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 May Day Update Confirmed, Our Fourth Post
This will be our fourth post on the Google May Day update. We first reported it on May 3rd then again on May 14th and then most recently May 25th and today is our last post on it in May 2010. Vanessa Fox did the leg work to get Google to provide details on this update and posted her findings at Search Engine Land. In short, Google confirmed the update twice, once at the Google - Google Not Showing Number Of Results & Return Time
There are two threads with reports from Google searchers that Google has dropped the estimated number of results and time to return the results from the Google search results page. We have threads at Google Web Search Help and WebmasterWorld with people noticing it missing. Here are screen shots, with the help of Think Mantra. With the estimates and time to return results: Without the estimates and time to return results: I personally do not - Google AdWords Display URL Before Ad Description On Featured Ads
A featured WebmasterWorld thread reports that Google has changed the location of the display URL in the AdWords feature ad units. Honestly, as far as I can tell, this is the way it has been since 2004. The AdWords moderator, anallawalla, said, and let me quote: This was noted as a test in 2008 but today I am seeing the Display URL before (i.e. on the same line as) the Description text in the ads - Google News Test Another New Design
Google News seems to be constantly testing new user interfaces, features and designs. The latest design was hinted to in the Google News Help forum by Fred of Google and I spotted screen captures of it in the Google Blogoscoped Forums. Let me share those screen shots from Jérôme in the forum. Here is the home page test: Here is the article list test: Jérôme has some outstanding feedback on this design: Wow, I really - Google Alerts Tweaks Quality Algorithm: Less Alerts Go Out
A WebmasterWorld thread has several complaints from users that their Google Alerts notifications have really slowed down. Some users are reporting not receiving any alerts in a month or so. The complaints caught the eye of a Google representative, Marcel the Product Manager of Google Alerts. Marcel explained that Google has modified the Google Alerts algorithm to be more quality focused. Let me quote him: Regarding the volume of alerts, we've been tweaking Alerts from
Other Great Search Forum Threads:
- EBay, Facebook, Yahoo, Want An End To Viacom YouTube Lawsuit, WebmasterWorld
- Free Google Mug or Gym bag for completing Adwords survey - is this legit?, Google AdWords Help
- Google Buzz for Mobile: website now avail for BB, Nokia, and more!, Google Mobile Help
- Google Buzz for Mobile: website now avail for Nokia devices!, Google Mobile Help
- Social YouTube: Google Moderator Added To YouTube, WebmasterWorld
- Understanding Semantic Search and SEO, Sphinn
- Making AJAX Applications Crawlable is great, is flash allowed in too?, Google Webmaster Help
- The 4-column layout is no longer work in iGoogle, Google Web Search Help
