{"id":3745,"date":"2013-03-15T16:57:32","date_gmt":"2013-03-15T21:57:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rocketclicks.com\/blog\/?p=3745"},"modified":"2013-03-15T16:57:32","modified_gmt":"2013-03-15T21:57:32","slug":"matt-cutts-announces-panda-updategoogle-settles-data-harvesting-case-facebook-opens-up-about-graph-search-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rocketclicks.com\/industry-news\/matt-cutts-announces-panda-updategoogle-settles-data-harvesting-case-facebook-opens-up-about-graph-search-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Matt Cutts Announces Panda Update,Google Settles Data Harvesting Case, Facebook Opens Up About Graph Search, & More."},"content":{"rendered":"
Taking the stage to an awed hush at SMX West (we assume), Google\u2019s Matt Cutts announced an impending comeuppance for violators of its quality website guidelines. Specifically, Cutts said a Panda update is headed our way this Friday or Monday, and an upcoming Penguin update will be \u201cvery significant.\u201d Plan accordingly, ye SEO sinners.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Cutts later said that Panda updates will soon be integrated into the real-time updating process of Google\u2019s algorithm, meaning we\u2019re less and less likely to see one-time bulk changes and more likely to gradually see things shift.<\/p>\n
Source: Search Engine Land<\/a><\/p>\n Facebook is starting to open up about the algorithm that produces its Graph Search Results. In a blog post that also mentions plans for comment and user post search functions in the works, Facebook\u2019s Sriram Sankar provides a high-level overview of how they score different queries, and how Facebook combats results that may be too homogenous.<\/p>\n Source: Search Engine Land<\/a><\/p>\n With its February release, Bing Ads made changes to how ad group and campaign targets relate to each other. Prior to the February release, ad group targets overrode campaign targets. Now, both target settings will be considered to boost ad relevancy and delivery.<\/p>\n Source: Search Engine Land<\/a><\/p>\n The latest update of Google Place\u2019s guidelines now forbids your listing page from containing any URL that redirect to other URLs.<\/p>\n Source: SEO Roundtable<\/a><\/p>\n 55% of purchase-related conversions via mobile happen within one hour, according to a new Google-Nielsen study. The study, conducted over Q4 2012, employed several different methodologies-user diaries, search query logging and online follow-up surveys.\u00a0 Additional findings included:<\/p>\n The study also found that mobile search-ad recall was highest when the searcher was in a store.<\/p>\n Source: Search Engine Land<\/a><\/p>\n Google is making URLs more prominent in its search results, enhancing the size of the green font URL underneath the clickable link. Additionally, Google is soon making it easier for brand searchers to specify what they\u2019re looking for within their original search.<\/p>\n When people search for big brands (such as \u201cCNN\u201d), Google now automatically displays a \u201cSearch Within\u201d option that converts their Instant Search into a Site Search straight from Google. This isn\u2019t a new feature, as Google has had \u201csite:\u201d search for some time, but it improves that targeting for the common searcher.<\/p>\n Source: Search Engine Land<\/a><\/p>\n Another SMX revelation from Matt Cutts involved Google\u2019s plans to weed out bad retailers from its search rankings. Cutts indicated the change wouldn\u2019t happen for at least a couple quarters, and the ultimate motive is anything but surprising. Google\u2019s Trusted Stores program is the rough merchant equivalent to the rel=author tag, and it only makes sense to get rid of \u201cbad user experience\u201d on retail stores if Google is doing the same with \u201cbad user experiences\u201d on content-based sites.<\/p>\n Source: Search Engine Watch<\/a><\/p>\n Facebook\u2019s Graph Search function appears to be their only foray into the wonderful world of search engines. At SMX West, Facebook\u2019s Vice President of Global Marketing Solutions, Grady Burnett, said a Facebook external search engine is not happening anytime soon. Burnett added that Graph Search is their priority, along with making sure people never leave the social network.<\/p>\n Source: Search Engine Land<\/a><\/p>\n Mobile was the bookend thing to 2012, and is the current big thing in 2013. However, according to a recent study from BrightLocal, just 29% of mobile searchers look for a local business in a given month, and 19% of mobile users doing so at least once a week. Predictably, bars (32%), general shops (31%), and restaurants (31%) top the list of most searches.