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This is an interesting thread about what a college SEO class would look like:
SEO Class Instruction Syllabus

I’m sure I’ve linked to this before. But it is worth linking to again. Brett Tabke has put together a very comprehensive step-by-step strategy for ranking well on Google. This is the secret…

26steps to 15k a Day

Ah, this is why search engines never cease to interest me. In a nut shell, this story discusses how an Anit-Jewish site ranked #1 on Google for the word, “Jew”.
They were able to do this by content on their site and links pointing to this site.
The question is, if a site primarily gains a high position in many engines because of who and how many sites link to it, should that always make it the better ranking site?

The problem is, it’s not like there was some Internet-wide vote on this. A few sites linked to it (probably more than linked to non-anti-Jewish sites) and that is vote enough for Google.

By in large, this linking popularity is highly successful for many engines. But clearly it can cause problems.

And unfortunately, if so many people are linking to this site, are there a lot of people that are looking for an anti-Jewish site. Could it be that site ranks well because there is a large audience? The ACLU would certainly support its right to be available.

These are hard questions. …but also interesting to consider.

Google In Controversy Over Top-Ranking For Anti-Jewish Site

This might partly have to do with a pickup in the economy. But there’s not denying it… paid search is on fire.
IAB: Search Boosted 2003 Ad Jump: “Internet ad revenue rose nearly 21 percent in 2003, totaling almost $7.3 billion”

Here’s an interesting article put out by Fredrick Marckini of iProspect fame. He focuses on the acquisition of Web Position by WebTrends. The interest here is what that says about the thoughts over at WebTrends. The essence of this purchase are found in these points:

• “WebTrends is betting on natural SEO!”

• “By some accounts, five out of six commercial searches worldwide originate from organic search results.”
• “Ranking reports merged with click-through data by position and keyword will increase the market’s understanding of natural SEO’s power.”

I firmly believe that search marketing has only just begun to reach its stride. Most marketers haven’t truly embraced the full power of the engines - the traffic that comes from the free listings. I’m betting on this peak will be around 2006.
NetIQ Quietly Changes SEM — Forever

This is going to be fun!
Google plans trademark gambit | CNET News.com - Google plans to put up for auction trademarked terms that it had agreed to keep off limits in the past. Now “users will decide what’s useful.”

There are a lot of cool search features in Google you might not be aware of because they are kind of hidden. Here’s a cool site that easily accesses some of the advanced search capabilities of Google:
Soople; easy search in Google. Advanced calculator

Inside the Searcher’s Mind: It’s a Jungle in Here!: Gord Hotchkiss gives an interesting overview of how people search.

Froogle Gains Through New Placement - Froogle wasn’t in the top 20. But now it’s #8. This page also has a complete list of the top 20 shopping sites - pretty handy if you’re looking for additional places to market.