Very cool. I read this yesterday over at www.searchengineland.com.
It’s a super cool hidden feature in the new Google Earth that was recently found.
Apparently there’s a flight simulator buried in there. Here are some YouTube videos:
Love the music with this next one!
I think this one might be an integration between Google Earth and FS2004…
Google just posted up on their Adsense blog that there is a new feature called site authentication.
The gist of it is that this feature will allow you to set up a user name and password for the Adsense robot.
It can then go in and crawl your password protected pages (much like a registered user) and thus begin showing relevant ads.
This overcomes a major hurdle for many webmasters. Those operating forums can breathe easy now as they can keep their spaces locked down (for whatever reason they choose to do so) and still be assured that relevant ads are being shown to users.
In fact, many sites may see an increase in CTRs as a result of a captive audience now seeing very targeted ads.
This move is a positive one as it shows Google is listening to the needs expressed by Webmasters and doing something to help them achieve their revenue goals. In the larger picture, it also acknowledges the extent to which password protected spaces have grown. Google wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t in THEIR best interest as well. They now have expanded their advertising exposure reach into all those previously dark nooks and crannies folks have locked down.
So, if you’re a Webmaster with anything questionable behind the locked door, better do some cleaning before setting this feature up. No worries, though, because if you don’t expressly set it up and activate it, the spiders stay out as usual… 
Good move Google.
Sphere: Related ContentThis is still a hot topic these days, despite what we already know:
Spiders don’t really crawl Flash thoroughly.
Flash is seen by many as the indicator of a professional website. Basically, if the site is nice, looks cool and has fancy navigation options - if the company invested lots of money in their site - they must be a good company. Hopefully most people are starting to clue into the fact that this just isn’t so.
In fact, many businesses online rely on a fancy website to cover up for the fact that they are just a coupe of guys looking to make some money online. Fancy site means a real company, and they use this to their advantage.
But, for those who are serious about business online, the debate over to Flash or not to Flash breaks down along different lines.
Do you use Flash to offer a better user experience? Is it used to showcase a particular product or service in a unique way?
It’s easy to get carried away and end up with a killer website built entirely in Flash. The downside being they don’t tend to perform well in the search world. Like most things, your mileage may vary, as I’m sure there are some success stories of sites that are built with Flash doing very well indeed.
By and large, though, most people tend to ask how to optimize a Flash website to do better in organic search rankings, so the trend is as we understand it - Flash sites struggle. And for good reason. Google’s Webmaster Central blog recently had an article on this topic and it’s worth a read - here’s a snippet:
“As many of you already know, Flash is inherently a visual medium, and Googlebot doesn’t have eyes. Googlebot can typically read Flash files and extract the text and links in them, but the structure and context are missing. Moreover, textual contents are sometimes stored in Flash as graphics, and since Googlebot doesn’t currently have the algorithmic eyes needed to read these graphics, these important keywords can be missed entirely. All of this means that even if your Flash content is in our index, it might be missing some text, content, or links. Worse, while Googlebot can understand some Flash files, not all Internet spiders can.”
The bottom line remains the same - don’t bury critical information inside Flash files. Things like navigation, sitemap data and actual content needs to be seen by the spiders so they can not only see links, but determine context. Without this holistic view, the engines are flying blind. Help them, and yourself, at the same time.
Sphere: Related ContentI was sent this link earlier today:
It’s a bit of a long read, but well worth it. It offers some insight into a lot of areas that are off limits to the general public. The paper was recently allowed to spend a day with the quality team - the group that Matt Cutts is a part of - to attend meetings, watch them work and generally get the feel for a “day in the life of’, if you will.
The really interest in this article, however, are the small insights and things we may be able to infer about Google’s algorithm.
Take Google Trends, for example. It’s basically new to most of us, yet it’s thinking has been used to help sort SERPs for a while now.
There’s more, and that’s why the article is worth reading. Enjoy!
Sphere: Related ContentIf I remember correctly, Google does it’s best to keep results pages out of the SERPs. This is why we don’t see loads of links to other SERPs pages in the search results.
They’ve segregated the news items to their own space slightly above the search results, and ads go where ads go.
