This week, Google and Microsoft seemed to be competing for internet marketers' attention, both through search-specific developments and social features.

The week started on a decidedly social note when Facebook shared figures with Search Engine Land indicating that it delivers convertible traffic to websites. The numbers show that Facebook-derived site visitors tend to spend more time and money on websites.

This should be good news to both B2C and B2B marketers who invest with the social giant as Brafton also reported that a recent inbound marketing survey reveals that the majority of marketers think social media has been important in generating leads. Perhaps unsurprisingly, LinkedIn was best suited for bringing new customers to B2B companies, whereas Facebook was the leading driver of new clients for B2C brands.

Other news from the week should remind cross-industry social marketers to maintain fresh content on their social pages. A Webs survey found that more than 77 percent of marketers will increase social investment in spite of the fact that they aren't seeing desired ROI. A key factor in lackluster results may be the fact that 36.5 percent of marketers publish fresh content once a week, and 10 percent publish new social content just once per month. This goes against earlier reports that reveal social users want fresh content from marketers, as well as a recent tip from a Facebook executive suggesting that autentic content is key to Facebook Likes.

In addition to catching social consumers' interest, social content may be becoming increasingly important to catching clicks for email marketing efforts. YahooMail announced Facebook and Twitter integration this week which enables message recipients' to keep up with what their friends are sharing on the web. Email marketers with social campaigns may find that they gain a layer of in-inbox advocacy from thesis integration.

Gmail is also trying to get into the social messaging game. The company is offering a new people widget that gives users the chance to connect with contacts and see content they've shared related to messages. Depending on how the feature develops, this could also be good opportunity for marketers to generate social context (and advocacy) for their marketing emails, though – at present – the Facebook and Twitter integration from Yahoo is more impressive.

Nonetheless, Google came out with a number of impressive announcements this week. For one, the company has unveiled Google Wallet – an app which may make mobile consumers more likely to make mobile purchases. The payment service allows them to swipe their smartphones, and it could encourage the current rise in mobile purchases, with a report indicating that 79 percent of consumers are comfortable buying merchandise via their mobile devices (mobile marketers, take note).

Wallet may have generated a lot of mobile buzz for Google, but should the company be worried about mobile search competition? Microsoft's latest Windows Phone Mango is generating some significant interest and it offers some more sophisticated Bing search features.

Bing is also generating interest in the general search space for its latest Facebook Friend Effect integration. As Brafton reported a number of Google users have publicly professed their interest in the social data offered by Bing, and SEO marketers should consider whether they might convert to Microsoft's search portal.

Plus, Microsoft sites overtook Google sites in terms of comScore's top web properties. Still, marketers should consider that consumers might be visiting Microsoft sites more frequently, but Google is directing traffic to other websites at higher rates.

A recent Google development may have some marketers concerned about how much the search engine will effectively deliver traffic to sites instead of keep them on results pages. As Brafton reported, the company's flight search feature update offers instant answers on flight information and pushes organic listings down on SERPs. This means travel marketers – and perhaps soon marketers in other industries – should focus on search engine optimization to try to push their sites up and retain visibility.

Those looking to boost SEO should consider that content marketing is key to Google rankings. In a live Q&A seesion, Google's Matt Cutts reminded marketers about the value of content in a post-Panda search space.

Content marketing is also key to sales. As Brafton reported, a recent survey shows that more than 63 percent of marketers say website marketing is the best way to find new customers. A separate survey indicates that geo-targeted custom content is increasingly becoming as 30 percent of marketers who use it cite it as “very effective.”

Those looking for keywords to boost SEO might try Google's new tool – Google Correlate. The features has been dubbed “Google Trends in reverse” as it offers popular search phrases for real-world events.

Next week, marketers should be on the lookout for more info on the rising competition between Google and Microsoft. Tensions may get even higher as Microsoft is slated to release its tablet OS next week. Internet marketers, stay tuned!