The Internet is shifting. Search has become more than a tool. And location-based geo-tagging services are the future in advertising. "Twitter's technology foreshadows real-time search and gives us an idea on how people will consume this type of information on the Web," says Jeff Pulver, cofounder of the Internet telecom company Vonage,

"Mobile before PC" is a mantra Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt has been chanting for the past year since acknowledging mobile handsets and devices would soon outpace the sale of desktops and laptops. Not only are the phones a more personal tool, but as handset makers like HTC discover how to make the screen larger on a pocket-size gadget, the handheld device will provide the perfect platform to connect with apps in the clouds.

Google Maps could start generating substantial revenue for the Mountain View, Calif., company and related businesses, but the search engine will need to more closely tie the app to geographic-location targeting on mobile and work out the bugs. According to several SEO professionals patiently waiting for a fix, citations have been spotted showing up under the wrong business in Google Maps.

Google's Larry Page and Sergey Brin both rose in the rankings of Forbes' Billionaire list from last year, tying at No. 24, up from No. 26. But as the first quarter of 2010 winds down, not all news remains positive for Google or online paid search advertising.

Buzz, Facebook, Twitter and other conversational tools killed corporate blogging, or at the very least moved the marketing tactic down a notch to let conversational blogging move in and take over. Some might think this especially true since search engines have begun to index real-time Fan updates and tweet streams, while others suggest it just isn't so.

Encouraging businesses to embrace cloud computing, Google unveiled an enterprise apps marketplace late Tuesday. Some see this launch as a step to advance Google's long-term computing goal to become the leading cloud operating systems provider.

Do search engine optimization and paid search strategies work? Not all execs think their businesses requires these online marketing strategies. Some believe they get along without them, but it seems Google, Bing and Yahoo have found a way of sneaking them in.

Pitches have started rolling in to Google to secure a place on the list of cities where the company will build and test fiber-to-the-home Web service. The search engine announced the Google Fiber project in February. Now city officials and residents have gone gaga for Google, but the real winner could become Google and businesses offering PC and mobile applications through cloud computing.

Google Goggles has brought to the forefront the need to optimize images for mobile search -- thought it wasn't the first company to introduce a way to search for more information on mobile images. Here are some suggestions from SEO professionals on more effective mobile visual search -- from design tips to optimizing the mobile Web site itself.

Economic conditions have begun to improve and build positive momentum. That's not only the view from the Institute for Supply Management about the U.S. services sector, which in February grew at its fastest pace in more than two years -- but also from some search companies and agencies supporting marketers and advertisers in paid search and SEO.