Nokia has many fans around the world who believe that its mapping service is the best one out there. And in selected ways it might be. Nokia offered “offline” maps well before Google. The company is also the go-to mapping provider for third parties, such as Yahoo and Yandex. In addition, Nokia plays an increasingly […]
There are now enough indications to suggest that any antitrust settlement between the FTC and Google — and the FTC would much prefer to settle than test its case in court — won’t involve “vertical search.” An earlier Reuters report, probably resulting from an internal FTC leak, suggested that vertical search wasn’t the core of […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: No, That Wasn’t A Panda Update — But One Is Coming We’ve been hearing reports from within the SEO community that a significant Google update happened starting this past Friday throughout […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: How To Gather Evidence To Help Determine If It’s Time For A Mobile Website Is t time for a mobile website? I was talking to some clients a few weeks ago […]
When Apple announced, in June, that it was introducing its own maps and ousting Google from its default position on the iPhone, that was perhaps the best thing that could have happened to Mountain View. Apple subsequently introduced an elegant-looking but flawed mapping app as part of iOS 6. While Apple and its mapping mistakes have […]
Globally there are arguably four main digital mapping competitors: Google, Apple, Microsoft and Nokia. Google is the clear leader. However Nokia is making a renewed bid to challenge Google’s mapping supremacy with a rebranded platform “Here,” new APIs, a Google Street View-like offering, augmented reality and new apps for third party smartphone operating systems. Apple […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: “Shortlists,” 360 Degree Product Views, And Promotions Added To Google Shopping As consumers prepare to get serious about their holiday shopping, Google is introducing new features to its pay-for-play Shopping search […]
As those of you who read my column know, I believe strongly in the potential of an integrated, multi-platform approach to local search, and the importance of educating small businesses about the various advertising opportunities available to them. Small businesses today often struggle with the idea that local advertising can no longer be executed using […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: China Blocks Google Search, Gmail, Google+, Maps & More TheNextWeb reports China has decided to block Google services. Currently, Google search, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Docs, Google Analytics, Google Drive, and […]
TheNextWeb reports China has decided to block Google services. Currently, Google search, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Docs, Google Analytics, Google Drive, and other Google products are currently not working when trying to access them within China. TheNextWeb received confirmation from Google that China is indeed blocking their services. This is happening during the 18th Party […]
Google continues to lose marketshare in China after pulling out of China years ago. New market share reports from Marbridge Consulting puts Google in forth place in terms of search market share. Google trails Baidu, Qihoo 360, and Sogou with only 4.72% share in China. Baidu has 72.97%, Qihoo 360 has 9.64% and Sogou has […]
That test many of you have been seeing where Google shows its search options above the search results instead of on the left? It’s not a test anymore. Google has just confirmed that all U.S. searchers will soon be getting the new interface — one that highly resembles Google’s mobile search results pages. Options to […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Who Should Win The 2012 Social Media Election? With today being Election Day, I figured it would be appropriate to write a post related to politics. Then I thought better of […]
Citing “sources at Google familiar with its mapping plans,” the UK Guardian website reports what amounts to anxiety that Google’s forthcoming mapping app will not be approved by Apple: Sources at Google familiar with its mapping plans say they are “not optimistic” that Apple will ever approve a dedicated Google Maps iOS app. Though the […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Can Blogging Be Your Secret Weapon For Local SEO? I get called frequently by local companies wanting a quick fix for local rankings. In many cases, they discover that local SEO […]
Google is in the process of shutting down its collection of city pages — a change that follows the shift from Google Places to Google+ Local, and a change that may be reflective of a larger shift in direction for Google’s local efforts. Mike Blumenthal noticed yesterday that the Portland city page had gone missing. […]
From the it-had-to-happen-sooner-or-later department: Apple is in the midst of its first international territorial dispute over its new Apple Maps product. As the Korea Times reports (and also picked up by ZDNet), the South Korean government is upset because Apple is displaying a collection of small islands in between it and Japan with different names […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Loses Australian Defamation Case, Awaiting Decision On Damages Google is awaiting a judge’s decision on damages before it decides what to do after losing a defamation case over its search […]
Google has started showing active AMBER Alerts for missing U.S. children above its search results on both regular Google Search and on Google Maps. And that includes both desktop and mobile searches. Here’s what one that’s currently showing up on a search for “amber alerts boston” looks like. Here’s Google’s explanation of what might prompt […]
