What's new
Google Penalizes Several Low-Quality Directories
The big news this month was Google ruthlessly cracking
down on a large number of well-known paid directories.
So naturally, people are wondering; Is this the end of
directories as a link building tool?
In a word, No. But going forward you'll certainly want
to be more selective in regards to where you spend your
money to get your site listed. We also continue to advise
limiting your overall number of incoming directory links
to under about 10% of your overall link profile to avoid
looking like your site relies too heavily on directory
links.
We find it especially interesting that, while Google
wiped out the rankings of a number of well-known directories,
they didn't touch many of the other far-more-spammy directories.
So far it looks like they cherry-picked some high profile
sites to, perhaps, send a message to all the other directories
out there to watch their back.
The conjecture being bantered about is that Google's
action is meant to instill fear in directories that were
obviously buying or selling large numbers of links. If
Google can get them to voluntarily clean up their act,
perhaps that might result in better search relevancy without
having to actually open up an algorithmic can of kick-ass
on their entire index.
By the way, if you're interested in seeing which directories
were penalized, Best-Web-Directories.com has a pretty
comprehensive list.
It's important to note that it's very unlikely that your
site will be penalized for being listed in any of these
directories, so don't worry about that. What is likely,
however, is that these directories have lost their ability
to pass PageRank. So, if you bought a listing in one of
these directories in order to increase your rankings,
you're no longer getting any bang for your buck.
For more information on this topic, see this month's
SE Byte: Are Directories still a good place to get links
in light of Google's recent penalty spree?
Google Now Lets You Know When They Find Your New Pages
If you've ever wished you could get a list of all the
new pages Google has found on your site in the past day,
week, or month, then we've got some good news.
Matt Cutts recently announced Google's improved support
of date-based searching. You can now restrict your search
results based on how recently Google indexed a page using
the as_qdr URL parameter.
Here are all the possible values of the as_qdr parameter:
d[number] - past number of days
w[number] - past number of weeks
y[number] - past number of years
Let's say you were searching for a recent newsworthy topic
like Myanmar, and you only wanted to see web pages that
had been published in the last week. You'd modify your
URL as follows:
http://www.google.com/search?q=myanmar&as_qdr=w1
Similarly, if you want to see all the pages Google found
in the last 10 days on that topic, you'd use:
http://www.google.com/search?q=myanmar&as_qdr=d10
Now, here's where this new tool becomes useful to webmasters:
Date restriction also applies to more advanced queries,
so if you wanted to see all the pages that Google found
on your site in the past month, you'd combine the date
restriction with the Google site: search command, such
as:
http://www.google.com/search?q=site:travel.com&as_qdr=m1
When we last checked, Google has found 158 new pages
on Travel.com in the past month. This is a great tool
for checking to see how Google is keeping up with indexing
your new pages.
Google Offers New Tools to Let You See Who's Subscribed
to Your Blog
More updates from Google this month – this time
to their Webmaster Tools. Not only do they have a whole
new look, but there's also some exciting new tools and
resources (and a couple of new languages, too). Let's
start with the tools.
For webmasters who publish RSS feeds, Google now allows
you to see the number of aggregated subscribers you have
from Google services such as Google Reader, iGoogle, and
Orkut. This will make it easier for you to track subscriber
stats for multiple feeds. Here's an image offering a more
detailed look.
These stats only relate to feeds that are on the domain
you've verified through Google Webmaster Tools. So feeds
published through external services like FeedBurner won't
show up.
Google has also improved the navigation of their interface.
The entire navigational structure can now be found on
the left-hand side of the page (no more tabs). The sidebar
will contract and expand to allow for easier navigation.
They've also added link breadcrumbs, to make it easier
to move around the site, and some new topics to the sidebar,
namely:
Overview
Diagnostics
Statistics
Links
Sitemaps
Tools
Google has also integrated Google Analytics, Google Custom
Search Engine, Google Code and Google Gadgets into this
same interface. And if you speak Turkish or Romanian,
Google Webmasters Tools now speaks your language. That's
in addition to 17 other languages Google already supports.
Wow, someone has been busy!
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http://adwords.google.com
What's new
Quality Score Alert! — Google AdWords Cracking
Down On Affiliates, Arbitrage, Ebooks, And Name-Squeeze
Pages
Google recently created a new FAQ which outlines the
business models that will receive low landing page Quality
Scores. Some will have their bids raised, others won't
be allowed to run at all.
