Posts on State of Search about ‘News’

Google Algo Update Improves Diversity of Results

For a while we have been seeing domination in certain SERPS from a single domain. Searchengineland wrote about this problem last month. In their example a single domain was dominating the SERP for “christopher jagmin plates”. It had been bugging me because a single domain can’t the 10 most relevant results for a single query in my mind.

On Friday Matt Cutts tweeted that there was a small algo change last week that will improve the diversity of search results in terms of different domains returned. This seems to have fixed the US SERPS but is it yet to roll out to the UK from what I can see thus far.

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Easter Egg Google: Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

Google has placed a new Easter Egg in the search engine which is based on the game ‘Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon’. The purpose of the game is that every player has to link an actor in a maximum of six steps to Hollywood actor Kevin Bacon, known for films like Apollo 13, Wild Things, A Few Good Men, Mystic River and X-Men First Class.

The higher the number how farther away the actor is removed from Kevin Bacon, actors who worked directly with Bacon will get a Bacon number of 1. The game itself is based on the theory Six degrees of separation which states that everyone on earth through a network can be connected to each other in six different steps. With the game in Google you can check in how many steps an actor is linked to Kevin Bacon. (more…)

Bing Keeps Challenging Google and is More Popular Than Ever

Bing seems to be on a small war path with Google. Earlier this week we already highlighted some of its social search strategy, but Bing has a broader challenge: Google. Microsoft has been actively promoting their search engine in different ways, along the way ‘attacking’ Google directly. And that while Bing is already gaining a little ground on Google in market share in the US last August.

While Comscore numbers show a small increase of Bing shares in the US and a small decline for Google, Bing is actively working on their visibility by doing a ‘Bingiton’, a TV campaign, by changing the name of Microsoft Advertising and by trying to lure away Google Adwords customers. All actions are not just aimed at showing how good Bing is though, they are also very much ‘against’ Google. (more…)

Linking can mean a breach of copyright and privacy says judge

A remarkable ruling in The Netherlands today where a judge decided that one of the most popular websites in the country which linked to content which was ‘leaked’ is guilty of breach of copyright as well as breach of privacy. The ruling could potentially have a big impact on online journalism.

The website GeenStijl.nl, which is a controversial, but very popular site in the Netherlands, last year placed a link to photo’s of a Dutch celebrity of a photoshoot for the Dutch version of Playboy. The photos were according to GeenStijl leaked by someone inside the offices of the publisher, which makes the ruling even more remarkable. (more…)

A4U Expo London Launches Agenda

One of the bigger events in Europe in October is A4U Expo London 2012. After a successful European version in Barcelona earlier this year in October it is time again for A4U’s ‘home territory’: London.

Today A4U Expo launches their official agenda for the two days, which shows many different topics and some familiar faces there.

The conference has different topics covered. Topics including Data, Mobile, Engagement, Social Media, Affiliate Marketing, Analytics, User Experience, Search Marketing and Conversion will reinforce how the wider digital community are harnessing and integrating performance-based marketing on a far larger scale than has been seen previously. The two-day conference agenda will feature in excess of forty sessions across three tracks, designed to enable all delegates to benefit from beginner to advanced-level learning’s in our interactive theatre, plus key industry debate through our ‘panels-only’ session room – both of which are new for 2012. (more…)

Pirate Bay is out of Instant Search, ‘Bisexual’ back in?

Two years ago Google introduced “Google Instant”, which was an extended version of Google Suggest. Now not just the suggestions showed up, the page actually changes when typing in your search query, making that some people might decide to stop typing and pick a result which seems to be to their liking.

These suggestions ‘help’ people make their choices. But not all choices are good choices, according to Google at least. Which means the search engine banned specific sentences or searches from showing up in Google Instant. For words with for example sexual intent, that makes sense, you can for example search for the word “porn”, but there will be no suggestions there. If you want to see results on that term you first need to hit ‘enter’ to see the results.

Google now has banned another term: Torrentsite The Pirate Bay is taken out. On the other hand a much discussed term might be returning: bisexual. (more…)

Google Launches UK Insurance Comparison Ads

Over a year after Google bought insurance comparison site Beat That Quote the search giant has now rolled out insurance comparison ads in the UK.

Similar features already exist for credit cards and mortgages, so it’s no surprise Google has expanded this to insurance. Insurance comparison is a highly profitable business, with insurance companies paying big money for valid insurance leads.

Google has recognised the revenue potential in insurance comparison and seems to have decided it’s more profitable to cut out the middlemen. Instead Google now offers these services directly on its own properties. Undoubtedly Google will continue to collect heaploads of money from PPC advertising on these insurance-related keywords, as advertisers will now have to compete directly with Google as well as with other insurance websites. (more…)

Google Rolling Out Knowledge Graph Carousel More Widely

In August this year Google announced to be rolling out the Knowledge Graph to countries where English is the main language and at that moment the Knowledge Graph carousel was introduced on Google.com. Google is now rolling out the feature worldwide to all English users of the search engine.

The carousel will show additional lists and collections to a search query above the search results if this is relevant. The list and collections are used when the answer to a query cannot be shown as a single entity (person or thing). (more…)

Mel Carson launches Delightful Communications

When we heard about Microsoft making changes to their teams, which meant the end of his career at Microsoft for Mel Carson, we immediately said it would be a big loss for Microsoft. But we also weren’t afraid for where Mel would be going next. There would be people in line trying to persuade Mel to come and work with him.

Those people will have to get in line again, but now as potential clients for Mel’s new company: Delightful Communications. (more…)

Star Trek: The Original Series Google Doodle

Google yesterday placed a very cool doodle because of the 46th Anniversary of Star Trek. Star Trek was created by Gene Roddenberry and the first episode was broadcasted on September 8th 1966, after that 79 episodes followed (although 80 where made) and the show retired on September 2nd 1969. If you are a big fan of The Original Series you can explore space on the homepage and boldly go where no one has gone before.

It’s a interactive doodle with Captain James Tiberius Kirk played in the show by William Shatner at the front behind the console and left to him ‘live long and prosper’ commander Spock. At the right, next to the captain you can see Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu, in the series played by George Takei who later also played in the science fiction show Heroes. I guess the guy at the right is Montgomery Scott (Beam me up, Scotty) and between Scotty and Sula must be Leonard McCoy. (more…)

Microsoft Updating Ad Preview Tool

Last Friday Microsoft announced it will be releasing an update to their Ad Preview Tool.The Ad Preview Tool lets advertisers see if and how their ads are presented, whether it is targeted or to a specific audience.

When the new version of the tool is launch uses will be able to “enter targeted terms and specify language, publisher domain, and traffic origin location at the country, state and city level to validate engagement with a particular audience.” (more…)

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