Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Google Universal Search Local Results Adds "Change Location"
Google Universal Search has been around for a while now. But today, Sam asked me to look at a search for scuba diving, which shows the local results smack in the middle of the page. Now, Sam (via Tamar) did not see that, same saw a box at the top that shows "Looking for local results for scuba diving? Enter location." Let me first show you what Sam saw, which I can replicate using a - Weekly Search Buzz Roundup - 05/23/08: Google Update, Micrsoft Cash Back & Google Health
Two weeks until SMX Advanced. Four weeks until SES Toronto. Stuff is looking up after a conference-free (and relatively busy/boring/slow news) month. I'm getting excited :) Webmasters Report Big Google Update The biggest news of the week, perhaps, is the fact that Google is undergoing a May 2008 update. Many people are reporting a huge shift in their rankings this week and drop in traffic. On a similar note, the floating four doesn't seem to - Google May Penalize Fake Linkbait, According to Matt Cutts
Many blogs are abuzz with the news about a recent fake piece of linkbait that ended up capturing the eyes and ears of many big traditional news outlets and bringing the originating story thousands of backlinks. After the community went up in arms about the "snakeoil" tactics of this piece of bait, Nick Wilsdon and Barry at Search Engine Land talk about the ramifications of the action, especially with how Matt Cutts is responding to - Does Domain Name Registration Length Impact SEO?
The question of domain name registration and its impact on SEO is not a new one. However, every so often, the question comes up. Would it be better to register your domain name for 5 years instead of renewing it for just another year? In our past coverage, we reported that there are some signals sent by extended domain name registrations, including informing the search engines that your website is not spammy (you're here to - Publishers Upset with Poor Google AdSense Quality Targeting
What's worse than having pop-up ads on your website? Having ads on your website that aren't actually contextual and aren't properly matching the text of your website to draw in prospects. (Well, maybe it's not worse, but it's surely frustrating a lot of publishers.) At WebmasterWorld, incrediBILL says that "[t]here were ads for all sorts of junk linking to sites that didn't have what it claimed, Amazon affiliates, off topic garbage, even phone company directory - Most SEOs Don't Report Competitors To Google
A couple weeks ago I asked if Do You Report Your Competitors as Spam in Google? Well, the results are in and most SEOs said they do not report their competitors to Google as spamming. Of the 159 responses, 111 respondents or 70% said no, they do not report competitors to Google. 45 respondents or 28% said they do report competitors to Google. While three of those votes were for "other" but was actually - Google Is On My Site! Will I Be Penalized Soon?
A WebmasterWorld thread has some discussion over one member spotting a Google IP address navigating through his site. The IP address originates from the Mountain View location and resolves to Google, so he is convinced a Googler is manually reviewing his site. Well, it can be a manual review or it can be a Googler interested in your site. Maybe the Googler is using your site like a normal user? Maybe? If you think not, - Love Google Maps? Help Improve It With Your Suggestions
Google Maps has really come a long way since it originally launched, a really long way. The mapping tools offered by Google are not only informative but very fun to use. From street views, directions, plotting your own points, user images, wikipedia data, data overlays and much more - it is really a great tool for users. But it can be better and Google is looking for suggestions from us. Google Maps Guide Brian posted - Google AdWords Magnifying Glass Goes Missing
Yesterday afternoon at about 4pm (EST), the Google AdWords magnifying glass feature went missing. The magnifying glass is a little icon you can find in the keyword list within your AdWords management interface. When you mouse over the icon, up comes information regarding your quality square factors. Here is a screen capture: That feature went missing around 4pm (EST) yesterday and finally came back around five hours later. In a WebmasterWorld thread, AdWordsAdvisor confirmed the
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- AdWords API Integration of Code Samples into the Developer Guide, Google Groups
- Google Logo Contest Winner, DigitalPoint Forums
- Google Sites Open To All, WebmasterWorld
- How to Get in Google News (And Receive 8,000 visitors for One Article), Sphinn
- Rand Fishkin Interview On Social Media Marketing, Sphinn
- Up, Up, and Away... A Look at SEO Job Growth, Sphinn
