With Twitter under pressure to please advertising and Google with a pocketful of cash, the rumors around a Google Twitter acquisition could have legs, according to one watcher. Alex Cho runs through the reasons why, pointing to Google's pile of cash and the fact that one of Twitter's biggest shareholder, Chris Sacca, is a former Google executive. He suggests that Dick Costolo, former Twitter CEO, knew about the deal and left.

The Google Now search bar widget found on Android devices has begun to give hints on the type of questions people can ask. Reports call it a "quick tip feature."

Bing now allows users to earn rewards credits across all devices, and makes it easier to redeem those credits using a smartphone. The Bing Rewards message on the phone shows the current balance and suggests ways for individual users to naturally earn credits. It also shows a status card on how far to go before reaching the next level.

Search engine optimization professionals still build links, but not like they once did. Cory Collins tell us why he will continue to use the word "link building," although some believe the term has evolved past its point of use. His post is in rebuttal to one from Dave Davies and his reasons for moving away from the term. One of Davies' reasons points to the connection with the term "spam." Collins explains.

Malwarebytes announced Monday the acquisition of Junkware Removal Tool, a security program that searches for and removes potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) such as adware, spyware, and toolbars. Junkware Removal Tool founder and developer, Filipos Mouliatis will join Malwarebytes Labs out of Houston, Texas. Financial terms were not disclosed.

To get a sense for the potential value of keywords in a certain niche, we need to do more than just look at the number of searches those keywords get each month. In today's Whiteboard Friday, Rand explains what else we should be looking at, and how we can use other data to prioritize some groups over others.

Google could put a stake in the customer loyalty software business by buying a Tesco subsidiary focused on the science of customer service. The U.K. supermarket chain announced that it would seek a buyer to sell. The possibility of Google's interest was unknown until now, according to Sky News. Google would team up with Permira Advisers, a private equity firm, to make the bid.

How does Google capitalize on emerging technology without building a startup? Have its investment arm infuse money in Oxford Sciences Innovation PLC, a company that funds spinoffs from Oxford University’s tech and science departments. The Wall Street Journal reports that Google Ventures' European branch has invested in the university. The investment would fund startups spun out of the research conducted at the university's mathematical, physical, life-sciences and medical-sciences divisions. The WSJnotes that Google last year acquired two artificial intelligence companies spun out of Oxford: Dark Blue Labs and Vision Factory. 

Research shows that leaving the headline creation to Google's Dynamic Search Ads could mean "wayyyyyy longer" than the 25 characters the search engine allows. In one example from Merkle RKG, the tool generated a headline 61 characters long. Andy Taylor explains why and makes suggestions on how marketers can capitalize on the longer headline.

Google's Gary Illyes, and John Mueller, have separately confirmed that the changes marketers are reporting are not related to Panda or Penguin, but they are from Google's core algorithm. Others will come in the next couple of weeks. It's one of the many ranking signals that get updated regularly. Apparently, search marketers are getting better at recognizing the changes.