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Updates, News and Latest Information August 2012

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• Google will begin penalizing websites that receive too many valid copyright removal notices

• The Google ranking algorithm has been adjusted to reflect these changes

• Websites with a high number of removal notices will begin appearing lower in the search results

• This adjustment begins mid August 2012

Copyright Infringement Update included in Google Algorithm


• It’s not all in your head, Google really is returning random search results in the name of a patent called ‘Ranking Documents’.

• Why? It’s another effort to try and combat rank-modifying spammers!

• Who is it going to hit? Anyone whose SEO begins to suddenly work, who is doing linkbuilding, making ongoing keyword adjustments, etc.

• If you do any of the above you will be put into a ‘rank transition’ category and for a while, your site’s ranking in the SERPs will be randomised.

• When enough time has passed, your ‘true rank’ will surface.

• You may be placed in the rank transition category for any of the following reasons: keyword stuffing, page redirects, link-based manipulation, or invisible or tiny text.

Google returns Random Search Results


www.plus.google.com/vanityurl

• If you’ve got a Google+ account, you’ve probably noticed how horrible your URL looks. It’s a long, indecipherable string of numbers:

• You’ll therefore be happy to know that Google has begun rolling out Vanity URLs.

• Hang on! Before you get too excited, they haven’t yet begun rolling them out to the public, just a few celebrities.

• So, who has got a unique Plus URL? Britney Spears, Toyota, David Beckham, Hugo Boss and other such big names.

• It’s not really an exciting change but it certainly is about time – both Facebook and Twitter already offer this feature!

Google+ begins rolling out Vanity URLs


• On August 8, google began trialling a new feature – offering users the chance to sign up to have their emails included in the SERPs.

• Naturally this will only happen when a user is logged into their Google account.

• Your emails will NOT be made available to the public!

• Emails that match a certain keyword typed into the search box will appear in the sidebar.

• For those worried about privacy, this will likely be a feature that can be disabled just as easily as Google personalised results can.

Google is about to put your Email in the SERPs



• Google Places/Google Local has officially merged with Google+.

• This is not yet the case for service area businesses or businesseswith multiple locations and, it’s only availablefor businesses that already have Place Pages created in the Local Business or Place category of Google+.

• To verify your Local Page and associateit with your Google+ Page, simply log into your google plus account and click the ‘verify now’ button on the right side of the page.

• A postcard with a pin on it will be sent toyou so that you can complete the verificationprocess.

Google+ Business Page merges with Google+ Local


• Knowledge Graph is already being used in the US. Take a look at the picture below. It’s the supplementary information you will immediately be presented with when you perform a keyword search in Google.

• Outside of the US it has begun to appear on tablets and smartphones though only in the following categories: weather forecasts, flights, measurements.

• These changes have not yet been rolledout to desktops.

• If you’re interested in finding out moreabout Knowledge Graph, take a look atthe following link:

http://www.google.com/insidesearch/features/search/knowledge.html

Knowledge Graph goes Global

http://www.google.com/insidesearch/features/search/knowledge.html


• A short while back, Google announced that the previously free Google Products would become Google Shopping.

• Google Shopping requires merchants to pay to list products.

• Products will be ranked in a similar manner to Google Ads – based on a combination of relevance and bid price.

• Google is pushing current users to take a look at their video channel on YouTube so that they can better transition to the ‘paid inclusion’ model.

Google Shopping continues to prepare for paid inclusion