WebProNews

Author: Chris Crum

  • Google Just Revamped the Google Analytics Mobile App

    Google Just Revamped the Google Analytics Mobile App

    Google released an update for the Google Analytics app on both Android and iOS, which improves access to a full overview of data and real-time business data, and lets you go deeper into reports with segments, customize your mobile dashboard, and share insights with others.

    Reports are simplified with a new format for small screens and enable users to track specific metrics that aren’t there by default by letting them modify a report quickly and saving it to the mobile dashboard.

    Items can be shared via email, social media, messaging, or anything else your device supports. Here’s a quick walkthrough:

    Images via Google

  • Twitter Has A New Dashboard for Developers

    Twitter Has A New Dashboard for Developers

    Twitter’s Fabric developer kits have been around for about a year and a half at this point, but in the early months of 2016, Twitter is giving developers some helpful components for using Fabric.

    In February, the company introduced the Fabric mobile app. This lets you keep an eye on what’s happening with your apps and get notifications when something important happens. This week, the company unveiled the Fabric Mission Control dashboard, which it dubs “the pulse of all your apps on a single, intuitive dashboard.”

    “When key information about your apps lives across different dashboards, it’s hard for the team to have the context they need to make the best decisions,” says product manager Meekal Bajaj. “While Fabric today gives you the #1 crash reporting and mobile analytics tools that show you the pulse of your apps, those insights live on different dashboards on fabric.io. We wanted to take that experience to a whole new level.”

    With the dashboard, you can jump right to critical issues or see a summary of how your top app is performing. You can see how well-tested your beta i as soon as you open the dashboard.

    “Fabric lets you decide which apps you want to focus on, and in which order on mission control. Simply favorite an app to pin it to the top or reorder your apps so that the most important ones are the first you see,” says Bajaj. “You can also easily locate an app or a number of apps via the search bar built right into your mission control. When searching, we filter the list in real-time to only show the apps that match what you are looking for. Clicking on each metric takes you directly to the details you need.”

    Twitter said on Wednesday it would roll out to access to Mission Control over the coming days. It will be automatically set as your default starting page from fabric.io once you enable it.

    Images via Twitter

  • When Google’s Penguin Finally Arrives, You Probably Won’t Ever Have To Wait For Another One

    When Google’s Penguin Finally Arrives, You Probably Won’t Ever Have To Wait For Another One

    The wait continues for Google’s much-anticipated Penguin update. Once the wait is finally over, however, webmasters and SEOs should never have to wait for another one again. That is if Google’s Gary Illyes, who recently stopped making predictions about the timing of the roll-out because he kept being wrong, is correct in a recent tweet.

    In a conversation on Twitter (via Search Engine Roundtable) about the eventual roll-out (still no time frame), he said, “It’s likely there won’t be a ‘next one’.”

    As has been discussed for many months, the upcoming Penguin will represent a fundamental shift in how the update works. It will operate in near real-time, constantly updating. That’s one reason why it is so anticipated. Many just want to recover after suffering major drops in rankings from the last one, but many more are excited about the prospect of being able to recover at anytime in the future without having to wait for another major roll-out.

    Google has already indicated that it will announce when this one finally rolls out.

  • More Facebook News Feed Ranking Changes

    More Facebook News Feed Ranking Changes

    Facebook announced new changes to how it ranks content in the News Feed. For one, they’re giving more weight to the time a user spends viewing the content. The company says it has learned that the time people chose to spend reading or watching content they clicked on from the News Feed is an important signal that the story was interesting to them.

    This seems like something that would’ve been realized ages ago, but here we are. The signal actually predicts how long you will spend looking at an article in the mobile browser or an Instant Article after you have clicked through.

    “This update to ranking will take into account how likely you are to click on an article and then spend time reading it,” Facebook’s Moshe Blanks and Jie Xu say in a joint blog post. “We will not be counting loading time towards this — we will be taking into account time spent reading and watching once the content has fully loaded. We will also be looking at the time spent within a threshold so as not to accidentally treat longer articles preferentially.”