The User-be-Warned Business Models
These websites are likely to merit low landing page quality
scores and may have difficulty being able to advertise
affordably. They consist of the following types of sites:
eBook sites that show frequent ads
'Get rich quick' sites
Comparison shopping sites
Travel aggregators
Affiliates that don't comply with Google's affiliate guidelines
Such sites will still be able to advertise, but are likely
to have their quality score jacked up so high they may
no longer be able to turn a profit. If you run such a
site, be sure to read this month's report on boosting
your quality score to learn strategies that will keep
Google from chopping your business model off at the knees.
The Avoid-like-the-Plague Business Models
These sites will be hit with low quality scores, and
if Google gets any complaints about them, they will not
be allowed to continue running ads. They consist of the
following types of sites:
Data collection sites. — These are sites that offer
free gifts, subscription services etc., in order to collect
private information. More commonly known as squeeze or
name-squeeze pages.
Arbitrage sites. — These are sites that are designed
for the sole purpose of showing ads.
Malware sites. — These are sites that knowingly
or unknowingly install software on a visitor's computer.
If you have a name-squeeze page, you can generally keep
its Quality Score high by offering something of value
without requiring personal data from your visitors. You
can still require registration for full access, but you
must also offer something of value with no strings attached.
For arbitrage sites (where you're buying traffic from
Google in order to make money by showing ads to that traffic)
if you have good content in addition to those ads you'll
be able to keep your quality score high. It's when you're
plastering ads all over autogenerated garbage content
that you need to start worrying.
As for malware sites, not sure there's much we can help
you with there. You're pretty much screwed.
Google is very protective of their AdWords baby, placing
a premium on making sure that people who use the system
(both the advertisers and people who click on the ads)
are satisfied.
Once sites start to threaten the quality of that user
experience, Google takes protective measures. Can't hardly
blame them, though it may put a dent in a business model
or two.
Google AdWords Now Offering Improved Split Testing Capabilities
in Website Optimizer
Based on feedback from their advertisers and agencies,
Google has announced the first major update to their popular
Website Optimizer software. This service allows you to
test and track the effectiveness of your landing pages
in Google AdWords, helping you greatly increase your sales
conversions.
The first major change is the ability to create A/B split
tests. Until now Website Optimizer could only run multivariate
tests. While it was technically possible to set up an
A/B test previously, it required lots of troublesome workarounds.
Google has now made it much easier.
If you're new to page testing, multivariate testing is
designed to simultaneously test different design elements
within one page (for instance, different headlines, different
titles, different text, different colors) whereas A/B
testing is designed to test just a single component of
that page.
The new A/B testing system is very easy to use. Simply
create different layouts of your page, upload them to
your website and tell Website Optimizer the URLs of each
version. The Optimizer will then rotate between the different
pages. Finally, just add the URL of your conversion goal
page (for instance, the Thank You page if you are selling
a product) and you're ready to go.
Another welcomed addition for agencies who manage several
AdWords accounts is the fact that you can now access the
Website Optimizer directly from your My Client Center
account in AdWords.
Website Optimizer also lists your experiments by date,
with the most recent experiments appearing at the top.
And finally, perhaps the most welcomed addition is the
ability to delete old experiments (the most requested
feature change, according to Google).
If you haven't yet experimented with Google's Website
Optimizer, now's a good time to start, as it can be a
great way to increase conversions and boost your ROI.
Google AdWords Debuts New Interactive Ad Format
Google recently announced the release of Google Gadget
Ads, a new type of interactive AdSense ad. Google is describing
them as 'mini versions of your website in any AdSense
ad size.'
The ads can be fully interactive, meaning the ad can
be a game, a video that the user starts and stops, or
just about anything else. The ads can incorporate real
time data feeds, similar to other popular Google Gadgets
that display things like traffic and weather reports.
Google Gadget ads are built using Flash or HTML, and
are placed in iFrames so that they can be seamlessly integrated
into any site. They can even be placed on iGoogle personalized
home pages and embedded in YouTube videos. Here's a sample
ad (many more here).
Google Gadget Ads also offers fully interactive reporting.
Not only can you track who clicked your ad, but also exactly
how long they viewed your ad, what parts they watched,
even whether or not they turned up the volume. The ads
themselves can be downloaded or saved by consumers and
the advertisers only pay for ads running within Google's
network.
Currently only a select number of advertisers are creating
ads, including Pepsi Cola North America, Honda, and Paramount
Vantage. However, anyone with an AdSense account can publish
these ads and make money off them. Just make sure your
AdSense account is set up to publish image ads.
