This day in search marketing history: March 22
Google AdWords forces use of call extensions, plus: zero-click searches, rel=next/prev apology, PC search query volumes peak and more.
Topic: Windows Phone
This day in search marketing history: February 18
Yahoo stops using Google search, plus: Core Web Vitals, RSAs become default, Google Shopping Campaigns For PLAs and more.
This day in search marketing history: February 11
Yahoo officially rejects Microsoft, plus: passage ranking goes live, Google's SEO consulting services, Google Japan's link penalty and more.
Reminder: Core Web Vitals is still rolling out, how to prioritize your dev fixes; Tuesday’s daily brief
Plus, Pinterest bans all weight loss ads
Bing turns 10: Why it’s been more disruptive than you think
A look back, and ahead, at Microsoft's search business.
Microsoft seeks more Cortana distribution, deeper integration on Android, iOS
We're heading toward a voice-first world for publishers, retailers and brands.
Where is Santa Claus? Your 2016 guide to Santa trackers from NORAD & Google
Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus ... but where exactly is he? Our guide to Santa trackers helps you locate Jolly St. Nick in a flash.
SearchCap: Google iOS app, food and brand queries & more
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 App for iOS gets AMP content & sports highlights in Now cards May 27, 2016 by Amy Gesenhues Google says today’s improvements for its IOS app will save users a […]
SearchCap: Voice search SEO, SEMPO survey & more
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: SEMPO’s latest salary survey shows search marketer average pay up 16% over 2013May 26, 2016 by Amy Gesenhues Survey participants included nearly 600 search and digital marketing professionals, from entry level […]
Microsoft Silences “Hey Cortana” In US Version Of Android App
An update to Microsoft’s Cortana app for Android removes the “Hey Cortana” hands-free activation feature. Updated December 20, the new version of the app lists three “what’s new” features: Improved app stability. Enhanced call and text features. Removed “Hey Cortana” feature for US market. “Hey Cortana” was reportedly removed because the feature disrupted use of […]
MindMeld Launches Voice Assistant 2.0, Says Voice Search Growing Dramatically
San Francisco-based Expect Labs, which previously positioned itself as a kind of “Google Now in a Box” or “Siri in a Box” for third-party developers, has changed its name to MindMeld. The company is also launching a second generation of its technology, which it now describes as a “platform for creating large-scale language-understanding and question-answering […]
NORAD Santa Tracker Starts Its Countdown
Celebrating its 60th anniversary, this year's NORAD Santa Tracker program includes a website with holiday-themed games, movies and music.
After A Year Of Transition, Microsoft Execs Say, “We’re All In On Search”
With Bing now at the center of Microsoft's consumer monetization strategy, executives display a new level of confidence when sharing plans for growing the search business.
SearchCap: Google Targets Hacked Spam, Keyword Performance Reporting In AdWords & More
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the Web. From Search Engine Land: Wanted: Session Ideas For SMX WestOct 6, 2015 by Chris Sherman We want your input to help us plan our upcoming SMX West conference, which will be taking place in San […]
Cortana For Android Is Officially Available For Download In US Beta
A month ago, Microsoft’s virtual assistant Cortana became available for download in a pre-beta release. Now, an official US beta version of Cortana for Android is here. An iOS version is coming soon. The full Cortana experience and functionality are available to Windows 10 and Windows Phone users. But because Cortana for Android doesn’t access […]
Bing Beats Google “Now On Tap” To Android With New “Bing Snapshots”
It turns out that Bing has its own version of Google “Now on Tap” — and it’s now available for Android devices, ahead of the release of Google’s own upgraded service. This morning, Bing announced that what the company calls “Bing Snapshots” will deliver contextually relevant search information for any app installed on your Android […]
Every Picture Tells A Story: The Force Behind Bing’s Homepage & Brand Experience
5 Questions For Bing Principal Design Manager Michael Kroll
With Windows 10, Bing Ads Anticipates 10 To 15 Percent More Search Volume By September
High hopes for Windows 10 to deliver search volume now that Bing and Cortana are built right in.
New Microsoft “Three Generations” Campaign Packs Emotional Punch
Microsoft has a long and checkered history when it comes to product advertising. Perhaps you recall the cringeworthy yet bizarrely compelling “Bing Goes the Internet” ad campaign in the early days of the search engine’s existence. Here’s one of those clips: Then there was the Microsoft campaign mocking the iPhone — mildly funny at points […]
Report: Microsoft’s Cortana Coming To iOS, Android This Fall
Reuters is reporting that Microsoft is getting ready to make Cortana, its digital assistant, available on Android and iOS as an app. This possibility was first raised in a Microsoft SMX Advanced keynote conversation last year. The Reuters article also discusses a Cortana-linked, artificial intelligence project called “Einstein.” At the time of SMX Advanced Microsoft […]
Where’s Santa? The 2014 Santa Tracker Review, From NORAD To Google
Santa Claus is on his way -- and there are two excellent services to track his progress. Our guide to getting the most of out NORAD Tracks Santa and Google Santa Tracker.
