Noran El-Shinnawy serves up some tips on what to test and how to test it, defining the difference between element, variation and variable. Don't necessarily think big because little changes can make a major impact. While it's possible to test different variations of the same variable, marketers still only test one variable, she explains, suggesting marketers choose the test based on goals, site traffic and available resources.

Online travel site Priceline.com said it has signed an agreement to acquire KAYAK in a stock and cash transaction worth $1.8 billion. The company said KAYAK, founded in 2004 by several online travel technology experts, will operate independently. Supported by advertising, KAYAK's search engine allows consumers to compare hotels, flights and rental car prices from hundreds of Web sites.

Marty Weintraub seems to have found a bug in Facebook that allows accounts to exceed the spend limit setting, along with contradictions in various places throughout the social site's help screens. He details each and tells marketers what to watch for and why these two bugs are important to fix. 

Only 16% of people learn about new marketing and ad agencies via platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, according to a survey by RSW/US titled "2012 Agency & Client Perspective on Topics Related to Agency New Business." It turns out that 58% of marketers said they often learn about new agencies via emails, and 49% said they learn about them via phone. The majority of Agencies believe the degree of difficulty in obtaining new business this year is about the same as it was in 2011, while 35% of Agencies state that it's more difficult to find new business. The …

Pinterest added a feature called Secret Board that allows users to create up to three boards that people on an invite-only basis can see. In other words, it's called a privacy setting. Evrhet Milam tells us how to create the board and lock it down. When users add a pin to a secret board, it won't show up anywhere else on Pinterest.

Search engine optimization for e-commerce Web sites is more difficult than for blogs or simple five-page company Web sites, because the continual need to change content can create several problems, according to Sean Work. He describes seven common SEO errors and provides suggestions on how to tackle each. For example, using product descriptions verbatim from manufacturers creates duplicate content on the retailer's site. Instead, always create unique content and descriptions.

Ifbyphone released Inquire Thursday, allowing small businesses to identify the media, phone call or email and track the lead. The tool aims to help small businesses use attribution to determine the origin and make better media investments. The company points to the lead-response feature. When a Web form is submitted or an email is sent, the system immediately calls and reads the information to a sales rep.

Google will increase the funds it allocates to its venture-capital arms from $200 million to $300 million. Sarah McBride points to part of the rationale behind the increase as some companies initially backed have matured and require larger cash infusions to grow. The portfolio includes companies ranging from medicine to clean power to coupons.

Free Zone will allow consumers with basic mobile phones and limited Internet access to use Google products like search, email and Google+. The Google service will initially roll out in the Philippines through the local carrier Globe Telecom, according to Reuters. The news agency explains that consumers can access Web sites in Google's search results for free, but clicking through to a Web site will require a data plan subscription.

With some speculation that the next generation of search engines will surpass Google, Lars Hard explains why he thinks that today's flawed search engines will give way to "the next frontier" -- resulting in a mix of what we know as "traditional" search with mobile Web browsers as well as artificial intelligence, also known as "smart" apps or push technology.