    Facebook believes the change will help it better understand which articles might be interesting to users based on how long they (and others) read them, so users will be more likely to see stories they’re interested in.

    The change only factors in the time people spend reading an article regardless of whether that time spent is reading an Instant Article or an article in the mobile web browser.

    Another change involves the diversity of page posts.

    “We’ve also heard from people that they enjoy reading articles from a wide range of publishers, and it can be repetitive if too many articles from the same source are back to back in their News Feed,” the Facebookers say. “We’ll also be making an update to reduce how often people see several posts in a row from the same source in their News Feed.”

    Facebook says the update has already begun rolling out, and that it will continue to do so over the coming weeks. Most pages won’t see significant changes, it says, while some may see minor increases or decreases in traffic.

    As usual, you’re encouraged to peruse the publishing best practices.

  • Google Turns Search Into TV Guide, Announces TV Solutions for DoubleClick

    Google Turns Search Into TV Guide, Announces TV Solutions for DoubleClick

    Google made a handful of television-related announcements at the National Association of Broadcasters Show television industry event.

    For one, Google Search will start showing live TV listings serving as your TV guide in a way that you probably hoped it had in the past. You can edit your provider for accuracy. It works for both shows and movies, which is cool.

    The company also announced DoubleClick’s Dynamic Ad Insertion, which it says makes ads “hyper relevant” for viewers across any screen.

    “By creating individual streams for every viewer using server side ad insertion, we are able to deliver a better, more personalized viewing experience that looks and feels as seamless as TV today,” explains Daniel Alegre, President of Global Partnerships at Google. “And not only will this work for both live and on-demand TV but it works across directly sold and programmatic.”

    For DoubleClick for Publisher clients, Google announced that it will “seamlessly enforce” the level of control that has been established in TV across all inventory, whether sold directly or indirectly.

    “That means, we are able to honor competitive separation – so two automotive ads don’t appear in the same commercial break – and other rules like making sure an alcohol and children’s cereal ad don’t appear in the same commercial break,” says Alegre. “This has been major blocker to enabling programmatic to work for TV. And now you no longer need to turn down attractive opportunities from advertisers interested in transacting programmatically because of compliance concerns.”

    New TV partners include MCN, Roku and Cablevision, which have all signed on to use DoubleClick for Publishers to serve ads.

    Finally, Google announced that it is collaborating with Autodesk on a new cloud-based rendering solution called Maya for Google Cloud Platform ZYNC Render. More on this here.

    Image via YouTube

  • Google Celebrates 50th Chrome Release With Stat-Heavy Infographic

    Google announced its 50th Chrome release, which it considers a major milestone.

    “We originally launched Chrome to give users a fast, simple and secure browser,” said Rahul Roy-Chowdhury, director of product management on Chrome. “That still remains our mission today. And while while there’s still much more to do – especially with the shift to mobile and helping new users who are coming online for the first time – we thought we’d take a step back and reflect on our journey so far. Here at Google, we’re obsessed with stats, so we thought you might enjoy a whirlwind tour of Chrome, by the numbers.”

    And here they are:

    Google first launched Chrome in 2008. Here’s a look at the original announcement if you want to take a trip down memory lane. They even put together a comic book to illustrate the project.

    Chrome became the most popular browser in the U.S. about three years ago.

    Images via Google

  • Google Gives Google News Boost To AMP Content

    Google Gives Google News Boost To AMP Content

    Back in February, Google introduced AMP content in search results on mobile devices. These appeared in a new carousel that says “Top Stories” on mobile search results pages:

    On Wednesday, Google announced it is doing the same thing across mobile platforms: web, Android, and iOS.

    In a post on the Google News blog, Google News engineering director Maricia Scott explains, “So – what’s new? At the top of the page, there is a new AMP carousel filled with important headlines and stories of the day. Users can browse up to 14 headlines there quickly, and click any article to jump into the viewer, which is optimized for fast-loading AMP articles. In the viewer, people can also swipe to continue reading other stories from the carousel. Within the regular News stream, AMPlified articles are labelled with the AMP lightning bolt icon. That way, users can know these will be fast even before they click.”

