This day in search marketing history: March 26
More sites move to Google mobile-first indexing, plus: Google penalizes entire site over one guest blog post, Google Maps logo bomb and more.
Topic: IPhone 4s
Searching For The Voice Of Siri: Voiceover Actor Susan Bennett Says, “It’s Obviously Me”
A story on CNN.com claims that Atlanta voiceover professional Susan Bennett is the original voice of Siri, Apple’s iPhone voice application. According to the story, Bennett did voice work for the software company ScanSoft in 2005. CNN says ScanSoft was then purchased by Nuance Communications, a company that is credited with providing Apple the technology […]
Apple Takes Siri Out Of Beta
9to5mac.com reports Apple has quietly taken the beta label off of their voice search feature, Siri. If you look at the iOS 7 Siri, the page makes no mention of beta anymore. The old iOS 6 version had the beta label on it, but iOS 7 Siri has removed that label. Here is the iOS […]
iPhone & iPad Users To Get Google Now, As It Comes To iOS
Previously Android-only, Google’s “predictive search” tool Google Now is now available for the iPhone and iPad. It’s part of an updated Google Search App for iOS. Google Now for iOS had been anticipated since March, when Engadget discovered a promotional video suggesting it would make the leap. Until its release this morning, Google Now had been […]
Study Hints At Long-Term Siri Threat To Google In Mobile
Apple Insider is reporting, based on a study by investment firm Piper Jaffray, that Siri today (iOS 6) relies on Google considerably less than it did in iOS 5. That’s partly a result of the switch from Google’s local data in Maps to Apple’s own mapping data. However another part of the change is probably the […]
12 Top Search Trends To Kick Off 12/12/12 Google Zeitgeist
Don’t worry, Google’s year in review for 2012 isn’t that predictable for the once in a lifetime calendar event. On the official Google 2012 Zeitgeist website, you’ll find their biggest list ever published, with a total of 838 lists from 55 countries, covering 1.2 trillion searches done worldwide. Digging in deeper, Google has divided the massive […]
Bing On The Top Search Trends For 2012: Kardashian, Bieber & Gangnam Style
Oh baby, baby, baby oh… Sorry Biebs, you better believe you just got Kanye’d off the top searched celeb spot by Kim Kardashian. Ouch. But if you were her boyfriend… oh never mind. Let’s get on to the good stuff that Bing announced earlier this evening, the big list of 2012 Bing Trends. Bing’s biggest list […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 24, 2012
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 […]
Apple Hires A Search Geek (From Amazon) To Improve Siri
It would appear that Siri will be getting a little more searchy. As AllThingsD reported this afternoon Apple has hired William Stasior, the guy who took over at Amazon’s search engine A9 after Udi Manber left for Google. While Siri isn’t a search engine it can operate like one from a user perspective. With Stasior’s […]
Google Maps For Mobile: An iPhone User’s Guide
As we wait for a new native Google Maps app for iOS 6, the company has introduced Street View imagery this morning to Google Maps for the mobile web. It’s another attraction that may pull Apple Maps users over on the iPhone and iPad. Below, a look at some of the key features in Google […]
After Apple’s Apology, What’s Next For iOS 6 Maps?
