Android has notched a second consecutive month of ad share gains on iOS in August, now taking 43% of global served mobile ad impressions compared to 57% for Apple, according to new research.

As the top slot on Google becomes prime estate for brands, the demand for search engine optimisation (SEO) professionals is on the rise. Richard Baxter, Founder of SEOGadget, argues that many SEOs still need to grasp the breadth and depth of it as a marketing discipline.

Recent IMRG statistics indicate that mobile transactions are set to boom in the run up to Christmas (Source: IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Benchmarking Index, Aug 2012) highlighting the need for organisations to optimise their mobile websites in order to take advantage of the additional visitors predicted on mobile devices by Christmas 2012.

As social media and search converge, Facebook is in a unique position to rival Google’s dominance in the coming years. A new survey reveals that Mark Zuckerberg’s plans to mix social with search could give Google a run for their (advertising) money.

Google is to add a ‘Do Not Track’ option to its Chrome browser, letting users opt out of developers and advertisers tracking their web surfing habits.

The click-through rate (CTR) for online video is 27.4 times that of standard banners and almost 12 times that of rich media ads, according to new research.

Google has shut off the auto-complete terms for The Pirate Bay on its search engine, as the firm steps up its copyright clampdown.

HootSuite has bought Seesmic for $16 million, as the firm looks to strengthen its social media management platform.

Online dating firm Cupid has bought rival Uniform Dating for £7 million.

Amazon is opening a new research centre in East London’s Tech City, Britain’s answer to Silicon Valley, creating 100 new jobs in the process.