    “Our tests have shown that AMP documents load an average of four times faster and use 10 times less data than the equivalent non-amp’ed result. In many cases these stories will load instantly,” says Scott. “That adds up to a win for publishers and users. While we can’t expand the amount of time in the day, with AMP we can help users consume more content in the time they do have. It is also great for publishers because people will read more and click on more stories when they know they will load fast, driving more traffic to a publisher’s site.”

    The update is for English in the U.S. for now. More languages and regions will roll out soon.

    Images via Google, Wikimedia Commons

  • Hootsuite Offers New Video Integrations For YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

    Video has become a major focal point of social media marketing as the major social networks continue to expand upon their video offerings.

    Hootsuite announced new video integrations with YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to enable organizations to manage videos from one platform. A spokesperson for the company tells WebProNews the integrations will help businesses reduce complexity and increase reach across social channels to improve engagement with customers.

    “Hootsuite integrations enable organizations to better manage their videos alongside other social media initiatives,” the spokesperson says. “From the Hootsuite platform, users can approve, schedule, and publish videos across social networks. The video integrations also allow users to monitor comments and collaborate securely as a team to manage multiple accounts so that they can respond faster to customers inquires.”

    Users can share videos across multiple social networks, schedule them for the right time, respond to followers by monitoring comments (with the ability to approve, delete, and mark as spam), monitor competitors, industry trends, and other share-worthy videos, share access to YouTube channels across departments/teams, and manage videos from mobile devices.

    CEO Ryan Holmes says, “Our new video integrations with YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram underscores how crucial video is to organizations as they evolve their digital transformation strategies. These integrations will better support our clients who are investing in video for broad appeal, promotion and education to really engage and grow their audience.”

    The company will host a webinar on social video on May 3, when it will discuss why organizations should move to a “video-centric mindset” for their social strategy, effective ways to create and find engaging video, and how brands are already using video successfully.

    More info on the new video integrations can be found here.

    Image via Hootsuite (Facebook)

  • GoDaddy Launches Over 40 New Features Across All Product Lines

    GoDaddy announced its new product update for Spring 2016 with over 40 new features that span across all of its products. Updates are aimed at helping entrepreneurs start, grow, and successfully run their own business ventures and become more competitive.

    “At GoDaddy, we’re completely dedicated to the growth and success of the small businesses that power the global economy,” said Chief Product Officer Steven Aldrich. “Our responsibility in helping them achieve that success is to provide them with the best products and services to empower them, so we’re constantly looking at ways we can add to our services, or improve existing ones. The updates we’re announcing today are really just the tip of the iceberg, and customers can expect to see a more regular cadence of updates in the future, all designed with their success in mind.”

    “Recent research commissioned by GoDaddy found that 59 percent of small businesses still don’t have their own website,” the company adds. “Of those intending to build a website, only one in five had bought a domain name. The improvements to GoDaddy’s offerings give small business owners more choices for naming, web design help, SEO and a wide variety of tools that enable them to get up and running easily.”

    There are new top-level domains to choose from including: .CN, .PET, .BET, .PRO, .CAR, .CARS, .AUTO, .CLOUD, .FAMILY, .IST, .ISTANBUL, and .STORE.

    Other domain updates include the availability of v2.0 of the Domain Investor app, which is now available in 10 new languages, new security measures (transfer risk mitigation), and improvements to domain name availability search (new international search capabilities).

    For Website Builder, there are three new starter themes for businesses and new built-in SEO features. They’re also providing SEO services and a customer dashboard for tracking SEO activity.

    There’s a new WordPress-based design and build service.

    For hosting, there are new cloud servers and cloud applications as well as new data center selection functionality and a rewards point program for Pro members.

    GoDaddy Email Marketing now has a new “second send” functionality for resending messages, new Online Store integration, and free trials for Online Store customers.