With the recent launch of Google trends, one might think that since it’s a Google item, it may be precluded form entering into the overall pool and thus wouldn’t show up in the SERPs. So, far, that’s not the case. Here’s an example passed to me by a friend this morning.
Not sure if what we’re seeing is the normal way things will be, or just an anomaly as the algorithm is told what to do. Regardless, Google items are showing the Google search results.
While this is not a major problem, some may feel it’s credibility killer. For the moment, at least, there don’t seem to be any ads showing alongside Google’s results, but that’s most likely a result of the topic being new and fleeting, so no one has created ads to chase it. If Google were actively disabling ads on pages where their own items showed in search results, well, that could be a major issue for advertisers.
Sphere: Related ContentOK, so the WSJ is saying that Doubleclick might be on the block for 2 billion. No biggie, right?
Well, who do we all know with pockets deep enough to handle that purchase and still have change for parking? Microsoft.
Makes sense, sort of.
If Microsoft buys Doubleclick, they’ll be one of, if not THE, largest providers of ad serving services in the world - to say nothing of network opportunities. You’d htink this might make Google quiver a bit - right?
Nope - see, it appears they are planing (unofficially) to make a carbon copy of the Doubleclick system for themselves. No details have resolved around all this, but the possibilities are interesting.
OK, so back to the point. We have this MS + DC beast lurking about, massive in size and it’s about to do…what , exactly?
Serve ads? Cool - but where? Doesn’t matter, as something that size will create it’s own gravity.
But, will it slow G down? Likely not. The critical problem that Microsoft tends to have is that it does big business very well and it does some entry level stuff rather well, but really does nothing to focus on the bulk of the space - in the middle. So, companies stuck in the “mid-size” category find solace with Google’s offerings. Easy to use, robust, low-to-no cost - they’ve built their image on this stuff.
The other rather significant missing item in the puzzle for MS is market share. Google has it, MS wants it. Buying Doubleclick isn’t goign to make Microsoft any better at search, nor will it increase their market share in search.
It could have a positive impact on revenue, but if ever there was one company in history that wasn’t at a loss for funding, it’s Microsoft.
The whole thing is still an interesting idea…but I like the one where MS buys Yahoo better…
I’ve got my own list of Adsense tips in other pages here, but today I came across a link to a kick-a$$ Adsense resource, so I’m sharing it.
Many points are NOT startling, but even those already making money might benefit by way of review. For those new to the game, between this info and the Google Heatmap, it’s a powerful combo to get you set up correctly.
After that, it comes down to traffic - which is all up to you and your marketing abilities.
Sphere: Related ContentOK, do you recall the ruckus many, many months ago when Google.de booted BMW’s website from it’s listings? Something to do with the tactics the marketing agency was using, etc., etc.
And Google not liking the redirecting that was going on, so BMW’s site was given the boot for a bit.
Yeah, we all recall it. It seemed to stand out to some as a “watershed” moment of Google making an example of a well-known brand. Never struck me a such. Just the math being crunched and results tabulated leading to changes in the rankings - same stuff we see every day.
But, as the cliche goes, I digress…
Today, it seems, love is in the air. So much so, that the two companies have partnered up to offer Google Map assisted navigation.
Nice to see BMW doesn’t hold a grudge.
…or are they just using to the technology to ensure their hydrogen-power car (bomb?) reaches the correct address if they desire some “pay-back”…?
Snippet from Google’s Blog:
On the Google Maps team, our goal is not only to help you find local businesses, but also to enable you to quickly connect with those businesses, wherever you are. To that end, we recently introduced the ability to call businesses in the U.S. directly from Google Maps, and, as of today, users in Germany can send a business listing found on Google Maps Deutschland directly to cars enabled with the BMW Assist service. Drivers can then set it as the destination for the in-car navigation system, or they can call the business from within the car.
And here’s the promotional video they’re offering up to explain it all…
…and the vid is perfect.
The business man is so snappy sending the info to his “economy” level 2-series hatch (chosen, no doubt, to connect with the masses); he patiently uses the iDrive system to call up the info and diligently puts on his seatbelt and hits the start button while waiting for the info to load into the high-end sat/nav system the little entry-level wagon happens to have.
Heck, the vid even ends just-so when he meets the gorgeous blond lady on time and in the right place - good for them!
Now, if we could just get this in a car I can access AND afford…
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