It’s official. Apple’s new Maps in iOS 6 have problems so serious that even Apple CEO Tim Cook has issued a public apology about them. What does Apple do next? Going back to Google-powered Maps is unlikely but not out-of-the-question. More likely, Apple will push through the pain. However, it could reconsider whether maps really […]
Apple Demos Local Search (Maps) And Siri Enhancements For iPhone 5
Today at the iPhone 5 launch event Apple announced a thinner, taller and faster iPhone. (See Danny’s hands-on first impressions.) Apple also reminded people of some of the software announcements made in June at its WWDC conference when it discussed the new iOS 6 extensively. Among the earlier software-related announcements that were showcased again today […]
Why Apple Is Going “Containment” Not “Thermonuclear” Against Google In iOS 6
I keep hearing people talking about Apple finally going “thermonuclear” on Google with the forthcoming iOS 6 mobile operating system. No, it hasn’t. In fact, there are good reasons why it can’t, though Apple is certainly exercising a much more subtle and smart containment strategy. Themonuclearly Renewing With Google The thermonuclear reference comes from the […]
Apple Siri To Add Sports, Restaurants, Reservations, Movies & App Search
Apple at their World Wide Developer Conference today announced iOS6 with some really nice features to Siri, their voice search engine. You can see a preview of some of these features at Apple.com but here is a snapshot showing enhancements including: Sports Search Restaurants with Reservation Booking Movie Search & Ticketing Search For Apps On […]
A Letter To The FTC Regarding Search Engine Disclosure Compliance
In 2002, the US Federal Trade Commission created guidelines on how search engines should disclose paid placement and paid inclusion listings. It’s become clear to me over the past two weeks that the search engine industry has either largely forgotten these guidelines or is ignoring them. That’s why I’ve written a letter today to the […]
Report: Siri Coming To iPad With iOS 6
With its latest iPad — “the new iPad” — Apple introduced voice dictation capability (via Nuance) but not its virtual assistant Siri. Now comes a report that Siri will soon come to the iPad with the iOS 6 update, which is also supposed to mark the debut of Apple Maps/iMaps. Next week is Apple’s WWDC […]
With Fix In Place, Wolfram Alpha Explains How Siri “Recommended” The Lumia By Mistake
It wasn’t Siri that was recommending the Lumia as the best smartphone to some last week; it was Wolfram Alpha. That won’t happen again, now that Wolfram Alpha has made changes to to fix problems it had dealing with customer reviews. Reviews Weren’t Weighted To Account For Number When I looked into the Siri-Lumia issue last […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, May 14, 2012
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Smartphone Bot Case Study: The Google Smartphone Bot On Holiday In Australia While Google’s new smartphone bot has been announced, it does not appear to be widely deployed yet; at least […]
Apple Siri’s Recommending Nokia? Then Nokia’s Recommending Android & iPhone, I Guess
Apple’s Siri search feature for the iPhone 4S thinks the Nokia Lumia 900 is the best phone ever? Actually, it’s Wolfram Alpha that thinks this, based on all of four user reviews. While it’s a chuckle that Siri seemed to be recommending the Nokia, it’s a better reminder that Siri itself doesn’t answer questions but […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, March 27, 2012
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Tips For Multinational Mobile Site Optimisation In previous posts in this column, I’ve covered the intricacies of multinational search from a technical SEO’s standpoint. Leveraging multinational markup while clearing up in-site […]
Survey: 87 Percent Of iPhone 4S Owners Use Siri Monthly
Siri is popular but its usage is limited, according new survey research from Parks Associates. The firm surveyed 482 iPhone 4S owners and asked about their usage of the virtual assistant. High level findings from the survey were published today by the Wall Street Journal. Parks Associates found the following: 87 percent iPhone 4S owners […]
WSJ Says Big Google Search Changes Coming? Reality Check Time!
The Wall Street Journal is out with a story saying that Google is about to make one of the biggest changes in its history of offering web search, providing more direct answers and gaining “semantic” smarts to understand more about what words mean. I’m scratching my head, since Google already does this. Methinks Google’s PR […]
Google Faces “Innovator’s Dilemma” As It Prepares Response To Siri
We’ve heard the search-related mantra “answers not links” so many times over the past few years that it sounds like a cliche. However in a mobile context the phrase has more meaning: a page of Google search results is ill-suited to the mobile use case. While Google has done many things to make it easier […]
More People Now Using Mobile Apps Than Browser — comScore
Traffic measurement firm comScore released its latest mobile subscriber market share report for November. What it shows is that Android continued to gain (3.1 share points vs. August). But so did the iPhone, likely powered by sales of the iPhone 4S. All other platforms lost ground. Android handsets now represent nearly 47 percent of the […]
The 2011 Santa Tracker Review, From NORAD To Your Phone!