    Also new is version 1 of integrated encryption and archiving for Office 365.

    More details on all the new stuff here.

    Image via GoDaddy (Facebook)

  • Apple Gives MacBook Better Battery Life, New Processors

    Apple announced a new update for the MacBook, which features the latest Intel processors as well as improved graphics performance, faster flash storage, and an additional hour of battery life! There’s also a new Rose Gold finish option.

    “MacBook is the thinnest and lightest Mac we have ever made and it’s our vision for the future of the notebook,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Marketing. “Customers are going to love this update to MacBook, with the latest processors, faster graphics, faster flash storage, longer battery life and a beautiful rose gold finish.”

    “MacBook comes with the incredibly small and versatile USB-C port for charging, data transfer and video output in a single connector that is one-third the size of a traditional USB port. Following the introduction of USB-C on MacBook, the ecosystem of Apple and third-party USB-C accessories has continued to grow, giving users added flexibility and capability,” the company says. “With no moving parts or vents, MacBook is entirely fanless for silent, efficient performance. Designed for the wireless world, MacBook is equipped with the latest wireless technologies, including built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 for fast wireless connectivity. It is perfect for tasks like streaming content from your MacBook to your Apple TV using AirPlay, exchanging files quickly using AirDrop® or using wireless headphones.”

    As part of the MacBook announcement, Apple said it has made 8GB of memory standard across all configurations of the 13-inch MacBook Air.

    The updated MacBook is available immediately through Apple.com and will be in Apple’s retail stores and those of authorized resellers on Wednesday.

    You can get a version with a 1.1 GHz dual-core Intel Core m3 processor, 8GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage for $1,299, or you can get one with a 1.2 GHz dual-core Intel Core m5 processor, 8GB of memory and 512GB of flash storage for $1,599. Configure-to-order options are also available with a 1.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core m7 processor.

    Image via Apple

  • Bing Shopping Launches in the UK

    Bing Shopping Launches in the UK

    Bing Shopping campaigns have been available in the U.S. since last summer (after a months-long beta period earlier last year). Bing Shopping has now launched in the UK as the latest addition to the Bing product suite in the region.

    According to the company, 80% of shoppers research products online before they decide to buy, and Bing Shopping aims to help merchants manage and organize product ads to accommodate them.

    “Bing Shopping is a simple way to organise, manage, bid, and report on product ads,” says Simone Schuurer. “We’ve created Bing Shopping to provide marketers with greater control over campaigns and a higher degree of granularity, offering the ability to delve into the analysis of budget, spend and resultant engagement.”

    “Recent research suggests that search is now the number one in-store companion for shoppers, so for advertisers targeting at this optimal moment, it is crucial to monitor and manage the impact of these targeted campaigns,” she ads. “This is where Bing Shopping helps to generate actionable and real-time insight into campaign performance, allowing managers the opportunity to continuously review their data.”

    Bing points to a study from GE Capital and one from the Consumer Electronics Association looking at consumer shopping habits to encourage advertisers to take advantage of Bing Shopping. Information on getting started for those in the UK is available here.

    Image via Bing

  • Netflix Earnings Out, 81 Million Members Reported

    Netflix Earnings Out, 81 Million Members Reported

    Netflix just reported its earnings for Q1, and announced that it has surpassed 81 million members. That’s up from 75 million on January 1, just after the prior quarter closed.

    Revenue for the quarter was $1.96 billion. Earnings per share (GAAP) was $0.06, which is better than expected, though the company disappointed on its Q2 guidance, quickly sending stock down.

    “As a reminder, the guidance we provide is our actual internal forecast at the time we report. For the second quarter, we expect to add 2.5 million members with 0.5 million in the US and 2.0 million internationally (versus prior year 2.4 million),” said the company’s letter to shareholders. “In the US, our Q2 net adds forecast of 0.5 million is in­line with prior years (0.5, 0.6, 0.6, and 0.9 million from 2012­2015), taking into account a modest impact from the beginning of un­grandfathering.”

