Google Assistant moves from the cloud to the phone, now 10X faster
The faster Assistant will be available on Pixel phones 'later this year' and could become a major competitive advantage.
Topic: Personalization
Google doc rekindles myth that click-through rate affects rankings
Despite repeatedly saying they do not use click data for search ranking purposes, a fresh document triggers confusion around the topic again.
Google Maps’ ‘For You’ tab comes to iPhones and a whole lot more countries
The personalized recommendations tool will be available in 130 countries on Android and 40 on iOS devices.
AI in action
Marketers’ jobs have never been more complex. They have to juggle vendors, evaluate complicated technology, and draw insights from reams of data, all while meeting skyrocketing customer expectations. But artificial intelligence is changing the equation, helping marketers make sense of a deluge of information and effortlessly execute more effective campaigns. Watson Marketing’s suite of AI-powered […]
DuckDuckGo study says Google search personalization perpetuating ‘filter bubble’
Google's response is that significant SERP personalization is 'a myth.'
Google to close Google+ after 7 years: A look back at the impact it once had on Google search
This should come as no surprise, Google is closing down Google+ over lack of use and security issues.
Google admits it’s using very limited personalization in search results
Outside of a searcher's location or immediate context from a prior search, Google doesn't personalize the search results.
Chrome tests showing themed search suggestions based on Google search history
Chrome uses past Google searches to show a set of search suggestions about what you might be researching.
The 7 biggest trends driving customer loyalty
According to 3Cinteractive, 64 percent of brands reported an increase in loyalty program membership over the last year. Loyalty programs are becoming more sophisticated, moving beyond the traditional spend-and-get model, to omnichannel and multichannel programs that recognize customers for every interaction they make with a brand. Smart marketers are capturing and leveraging loyalty data to […]
Marketing in a distracted, digital world
In today’s world, digital media is so pervasive that it’s no longer considered unique; it’s a way of life. Virtually everyone has a smartphone, and most individuals and households have multiple smart devices, including tablets, phones and computers. This prevalence, coupled with the rise of Big Data, digital marketing tools and social media, has given […]
Google Now is dead, long live ‘the feed’
Google is killing the 'Google Now' name but improving the underlying functionality to make it more controllable, engaging -- and searchable.
Google adds ‘Personal’ search filter, then drops it
Google tests a personalized version of their search results for signed-in Google users. Did you see it?
Google shortcuts use personalization and rich content to build next-gen local discovery tool
Machine learning-driven results entirely bypass the traditional search box.
Google App now organizes cards into 2 categories: interests & upcoming events
The latest round of Google App updates also includes a card that lets users choose specific topics of interest to personalize app content.
SEO for Gboard? How Google’s new keyboard search for iOS ranks content
There's a new SERP in town, the search engine results page generated by Gboard. And it's not just mobile search results reformatted in a horizontal layout.
Ask and you shall receive: The Humanization of Search
In a world where we’re almost always connected to technology and devices, we have instant access to information wherever we are — causing a transformation to the search experience. Whether people realize it or not, search is embedded in their daily activities; it’s on their mobile devices, cloud-connected game consoles and increasingly, on smart devices […]
Yahoo Search App For iPhone Gets A Bit More “Now” With Personalized Content
Yesterday, Yahoo introduced an updated search app for the iPhone. It offers a range of new capabilities and utility. Overall, Yahoo has done a nice job with the UI and search experience. I haven’t systematically compared it to Google or Bing mobile search experiences. But in my 24 hours of casual usage, it appears to […]
Yahoo Image Search Adds Personalized Photos From Your Flickr Collection
Flickr users can now search Yahoo Image Search and find images from their own personal collection or their friends' collections, if there are relevant pictures.
Bing iOS App Gets A Refresh With Updates To Bing News & New Bing Interests Feature
New version also includes at-a-glance Popular Now content on Apple Watch and easier access to Privacy Search Mode.
LinkedIn Gives Search A Promotion By Adding Better Post Results & Richer, Personalized Listings
Whether looking for people, jobs or posts, LinkedIn's new customized search functionality will help you find 'em faster.
