Yahoo has added Blog Search to Search Boss, an open search and data platform. The price, set at ten cents per 1,000 queries, gives marketers access to complex information such as author, date of post, and in certain cases, contextually relevant terms associated with the article -- all through an API, explains Rahul Hampole. He gives us examples of how to use the tool, offers tips on complex queries, and provides tips on what's next for the tool.

Stephen gives marketers a step-by-step guide to setting up brand and non-brand keyword segments in Google Analytics. It's geared toward those who support campaigns with multiple brand keywords where they mirror non-brand keyword terms. Although the strategy seems straightforward, he explains that especially in this case, there are subtle factors that can lead to success or failure.

For those starting out in paid-search marketing, Mark Ballard provides a list and definitions of 24 top paid-search terms for metrics. He defines the "throw-around abbreviations and terminology" for traffic metrics, conversion metrics, and efficiency metrics that experienced marketers use. He also defines and explains other terminology such as quality score, cost of goods sold, revenue per search, and lifetime value.

"Blindsided by allegations" after a published paper by Ashkan Soltani hit the street, CEO Hiten Shah took to the KISSMetrics blog to explain press surrounding the company's use of customer data and two lawsuits. "Mr. Soltani's paper significantly distorts our technology and business practices," he writes. The remainder of the post aims to set the record straight about the allegations.

Was it an honest mistake? Google has been trying to enforce the use of first and last names on Google+ to keep brands or fakes from testing the service. Facebook Product Director Blake Ross temporarily got booted from Google+ in a mixup that no one can explain. The mistake led to at least one tweet by the Facebook executive calling out Google for the mishap.

Start by personalizing the Google+ page with a photo and bright colors. Will Critchlow and Rand Fishkin talk about strategies for marketers adopting Google+. In the video, Fishkin explains how to use circles to bias sharing. He also reminds us that similar to Facebook, the more circles someone is in, the more there is a secondary effect of people who can see and share the post.

Greg Niland tells us the common warning signs among sites hit by Google's Panda algorithm and how to avoid it negatively impacting Web site performance. Most of the content on his sites has decent backlinks, but a 500-page photo gallery section -- about half of one site -- prompted concern that it could trigger "the Panada beatdown." Optimizing the photos meant writing unique descriptions for all, which Niland didn't have time to do. So Niland explains Mturk and how he tapped the service to optimize the photos.

Hal Licino steps through applying best practices for landing pages to boost conversions. He provides four tips to optimize content. He suggests, for example. minimizing the number of links. About half of landing pages continue one link, he writes. The more links, the more it seems to "dilute" the impact of the content. While the percentage of pages using two to four links continues to decline, a higher-than-expected percentage use five or more.

Geoff Kenyon couldn't make it any more clear: "Using conversion data will prevent you from link building to terms that statistically don't convert." He walks through six steps to demonstrate how the process works, from downloading organic keywords in Google Analytics to prioritizing link-building efforts. While he uses an ecommerce site as an example, he said the process is applicable to any Web site.

Amanda gives us five easy ways to get paid-search campaigns "out of the gutter" through five simple optimization tips. She suggests and explains keyword audits, reviews historical data, and more. The video clips are part of a new series at PPCHero to give marketers tips on the nuances of paid search.