Announced in August, Google’s new Google Search app for iOS has been apparently stuck in Apple’s app approval process for over two months. No longer. Google’s just announced that the new app is out. The news came on Google’s official blog today. The company has also posted a video of how it works: [youtube width=”560″ […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Search Week: October 29, 2012 Search Week is an exclusive weekly newsletter for Search Engine Land premium members that recaps stories covered on Search Engine Land over the past week. Below […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Verisign Blames Google For Drop In Domain Registration & Renewal Rates The number of new domains being registered, and existing domains being renewed, is slowing down and Verisign — the company […]
Got a shiny new Microsoft Surface with Windows RT and want to search with Google? No can do. The Google Search app is only for Windows 8, and it seems like — amazingly enough — that’s because Google hasn’t gotten around to making one. Postscript (Nov. 13): This is now finally available. See our story, Google […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: 10 Tips To Optimize Conversions On Your Mobile Landing Pages In my last article, I discussed How Location & Small Screen Size Impact Search Behavior On Mobile Devices, and the main […]
Having driven literally hundreds of thousands of miles of surface streets and roads throughout the world, Google is increasingly going off road in its quest to make Street View comprehensive. Most recently the company took its on-foot Street View backpack cameras to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Google is hiking the various trails that descend […]
Qype was the European Yelp before Yelp was in Europe. Now Yelp has announced that it is acquiring the company for $50 million in a press release that also shares its “preliminary” Q3 revenue numbers. Founded in 2006 in Hamburg, Germany, Qype operates throughout Western Europe, with the UK and Germany its strongest properties. In […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Bing’s Voice Search On Xbox Now Searches The Web, Too Microsoft is expanding Bing’s capabilities in the living room with news today that Xbox users can search the web via their […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Gives Update On Shopping Going Full Paid Inclusion, Hints At AdWords’ Future On Q3 Call Now that Google’s new pay-for-play Shopping is in full swing (the changeover took place October […]
Google has sent a letter to the French policy makers about a proposal to charge Google for linking to their content. France 24 reports Google threatened French publishers by telling them they will not pay to link to their content and if they are forced to, Google will simply stop linking to them. The official […]
It all makes sense. According to comScore, map-based search on the PC has now peaked and is starting to erode. By contrast mobile usage of mapping applications is growing and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Apple Maps’ problems notwithstanding, smartphone mapping apps offer a better overall experience than online maps. Because […]
From Ben Guild we get to see some blurry native iOS Google Maps screenshots. We know the app is coming; the questions are: 1) precisely when and 2) will Apple do anything to block it? My guesses would be: 1) within the next month and 2) no. Guild says the mapping app is currently in […]
Perhaps it was always inevitable that Foursquare would shift its emphasis from location-based social networking to local search. Indeed, the site has been moving in this direction for quite some time, and very self-consciously for the better part of the past year. This afternoon the company is rolling out a new PC homepage for users […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Ask CEO Doug Leeds Proclaims Search Wars “Over,” Says Yahoo Can Be Great Again Ask.com has 3.5 percent of the search market according to comScore. Ask.com CEO Doug Leeds told Bloomberg […]
Google announced they have made their biggest ever street view imagery update by adding over 250,000 miles of roads around the world and doubling their “special collections” imagery. Google said they are increasing the street view imagery specifically in Macau, Singapore, Sweden, the U.S., Thailand, Taiwan, Italy, Great Britain, Denmark, Norway and Canada. They have […]
Google is changing the way it collects local business reviews and displays them in search results, making the Zagat score a less prominent piece of information. That’s a good thing in my opinion, and many people — myself included — hope it’s the first step toward the complete removal of the Zagat system in Google’s […]
Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, during an interview at the 92nd Street Y in New York last night, made the case that Apple should have kept Google Maps on the iPhone. “Apple’s done very well using our maps,” he joked. When asked directly about a forthcoming iOS Google Maps app, Schmidt gave the familiar line […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Tracking Changes To Google’s 50 Webmaster Guidelines Pages Shaun Anderson created a tool to keep track of changes made to 50 of the top Google webmaster guidelines. The tool shows you […]
Last week I wrote an article with the headline: Study: 43 Percent Of Total Google Search Queries Are Local. This was based on Chitika network data. The article was widely cited and linked to. Unfortunately it was wrong. Earlier today Chitika contacted me with the correction. The original methodology used to determine the percentage of local […]
Two months ago, Google previewed a new Google Search app that it said would be coming to iOS, bringing with it what seemed a blend of Siri and Google Now-like features. Despite being submitted to the Apple App Store back then, Apple’s still not approved the app. Why not? Apple didn’t have any comment, when I […]
In this week’s Search In Pictures, here are the latest images culled from the web, showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have, and more.