Google Updates Google Suggest

Google Suggest is a feature designed to make searching both faster and easier. Whether you are typing into the search box on Google Toolbar or Google.com, or the Omnibox in Google Chrome, Google Suggest guesses what you're typing and offers suggestions in real time. So for example, if you type "bass," Google Suggest might offer a list of refinements that include "bass fishing" or "bass guitar." Similarly, if you type in only part of a word, like "prog," Google Suggest might offer you refinements such as "programming," "programming languages," "progesterone," or "progressive." Again, these suggestions allow you to enter your searches faster, but also in a way that will more likely get you the results you're looking for.

That's what occurs on the surface of Google Suggest. Here's what happens under the hood. To provide its recommendations Google Suggest needs to know what you've already typed, so these partial queries are sent to Google. For 98% of these requests, we don't log any data at all and simply return the suggestions. For the remaining 2% of cases (which we select randomly), we do log data, like IP addresses, in order to monitor and improve the service.

However, given the concerns that have been raised about Google storing this information -- and its limited potential use -- we decided that we will anonymize it within about 24 hours (basically, as soon as we practically can) in the 2% of Google Suggest requests we use. This will take a little time to implement, but we expect it to be in place before the end of the month.

All data retention is a balance between user privacy and trust on the one hand, and security and innovation on the other. In the case of Google Suggest we decided it's possible to provide a great service while anonymizing data almost immediately. But in other cases - such as our core web search - storing data like IP addresses for a time is crucial to make improvements to search quality, improve security, fight fraud and reduce spam.

Source: Official Google Blog: Update to Google Suggest

Download Google Chrome now

Google's new web browser Google Chrome is now now live and available for download.

Visit http://www.google.com/chrome to download and start exploring.

Chrome: Google launched its open source browser

After the failed takeover of Yahoo by Microsoft, there is a new arm wrestling on the Internet with the response from Google. The giant search engines on Tuesday launched its Internet browser, Google Chrome facing Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

Google has unveiled its official blog Monday evening: "We will launch the beta version of Google Chrome tomorrow in over 100 countries." This will be free software: you can download the applications without paying. Its source code is open; the software will be free, reusable and modifiable by any user.

Digg Soon In Bag Of Google?

According to TechCrunch, Google and Digg reportedly signed a letter of intent, and would be (finally) on the verge of agreeing on a price of around 200M $ (200 million dollars, roughly 130 million Euros) .

This is actually several months as rumors of takeover revolve around Digg. Community website in 2004, Digg is experiencing great popularity that attracts necessarily coveted. But the sale is a possibility that does not like Digg users who have already threatened to desert the ranks if such event were to materialize. The creator of Digg, Jay Adelson, had had to calm the wind of revolt, saying that rumors of takeover by Microsoft or Google were unfounded. Yet, these same rumors back in charge.

SEO Recommendations By Google For Website Owners!!

I was reading an article on Google regarding What is an SEO? Does Google recommend them? And I found something very interesting there. Initially that article was mainly focused on providing negative information about SEO like SEO scam information and the disadvantages of SEO. But now they have re-written that article and supported the SEO techniques and valuable services.

Google have recommended some valuable services of SEO for website owners in its article. That includes:

• Reviewing and providing recommendations on your site content or structure
• Technical advice on website development: for example, hosting, redirects, error pages, use of JavaScript
• Content development
• Managing online business development campaigns
• Keyword research
• SEO training

Google have also suggested the website owners regarding when they should hire a SEO for the website. In its article, Google recommend that an SEO should be hired at the starting level of website design or before the website launching. So that a website owner and SEO can make a website Google friendly and remove all the technical errors/reasons from the website that could affect negatively to the website in the future.

Important questions to assess the quality of your site

Here is a checklist of some important questions to evaluate the quality of your website:

Accessibility

1. Are the content structurally separate elements of navigation?
2. Is the site compatible with all browsers?
3. Is it compatible with the coding standards W3C? Is it valid HTML / CSS?
4. Alt tags are in place on all important images?
5. Alternative text being put in place to transmit vital information in images and multimedia files?

Navigation

1. The text visible on the links provides a clear indication of where they lead?
2. Depth - what is the maximum number of clicks it takes to reach a page in the depths of the site?
3. Responsiveness to click - is this a response is given immediately (0.1 seconds) after a click is made on a hyper link?
4. Is it intuitive to navigate? Are there any links or buttons understood as text, which are not click able?
5. Readability (already discussed somewhat): the type and size of fonts used.
6. THE GOAL of the site is clearly identifiable? The objective should become clear within a few seconds without need to read a lot.
7. A call to action on each page, not dead.

Design

1. Is the design of the site is aesthetically attractive?
2. The colors used are they harmonious and logically linked?
3. Is the choice of colors are visually accessible? (For example have a fairly high contrast to help color blind and partially sighted people to read the site appropriately)
4. Is the design is adapted to your audience The standard size of the text should be legible, for visitors who do not know how to adjust their browser.
5. The policies must be easily legible and degraded with elegance. This should give good results with various screen resolutions.

Content

1. Whether your website subject is brief and informative as well?
2. Is the writing style of the site is suitable for the purpose and "speaks" the target audience?
3. The body of texts is limited to less than 80 characters per line?
4. The contrast between the text and background color is it enough to make reading easy?
5. In the articles, there should be links to more detailed explanations on specific issues or definitions of terms jargon. Do you do that?
6. Have you about page identifying the author of content or credits to the source for articles that were not written by the site owner himself?

Security

1. No obvious security hole?
2. Your forms are resistant to the special characters?
3. Your private directories are protected by passwords via the file. Htaccess?
4. Whether the public directories (cgi-bin, images, etc.) are indexed or do you have in place permission settings to block access?
5. The customer data are stored online, if so, this database is adequately defended it against external access?

Other technical considerations

1. Does the site load quickly - even for users with a modem?
2. Are all the links (internal and external) are valid and active?
3. The scripts are free of errors?
4. Is the site free of errors on the server side?

Other considerations Marketing

1. The site is properly optimized for search engines (essential text stressed, title tags relevant, as the text presented to H1, reliable and outgoing links contextually linked, etc.)?
2. Is the home page encourages visitors to go further in the site or to the basket?
3. Does the site contains elements designed to encourage future visits (i.e. with a contest, a newsletter, the "tell a friend", a forum with an option ' registration, a toolbar download, RSS,
4. The file Robots.txt is it configured?
5. The Sitemap: is it available?

Newbie Bonus: Almost Everyone is Entitled

When Google index a new website, the particular website receives a bonus for a period of two to three months that is known as “newbie bonus” in the SEO jargon. This literally means "Bonus for new".

Google places the new site on the first pages of results for related keywords, sometimes even in the top 10. Thus, the webmaster has got the opportunity to prove itself and demonstrate that its site is interesting and can sustain the current positions in Google rankings. Depending on the number of visits during the first month and the evolution of content, Google decides if the site should be removed from the top 10 or not.

So to get good positions over Google, It is important to ensure that regular changes in the content should be made so that search engines can observe that it's a living site and not a ruin and you could be benefited by newbie bonus provided by Google.