Posts About ‘Testing’

Google Keeps Testing New SERP Changes

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Two more new design tests by Google have been ‘spotted’ in the wild. The first one is a follow up to the one we saw last week. The second one show more mixture in the local results but also might just be a bug.

As you know Google tests out a lot. Many of these tests just ‘disappear’ into nothing. A few people see the tests, they didn’t work, and then Google pulls them. When tests start returning, sometimes in a little bit different format, it’s an indication that something is up. Google now seems serious about the tests on their new design without the left sidebar and is changing their local results. (more…)

New Google Interface Tests Show Up

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We know that Google is constantly testing new stuff. Whether it is a new feature or a new design, they always test ‘in the wild’, meaning that actual users get the new features or design to see how they respond.

Now a new test has shown up, one which is mainly about the User Interface, the design of the search result page. In particular the navigational part. In this design the sidebar is completely gone and we see a new type of top navigation. (more…)

Google Testing or Rolling Out Sources Results? (UPDATED)

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Google is giving us more and more information within the SERPS which makes that we don’t need to be clicking on results anymore or we get many different kind of results to choose from. It is a matter of time before Google is actually answering the questions we are putting up into our search bar.

As a matter of fact, I am now seeing some results which do just that: giving us semantic results in the right navigation of Google. Specific searches are giving me specific answers. The interesting part is that it is only showing it to me on Google.co.uk and they log me out. (more…)

New Google Test: Subscribe to Newsletter From The Paid Search Results

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Google is testing a new format for ads, one in which it will become much more easy for advertisers to get people to subscribe to their e-mail lists. Tests show that Google might be putting a “Subscribe to newsletter” option in the paid results.

The tests have been around for a few weeks now and according to several blogs it is being tested by some US email marketing firms like VerticalResponse, Constant Contact and AWeber. (more…)

The Steve Jobs Way to Marketing Integration – By Bryan Eisenberg (@thegrok)

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I am very proud that honored that Bryan Eisenberg agreed to do a guest post in our special integration series. Bryan is probably one of the smartest and knowledge people I know and at the same time a very nice guy. Bryan is speaking this week at the Conversion Conference in London as well as at Fusionmex this Friday. He decided to look at another great mind to give us an example of how we should look at marketing integration: Steve Jobs.

Do you currently own an Apple product? Better yet – more than one Apple product? That seems to be increasingly common. Have you ever experienced being in an Apple store? There is a reason that they sell up to 10x more per square foot than any other similar retailer. Even their online presence is demonstrating their dominance; they are now the number 2 most visited online retailer in the UK right after Amazon. The secret is an end to end seamless customer experience and equally tight marketing integration. Apple and a tiny handful of market leaders set the standard for your customers’ expectations. The question is – will you live up to it?

Ron Johnson who built Apple’s retail strategy said retailers should be asking, “How do we reinvent the store to enrich our customers’ lives?” Ask yourself: how will you reinvent your business to enrich your customers’ lives? If you find yourself or anybody at your company giggling then you have a propblem. (more…)

Google Showing “Sources” in Preview Area

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Another Google Test has been spotted. The preview-section which Google uses on the right hand site of results in the SERPS, is in this test used for a different kind of information: sources.

Meanwhile Google also consists on pushing their own products, especially Google+ and YouTube. There is some nice integration of Plus and Google being rolled out. (more…)

Is Google Testing Dropping the Icons?

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Some people, including myself, have seen another change to the Google Search Result Pages. Not a big one though, and it is not clear yet whether or not this is a test or permanent.

Google seems to have dropped the icons next to the links on the left side in the sidebar.  (more…)

Google (again) testing new interface look: less clutter (and try yourself)

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Google is constantly looking for ways to improve their UI. In the past year the chances to the Google result pages (SERPS) have been immense. And it looks like we can be expecting some new changes soon. Again new tests have been found. This time its an ‘icon-less’ test.

In the test Google has gotten rid off all the icons on the result pages. Icons in the left sidebar and the +1 icon, the cached page link and the preview icon are all gone. That makes for a ‘cleaner’ result page. What is interesting is that you might be able to ‘opt-in’ on this test. (more…)

The Problem with Testing in SEO

Let me start by saying I’m a huge fan of testing in SEO and other online marketing disciplines. Proper tests can take away a lot of the FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) that exists in the online marketing industry.

And there are several search engine prophets out there that are doing a superb job testing SEO myths and the impact of new search features. David Harry at SEO Dojo has done some great stuff, and so has the crew at SEOmoz (though a bit hit and miss).

The problems that exist with testing in SEO aren’t deliberate. I’m convinced that pretty much all tests performed by SEOs start with the best of intentions: to help uncover truths and add quality information and best practices to our methods. (more…)

Google Confirms Tests with Infinite Scrolling

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Oh don’t we all love the fact that Google’s testing efforts have become much more visible to all of us? I was talking to co-blogger Jeroen van Eck about it yesterday, is Google doing a lot more testing, are the tests more visible than before or do we just report on them a lot more? Probably it is a combination. Now Google also starts to confirm tests, like in this case the tests with the infinite scrolling.

We have seen them before: tests with infinite scrolling Google results. No more pagination, no more being on page two, three or even 99 or more. All of us on one page: scrolling down will load the next ten links and so forth. (more…)

UPDATE: Is Google Partnering up with Amazon? Or does Plugin fool us?

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Original title: Is Google Partnering up with Amazon? Tests Suggest they are

Update: it seems as if a Chrome Plugin, “awesomescreenshot” might be the cause of these results showing up with certain people. This is not yet confirmed but could explain things. Google has not confirmed or denied anything was going on.

“Do no Evil” was a motto which was created a while ago. Everything which Google did had to be tested to that motto. Was it potentially evil? Don’t do it. Many believe that the motto is no longer in use and hasn’t been in use for a while. We’ll probably won’t know until another Googler or another Stephen Levy-type of journalist will report on it from inside Google walls. But if the tests some are seeing at the moment are true than another major group of Google-dislikers will probably arise.

Several people have mentioned on Twitter and in a blogpost that they are seeing “Amazon Results For…” on some of their queries. These results are placed on top of the regular search results, pushing down not only the regular results but also other shopping results. So far it is unclear whether this is a test, something Google is really doing or if it is a deal with Amazon or not. (more…)

Google Tests Sticky Search Bar and Infinite Scrolling

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Could it be that in the future all our websites are on the first page of Google? Even though it is millions of sites per search? It could very well be so if we look at the latest Google tests. Infinite scrolling might be the next change Google is up to.

Everything happens for a reason. That also means every Google test is there for a reason. And every design change. The black bar was an example of something which was there for a reason: Google is using it to highlight Google Plus. When Plus came Google also came with a redesign. In that redesign we could see a grey bar showing up on top of the search results, with the search bar in it. That is there for a reason too. (more…)

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