It’s Christmas Eve! Santa Claus is on his annual trip of delivering presents to good little boys and girls around the world. Time also for our annual tradition, telling you how to track Santa using the internet, by smartphone and even through good old-fashioned voice telephone calls. NOTE: If you’re looking for the latest information […]
Google Zeitgeist 2011: Rebecca Black, Lego Alien & Steve Jobs
Google released the Google Zeitgeist 2011 today. Google made several lists this year and even broke them down by country. You can play with the interactive lists at googlezeitgeist.com. Those in the picture above are included in the “fastest rising searches” category, including Rebecca Black, Google+, Ryan Dunn, Casey Anthony, Battlefield 3, iPhone 5, Adele, […]
Google Drops Tele Atlas & Uses Their Own Maps Data For UK Maps
Google announced on the Google Maps blog that they are now powering their own map data in the UK, Germany, Finland and Sweden. Google maps data in the U.S. and many other countries is powered by Google’s own data. But this week, Google dropped their third-party map data provider, Tele Atlas, and switched their map […]
Why Siri Can’t Find Abortion Clinics & How It’s Not An Apple Conspiracy
“I’m standing in front of a Planned Parenthood,” the CNN reporter says, “And Siri can’t find it when I search for abortion clinic.” No, it can’t. It’s not because Apple is pro-life. It’s because Planned Parenthood doesn’t call itself an abortion clinic. Welcome To Search Scandals, Apple It’s been interesting to watch the Siri Abortiongate […]
Bieber Tops Bing’s List Of Most Popular Searches In 2011
First out of the gate this year in the annual rush to declare search winners is Bing, who earlier today unveiled the top searches of 2011 at BingTrends.com. Bing.com also created an original video to recap the year in search, ending the clip with the Twitter hashtag #My2011. Video: Bing Originals: Decisions That Shaped 2011 […]
First Impressions: Galaxy Nexus Android 4.0 Smartphone
It is potentially the smartphone I’ve been waiting for since last year: the latest Android version, a “pure” Google experience and the ability to use what I consider the only real “4G” out there — Verizon. The Galaxy Nexus has arrived, at least with reviewers. There’s still no sale date announced for the US. I’m a […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, November 14, 2011
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: SEO Best Practices For HTML5: Truths, Half-Truths & Outright Lies During a panel at SMX Advanced 2011 in Seattle, I remember hearing a question about Schema.org tags. More specifically, I remember […]
Smartphones Now Over 50 Percent For Under 44 Crowd
Nielsen has released new smartphone data this morning reflecting overall US smartphone penetration. The number is 43 percent, unchanged from October but up several points from several months ago. (comSore’s official smartphone penetration number is 36 percent.). Nielsen says that 43 percent of US smartphone owners have an Android handsets compared to 28 percent who […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 31, 2011
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Content Strategy Tuesday, Improve Paid Search on Thursday – Webcasts this week Search Marketing Now, our sister site, will host two webcasts this week. Tomorrow, November 1, Maria Pergolino of Marketo […]
Stephen Colbert Gets His Siri On
It was pretty funny – Stephen Colbert started The Colbert Report last night talking to Siri on his iPhone 4S and not feeling particularly happy about the responses, all of which were real. Colbert began by asking Siri to “write the show” since, as he later explained, he’d been playing with it all day and hadn’t […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 17, 2011
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Will Google See $6.25 Billion In Mobile Ad Revenue Next Year? During the earnings call last week after Google announced massive quarterly revenues ($9.72 billion), CEO Larry Page casually dropped the […]
Why Siri + Yelp = Useless Google Maps On The iPhone 4S
It sounds great. Speak into Siri about some local need, get nice results from Yelp’s reviews. In reality, it’s pretty easy instead to end up stuck with only a phone number and directions from Google Maps. From Siri To Yelp To Google Maps Consider this example, which illustrates the situation I’ve repeatedly found to be […]
Google Translate For Android Literally Speaks More Languages, Through Conversation Mode
In January, Google Translate for Android gained “Conversation Mode,” a way to speak into your phone and have it speak back in a different language. Today, Google’s expanded the number of languages supported. Originally, the tool only supported English-to-Spanish translation (or vice versa). Now, Google says 14 languages in all are covered: Brazilian Portuguese, Czech, […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 10, 2011
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 Rolls Out Another New Deals Product Bing has put considerable effort in the past several months into building out its deals content. First Bing introduced third party deals via its […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 6, 2011
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Marketing solutions at Search Engine Land Understand Your Web Visitors Without Using Cookies Multi-site Management: Challenges and Solutions Holistic Marketing: Fitting All the Pieces Together What’s the Secret to Video SEO? […]
Alternatives To Siri: Google Voice Actions, Nuance, Vlingo
Beyond some of the processing and other technical upgrades in the new iPhone 4S, the standout feature of the new device is the Siri “Assistant.” It’s an expanded and enhanced version of what’s behind the existing Siri iPhone app, which is being shut down on October 15. And while Siri is not a “voice search […]