Category Archives: Google

Playing Around With Google Webmaster Tools Click Data

I spent an hour or so today playing with the data available via the Google Webmaster Tools “Top Search Queries” report. As you probably know, Google launched an enhancement to the functionality to include impressions and clicks, making a click through rate calculation vaguely possible. The tool was well received by many, albeit rather cautiously. I thought it might be fun to look at the data and draw some charts with Excel Pivot Tables, trying to answer questions like “how far do the click numbers in Webmaster Tools agree with my own figures?”.

Jars in a laboratory

How to Install Google's Chrome OS in a Windows Virtual Machine

chrome os logo

Today’s guest post is courtesy of our friend Jeff Orloff who’s been contributing to SEOgadget regularly over the past few months. If you haven’t read any of his recent posts, try reading “Ubuntu in the Office“, “Understanding Link Injections“,  and “What Google’s Chrome OS Means for the Future of Computing“. On the subject of computing, Jeff’s actually a hardcore Linux / Ubuntu fan. That’s not to say he doesn’t have an interest in all operating systems. Today, he talks us through the steps required to install Google’s Chrome OS in a Virtual Machine on your Windows PC. Why install Chrome OS? As a digital marketer, it might be beneficial to have insight into projects outside of pure SEM that could one day affect the way we work. Take the Nexus One for example. Google are working on projects in many different industries that one day could impact our lives as fundamentally as organic search does today. To that end, it’s probably worth following these instructions and giving Chrome OS a try. Over to you, Jeff!

Life After iPhone – Living with the Nexus One

Our Nexus One arrived in the UK on January 7th last week. The fast delivery time was impressive, and the animations on power up showing off the quality of the screen satisfying. But what of the experience of using the phone and migrating from an iPhone? Is a Nexus One better than an iPhone? I’ve been with mine long enough to offer you my thoughts so far.

Image created by: Nestor Galina

Google's Nexus One Unboxed

We’re rather excited today – after ordering the new Google Nexus One during the live announcement, DHL have (amazingly) managed to get through the snow and ice to deliver our new phone. Here it is, in pictures:

When you first turn the phone on, you’re treated to quite a pretty animation – which shows off the screen display very well. You’re welcomed by very clear instructions on how to set the phone up, use the features and register the phone with your Google account:

Here’s the box:

Here’s what you see when you take the lid off the box – note the Google colours around the edge:

What Google’s Chrome OS Means for the Future of Computing

I’d like to take the opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year and good fortune for 2010, and introduce Jeff Orloff back to SEOgadget who’s looking at how Google’s Chrome OS could impact the future of computing. Over to you, Jeff!

Google has hit the headlines recently with its announcement that netbooks running their browser based operating system, Chrome, will be on the market in the latter half of 2010. If Chrome OS lives up to expectations, it could have a huge effect on the future of computing. Below are a few things I think the Chrome OS can do:

Implementing Named Anchors to Improve Your SERPs

On Friday (25th September) Google announced their support for new features, using named anchors found in webpages that provide additional links in the search result page snippets, which allow users to jump directly to more relevant parts of a larger page.

In their first example, Google shows a result for “trans fats” in Google.com:

rich snippets example

And a “jump to:” link, which was first picked up by Rob at iCrossing on the 10th September, 2009:

jump-to-results-google

How does it work? According to Google Webmaster Central Blog:

Google launches Rich Snippets Preview Tool (RDfa)

You (hopefully) remember a few posts on SEOgadget discussing HTML5 and the impact that structured data will have on SEO, and if you do, you’ll remember me banging on about my hcard implemention too. I’ve been convinced for some time now that Google’s attitude towards structured HTML markup is really starting to get serious, which is why today’s news is very exciting.

On this, the last meaningful day of Summer in the UK I say, thanks be to Google for giving us their Rich Snippets Testing Tool allowing even us mere mortals to view and tweak a rich snippet result after implementing a structured markup modification on a site.

Synchronise your RSS feeds on all your devices using Google Reader

Here’s a handy little tip if you’re looking for a better way to synchronise your RSS feeds between your work computer and the numerous other places you may read your RSS items (your iPhone and Ubuntu installation, for example).

For absolutely ages, I had RSS items to read in Outlook 2007 on my work PC, Netnewswire for iPhone, and Google Reader on my Ubuntu PC. As my feeds list grew I found myself skipping posts I’d already read while in search of new material to read. Not great.

The solution is based on Google Reader – and fiendishly simple to implement.

Recent locations influence Google Search Results

Earlier this evening I decided it was high time I got another eye test, so I searched for “Specsavers” in Google.co.uk:

specsavers

Anything out of the ordinary here? For me, yes! I was in Croydon this weekend and prior to leaving the house I carried out a few searches for the location of the party we went to and the hotel we were staying in later on. While searching, I added one of those locations to “my locations” in Google Maps.

It seems this now means that for a few brand searches, my most relevant results are based in sunny Croydon:

waitrose