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  Daily Search Forum Recap: September 7, 2010

  Posted: September 7th, 2010, 11:00pm CEST by rustybrick

  Tags:  Search Forum Recap  

  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.

  
  

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  Google Changes Coming Tomorrow: AJAX Results, 30 Results Per Page, Streaming Results & More?

  Posted: September 7th, 2010, 4:07pm CEST by rustybrick

  Tags:  Google Search Engine  

  We know Google is having a big search event tomorrow and we suspect that is why Google is showing the Google Balls logo today. Google told me "today's doodle is not related to a birthday but is fast, fun and interactive, just the way we think search should be."

  So what will Google be announcing tomorrow? Well, based on that comment and what I have been seeing some people report, let me venture some guesses.

  (1) AJAX powered search results. Yes, I believe Google will go forward with the AJAX powered search results tomorrow. Yesterday, I and others began noticing 30 results per page, but when I look deeper, it is driven by the AJAX like results. I can search, the URL doesn't really change, it just adds on parameters, which makes me believe that it is done for analytics software. Why? This is something Google tested in February 2009 and stopped when complaints about referrer data not being sent using these AJAX results. Is it time for Google to go full force now with the AJAX results? It is "faster" for the user, which is a clue from the line above.

  (2) 30 results per page is something I personally see myself and so do others. People are reporting it at WebmasterWorldand Google Web Search Help. It does make the results a bit more in your face, giving you more room to scroll. I am not sure if that makes things all that faster, but I guess it does. Is it more "fun," I don't know.

  (3) Streaming Results As You Type. We know Google has been testing updating results as you type for the past few weeks. Many more are now seeing it, which is even more of a sign that this is coming soon. We have new reports of it at Google Blogoscoped Forums and WebmasterWorld. It does make the search results more "interactive" and a bit "faster." More useful, I am not sure.

  Update: Now people are reporting Google is showing you search results as you type the search query on the Google home page. I have more details about that over here. This is amazing.

  Bottom line, I really think tomorrow we will see Google's AJAX power search results be launched fully to the public. It will mean AJAX results, showing more results on a single page as opposed to just 10, and it will mean the results updating as you type a query. I am sure I am missing some changes, but we will find out tomorrow.

  But as the Google Balls logo represents, it is about an HTML 5 revolution.

  Later today, Google tweeted yet another hint:

  .bbpBox23258891556 {background:url(http://a3.twimg.com/profile_background_images/6219441/bg-google-white-75.gif) #ffffff;padding:20px;} p.bbpTweet{background:#fff;padding:10px 12px 10px 12px;margin:0;min-height:48px;color:#000;font-size:18px !important;line-height:22px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit-border-radius:5px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata{display:block;width:100%;clear:both;margin-top:8px;padding-top:12px;height:40px;border-top:1px solid #fff;border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author{line-height:19px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author img{float:left;margin:0 7px 0 0px;width:38px;height:38px} p.bbpTweet a:hover{text-decoration:underline}p.bbpTweet span.timestamp{font-size:12px;display:block}

  Boisterous doodle today. Maybe it's excited about the week ahead...less than a minute ago via Tap11A Googler
  google

  
  

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  September 2010 Google Webmaster Report

  Posted: September 7th, 2010, 4:01pm CEST by rustybrick

  Tags:  Google PageRankSERP Updates  

  This is our ongoing monthly summary of the changes that took place at Google from a webmaster/SEO perspective. You can read the August 2010 report from last month.

  The comments from SEOs and Webmasters in the WebmasterWorld include:

  • Fresh pages of content getting a ranking boost,
  • Sites impacted by MayDay seeing a little reversal
  • Google liking academic results more
  • Site operator failing for past 24 hours
  • and much more.

