Google Updates Its Algorithm, Webmaster Tools Improves Query Data Time Frame & More

Google Updates Its Yada Yada Yada

There was probably a Google update on September 4. Mark it in Google Analytics accordingly.

Source: Search Engine Roundtable

Google Webmaster Tools Query Data Time Frame Extended To One Year

If you only have a Google Analytics account, Webmaster Tools’ Top Search Queries report only displays the last 90 days of keyword data. If you have an AdWords account, you get the last year of search query data. Sounds fair, right?

Intentional or not, it only stokes the flames of discontent with Google every time they claim data is not being withheld to get publishers to spend money in AdWords. After Danny Sullivan dug into this phenomenon and asked Google to comment, they pivoted and said the year-long data would be available to everyone signed up for Webmaster Tools.

Source: Search Engine Land

Google: Our Advice Would Be To Tread Lightly With The Disavow Tool

Google’s Link Disavow Tool has helped a lot of webmasters – for good or bad – quickly clean up their site’s worst backlinks. However, Google verified the perilous nature of the tool recently in a Webmaster Help forum, stating that people should tread lightly if they are basing their disavow choices on fear rather than research.

Source: Search Engine Roundtable

Humans On Google Webspam Team Are…Human

It’s understandable why Google considers links from “The Best SEO Directory In The World Ever” to be ‘unnatural’. But links from dmoz.org and yellowpages.com? That’s right, Google’s webspam team has called out links from these old standbys as ‘unnatural’ in their responses to a couple of reconsideration requests. Thankfully, Google’s John Mueller admits that hey, nobody’s perfect.

Source: Google Plus and Jason Mun

The Measurement Of Brand Health Is Changing Rapidly

According to a recent Forrester study that focused on 14 brand management firms, the way marketers define a brand and its success is changing very quickly. Chief Marketing Officers are increasingly relied on to produce as a business leader (rather than communicator), and people trust brand names a lot. Basically, marketing and brand perception are more comprehensively intertwined than ever.

Source: Marketing Land

Bing’s Video Search Looks Like A Totally Different Person

Since Bing doesn’t have YouTube to work with, they’ve been tasked with coming up with a unique, compelling way to keep searchers engaged within the video section of their interface. As it turns out, the new design of Bing’s video search actually looks pretty cool, with upgrades to their search filtering, larger video thumbnails, pop-out hover previews, and better navigation.

Source: Search Engine Journal

Online Privacy Is A Thing For People, Reports Everyone Everywhere

People really care about online privacy (90%), but more so for email (68%), people you email (62%), downloads (55%), Internet use location (54%), chats/hangouts (51%), and websites you browse (46%) than when they use search engines (44%). What an age we live in!

Source: Marketing Land

Small Business Owners Love Positive Yelp Reviews

Yelp may be having some problems within its sales department, but a new study revealed that most consumers and business owners trust the majority of reviews they see on the site. According to the study from Merchant Warehouse, 90% of businesses surveyed believed a positive Yelp review impacted their business. Additionally, 72% said they trust an online review as much as a personal recommendation. I guess you could say there’s social proof in the pudding.

Source: Search Engine Journal

Younger People Like Gmail’s New Inbox Interface More

Gmail’s new tab format for its inbox is being embraced by more young people than their older counterparts. 50% of respondents to a recent survey between the ages of 18 and 24 said the new tabs make managing their mailbox easier. Only 1/3 of respondents older than that age range felt the same. However, 50% of millennial users also reported checking mail in the Promotions tab less than once a week.  The number stood at 46% for all users, regardless of age.

Source: Marketing Land

Bing News Has Trending Topics Section

Bing News will now feature a new trending topics section powered by social indicators from Facebook, Twitter and Bing’s own searches.

Source: Marketing Land

Hashtags On Facebook Can Hurt You

This summer Facebook decided to get in on the hashtag craze but according to Edgerank Checker, a Facebook optimization tool, the move has little or no impact when it comes to creating larger conversations on the site. In fact, according to the study, hashtags may actually hurt engagement. Edgerank looked at over 500 pages and tracked over 35,000 individual posts. Those posts that contained a hashtag had a median viral reach and median organic reach lower than their non-hashtag-peppered counterparts.

Source: Marketing Land

Samsung Goes Wearable

Samsung made headlines this week when it announced the debut of the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, so pretty soon we’ll have to get used to people holding their wrists next to their heads when they take a call. One thing we do want to know: will the smartwatch have any room on that tiny screen for ads?

Source: The Washington Post

Microsoft Adds Nokia To Its Ecosystem

What do a venerable software giant and a used-to-be-cool phone manufacturer have in common? They both want to turn things around, and they both may soon be found huddling under the same corporate umbrella. If approved by regulators, Microsoft’s bid to purchase Nokia will have considerable implications for the mobile market.

Source: Los Angeles Times

A Primer On Using Google Trends For SEO

Google Trends is perhaps Google’s best kept secret. Chuck Price at Search Engine Watch has a great introduction to using the tool for SEO research and strategic planning.

Analysis By: Chuck Price, Search Engine Watch

The Small German Company That Holds Web Advertising Giants Hostage

AdBlock is an online ad suppressing plug-in that makes most of its money from advertisers that pay to make their ads immune to the blockade. It’s as absurd as it sounds, but its impact on the online advertising industry’s business model is very fascinating.

Analysis By: Andrew Leonard, Salon

Get Creative With AdWords Geo-Targeting

Lisa Raehsler has five interesting techniques you might want to try if geo-targeting is a “thing” with one of your clients.

Analysis By: Lisa Raehsler, Search Engine Watch

How Does One Rank Check In A Personalized World?

As local and personalized search results become more and more common, rank checking becomes even more difficult and can often be skewed if conducted from one location on a regular basis. Pete Meyers compares four different rank checking methods and explores some of the biggest factors for discrepancies and commonalities.

Analysis By: Pete Meyers, Moz

Think Personally With Your SEO Strategy

Changing our core industry practice from “Search Engine Optimization” to “Search Experience Optimization” is the final conclusion drawn from this long, but informative article on Moz concerning the development and expansion of personalized search.

Analysis By: Gianluca Fiorelli, Moz

How To Get Directory Links Ethically

Back in the day, directory submissions represented a gold rush for SEO. Nowadays, most directories have been discounted or deindexed by Google. However, if executed properly, directory outreach can yield high-quality, valuable links. You just have to know what to look for and how to spot the untouchables.

Analysis By: Ryan McLaughlin, Search Engine Journal

So Your Content Has Been Stolen

Consider this the Lifelock of content theft…except that the process is far more airtight and effective than the scam that is Lifelock.

Analysis By: Janet Driscoll Miller, Search Engine Land

How To Excel With Excel For PPC

Excel is our friend when it comes to PPC number crunching and data analysis. Michelle Morehouse from Clix Marketing shares a nice but not overwhelming list of Excel guides, tutorials and resources for everything from regex to vlookup.

Analysis by: Michelle Morehouse, Clix Marketing

Five Fascinating Filters For AdWords

In any PPC account it’s easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees. Here are five filters you can use to find the best performing ads, trim wasteful spend on PLAs, and identify prime bidding opportunities (among other things). Go forth, now, and filter freely!

Analysis by: Matthew Umbro, Practical Ecommerce

A Good Review Management Service Is Hard To Find

Customer review management services can go a long way toward alleviating the understandable paranoia about negative customer reviews lurking in dark corners of the internet. But with the proliferation of these services, it’s not always easy to separate the wheat from the chaff. Andrew Shotland shares 10 good questions to ask any new potential service provider.

Analysis by: Andrew Shotland, Search Engine Land

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