Everytime anything changes with Google’s algorithm, there seems to be a cacophony of calls that Google is Broken. With the latest update, it seems these cries have been going on longer than average – and there’ve been indications of problems which are rather more unusual than the average "dropped from SERPS" reaction, as well. In the past couple of weeks, three threads have popped up at Cre8asite Forums discussing different Google issues: Is Google broken this time? (June 4th) "t1ps2see" […]
Continue reading “Is Google Broken?” »Category: Google
What Percentage of Google Searches are Contextual?
Peter Da Vanzo and Barry Schwartz have each posted recently on a question asked at Google Answers – specifically, the question was: What percentage of Google searches are contextual? That is, what percentage of searches occur in response to content a user is reading on a page (e.g., reading an article about Qualcomm and then doing a search on "Paul Jacobs") versus "from scratch" searches that are not related to content a user is already reading. These contextual searches sometimes […]
Continue reading “What Percentage of Google Searches are Contextual?” »eBay and Google going head to head
They’re denying it, of course, but it’s hard to escape the conclusion that Google and eBay are headed on a collision course. eBay is a heavy user of Google’s contextual advertising program, and are now launching their own program – AdContext. It’s a different payment model than Google’s program, based entirely on sales commissions rather than pay-per-click or impressions based payments. So, in some ways, it’s like they’re creating a huge-scale contextualized affiliate program rather than an advertising scheme. (Why […]
Continue reading “eBay and Google going head to head” »Google DID Compromise their Principles
I’ve written several times before on Google’s situation in China, and have generally been supportive of their decision to move into China, despite the limitations posed on them by the Chinese government. I believe that censorship is a terrible thing; and I can’t support that particular activity – but it’s still unclear to me whether there was any reasonable business justification to ignoring the Chinese market. Is it a greater censorship to withhold Google’s index entirely, or to provide a […]
Continue reading “Google DID Compromise their Principles” »Google’s Green Summer
I’m a moderately active environmentalist. I’ve got a small environmental site which I built and maintain, and I certainly try and keep an active commitment to local businesses and community as much as I can. So, naturally, when Google announced their latest Google Maps mashup, my ears perked up. The idea is a mapping tool which highlights environmentally friendly vacations in five cities – Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, and San Francisco. The project is a cooperative effort […]
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