    That’s of course in reference to the highly publicized price change.

    Here’s a quick look at the company’s numbers for Q1:

    netflix-earnings

    Checking in on Netflix’s DVD business, it ended the quarter with 4.7 million members and $72 million in contribution profit.

  • Google Adds Podcasts To Play Music Service

    Google announced the addition of podcasts to Google Play Music. The service will connect users with podcasts based on what they’re doing, how they’re feeling, and what they’re interested in.

    It works similarly to how the service’s contextual playlists work.

    “People love podcasts,’ says product manager Ilia Malkovitch. “In fact, these days, there are so many podcasts to choose from, it can be hard to pick which one to listen to at any given time. That’s where Google Play Music comes in. Google Play Music already gives you the right kind of music for the right moment—whether you want to have fun at work, prepare for a dance party, or just need to focus—and now, that includes podcasts.”

    Malkovitch adds, “Try ‘Learning Something New‘ to talk about at a dinner party and listen to our favorite episodes from Stuff You Should Know or How To Do Everything. Enjoy a Sunday afternoon by “Getting Lost in a Story” with episodes from Radiolab or Reply All, or relax after a long day by “Laughing Out Loud” to Marc Maron’s WTF or Chris Hardwick’s The Nerdist. If you find something you love, subscribe to download the last several episodes automatically on your device or choose to be notified every time a new episode comes out.”

    This is obviously good news for businesses with podcasts. If this includes you, you can submit yours to be included at Google’s podcast portal here.

    The feature is available on the web now, and is rolling out to Android in the U.S. and Canada.

    Images via Google

  • Google Toolbar PageRank Now Gone

    Google Toolbar PageRank Now Gone

    Last month, we learned that Google was officially killing off Toolbar PageRank. The data hadn’t been updated for a long time anyway, but the company went on record saying it was dead.

    At the time, Barry Schwartz reported:

    Google explained that they still use PageRank data internally within their ranking algorithm, but the external PageRank values shown in the Toolbar are going away completely….You may continue to see PageRank values in the toolbar for the next couple of weeks, but after that, you should no longer see it.

    Those couple of weeks (give or take) have now expired, as the values have reportedly gone. Search Engine Land says it has seen dozens of reports from over the weekend of people saying their PageRank is gone.

    Again, PageRank is still a major part of the Google algorithm. It’s just that the value displayed in toolbars, which likely hasn’t been a good representation of actual PageRank for quite some time, will no longer be there giving you a sense of how your page is doing.

    Google did recently name its top three ranking signals, which are content, links, and RankBrain.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Amazon Prime Video Becomes Standalone Service To Take On Netflix

    Amazon Prime Video Becomes Standalone Service To Take On Netflix

    Amazon is now offering the option to subscribe to Prime Video without subscribing to Prime itself. Prime Video has, until now, basically been a perk for Prime members, who also get free two-day shipping, unlimited music streaming, access to over a million ebook, early access to lightning deals, and free-same-day delivery in eligible areas.

    Now, as it continues to build its original content library to truly compete with Netflix, Amazon is letting people just get its video streaming service without paying more per month to get all the other stuff. If you just want Prime Video, you can get it for $8.99 a month.

    prime-video

    Amazon doesn’t have the volume of original programming Netflix does, but that may change in time. Currently, its original series line-up includes Bosch, Hand of God, The Man in High Castle, Mozart in the Jungle, Transparent, and Red Oaks. In the children’s department, it has Annedroids, Creative Galaxy, Tumble Leaf, Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, Wishenpoof!, and Just Add Magic. Original series that have already ended include Betas, Alpha House, and Mad Dogs.

    Amazon also has a continuation of Ripper Street (Season 4) and a number of other titles slated for the future. These include: Z: The Beginning of Everything, The Stinky & Dirty Show, Sneaky Pete, One Mississippi, The Last Tycoon, Jack Ryan, Great Men, an untitled motoring show from W. Chump and Sons, and an untitled Woody Allen TV series.

