Say hello to my little links!

I love watching other people talk about PageRank, and Barry Schwartz got a couple good conversations going on that topic this week at Search Engine Roundtable: Why Do Some SEOs Want Toolbar PageRank To Go Away? started it, and then Forum Members Vote If Google PageRank Score Is “Overhyped” was the follow-up.

It’s great to see Brad Geddes blogging more often, especially when he discovers a new outlet for that Local Business Ad that you created in the AdWords system. It’s not just showing on Google Maps; Brad found the same ads showing in Google Earth.

Speaking of local search discoveries, Om Malik reports that Yahoo is using two cities in India to test local mashup sites under the OurCity name.

Continuing the local search theme, if you’re a small business owner just dipping your feet into SEM/SEO and online marketing, don’t miss Anita Campbell’s article on Inc.com, Local Search — How Do I Use it for My Business? Great stuff, found via Jenn.

Tell me something small biz owners don’t already know. A study from BIGResearch confirms that word-of-mouth has the biggest influence on electronics purchasing decisions. Gord talks about it some more.

In general, I do maintain the belief that links from .edu and .gov sites hold more trust — but not always. Bill Slawski this week pointed out some great examples of .edu and .gov links that question this belief. Ultimately, there are many factors that determine the value of a link from any page, and the domain is only one of those factors. Links from .edu and .gov can be trusted more, but not always, I say.

How about one more from Brad Geddes? Replying to my recent Search Engine Guide article about the four most underrated pages on your web site, Brad says that the “Thank You” page is the most underutilized page on the Web. And I agree.

That’s all for now. Have a great weekend!

Now listening to: “Suicide Blonde,” INXS