In an interesting post on GitHub, the user tkrotoff has apparently contacted Bing Webmaster Support with questions about why Bing Webmaster Tools will not accept his website’s sitemap file. He is trying to tell Bing’s Webmaster Tools about his sitemap file and it give him an error when he submits the file. His website, https://osteo15.com/, uses HTTPs SNI (Server Name Indication). [Read more…]
Google Removing Domain Names From Search Results Increases Internet User Vulnerability
On Thursday, April 16, 2015, Google announced that they are beginning to remove the domain name from the mobile search results. Rather than displaying a URL in the search results or a domain name, Google has begun to display a website name or a website name and a breadcrumb of the website’s page. Domain names generally have been removed from the mobile search results. This move by Google is wrong, and ultimately increases internet user vulnerability to potential fraud and deception. Furthermore, it undermines the whole entire Domain Name System as we know it. [Read more…]
Small Business Owner: Google Crushed Me
An interesting post was written by a small business owner, sharing his experience about being crushed by Google. In the article, he claims that after working hard for 12 years building his online business, Google reduced the site’s traffic from 2000 visitors a day to a few hundred a day: all without warning. [Read more…]
ZDNet Buys Domain Name: Immediately Gets 2 Year Old Trusted Site Banned in Google
ZDNet bought a new domain name from the domain name aftermarket (a domain name auction), and almost immediately got their trusted, authoritative, 2 year old website banned in Google. ZDNet wrote a scathing article on their site, blaming Google for the error, claiming that Google got it all wrong. But, that’s not the case. Google absolutely got it right, and was correct in banning the site in Google. Here’s how ZDNet bought a domain name, redirected their trusted, authoritative site to this new domain name, and then got their website banned in Google. [Read more…]
Google Shows Bing Search Results URLs as Links in Google Webmaster Tools
In Google Webmaster Tools, Google is reporting Bing’s search result URLs as actual backlinks to a website. Google has as history of sometimes making a mistake and indexing Bing’s search results, like I found a while back. But this is the first time that I have seen that Google is actually telling webmasters that there is a link to their website: and that link is a Bing search result URL. Google shows Bing search results URLs. Definitely something that I don’t think Google planned on. [Read more…]
Matt Cutts Comments on My April Fool’s Prank
By now, you probably heard about the April Fool’s prank that I came up with this year–and with the help of Jeff and Amanda on our Globe Runner team, I think we pulled it off. So much so that we had trouble keeping the website up and running that weekend. And on April 1st, we followed up with another post, welcoming the other team members who recently joined Globe Runner, Darth Vader and Elvis Presley. By the way, if you haven’t seen the post, it’s titled “Globe Runner Welcomes Matt Cutts as Director of Search“.
On the April 8, 2015 “This Week at Google” Twit.tv show with Leo Laporte and Jeff Jarvis, Matt Cutts commented my our April Fool’s prank. I’ve edited the video to pull out Matt Cutts’ comments so you don’t to have to listen to the whole entire hour-long show. [Read more…]
Google Adds April Fool’s Tag to Search Results
I am not sure if anyone has noticed, but today I was looking through the search results and am seeing a new tag in the search results called “April Fool’s Prank”. This appears to be similar to the “Mobile Friendly” tag, whereas Google is flagging certain sites that are “mobile friendly.” Here is a screen capture of the search results, where a recent post of mine about Matt Cutts shows up (look for it around the 2nd page of the SERPS for “Matt Cutts”:
If you look closely at the search results, you will see that my post that appeared recently on the Globe Runner site is tagged with “April Fool’s Prank”. [Read more…]
April Fools Joke: Not Provided Keywords Are Not Expanded to Google Webmaster Tools
The Not Provided keywords are NOT being expanded to Google Webmaster Tools. In only what I can call an “April Fools prank posted days before April Fools”, Search Engine Watch posted this article that says that Google is expanding the Not Provided keywords to Google Webmaster Tools, taking away even more keyword data from site owners.
