Archive for the ‘Google Blog Search’ Category

Google Webmaster Tools Reviews Actually Work

July 18, 2009

Several days ago I wrote about my frustration with WordPress.

I had moved my original WordPress domain to a new url  – SearchMarketingCommunications.com via their domain mapping service January 29th of this year.

To my dismay, I witnessed all of my Google search referrals vanish along with my WordPress domain from the Google search results.

To add insult to injury, my new domain went nearly six months without being re-indexed by Google even after authenticating and validating the new domain with Google Webmaster tools.

I contacted WordPress again and they said it wasn’t their fault the domain wasn’t in Google’s index.

Their response may have been intellectually sound, but it didn’t help me much.

I did however decide to take their advice and use Google Webmaster Tools message center to contact Google and ask for a review of my site.

To my surprise, in my Google Webnaster tools inbox I received the following message:

Google Webmaster Tools Reconsideration Request

Google Webmaster Tools Reconsideration Request

A Google site search for Search Marketing Communications also yielded 17 pages.

Google Index Search Marketing Communications

Google Index Search Marketing Communications

This is 17 more pages from my new site than were found in Google’s index yesterday.

Although I have several hundred pages in SearchMarketingCommunications.com – 17 pages in the Google index is better than none.

Googlebot crawl stats show its crawling two pages per average visit.

Googlebot Crawl Stats

Googlebot Crawl Stats

I expect to see the average number of pages crawled increase with each Googlebot return visit to my site.

Another way to verify whether or not a blog is receiving optimum distribution is to check whether or not its in Google’s Blog Search.

Based on the following Google blog search results, it appears a successful Google Webmaster tools reconsideration request into Google’s index also yields placement in Google blog search.

Google Blog Search Marketing Communications

Google Blog Search Marketing Communications

I am cautiously optimistic this entire site will soon be available in Google’s index.

If and when this occurs, I will be sure to report on the outcome here @SearchMarketingCommunications.com

Advertisement

Tags:, , , ,
Posted in Google Blog Search, Google Webmaster Tools, Google Webmaster Tools Reviews, Googlebot Crawlstats, Search Marketing Communications, Wordpress.com | Leave a Comment »

Google Mayhem… er May Harm Your Computer

January 31, 2009

The StopBadware.org malware warnings Google has used to warn searchers of potential malware on websites mistakenly were displayed across nearly all Google search results early this morning.

Searchers found entire pages of Google search results filled with the malware warning “this site may harm your computer”.

The official Google Blog has already issued a statement:

What happened? Very simply, human error. Google flags search results with the message “This site may harm your computer” if the site is known to install malicious software in the background or otherwise surreptitiously. We do this to protect our users against visiting sites that could harm their computers. We maintain a list of such sites through both manual and automated methods. We work with a non-profit called StopBadware.org to come up with criteria for maintaining this list, and to provide simple processes for webmasters to remove their site from the list.

Fortunately for both Google and its users the “error” occurred early Saturday morning in the United States which historically is when search traffic reaches its lowest trough.

This particular Google error also achieved something I believe that until today was unprescedented:

The top four Google Blog search results within the Technology category were dominated by the Google malware story.

Google Blog Search

Google Blog Search

The majority of U.S. workers may have been beginning their weekend, but tech workers and bloggers were busy as usual pounding away on their keyboards about the 24/7 world of technology.

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Google, Google Blog, Google Blog Search | Leave a Comment »

Why Aren’t Google Blog Search Categories Available via RSS?

November 21, 2008

Google recently made some changes in how it displayed blog search results.

Google Blog Search Beta now offers 12 categories of blog types to choose from.

The blog categories are: Top Stories, Politics, US, World, Business, Technology, Video Games, Science, Entertainment, Movies, Television and Sports.

Google Blog Search Technology

Google Blog Search Technology

By drilling down into blog categories further, searchers can now find specific topic coverage by different blogs from within each category.

A topic and its position within the Google Blog Search page results along with the featured blog source are indiscriminately selected according to Google.

From the Google Blog Search Beta site: “The selection and placement of stories on this page were determined automatically by a computer program.”

As luck would have it, yesterday I noticed a large number of referrals coming from Google Blog Search which prompted my visiting their site.

I was surprised to find this blog – “Search Marketing Communications” listed atop the list of Google Technology Blogs sources.

My blog remained atop their list along with the topic for a short while before then being displaced by an ongoing stream of technology related stories and other blogs.

Google Blog Search Beta

Google Blog Search BetaGoogle Blog Search Coverage

Upon clicking on the “all 37 blogs” link, I then found my blog still displayed in the “More Coverage” list of all the blogs Google had scanned that had recently written about the same subject.

Google Blog Search Beta’s grouping blogs by subject and then offering them via blog search results should give both bloggers and Google greater reach.

Google Blog Search More Coverage

Google Blog Search More Coverage

To extend both bloggers and Google Blog Search reach further why doesn’t Google offer RSS feeds of their Blog Search categories via iGoogle and Google Reader?

Google Blog Search RSS

Google Blog Search RSS

If Google did offer Google Blog Search Beta categories via RSS, I would subscribe to several categories.

Surely others would too.

Tags:, , , , , , , ,
Posted in Google, Google Blog Search, Google Reader, iGoogle, RSS Feeds | Leave a Comment »