Non-Mobile Friendly Sites Can Hurt a Company’s Reputation – 25th September 2012 A recent Study from Google “What Users Want Most From Mobile Sites Today” revealed how quickly and deeply users attitudes about companies can be shaped by mobile site experiences. The report surveyed 1,088 US adult smartphone Internet users in July 2012. We all know that mobile friendly sites can turn users to customers more easily than non-mobile friendly sites. This report reminds us that having mobile friendly sites go beyond making a few more sales. A site that’s not designed for mobile can leave users feeling downright frustrated, and these negative reactions translate directly to the brands themselves. 48% of users say they feel frustrated and annoyed when they get to a site that’s not mobile-friendly -
36% said they felt like they’ve wasted their time by visiting those sites
52% of users said that a bad mobile experience made them less likely to engage with a company 48% said that if a site didn’t work well on their smartphones, it made them feel like the company didn’t care about their business – Blair Liu More details: http://googlemobileads.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/mobile-friendly-sites-turnvisitors.html
Google Makes Seller Ratings Changes – 24th September 2012 Google are set to make changes to the criteria that must be met for seller ratings to appear alongside advertisers' paid ads. While companies were previously required to have 30 reviews in its lifetime, they are now set to be required to have 30 reviews, at an aggregated rating higher than 4, within the last 12 months in a move to make reviews fresher and more relevant for searchers. – Kevin Ting More details: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2207152/Google-Pushes-FreshnessWith-AdWords-Seller-Ratings-Extension-Change
Google add AuthorRank Factor – 24th September 2012 It’s been in the pipeline for a long time, but it looks like Google's have added another addition to determine site ranking by adding the AuthorRank factor to the search algorithm. What is AuthorRank? It’s a term to indicate Google’s ability to generate a score to assess the reputation of content writers. This will influence the ranking of search results, although AuthorRank will not replace PageRank but will actually make it more accurate. AuthorRank is strictly related to setting up Google Authorship, which creates authors’ online identities, providing them with an initial AuthorRank and generating a search rich snippet. Additional benefits of AuthorRank for websites: -
Increased CTR Improved site search trust Build online reputation Emboss brand and author name in people’s minds
– Antonella Mele More details: http://www.seomoz.org/blog/how-to-prepare-for-authorrank-and-get-thejump-on-google http://www.blindfiveyearold.com/author-rank http://www.virante.org/blog/2012/08/30/what-is-the-difference-betweengoogle-authorship-and-author-rank/
Apple - Yandex Integration in Russia – 21st September 2012 With the launch of the iPhone 5 today, the battle between Google and Apple continues to intensify. Having lost some global coverage to Android YoY in the smartphone race, Apple has chosen to team up with Yandex (Google’s equivalent) in Russia with its release of iOS 6. Apple has forsaken Google maps on its new OS as well as other Google owned apps such as YouTube as defaults, opting for its own maps app. In Russia, all users will be able to find restaurants, shops, streets etc., with Yandex’s geosearch API, via Apple Maps. This is an interesting move on the part of Apple as it explores new avenues for expanding its offering and with the help of established search specialists such as Yandex, which leads the Russian market driving 60% of searches, can develop a genuine foothold there. For Yandex, this could potentially stem the coverage it has lost in recent years to Google in its home market. A potential follow on from this integration, could be Yandex becoming Apple’s default search engine in its Safari browser in Russia. This won’t be the first time Apple have gone down this route, as earlier in the year the company opted for Baidu as its default engine in China. According to Baidu’s vice president, Apple are getting a share of iOS Baidu search revenues, which sweetens the deal for everyone involved. These recent developments are considered to be a good thing by commentators, as far as competition is concerned, with the underlying feeling that Google were forcing products on users on their terms, given the scarcity of options available. This may cause the company to return to its more innovative side with offerings that can woo back potential deserters, wherever they may be! -
Jafar Mahir
More details: http://searchengineland.com/apple-yandex-partner-in-russia-maps-dealnow-full-search-later-133463 http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/17/googles-lossyandexs-gain-in-applesios6-russian-search-giant-nabs-maps-api-search-deal-in-the-works/ http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57514040-37/yandex-powers-applesmaps-in-russia-report-says/