Google News Displaying “Suggested For You” Stories Customized To Match Your Interests
Google News founder Krishna Bharat used his Google+ account to announce a new “Suggested for you” feature in Google News. According to his post, Google News will now include a “Suggested for you” section of news stories to match your interests. [blockquote cite=”Google News Founder”]The goal is to surface narrow and local topics specific to […]
Yahoo Search Now Shows Your Flights, Events & Packages In The Search Results
Yahoo announced that Yahoo Search, as well as Yahoo Mail‘s Today section will now show you your upcoming flights, events and package deliveries. To see this, you need to sign in with your Yahoo username on your phone, tablet, or PC and then search on Yahoo Search for [package], [events], or [flights] and you may […]
Foursquare: 55 Million Users, 54 Percent Lift Since Relaunch
Whether it’s all part of the master plan or more opportunistic, Foursquare is undertaking a “multimillion-dollar effort” to brand and differentiate itself from Yelp and other local search apps. The campaign will appear in out-of-home locations in New York and Chicago as well as online in other cities. I believe branding is important for Foursquare, so this […]
New Foursquare App Bets The Company On Personalization
After months of anticipation, the new Foursquare app has finally arrived. It will be available this morning from the three major app stores. The new app is built around two principal concepts: Tips and Tastes. It attempts to create a better “local search” experience using data (in the background) and personalization. Taking aim at Yelp […]
Foursquare To Move Check-ins Into “Swarm” App, To Focus Better On Local Discovery
Foursquare is doing something surprising, even radical. It’s removing some of the legacy features (i.e., check-ins) from its app and moving them over to a new app called Swarm (available soon). Check-ins, sharing and friend finding will now reside in Swarm, and Foursquare will evolve in a bid for further mainstream adoption to challenge Yelp […]
Microsoft’s Cortana Assistant Personalization Comes To Bing On The Web
One of the most interesting things about Microsoft’s new Cortana search assistant has just gone live for those early adopters of it: integration with Bing’s search results. Cortana Personalization Comes To Bing Those using Cortana will now find “personalized cards” that will appear at the bottom of the Bing home page: Personalized information cards will […]
Survey: Consumers Blame Brands For Bad Location Data
Today at SMX West local data and marketing platform provider Placeable released findings from two related surveys it recently conducted online. The company polled consumers (n=1,000 US adults) and marketers (n=228) to gather data on local search attitudes and behaviors. Marketers were asked to discuss their behavior when they acted as consumers. Overall the marketers (as […]
New Video Shows Microsoft “Assistant” Cortana In Action
Microsoft will be introducing its Siri and Google Now/Voice competitor Cortana with Windows 8.1 in April. The new “intelligent assistant” will eventually be available cross-platform, although launching on Lumia Phones. The name Cortana comes from a character in the game Halo. It was originally thought that Cortana would look like her character in the game […]
Bing Tags Hangs It Up & Shuts Down
Bing Tags, which launched two years ago as Bing Linked Pages and then renamed and did an expansion about a year ago, has hung up the project and shut down the feature. Bing closed down Bing Tags on June 14, 2013. A Microsoft spokesperson told us: We can confirm that beginning on June 14, 2013, […]
Yahoo Gives $10 Million To Help Develop Next-Gen Siri And Better “Contextual Search”
Several years ago, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, as a then Google employee, spoke about the perfect search engine that could anticipate your needs and which wouldn’t require any keywords to deliver results. We’re rapidly moving toward searchless content discovery with Siri, Google Now, IBM’s Watson, Nuance’s Nina, Expect Labs and other “intelligent assistants.” Artificial intelligence-powered intelligent assistants […]
Google Adds “Now” Content, Features To iOS Maps Apps
In October, Google started adding Google Now style cards to its PC Maps. Now, Google is adding some of those same features to its iOS Maps apps. If you update Google Maps for iOS and sign in, you can now see flight, hotel, and restaurant reservations from Gmail in Maps — and then search or […]
The Amazing “Google Now” — When Google Searches Before You Think To
With Google Now coming to iOS, a whole new audience using iPhones and iPads are about to meet Google’s predictive search service. It’s a feature that’s gone from interesting novelty to being downright amazing, in less than a year. Here’s a look at how the “predictive search” service has evolved and where it may head […]
Yahoo Buys Mobile Startup With Big Search Chops
Earlier today Yahoo and Jybe announced that the latter was being acquired by the former. Jybe, which I had not heard of previously, is described by Yahoo as “a personalized recommendation company founded with the vision to help people find the things they love to do based on what’s trending in their social circles.” It sounds […]
“Trulia Suggests” Search Results Without Searching
One of the very interesting things going on in search is the phenomenon of “predictive search” or personalized recommendations based on a range of user data inputs (i.e., behavior, context, etc). Effectively, these are search results produced without entering a query into a search box. Much of what is happening in mobile and Google Now is […]
A Year Later, Google’s Block Sites Feature Remains Blocked
In 2011, Google rolled out a feature allowing searchers to block web sites they don’t like from appearing in its search results, which drew great attention. That got dropped last year, when Search Plus Your World was launched last January. A year later, Google says there are no firm plans for it to return. Google’s […]
How The New Facebook Search Is Different & Unique From Google Search
At long last, Facebook’s search challenge to Google has arrived. But it has arrived in a much different format than many expected. Indeed, Facebook’s not using its data to provide a better search than Google. Facebook is providing a new type of search that you simply can’t do on Google or anywhere else. The Connections […]
Google Is Hiring Someone To Find Ways To Make You Want To Search While Signed-In
Google is hiring a new product marketing manager for search with one of the key goals being to find ways to get people to sign-in while they search. The job description says: As Product Marketing Manager within the search growth team, you will be responsible to developing plans, creatives, campaigns and programs to increase the […]
Google Expands Gmail In Search Results With My Orders, My Events & My Reservations
In August, Google introduced a field test that brings Gmail content in your search results. So if you searched for [my flights] and you had a flight confirmation email in your Gmail account, Google would show you upcoming flights. This is still an opt in field test available to a limited number of US users […]
Bing Linked Pages Now Called Bing Tags
Earlier this year, Bing announced a new featured named Bing Linked Pages, that feature is now named Bing Tags. The feature allows you or your friends to “tag” web pages and documents in Bing’s index as being related to you or your friend. The purpose is to make the search results for you and your […]
Foursquare Responds To Facebook Nearby By Tapping Facebook’s Friend Graph
Foursquare has made a quick response to Monday’s announcement of Facebook Nearby, with its own announcement today that Foursquare Explore is cranking up its personalization. The irony? It’s going to use Foursquare activity from a user’s Facebook friends to improve the recommendations in Explore. Think of it as Foursquare judo: It’s using Facebook data to […]