If your site is a match to an available ad and your ad
space matches the size a gadget ad has been created in,
you just might see them popping up on your site.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
https://www.google.com/adsense/
What's new
Google AdSense Rolls Out New Feature To Keep People From
Stealing Your AdSense Code
Did you know it's possible for someone to steal your
AdSense code and put it on a junk website? It doesn't
make the thief any money, but it could get your AdSense
account in trouble or even banned.
Google recently came out with a solution called Allowed
Sites which gives you more control over your ad code.
The Allowed Sites feature allows you to create a list
of sites or URLs that are allowed to show your ads. Sites
that are not on the list can still display your ads, but
no data will be collected from those ads.
Impressions and clicks won't appear in your reports,
nor will you receive any compensation if someone clicks
on those ads. At the same time, the advertiser won't pay
anything either.
To use the Allowed Sites feature click the Allowed Sites
link under your AdSense Setup tab (see this image).
You'll be presented two options:
Allow any site to show ads for my account.
Only allow certain sites to show ads for my account.
If you choose the second option you can add the domains
or subdomains that you wish to allow.
Hard to say how widespread a problem this really is,
but if it's something that you are concerned about it's
nice to know that you can protect yourself.
Google Launches AdSense for Mobile
On September 17, Google made its official entry into
cellphone-viewable online advertising with the launch
of AdSense for Mobile.
The product is aimed at AdSense partners that have websites
optimized for mobile browsers. Like AdSense (its online
counterpart) AdSense for Mobile is a context-driven advertising
network, matching cellphone ads with mobile website content.
By adding the AdSense for Mobile code to their site,
mobile website publishers can add content-relevant ads
to their website display. Two ad sizes are available:
single (one ad per screen) and stacked (two per screen).
Currently ads are text-only.
AdSense for Mobile benefits both publishers and advertisers
in the mobile online world. As with the majority of other
Google advertising systems, ad prices are set via auction.
Publishers earn revenue for each ad click.
The targeted mobile ad placement program gives advertisers
more exposure for their campaigns, while publishers gain
venues through which they can earn income from their mobile
websites.
And because the mobile ad market is still in its infancy,
competition is not yet as stiff as it probably will become.
If you have a mobile-optimized blog or site or if you'd
like to create one now is a great time to get your foot
in the mobile advertising door.
But how much money can really be made with mobile advertising?
Will cellphone users actually click on the ads?
That's a good question. It may take some time for people
to warm up to mobile advertising. Concerns have been expressed
over the connectivity and security issues involved in
using a cellphone or other mobile device for online transactions.
For example, what if a user loses their cell connection
during a transaction, or has their signal hacked into?
The mobile advertising market is still relatively small,
and it's not expected that mobile ads will significantly
boost Google's bottom line or that of its clients just
yet. But the market is expected to grow rapidly. After
all, more mobile devices are currently in use around the
world than televisions and personal computers combined.
That's a big potential market, ready for tapping and advertisers
and publishers are recognizing its potential.
Google plans to make AdSense for Mobile available to
all mobile publishers in the U.S., England, France, Italy,
Germany, Spain, Ireland, Russia, the Netherlands, Australia,
India, China, and (in coming weeks) Japan.
For more on setting up Google AdSense for Mobile, check
out the AdWords FAQ.
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http://www.yahoo.com
What's new
Yahoo Acquires Online Office Suite Maker Zimbra For $350
Million
Yahoo recently announced the acquisition of Zimbra for
$350 million. Zimbra specializes in providing e-mail and
calendar software to small and medium-size businesses,
universities and Internet service providers. Zimbra claims
to have nine million users.
This year marks the 10th anniversary for Yahoo Mail and
it continues to be one of the world's most popular Web
mail services with 250 million users worldwide. Google's
Gmail sites is trailing with 18 million users.
Yahoo announces the Zimbra deal just days after Google's
$625 million purchase of Postini, the e-mail management
company, was completed. The purchase of Postini is just
one of a series of moves by Google to strengthen its software
offerings to businesses. Yahoo's acquisition was likely
a response to that Google purchase, reflecting Yahoo's
desire to stay ahead in the email game.
The decision to buy Zimbra also had a lot to do with
the growth of Google Apps and the potential partnerships
with universities and ISPs that could endanger Yahoo Mail's
position. By combining their existing solutions with Zimbra,
Yahoo can extend their influence in the corporate space.
