SearchCap: Microsoft HomeHub, Google extremism & Black Friday ads

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.

From Search Engine Land:

Top 10 local search insights of 2016
Dec 5, 2016 by Wesley Young
Columnist Wesley Young of the Local Search Association looks back at 2016 to find the top 10 insights that local search marketers should remember in planning for the year ahead.
Have Google and Facebook become unwitting tools of extremism?
Dec 5, 2016 by Greg Sterling
Google and Facebook are committed to facts and progress, but The Guardian argues they may be helping to undermine both.
Black Friday Report: Retail search ad spend shifted from text to shopping ads on desktop
Dec 5, 2016 by Ginny Marvin
Desktop spend across 2,500 popular product queries increased just marginally over the holiday weekend compared to a year ago.
As a local business, you have to own your own back yard
Dec 5, 2016 by Greg Gifford
The grass may seem greener in neighboring markets, but columnist Greg Gifford explains that in order to compete there via local SEO, you need to have your own yard in order first.
Report: Microsoft responds to Amazon Echo, Google Home with “HomeHub”
Dec 5, 2016 by Greg Sterling
Software approach would make Cortana available from the lock screen and provide other smart-home features.
[Reminder] Live webcast: Social Media Marketing 3.0
Dec 2, 2016 by Digital Marketing Depot
Social media is now an integral part of marketing — spending on social media is expected to double to 25% of marketing budgets by 2020. Yet, nearly half of digital marketers say they can’t prove the bottom-line impact of social media on their businesses. Join our panel of experts on Thursday, December 8, 2016, as […]