This is absolutely a prank article, and you should not believe it. [Read more…]
Google’s Own Mobile Results Ranking in Google
Well, um, this is embarrassing. Especially at a time when Google is pushing the mobile version of websites, wanting all of us to make sure that our websites are mobile friendly by April 21st. A recent search this morning revealed that the mobile version of Google.com is ranking well in Google’s own search results. I searched for the title of a blog post I wrote on Saturday night about a lawsuit. And, low and behold, Google’s mobile version (of Google Plus) is ranking #3 for that search query. Take a look:
Sneak Peak: Google Webmaster Tools Search Impact Report
I was just granted access to the new Google Webmaster Tools Search Impact report, which is going to be available in Google Webmaster Tools. The Search Impact report is currently in Alpha (not even in Beta yet), but it offers a lot more insight into what’s going on with your website. If you’ve been granted access it should show up at the URL above. It will eventually show up for everyone who has a Google Webmaster Tools account, and you’ll be able to analyze more search data about your site. Here is a sneak peak of what the Search Impact report looks like and what you’ll be able to do and see with this report. [Read more…]
Using Structured Data? Your Website Could Lose Traffic to Google
If you are using structured data on your website, or marking up your website’s code using schema.org code, it could ultimately cost you page views and visits from Google. By allowing marking using structured data on your website, you are allowing Google to use the data in any way they see fit–and Google is taking full advantage of that. [Read more…]
Google’s CAPTCHA reCAPTCHA is Flawed, Won’t Stop Spam Bots
Google recently released a new tool for website owners called CAPTCHA reCAPTCHA. Google claims that if a site owner uses their CAPTCHA reCAPTCHA tool, it will be able to distinguish between a human and a bot: [Read more…]
Freebase is Shutting Down in March 2015
According to a Google Plus post today, Freebase is shutting down, and will no longer be available after March 2015. The current Freebase data will be ported over into WikiData. [Read more…]
Google Removed Carousel from Google Search Results
Google has removed the Google Carousel from the search results. A search for keyword phrases such as Dallas Hotels, Chicago Hotels, and New York Hotels, popular searches that previously showed the Google Carousel, now shows a different type of search result, which is similar to the traditional map pack. This has been phased out, and there is no Google Carousel anymore for any of the local searches. Google removed carousel. For good. Does this mean that the Google Carousel failed?
So, instead of showing photos of the hotels at the top of the search results that, when clicked, caused a branded search to occur and another set of search results to appear, more “traditional” type of search results are now showing. The search results for cityname + hotels shows specific hotels, but the PPC ads are prominent along with the organic, natural search results. [Read more…]
Google News Shutting Down: It’s Not Profitable
Google has decided to shut down its operations in Spain, and will no longer include any Spanish publishers in Google News. Google’s reasoning behind this is the new Spanish law that requires every Spanish publication to charge services like Google News for showing even the smallest snippet from their publications, whether they want to or not. [Read more…]
Google SERPs Say Instagram Post Made in 1970
While searching Google today for a random search query, I noticed that the first search result was kind of odd. The Instragram post was a travel photo and it had nothing to do with the query that I just searched for. But that’s actually what didn’t surprise me. I’m not surprised by Google showing off-topic results for certain search queries. What shocked me was that apparently Google says that the post was made on Jan 17, 1970.
Yep, you got that right. Take a look at the screen capture:
Google Rolls Out New Mobile Friendly Tag
Google has started displaying new mobile friendly tag in the search results to show which sites are mobile-friendly and which sites are not. So, if your site is mobile-friendly, and someone is searching on a mobile device, and your site shows up in the search results, it will get a special tag in the search results.
Google Updates Knowledge Graph Data
Google just updated or “refreshed” the knowledge graph data within the past 24 hours. I have knowledge graph data showing up for a search for my name, Bill Hartzer, and I’ve been constantly watching the data, as it was previously incorrect: and it appears that they just updated the information within the past few hours.
Here is what the previous knowledge graph data/sidebar in the Google search results looked like for my name:
Duane Forrester is No Longer Sr. Product Manager – Webmaster Outreach at Bing
My good friend Duane Forrester, Senior Product Manager – Webmaster Outreach at Bing, has just announced that he was “reorganized” out of his job as the head Webmaster Liaison at Bing.com. [Read more…]
Inbox by Gmail Doesn’t Work with Google Apps
The new Inbox by Gmail, launched just recently, does not work with email accounts set up through Google Apps. My company, for example, uses our Gmail accounts for our email. And, I use Gmail even on my phone for email. So, I was kind of excited to try the new Inbox by Gmail. But, when I got the invite from Google, I downloaded the app, and got the following after installing it:
Your organization isn’t set up for Inbox yet.
Don’t worry, it’s not your fault or your organization’s fault. Inbox by Gmail won’t work with Google Apps.
[Read more…]