TOP Search Engines, Browsers and OS

Graphical representation from Web Listings Inc: Top browsers, Operating Systems and Search Engines, from September 2012-September 2013. (Source: StatCounter)

‘Babylon and Ask’ to share advertising revenues

What’s your question? Has Babylon joined hands with Ask.com?

Yes, for better business prospects - Babylon (free translator and dictionary) joined hands with Ask.com. This partnership guarantees better search engine web searches for the Internet users.

Babylon ltd signed a cooperation agreement with Ask. Media sources report this is short-term agreement for 3 months and Babylon will evaluate possibilities and decide about the long-term agreement, later.

Under the agreement, both parties will share the online advertising revenue.

Spokeo - to find and locate someone...

Founded by a group of Stanford graduates in 2006 – SPOKEO is not new to many. Be it - a person’s name, email address, phone number, username or physical address, SPOKEO makes it easier to locate just anyone, with a click of the button.

Recently, it launched a new search feature for Smartphones, to refresh the look and feel. It introduced first mobile web product in 2010.

Affiliated to various social networks and email services providers, Spokeo has been helping many with people search features. Its mobile users are on the rise.

Testimonials and success stories on the site vouch for the site reliability. What does everyone wait for – why not find/locate someone through Spokeo, right now?

Stay tuned for search engine news and updates.

Baidu’ Qunar with plans of US IPO

The travel site Qunar.com of Chinese search engine (Baidu) prepares for a US Initial Public Offering.

As per the latest media news report, Qunar is in discussion with Goldman Sachs [Investment banking company] and Deutsche Bank [the global banking and financial services company] for sale.

For a majority stake in Qunar, the Chinese search engine Baidu paid about $306 million in 2011 to capture the mobile travel app market.

Qunar generates revenue mostly through advertising. The CEO Zhuang Chenchao said the company expects to double sales, this year to about $163 million.

The company even prepares for a recruitment drive and will hire many software engineers, corroborates the CEO.

If Google killed the Reader, then is back with Google Alerts - RSS Feed option

If the search engine giant Google disappointed many after discontinuation of Google web feed reader service in July 2013, then it is back with feed delivery option [added] to Google Alerts.

Now, everyone can receive web alerts through RSS, once again. Google introduced RSS support in Alerts, in October 2008 which disappeared in July 2013.

People worried about possible alternatives of Google Reader can now breathe a sigh of relief.

The Internet users can log into Google Alerts and create new entries to receive RSS feeds - news, blog, videos etc.

Google Plus over Facebook: which is more popular?

Never did Facebook – the social networking service provider know that Google will pitch Google Plus against its social networking site and win the Internet customers over.

Founded in 2004 by Mark, Eduardo, Andrew, Dustin and Chris - Facebook as of September 2012 (about a year ago) had over 1 billion active users. Of them, many were fake users [suggest media reports]? Facebook serves the global audience, including ‘under aged kids’ that normally violate the site’s terms of service.

One may want to know, which is more popular: Facebook that launched in 2004 or Google Plus which hit the Internet market two years ago, in 2011.

Just two weeks after the launch, Google Plus reported about 10 million active users and its user base continue to grow than that of Facebook.

Be it blog hosting service, social information processing, networking sites or other products/services of Google – everything with the ‘Google’ label sells like a hotcake.

[Image] Google Auto Complete – Questions that need to be addressed

Here is something 'interesting' about the 'Auto complete/word completion' attribute of Google. The general text-editor feature helps the Internet users with search queries, as and when someone types/writes something to search.

The auto complete feature helps to improve the computer-human interaction and provides better and faster results. Let us look through a few questions found in Google Auto complete (Courtesy: Matt Cutts).

Why not join Web Listings and find answers to some of these?

Report not only SPAM but even recommend quality sites to Google

Why people only report or have tales or information about ‘spam websites’?

If Google asked the Internet community to report spam websites/links after Penguin 2.0 algorithm update, then it again requests everyone to suggest websites that deserve to be ranked on search engines.

Here’s the feedback form to recommend SMALL quality websites that [users think] could do better on search engines.

Small Website Survey


Let us help Google to improve search engine page results. Follow us on Twitter.

What ‘Google’ Matt Cutts proposes for Gmail account security?

