The SMX West conference began today, and Danny Sullivan, its co-chair and the editor-in-chief of Search Engine Land, gave the keynote to truly kick things off. Sullivan took an all-inclusive look at the search industry, touching on current standings, trends, and also what he'd like to see happen.
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In the future, Sullivan thinks Google would do better still if it shows real-time CPC for ads, reveals the AdSense split to publishers, and solves the map spam issue. But focusing on more services like Google Book Search and Knol may not be productive, as Sullivan said, "Google is not a media company and needs to be careful."
Anyway, Sullivan believes Microsoft can sharpen its game by picking (and sticking to) a brand name less awkward than Microsoft MSN Windows Live.
As for some smaller issues, Sullivan doesn't see why Google and Yahoo don't offer Twitter search. He pointed out that the great apps Urbanspoon and Chowhound are running unchallenged. And Google hasn't really done much in the mobile arena at all.
Sullivan then wrapped up the keynote by discussing search and the recession. He believes the true effect of the recession has yet to be determined, but advised using analytics in the event things get tighter. Sullivan also said, "Search marketing is still in its teens but is widely recognized as one the most effective forms of reaching people."
Murdok anchor Abby Johnson contributed to this report.
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