Put user-focused content on category pages, use structure data to stand out, and make the most of intelligent personal assistants, said Sam Nemzer during a presentation at MozTalk on how to use local SEO for a business that does not have a physical location, according to Tereza Litsa. She makes a "handy" tip list for marketers looking to find the best ways to land in the top position of search engine query results, which will become more important as recommendations from the engines weed out the best results.

In May, Microsoft announced plans to cut 1,850 jobs. Now, we’re learning of additional layoffs. In a new 10-K filing, the tech giant acknowledged there would be further job cuts coming during its fiscal 2017. “As of June 30, Microsoft employed about 114,000 people full-time, with 63,000 of those in the U.S., the SEC filing said,” ZDNet notes.

Laszlo Bock, longtime head of human resources at Google (and then Alphabet), is stepping down after 10 years. Eileen Naughton, VP of sales in the UK and Ireland, will replace Bock, who will stay on as adviser to CEO Sundar Pichai, according to Fortune.  Naughton will oversee human resources, recruiting and benefits globally, about 64,000 employees. 

Sure to unsettle some users, Microsoft has made it so Cortana can’t be fully disabled in the latest version of Windows 10. “Cortana, the personal digital assistant that replaced Windows 10’s search function and taps into Bing’s servers to answer your queries with contextual awareness, no longer has an off switch,” PC World points out.

A Wednesday morning search for "presidential candidates’" on google.com brought up a handy guide above at the top of search results with pictures of candidates with active campaigns. an info box of Active Campaigns pops up. Three familiar faces serve up in that box: Hillary Rodham Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Jill Stein. Donald Trump, along with Libertarian candidate Gary Jonson and Vermin Supreme were missing, according to a Columbus, Ohio–based NBC affiliate.

Microsoft announced Tuesday a tool in Word it calls Researcher, which helps users find and incorporate reliable sources and content for papers in fewer steps, and relies on Bing to pull content from the Web. A feature in the Word document lets users search the Web for related topics and add them to the paper. Researcher uses the Bing Knowledge Graph to pull in the appropriate content from the Web and provide structured, safe and credible information.

It appears that many of those who create ads at small agencies still don't understand programmatic advertising. A survey from ad tech firm Turn surveyed more than 200 creatives across small and large agencies and learned -- not surprisingly -- that there is still a skill and knowledge gap when it comes to harnessing programmatic ads. The Business Insider lists some of the key results.

AOL CEO Tim Armstrong said in an all-hands company meeting Monday that the company wants to reach a user count of about 2 billion. AOL's currently about half that number, reports TechCrunch. Armstrong described Verizon mobile footprint as a "powerhouse," per TechCrunch, but the real goal is to compete better against Google and Facebook. He also said AOL is still in the process of integrating Microsoft’s business it picked up form its advertising business.

People are still struggling to name Microsoft's search engine, which should make Bing a wee bit nervous. GeekWire took to the streets of Seattle to ask random passersby if they knew the name of Microsoft's search engine in a follow-up to a similar feet-on-the-street inquiry back in 2009. Co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook asked people: What is the name of Microsoft’s search engine? Here's what they found.

Navigation and maps are quickly becoming two very important platforms for search marketers. Not just because it provides consumers on formation on their business, but because it has become the technology in which Google uses to target ads. Google announced additional ways to make additions and changes to the Google Maps data by editing and adding venue locations, and making edits or verifying edits to the data about venues in the platform.