Here's some advice for businesses directly from Zimbra:
Since all Google Docs are stored on Google's servers,
public companies would face big Sarbanes-Oxley compliance
issues if they deployed Google Apps. Zimbra's Web 2.0
messaging and collaboration platform provides enterprise
customers with freedoms that Google Apps just can't provide,
including the ability to archive for compliance purposes.
They can use Zimbra as a hosted service or deploy it
on-site. They can use it online or offline while retaining
killer AJAX functionality. They can offer their employees
access from any desktop, Web, or mobile client.
Zimbra also offers Zimbra Mobile, which provides over-the-air
push synchronization to mobile devices without the need
for third party software or additional servers for most
devices.
Yahoo Site Explorer Down Frequently in September
Everyone's favorite link analysis tool over at Yahoo
Site Explorer was down quite a bit over September.
There's been no official word from Yahoo, but it appears
they had some server trouble that knocked the site offline
a few times.
A few SearchEngineNews.com subscribers noticed that our
Site Strength Indicator tool occasionally wasn't working.
Since our tool uses the Yahoo API, Yahoo Site Explorer
going offline meant our tool was also temporarily unavailable.
Just about every other link analysis tool available on
the Web also uses the Yahoo API (they provide the best
link numbers) so it turns out everyone's tools were down,
not just ours (our programmers breathed a sigh of relief
when they heard that).
It looks like Yahoo Site Explore is back up and running
steady, but if you tried to use our SSI tool over the
past month and saw some strange behavior, now you know
what was going on.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/
Those Search Marketing Yahoos took some time off from
rolling out new products this month.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://search.live.com/
What's New
Microsoft Gets More Serious About Its Search Engine
Microsoft released several new upgrades to its search
engine recently. In addition to quadrupling the number
of websites that they index, Microsoft has also worked
to improve their search technology and provide a number
of new features which they believe users will enjoy.
Microsoft is focusing their attention on the roughly
70 million people who use their Live Search. Microsoft
hopes to entice them to use Live Search even more often
than they currently do. By focusing on their existing
users Microsoft hopes to create some momentum which they
can then build upon and start to seriously target Google
and Yahoo.
Microsoft notes that almost 40 percent of searchers in
the U.S. try Microsoft's search engine each month. In
their view, to capture market share they just need to
convince more of those searchers to stick around.
There are four main areas Microsoft is focusing on:
Shopping
Local searches and maps
Health
Entertainment.
Shopping — Microsoft is planning on adding links
to photos, shopping guides and user reviews. Even better,
they also plan to collect user reviews from a variety
of sources online as well as offer a product rating (which
they call the opinion index) based on these reviews.
Local searches and maps — A couple more exciting
changes that Microsoft has planned is their one-click
driving directions, real-time traffic conditions and,
if need be, they'll even help you find an alternate route
to where you are going.
Health — Microsoft will offer suggestions for more
detailed searches and present article groups for general
disease-related search terms. For instance, search for
the word Cancer and Microsoft suggests more specific phrases
such as Lung Cancer, Colon Cancer and Bone Cancer.
Click on one of the results and Microsoft provides even
more detailed suggestions. For instance, by clicking on
Lung Cancer Microsoft offers new suggestions such as Lung
Cancer Symptoms, Small Cell Lung Cancer and Lung Cancer
Survival Rates.
Entertainment — Search for a celebrity and Microsoft
will show pictures and small, thumbnail-sized videos of
the famed celebrity. There's also a feature called Celebrity
xRank which will tell you whether or not your celebrity
has a positive or negative buzz online.
Microsoft also has a few small, but significant changes
they're making to their search engine, including:
Better interpretation of your mistakes — Live Search
will now be able to better handle misspellings, compound
words and normal variations of a word (such as Driving
and Drive).
Better detection of stop words — Stop words are
words (such as a, the, of, etc) which have no content
or meaning as far as a searcher is concerned. Live Search
will now be able to better identify stop words as well
as words that seem like stop words, but aren't (such as
the name Will Smith).
Microsoft's strategy seems like a sound one. Provide
a better service for your existing users and then branch
off and try and grab new ones. Furthermore, the changes
seem like quality additions to the search engine. If they
work as well as promised then Microsoft should expect
some positive results from their efforts.
With that said, if Microsoft wants to seriously challenge
Google (or even Yahoo) they'll have to continually offer
new and better features than the other two major search
engines. People like using Google (and Yahoo) and won't
switch because of a new bell or whistle.
If Microsoft wants to steal traffic away from Google
they will have to offer a search engine that is better
than what Google is offering. And that is a VERY tall
order.