  Here are the most important Google related topics we covered from the past month:

  
  

  • Google Adds Better Error Reporting For Rich Snippets & Breadcrumb Markups
  • Possible Google MayDay Algorithm Tweak?
  • Google Now Indexing SVG, SEOs Don't Care
  • GoogleBot Crawling Less or More Efficiently?
  • Google Thinks Some Searches Are Worth A Single Domain Of Results
  • Google's International Filter Loosened Up?
  • Google Updating Search Results As You Type
  • Google Showing 20+ Results Despite Search Setting
  • Google Adds Video Sitemaps Errors To Google Webmaster Tools
  • Google Adds Blog Filter To Help Find Blogs On Subjects
  • Google Gives Real Time Search A Home & More Features
  • Google News Changes Again, Adds Collapsible Right Side

  Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.

  
  

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  Today Is Not Google's Birthday, September 27th Is Google 12th Birthday

  Posted: September 7th, 2010, 3:47pm CEST by rustybrick

  Tags:  Other Google Topics  

  There are many rumors about today's Google Balls logo, but we know it is not birthday related. Google in the past have celebrated their birthday on September 7th but not anymore. Danny has good history on Google's Birthday over here.

  Google celebrated their 11th birthday on the 27th, the 10th also, 9th, 8th but the 7th and 6th birthday logos were on the 7th.

  This year, you can expect the 12th birthday logo to be live on the 27th at google.com/logos/12th_birthday.gif. In fact, when it goes live, you will see the logo below:

  So you have 20 more days to wait for it. Until then, enjoy the Google Balls logo.

  Forum discussion at Google Blogoscoped Forums.

  
  

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  eBay Not Spending $26 Million Monthly With Google AdWords

  Posted: September 7th, 2010, 3:23pm CEST by rustybrick

  Tags:  Google AdWords  

  A very revealing leaked Google document was published, in part, at adAge yesterday. The report uncovers Google AdWords customer spending for the first half of 2010. Google seemed to collect or bill $574 million in the first half of 2010. The document reveals Google's top advertisers and distribution of ad spend for customers spending over $10,000 per month with Google.

  The data is very interesting, but one thing I find historically interesting is eBay's number. eBay reportedly spent only $4.25 million in June 2010. Only? Yes, well, if you see reports back in 2007, 3 years ago, some estimated eBay's AdWords spend was closer to $26 million. I highly doubt eBay is spending that much less than it did 3 years ago! But maybe I am wrong. We suspect that over the years CPC prices have increased and eBay is advertising more than in the past, but who knows - maybe they are more efficient now?

  So who are Google's top advertisers in June 2010?

  AT&T, Phoenix University ads, Expedia, Amazon, eBay, BP, Hotels.com, and so on. Here is a chart from adAge:

  Apple, compared to AT&T, spent just under $1 million on search during the month.

  How about the distribution of advertisers, how much do they spend per month? Here is the breakdown:

  Note, the top advertisers individually accounted for "less than 1% of Google's U.S. revenue in June." The top 10 advertisers in the document collectively accounted for just 5% of Google's U.S. revenue during the month. That might be the most revealing information right there.

  Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld and DigitalPoint Forums.

  
  

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  Google Balls Logo

  Posted: September 7th, 2010, 2:32pm CEST by rustybrick

  Tags:  Google Search Engine  

  Today if you visit Google you will see a Google logo made up of crazy balls. The logo moves around based on your mouse cursor, similar to the buckyballs doodle from a few days ago. But this one is really all over the place.

  Here is a video I made of the logo:

  Here is a static picture of the balls forming the Google logo:

  I personally find this logo very nice. I asked Google why? I asked was it birthday related, as some suspect. They said no. Google told me, "Today’s doodle is not related to a birthday but is fast, fun and interactive, just the way we think search should be." Maybe this is a prelude to the big Google Search Event that takes place tomorrow? I don't know. I suspect they will clue us in at that event.

  Many searchers are upset. There is thread after thread with complaints in the Google Web Search Help forum. And most people in the US aren't up and on their computers yet.

  Forum discussion at Google Web Search Help, Google Blogoscoped Forums & Google Webmaster Help.

  Update: Here are my thoughts on why Google is so secretive of this logo and what we can expect Google to announce in conjunction with the explanation of this logo tomorrow.