<\/p>\n There\u2019s some other useful bits of local data in the study (such as people\u2019s specific habits in third party apps like Yelp), and the article generously outlines some action steps for local businesses now in possession of this data.<\/p>\n Source: Search Engine Land<\/a><\/p>\n Google has reached a $7 million settlement ending its longstanding data harvesting case related to Street View in the US.\u00a0 38 states will split the cash evenly. Wisconsin isn\u2019t one of them. The case dates back to 2010 when it was discovered that Google\u2019s Street View vehicles had been illegally snooping on local Wi-Fi networks and grabbing passwords and other sensitive data.<\/p>\n Source: Search Engine Watch<\/a><\/p>\n Two weeks after a Wisconsin court ruled in favor of a law firm\u2019s choice to bid on their competitor\u2019s name in AdWords, the Dairy State is once again at the center of a Google-based lawsuit. Beverly Stayart is still batting goose eggs, after a Court of Appeals tossed out her suit against Google, claiming the search engine misappropriated her name by displaying it next to ads for Levitra, Cialis, and other spam sites.<\/p>\n This would be her second go-round attempt at squeezing money from a search engine, as Stayart made a similar claim against Yahoo in 2009. Funny enough, the lawsuits act as self-fulfilling prophecies, as the more Stayart is mentioned next to Levitra and Cialis in news stories, the more likely she is to have those ads appear next to her name. Ah, irony.<\/p>\n Source: TechDirt<\/a><\/p>\n Utilizing IQ and personality tests in conjunction with the Facebook Likes of 58,466 people, a University of Cambridge study has created a predictive model for determining a person\u2019s likely personality, sexual orientation, etc. Among the most amusing findings: someone that likes Los Angeles Lakers power forward Pau Gasol is likely to abstain from drugs and alcohol.<\/p>\n Source: Gawker<\/a><\/p>\n By now, we\u2019re all familiar with the \u201cBing It On\u201d and \u201cScroogled\u201d commercials. Even last week, a study declared Yellow Pages a more useful resource for local data than Google. However, Greg Sterling contends that Google\u2019s brand strength is so good that it really doesn\u2019t matter if we can definitively prove their search results are inferior.<\/p>\n Analysis By: Greg Sterling, Search Engine Land<\/a><\/p>\n WordStream has a fantastic infographic (that looks like a phone!) that runs down how Google makes its money off the growing mobile search population. Even better, WordStream \u201cgrades\u201d each app, Places layout, and AdWords feature based on user and company benefits.<\/p>\n Analysis By: WordStream<\/a><\/p>\n Is there an ideal amount of content you should aim for when writing copy for clients? Rick Whittington explores this question and includes some tips for breaking through the post-college version of the \u201cHow many pages does it need to be?\u201d question that often hampers writer creativity and quality.<\/p>\nFacebook Discusses All Things Facebook Search-Related<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Bing Ads Makes Changes To Campaign & Ad Group Targeting<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Google Place Pages Don\u2019t Allow Redirects<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Over Half Of Mobile Purchases Happen Within One Hour Of Initial Search<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Google Search Results Magnify URLs, Add \u2018Search Within\u2019 Instant Search Option<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Google Will Soon Crack Down On Bad Merchants In Its Search Results<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Facebook Is Staying Out Of The External Search Engine Melee<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Study Finds Just 29% Of Mobile Users Search For Local Businesses<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Google Reaches Settlement In U.S. Data Harvesting Case<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Wisconsin Woman Has No Idea How Search Engines Display Ads, Sues Them Anyways<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Study Uses Facebook Likes To Predict Personality Traits<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Notable Commentary<\/h1>\n
Axiomatic In Its Brilliance<\/h1>\n
Why Branding And Perception Can Often Trump Quality<\/strong><\/h3>\n
INFOGRAPHIC: Google\u2019s Mobile Money Machine, In Visual Form<\/strong><\/h3>\n
A Never Ending Quest For The White What That Is Content Length<\/strong><\/h3>\n