A few weeks ago, Google made what seemed to be a quiet change that may have huge implications for the SEO world: it started indexing Facebook comments. While this may seem like a small update, it may mean much more for SEO, because Facebook comments are contained in Javascript -- and, since its inception, Google hasn't been able to index content or links contained within Javascript code.

It's Thanksgiving on Thursday. Friday is Black Friday. And all the maneuvering for competitive advantage during the opening salvo of the holiday shopping season has been well under way for weeks.

The technology world has been buzzing about the recent introduction of the iPhone 4S. As a device and platform, it’s sleek, smart, intuitive and accessible to users of all ages. It turns the most complex of tasks into a very elegant and satisfying experience. A central feature of iOS5 (Apple’s new mobile operating system) on the iPhone 4S is Siri. Siri is voice recognition software, which has been built to function as a digital personal assistant. Ask Siri a question, and “she’ll” answer. Ask Siri to send an email -- done. Ask Siri what the weather’s like, and she’ll return …

Financial analysts are not predicting a rosy short-term future for Amazon's stock price. Recent blunders with the rollout of new Kindle devices and earnings under increasing pressure have these analysts predicting a shorting of Amazon stock. In all likelihood, Amazon's share price will tumble.So why is Walmart so worried about Amazon?

Captivating. Confounding. Mesmerizing. Maddening. Alluring. Alliterative. Call me Ishmael. No, call me Ahab. I'm obsessed. I've been searching for the perfect search engine (and whale of a pun!) for years and, every time I think I've found it, the darn thing slips out of my grasp.

Like Rob Garner, I was out at Pubcon Las Vegas last week. Some of my favorite sessions to attend are those covering online reputation management (ORM). As an SEO, I find myself being contacted more every day by those looking to clean up their reputation in search results, so I thought I'd share some of the best tips I heard during several sessions last week on how to protect and manage reputation in the search channel. Even if you don't have a reputation management issue today, however, it's important that you begin doing all you can to protect your brand …

Judging by the buzz on my Twitter, Facebook and Google+ networks, Siri is kind of a big deal. If it's a huge hit with users, it's because it is very nearly flawless (at least by current standards). While Google's Android operating system also offers voice command, it isn't as robust -- or fun -- as Siri yet. You can expect Google to improve over time, which only means voice commands will only become more ubiquitous. It's clear one of the key uses of Siri will be for search. When thinking about all the ways you optimize for search, voice should …

There are many macro-trends affecting search marketers today -- but none so impactful as the socialization of search. When you mention the word "social," Facebook immediately comes to mind. While Facebook has created a platform that is important for brand marketers and is working (successfully) to find its place with performance marketers, Google has always faced the opposite dilemma. The perfect engine that is Google is by definition successful when it quickly delivers relevant results to get users off its Web site. How do you create a social network around that? Enter Google+.

Yesterday was not a good day. It was a day that made me wish I had never gone into this business -- a day that made me long for a warm beach and a mai tai. I've been doing search for a long time. And I have to be honest, some days it feels like a thousand leeches are sucking the blood out of me. Given that, it was impossible to muster up much enthusiasm for the roll out of Google+ Business Pages or the raging controversy of Facebook's "LikeGate." Really? Are those the most important things to litter our …

Just in case you haven't heard by now, Google has launched its pages for Businesses, a complementary offering to Google+ personal profiles. Janet Driscoll Miller covered some of the basics in yesterday's Search Insider, so I will cover some of the implications of Business pages, and what they mean to your content strategy, search strategy, and social engagement strategy.