    Amazon also has exclusive streaming rights for a number of titles.

    While a standalone subscription to Prime Video is possible and the cheaper option (in the short term), it’s still probably worth it to most people to go ahead and get the full Prime package, which is just two dollars more a month. It’s actually cheaper in the long run to pay $99 a year and get the whole package. It works out to less than the Prime Video subscription at just $8.25. Understandably, not everyone wants to drop a hundred bucks at once on it though.

    The change comes as Netflix prepares to raise prices for its customers who have subscribed for two years and longer. The company announced a price hike in May of 2014. At the time, it raised the price for new subscribers to $8.99 Later, it increased the price of its most popular plan to $9.99 – again for new customers. With the 2014 announcement, they said existing users wouldn’t have to pay more for two years, but that two-year point is quickly approaching. Netflix referenced the increase in its most recent quarterly letter to shareholders.

    Image via Transparent (Amazon Studios YouTube Channel)

  • Google Search Console API Gets A Few Updates

    Google Search Console API Gets A Few Updates

    Google’s John Mueller announced in a Google+ post that there have been a handful of updates to the Search Console API (formerly the Webmaster Tools API). This is the API that lets you add sites to a Search Console account, retrieve data and diagnostics, and submit sitemaps.

    One update is the addition of pagination in Search Analytics. You can request over 5000 rows of data for your site without having to iterate through filters, he says.

    Additionally, crawl errors now include “linked from” info from the start. See urlCrawlErrorsSamples.list here.

    Finally, the API has higher and clearer quotas.

    Mueller says he’d like to see what you make with the API, and encourages sharing in the comments of his post.

    Image via Google

  • Microsoft Rolls Out Skype Video Calling For Edge

    Microsoft Rolls Out Skype Video Calling For Edge

    Microsoft announced (in preview) new video, voice, and group calling functionality on Microsoft Edge for Windows 10. It utilizes the ORTC media engine that was recently embedded into the browser.

    “If you use Skype online, whether it’s through Skype for Web, Outlook.com, Office Online or OneDrive, now it’s even easier to get in touch with anyone,” a spokesperson for the company tells WebProNews.

    No download is necessary. You don’t actually have to install a plugin. You can just sign in and click to start a call.

    “We’re lucky to have so many industry-leading engineers within the Skype and Microsoft Edge teams,” the Skype team says in a blog post. “They have combined their knowledge to deliver the very best plugin free calling experience during this Preview period. Because the Skype and Microsoft Edge teams work so closely, it means you’ll be able to take advantage of plugin free calling in certain calling scenarios from Microsoft’s Edge browser first: All Skype one-to-one and group voice and video calls to and from Microsoft Edge browsers are plugin free; All Skype one-to-one calls from Microsoft Edge to the latest versions of Skype for Windows and Skype for Mac are plug in free.”

    The roll-out is starting and should be complete by the end of April.

    Images via Skype

  • Squarespace Goes After GoDaddy with Squarespace Domains

    Squarespace just announced the launch of Squarespace Domains enabling customers to start their website building process by buying a domain directly from Squarespace.

    In case you think the “goes after GoDaddy” headline is too dramatic, the company is being pretty clear about this being the intent. A spokesperson for Squarespace said in an email the launch allows them to “compete directly with companies like GoDaddy and tap into an adjacent, multi-billion dollar market.”

    “Now, our customers will be able to purchase a domain, create a website, build an online store, connect to Google Apps for a custom email, and more, all in one place and with zero configuration,” the spokesperson says.

    Users can go to Squarespace.com/domains and enter terms or browse over 200 top-level domains, which start at $20/year.

    “Unlike some of our competitors, Squarespace Domains includes WHOIS Privacy at no extra charge, a beautiful ad-free parking page, a same-rate guarantee for renewals, and no hidden fees,” the company tells us. “We’ll also soon be offering SSL certificates and domain transfers at no additional cost.”

