While a lot of folk seem to be discussing the link evaluation characteristic that Google might switch off from their ‘Search quality highlights: 40 changes for February‘ post, the one I have found most intriguing was – Improvements to ranking for local search results. [launch codename “Venice”] This improvement improves the triggering of Local Universal [...]

A really quick post today, I just spotted Google testing a new look to their search engine results (which impact all organic and paid results). Once again this is on Google.co.uk and it disappeared almost immediately after running a few queries. The screenshot below will explain better than words – Although the basic layout is [...]

Another test we spotted this morning, this time for the organic results in Google.co.uk. The display URLs have been moved up from below the description snippet and moved to the side just underneath the title of the organic result. Screenshot as below for the ‘car insurance’ SERPs – I personally think this makes the organic [...]

I spotted a test last month where Google were adding spaces between keywords in Adwords display urls and today I have just noticed a new test, but this time for the organic results. I am not sure if this is entirely new (certainly not something I can remember seeing before), but Google seem to be [...]

Seeing some strange Adwords tests this morning, with spaces between words in Adwords display urls when they contain a keyword in (or matched) to the query. Screenshot below for ‘theatre breaks’ as an example – Notice the spaces in the display urls where the keyphrases within the search query are matched against the keywords within [...]

Google has been playing with Adwords ad background colours again. We are now seeing a pale yellow colour in the UK SERPs, as per the screenshot below – I first noticed this about a week ago while running some queries in the US and the tests still don’t seem to be completely widespread just yet. [...]

As you might have noticed, I haven’t blogged here since August. Well, that was for a very good reason. This year I founded a new search marketing agency called Screaming Frog and have been working on a new onsite SEO tool, which has prompted this post. It has been a little while in development, but [...]

Google started testing Adwords comparison ads last year and subsequently rolled out credit card comparison adverts in the UK during February this year. Typically the adverts have been within the usual top sponsored ad positions in the usual Adwords format at the expense of an advertiser. But check out this test I spotted earlier today [...]

Over the past couple of weeks Google have been testing new background colours for their Adwords ads again. Google changed from their usual blue background to a yellow back in 2007 which is what we see predominantly today in the SERPs. Now it looks like testing time again, I am connecting to a DC with [...]

Since I complained about the geo problems in Googles UK SERPS last year, there have been improvements. Some of the generic phrases which I noted had non UK orientated sites (ie. sites that don’t even sell to the UK) in the results have improved significantly. However, there is still a geo problem in the Google [...]