NORAD Launches 2014 Santa Tracker With Microsoft As Partner
The race is on. Three weeks out from Santa’s annual trek around the world, and both Google and now NORAD — working again with Microsoft — have launched their Santa tracking sites. This year’s NORAD Tracks Santa site features a brand new set of games, improved performance, and an optimized mobile experience. Microsoft says Windows Phone users […]
SearchCap: App Extensions Coming To Bing Ads, Apple’s Search Ambitions & How To Win At SEO
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: App Extensions Coming To Bing Ads App extensions will be available to advertisers on Bing Ads starting next spring. Timed to coincide with the removal of explicit mobile OS targeting, app […]
App Extensions Coming To Bing Ads
App extensions will be available to advertisers on Bing Ads starting next spring. Timed to coincide with the removal of explicit mobile OS targeting, app extensions will be targeted automatically to a user’s OS and device. The extensions will feature an app’s icon and a call-to-action to download the app, as opposed to a click-to-download […]
SearchCap: Duane Forrester No Longer With Bing, Animated GIFs In Bing Images & Paid Search Roundup
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: The Economic Impact of SEO Media Services- November 6 Webcast Using an outside expert resource for global SEO and earned media services can make your search marketing campaigns a valuable investment. […]
Nokia Makes HERE Maps Available To All Android Users
Nokia’s HERE Maps app, which had previously just been available for Samsung Galaxy Android phones is now available to all Android users. However it’s not in Google Play; users have to download it directly from the HERE site. In order to install the HERE app, you’ll need to go into settings –>security and enable installation of apps from […]
SearchCap: Google UX Ranking, Google Bill Reminders & Nokia Here Maps
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Nokia’s Here Maps Come To Android Phones (Sort Of) Nokia’s Here Maps, which power maps on Windows Phones, has released a beta version for Samsung Galaxy Android phones. It’s not available […]
Nokia’s Here Maps Come To Android Phones (Sort Of)
Nokia’s Here Maps, which power maps on Windows Phones, has released a beta version for Samsung Galaxy Android phones. It’s not available through Google Play, though presumably it will be in time. Nokia’s hardware/handset division was sold to Microsoft but Nokia retained the Here mapping service. Now Microsoft is going to phase out the Nokia brand […]
Google (Now) Beats Siri And Cortana For Direct Answers — Study
Stone Temple Consulting (STC) published a study in which it compared mobile answers to “3086 different queries” on Siri, Google and Cortana to determine how each performed relative to the others. Google was the winner with more direct answers and more complete information. Eric Enge, who wrote up the results, says this was not a “personal assistant […]
Cortana Coming To Windows 9, Will It Replace Bing?
Next week in San Francisco, Microsoft will unveil Windows 9 for the press. Among the features of the new OS is reportedly going to be the virtual assistant Cortana. A range of sites are repeating some early evidence found by a German site, and also a discussion on Neowin, that assert Cortana will be a central feature […]
Bing Ads Preview And Ad Diagnostics Tool: Now For Product And Mobile Ads
The Ad Preview and Diagnostics Tool in Bing Ads now allows advertisers to preview how their ads will look on mobile devices and find out why their product ads aren’t running. A new Product Ads tab in the tool includes a “reason for not showing” column with specific causes such as low quality score, low […]
SearchCap: Bing Xiaolce, Google Sitelinks Search & EU-Google Deal Problems
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 Launches Xiaolce Chinese Chatbot With Cortana Smarts For Windows Phone After taking its Windows Phone 8.1 with Cortana to China last month, Bing announced today the launch of XiaoIce (“little […]
Bing Launches Xiaolce Chinese Chatbot With Cortana Smarts For Windows Phone
After taking its Windows Phone 8.1 with Cortana to China last month, Bing announced today the launch of XiaoIce (“little ice”), a Chinese-speaking social assistant chatbot for Windows Phone users. According to the announcement on Bing’s search blog, XiaoIce’s technology is far beyond a normal chatbot. [blockquote cite=”Bing Search Blog”]XiaoIce is a sophisticated conversationalist with […]
Bing Quietly Rolls Out App Linking, Connecting Search Results To App
With Google, Facebook and Twitter heavily promoting ways to promote apps within search and ads, few are taking notice of Bing’s efforts on that front. Bing has offered Bing App Linking since at least March 2014 but no one has really noticed. App Linking works in a similar way to Google App Indexing but specifically […]
Cortana Expands To Other Markets, Becomes “Xiao Na” In China
There’s increasing evidence that Microsoft’s personal assistant Cortana is being positioned as a key differentiator vs. Android and iPhones. A new TV commercial (below) purports to compare Cortana to Siri, with a mock Siri voice saying “I can’t do that” a number of times. This morning Microsoft announced new geographies and new features for Cortana […]
Is Microsoft Blocking Google Search On New Lumia Phones?
According to a story appearing in The Verge yesterday, Microsoft is not allowing users to set Google as the default search engine for mobile web browsing on new Lumia 8.1 devices (630 and 930). As the article points out, the search button on the handset uses Bing and cannot be switched. I reached out to […]
SearchCap: Google Begins Right To Be Forgotten Removals, Google Analytics Branded Segregation & PR Newswire Fights Back
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 Analytics Now Separates Brand And Non-Brand PPC Traffic Brand and non-brand paid search terms typically perform very differently and most paid search teams analyze these sets of keywords separately. To […]
Amazon Fire Phone: Bing For Search, Nokia For Maps
The emerging consensus from the early “hands on” or “first look” reviews is that the Amazon Fire Phone has some novel and interesting features but that it doesn’t measure up, overall, to the iPhone or “true Android” devices. I’ve argued that Amazon missed the boat with its high-end pricing. Interestingly, there has been almost no […]
Microsoft: No Plans For Ads In Cortana Yet; Debating Bringing To Androids & iOS
It’s far too early to consider monetizing Cortana, Microsoft’s new virtual personal assistant, but the company is already thinking about how to scale her across different devices, platforms and around the world. Those were two of the key points from Microsoft’s keynote conversation Thursday morning at our SMX Advanced conference in Seattle. Marcus Ash, a […]