    Squarespace says it will introduce additional features for Squarespace Domains in the coming months. You can find more info about the service in this help guide.

    Image via Squarespace

  • eBay ‘Free Shipping’ Glitch To Get Fix

    eBay ‘Free Shipping’ Glitch To Get Fix

    Earlier this month, we reported on a glitch in the eBay mobile app that displays free shipping on items that don’t actually include that on their listings. Understandably, this has led to a bunch of frustrated buyers who are presented with unexpected shipping costs and frustrated sellers who have to deal with said buyers and who are worried about how it makes them look as sellers.

    It’s a lose-lose for everybody involved, and some buyers are just going ahead and paying the shipping costs to keep customers happy. No seller wants to piss off buyers as things can quickly spiral out of control from there.

    The issue has apparently been going on for quite some time without eBay’s acknowledgment. According to Consumerist, its’ been happening for at least a year to some degree.

    The publication points to an announcement where eBay finally addresses the issue and says it’s working on a fix. It was brought up at the end of a broader post in the “Weekly Chat with eBay Staff” section of eBay’s forums. There, an eBay employee says:

    The Incorrectly Showing Free Shipping In Accepted Offers in Mobile issue has been reported. The mobile team is testing the fix today. If all goes well, the fix should be released within the week.

    Better late than never.

  • Google Will Announce The Long-Anticipated Penguin Update

    Google Will Announce The Long-Anticipated Penguin Update

    Well, here we are halfway through April, and still no sign of that long-anticipated Penguin update. Google has been hinting at rolling this thing out for many months. At one point it was supposed to happen before the end of last year, but it kept getting pushed back. Google just hasn’t been ready to launch it yet.

    Early last month, Google’s Gary Illyes, who had been hinting at date possibilities for quite some time, said he would no longer give any timeframes as he kept being wrong.

    We still don’t have a timeframe, but at least we’ll know when the time finally does come. Google’s John Mueller said in a Google+ hangout (via Search Engine Roundtable):

    I am pretty sure when we start rolling out [Penguin] we will have a message to kind of post but at the moment I don’t have anything specific to kind of announce.

    Waiting on Google to push the new Penguin has grown increasingly frustrating for businesses impacted by the update in the past, who have lost search visibility and traffic and have no way to recover until the next one comes. Once the next one does come, it will supposedly be continuous, meaning that sites will no longer have to wait so long to recover in the future if they make the necessary adjustments.

    Read this interview Illyes did with Stone Temple a while back for more comments on the the pending update.

  • eBay Uses Structured Data For New Browsing Experiences

    eBay Uses Structured Data For New Browsing Experiences

    eBay announced new browsing modules for shoppers, leverage its structured data better and help users surface listings with savings, best-selling products, etc. The modules include “shop by brand” options and other ways to look at category pages without using keyword searches.

    “Many users want to click to browse through items that they are interested in rather than rely on keyword searches,” said Dominique Bouchon, eBay’s Director of Search Front-End Product Management. “If we only surface a long list of listings, we miss the opportunity to surface the most interesting products and listings. We now have an algorithm that can instantly and intelligently surface them to our users.”

    A new “save on” module is populated with best-priced listings via an algorithm that leverages the structured data to instantly identify listings where the price is lower than trending prices.

    A “best selling” module surfaces relevant products rather than just listings. It can take a product category, such as digital cameras or guitars and surface the most popular models.

    “Notably, the ‘Shop by’ guidance module at the top of many of our new results pages offer a ‘guided tour’ type of experience,” eBay says. “It helps navigate our very large selection of items by highlighting the key aspects we’ve learned that most people use to drill down from tens of thousands of results to the most relevant results.”

    The company says one goal of the modules is to better serve users coming to eBay from Google results. The new experience will provide these visitors with better guidance on products.

    The company says it has more browse module and search news in the pipeline for the coming months, so stay tuned for that.

    Earlier this week, eBay made improvements for users searching for product identifiers. Last week, it revealed its big Spring Seller Update, which has a lot of changes for sellers.