging world, which can help consumers locate your real-world street address on their mobile phones. Some of those ways include the use of Google Buzz, as well as Foursquare and Twitter. It also can help build loyalty between consumers and businesses, she explains.