Hey ya'll! Hope you're having a happy Friday! Here's what happened this week in the world of search.
Google AdSense Tests Underway
Google is currently testing two different forms of AdSense layouts. One of them entails mixing text link ads with link units. The other is a Show More feature that allows visitors to see related ads. What do you think? Did it catch your eye?
Speaking of which, there's no forum discussion on it, but I noticed that Gmail's title layout has changed from "Gmail (1)" to "1 unread - Gmail." Dear Gmail team: I prefer the old way more. The parentheses stood out more. That's especially true when I have 10+ tabs on Firefox. Maybe we can compromise with "(1) Gmail" instead? ;)
Google AdWords 4.0 Editor Released
Good stuff for Google AdWords Editor users: Version 4.0 is out. This is a Windows desktop application that gives advertisers a lot more control over their campaigns without having to use the web interface. The new version boasts a lot of improvements over the old one.
Google Malware Notification Emails Being Sent
Google is taking a proactive stance against users who may be hosting websites with obvious malware. They are now sending malware notification emails to the affected webmasters. Good work, Google! This is communication at its best.
YSM Launches Traffic Quality Center
Yahoo Search Marketing has launched a Traffic Quality Center resource that will give advertisers more information about click-fraud and their ads. But this is something that many forum members feels like a sugarcoated press release than real communication. That's something that Yahoo! users want more of.
Google Considers PageRank Removal
Okay, maybe not. But a lot of webmasters have said that PageRank is no value to them. So the discussion remains about what kind of solutions are available to webmasters and users to supplement the PageRank solution. After Adam Lasnik chimed in on that thread, it appears that Google is taking this feedback seriously. Truthfully, I'm all for live PR, even if it's resource intensive. ;)
Google's Blogging Woes
Okay, so first, Google mistakingly assumed its own blog was spam and deleted it. Then, they gave it to another user who started blogging on it with gross grammatical errors and misspellings.
But then, and this wasn't something that went unnoticed, Google posted a blog post about the "minutes" crawl time stamp but then deleted it. This was done on Wednesday night. A number of people (including Steve Rubel) noticed this, and we saved screenshots of the blog post in the event that it wouldn't be posted again. But it was -- several hours later.
MSN adCenter Overwhelmed by New Ad Requests
It's taking longer than usual for the Microsoft adCenter editors to approve ads in adCenter, according to adCenterEU. I hope they can catch up so that advertisers don't look for other advertising avenues!
Google AdWords "Promotion Algo" Changes
Google AdWords is changing the way it handles the promotion algorithm, where it will not use the maximum CPC for ads instead of the actual CPC. Forum reaction is mixed, which isn't surprising. Does Google really need more revenue?
URLs with Dashes For the Win
Matt Cutts said it himself: URLs with dashes are the best kind. This is a correction to the News.com report that underscores are being treated differently. Google is looking into it, though.
Google News Wants User Interaction
You can now comment on news stories at Google News. But should you? It doesn't seem to make sense. I'm with Danny: Google doesn't know what it's getting into. But perhaps they do, as Tony Hung explains: "Google News is going to be a place not only where it aggregates headlines, but it actually provides a place where people who were involved *with* the news can tell it their way." That's a good point. I still prefer a different news source, but that's just me. :)
Build Up Google Maps, Get Paid
Google is looking for business referral representatives, individuals who will get paid up to $10 for taking pictures of businesses and getting information about their local businesses. It's a smart idea for Google to get their more tech-savvy crowd members to use the tool than rely on old-fashioned business owners, and the money is a good incentive.
Is Google Really That Rich?
Google is bouncing one AdSense check after another. What should we make of it?
Ask's Jim Lanzone is Very Brave
Well, he has aspirations and goals, and we can give him that. An interview of Jim Lanzone has people wondering, however, if he's on another planet. He wants 10% of Google's search share. That's a significant number. Can he do it?
Internet Advertising to Soar
This doesn't come as a shock to me, considering that everyone I know is moving to the Internet. By 2011, it's predicted that Internet advertising will beat newspaper advertising. I've seen that coming for awhile now.
Our Link Update
There was a Google Webmaster Tool update this past weekend, and we're seeing an increased number of old posts getting new links. Our three most popular pages are: How Long Does it Take Yahoo to Index Your Site?, Google AdWords Advertisers Report Tracking Problem, and Getting Access to Gmail Accounts of the Deceased.
Sphinn it to Win it
How is Sphinn's traffic treating you? While it doesn't bring thousands of visitors to your site (and thus, doesn't crash your webserver -- thankfully!), it brings quality visitors, wouldn't you say? I'm enjoying the traffic Sphinn is bringing me from my few front page mentions. It's not a lot, but it's good stuff, and I'm getting good links (thanks, guys!) ;)
Enjoy the weekend!
