Google has launched the SearchWiki addon to its search results which allows users to re-rank and comment on search results. Of course, this does not affect the main index, but it is a big first step into more personalized search results.

Today we’re launching SearchWiki, a way for you to customize search by re-ranking, deleting, adding, and commenting on search results. With just a single click you can move the results you like to the top or add a new site. You can also write notes attached to a particular site and remove results that you don’t feel belong. These modifications will be shown to you every time you do the same search in the future. SearchWiki is available to signed-in Google users. We store your changes in your Google Account. If you are wondering if you are signed in, you can always check by noting if your username appears in the upper right-hand side of the page.

This could mean a lot of things for search in the future. I’m very curious as to how popular this feature will be. If the masses are very interested in customized searches, it could mean a whole new era for the SEO industry for both good and bad. This could be used to help weed out poor sites that manipulate rankings, but it could also be used to ensure large popular sites further dominate search results. For right now, there appears to be no plans to use data from the SearchWiki in the main algorithm.

TreeHouse Labs, our training wing, is growing rapidly and nearing completion. We are currently working with a partner to deliver our training material in a fully interactive and engaging manner. Our goal is to have this training material available in the next couple of months. As of this post, the material covers the following main topics:

1.) Keywords and Best Practices
2.) Onsite Optimization
3.) Offsite Optimization
4.) Dynamic Sites
5.) Tracking Results

We are really proud of the material we have so far and are looking forward to getting this out to everyone. There is no reason that someone should have to search 20 locations to get good, trustworthy information on SEO when the knowledge is already compiled in any easy-to-follow training format. No quick overview. No sales pitch masquerading as training. Just the complete story from A to Z on how to get your Web site optimized.

We will continue to bring you updates as soon as they are available.

According to reports, Google has abandoned the proposed advertising deal with Yahoo that has been in review by the Department of Justice since June of this year. Apparently, Google doesn’t want to get into a long drawn-out fight with the Justice Department now that regulators have come out and said they will file suit to stop the deal.

This is a massive blow to Yahoo who was really looking to this deal to bring in some much needed revenue. Now that the Microsoft deal is dead, I’m not sure what Yahoo is going to do.

Yahoo’s management has been under pressure since rejecting the $33 a share offer from Microsoft, which valued the company at $47.5bn (£29.4bn).

Yahoo shares were trading at $14 each on Wednesday.

Now that the Google deal has fallen through, Yahoo may find itself having to try to do another deal with Microsoft, although Microsoft has publicly said it is no longer interested.

Carl Icahn, a Yahoo investor who now sits on its board, went as far as to try to sack the entire Yahoo board to try to resurrect the Microsoft deal.

Of course, the other option is for Yahoo to find some way to salvage their ad program and not rely on a competitor to power its advertising. I remember seeing the grand unveiling of their new ad platform and it actually caused their stock price to drop further. Seems like nothing but bad news for Yahoo today.

Here is a great article on the search engine space, spending, market share, and some odds and ends relating to search in 2008. I’m especially interested in their projected spending for SEO. According to the article, 19.3% of total search dollars was spent on SEO and it’s estimated to reach 22.8% by 2011. This of course is at the expense of paid search and paid inclusion programs.

I have to admit, I’m a little shocked by the statistic that 80% of SEO spending is spent on in-house initiatives as opposed to outsourcing to SEM companies. It’s apparently become very commonplace for medium to large businesses to hire an SEM team in-house to take care of their organic SEO needs.

Another thing to note is that according to these figures, people are becoming more and more search savvy. Longer keyword searches are up while single term searches are down. Searchers are realizing more and more that looking for more specific information provides better results.