Rumours of Google Panda Update
Blogs are all a twitter regarding a new Google Panda update that took place around the 18th of January. Some say that this is more of a refresh rather than a full blown algo change. Brace yourselves webmasters!
Joomla! 2.5 Released 24th January 2012
The Joomla! community announced the release today of version 2.5. Joomla is one of the world’s most popular open source content management systems (CMS) used for everything from websites to blogs to Intranets. 2.5 is a LTS or long term support release that sees the end of support for Joomla! 1.5 and Joomla 1.7 (They jumped straight from 1.7 to 2.5) All users of Joomla 1.5 and Joomla 1.7 should consider updating their installations. They should consult a Joomla! expert to discuss the implications that this may have on their existing templates and customs modules/ plugins.
New Algorithm Change from Google “Page Layout”
Google have introduced a new algorithm change to try and improve site search results. This is what they have had to say.
In our ongoing effort to help you find more high-quality websites in search results, today we’re launching an algorithmic change that looks at the layout of a webpage and the amount of content you see on the page once you click on a result.
As we’ve mentioned previously, we’ve heard complaints from users that if they click on a result and it’s difficult to find the actual content, they aren’t happy with the experience. Rather than scrolling down the page past a slew of ads, users want to see content right away. So sites that don’t have much content “above-the-fold” can be affected by this change. If you click on a website and the part of the website you see first either doesn’t have a lot of visible content above-the-fold or dedicates a large fraction of the site’s initial screen real estate to ads, that’s not a very good user experience. Such sites may not rank as highly going forward.
More from Google on search plus your world
We’re transforming Google into a search engine that understands not only content, but also people and relationships. We began this transformation with Social Search, and today we’re taking another big step in this direction by introducing three new features:
- Personal Results, which enable you to find information just for you, such as Google+ photos and posts—both your own and those shared specifically with you, that only you will be able to see on your results page;
- Profiles in Search, both in autocomplete and results, which enable you to immediately find people you’re close to or might be interested in following; and,
- People and Pages, which help you find people profiles and Google+ pages related to a specific topic or area of interest, and enable you to follow them with just a few clicks. Because behind most every query is a community.
Together, these features combine to create Search plus Your World. Search is simply better with your world in it, and we’re just getting started.
30 New Search Quality Changes by Google in December
Google have made a number of improvements to their search engine during December. Here are the highlights.
PayPal President now the new Yahoo CEO
Scott Thompson is now to become the new CEO of Yahoo. This is what Yahoo had to say
“Scott’s primary focus will be on the core business, and as CEO and director, he will work closely with the Board as we continue the strategic review process to identify the best approaches for the Company and its shareholders. As part of this process, Yahoo! is considering a wide range of opportunities for the Company’s business, as well as specific investments or dispositions of assets,”
Google has been forced into an embarrassing climbdown on the promotion of its Chrome browser.
Google has downgraded Chrome in its search listings after the discovery that a marketing campaign paid bloggers to promote a video about it. A practice that is in direct conflict with their best practice policies issued to webmasters.
Local SEO is where it is at!
More than 20% of searches on Google are for local businesses. Contact us to see how you can utilize the local search to gain better rankings.