Hackers are on the prowl. What preventive measures your business has taken to secure your Gmail account?

Let us see, what the Google Web-spam team head suggested one of his friends to secure the Gmail account. (Courtesy: Matt Cutts Google)

Matt Cutts on Gmail Account Security -

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Wonder why search engine ranking took a toll? Perhaps Google took a manual spam action

Not sure, whether your site is still in the Google Index? Perform a site search on Google with your website details (e.g. site:domain.com). If the site does not show up, this indicates that your website gets prohibited for breach of Google webmaster guidelines.

In a case, Google prohibited a website, businesses can request for ‘reconsideration’ after necessary corrections and updates (in accordance with rules and principles of Google) on their website.

After the latest Penguin 2.0 algorithm update, Google has started taking SEVERE actions against all SPAM links on the web, to keep the search engine a ‘less polluted’ and a ‘friendlier’ place for the Internet users.

If your website used to rank earlier and the rankings dropped all of a sudden after the Penguin update, then this is a ‘warning sign’ that Google took manual spam action against your website.

Google Matt Cutts video on Meta Tags

Meta tags to optimize your website for Internet search engines: to own a website is not enough, but to be seen and found out by people should be your primary concern.

This educational video from Matt Cutts (of Google) will help readers comprehend - how much time one should give to Meta tags and the ones that matter.

Follow Web Listings Inc for SEO marketing news and updates.

Link schemes that Google detests and can land your online business in trouble

Know, what all can negatively impact your online business? Here are a few SEO tips from Web Listings Inc to alert businesses that practice unethical way to improve search engine ranking:

• Do not sell or buy links to increase Page Rank. This includes exchange of money to post or include content that contain links.
• Say no to excessive link exchange (cross-linking) programs with intent to create a win-win situation, for both parties.
• Keep away from automated programs and services and the use of keyword-rich anchor text links during article marketing or guest blog post promotions.

Google forbids sites that manipulate links (incoming/outgoing) by any means. Beware!

Blog and forum comments for participation and to establish connection

‘Blog comments’ - how effective are these for search engine page rankings?

Comments, notes on blogs and articles of others, feedback, opinions and reviews do help to establish a relationship with the writer. We can consider this an online ‘trust building exercise’.

The Internet domain is not different from the real-life world, where ‘real communication’ and social relationships matter the most. To create or run a weblog (along with a website) will be a better idea for businesses to stay connected with people.

No wonder, for online success – business enterprises not just maintain websites but also ‘blog pages’, to drive web-traffic through different sources and means.

Why not blog regularly and stay connected with the customer segment, in a better manner?

Some say their blog comments take time for approval (comment moderation). The reasons are obvious – SPAM. Google web-spam team may chase your sites. Thus, try to avoid spam posts/comments by all means and keep search engines less polluted.

Web Listings Inc requests comment on this thread. Thanks.

Inclusion of Sitemaps to help search engines decipher the website structure

It takes efforts to maintain online business in the competitive marketplace. People often ask us why Google does not index their website or slow to file/register their website in its directory.

Google is an automated search engine - and one does not require ‘manually’ submitting their websites to it. Try to include Sitemaps (an XML file/Extensible Markup Language) that help Google crawlers/robots to visit and index your website URL.

Google does not guarantee that the search engine will list all website URLs. Inclusion of Sitemaps helps to make spiders/crawlers comprehend the website structure.

In case after a site or URL modification/changes, one can update Google webmaster by submission of their website through the following, to ask the search engine crawl your page/website:
https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/submit-url

Old sites rank, even without dedicated SEO?

What to do if older sites rank, irrespective of any dedicated SEO efforts on it? The problem is not new to various online marketing companies that handle different client portfolios.

After Google Penguin 2.0 updates, web-page rankings of many websites took a toll. Some that ranked on Page 1 moved to oblivion. Some online businesses could not even save their businesses, even with organic SEO tactics (including fresh and quality content, long tail keywords etc).

On the other, there are many who did not focus much on SEO, but their websites rank high on Google search engine. One may wonder what to do in such cases – when old sites rank, out of the blue?

In such cases, one needs to: play safe. It is not advisable to tinker with the URL, by any means, except for change in look and feel of the website. Ascertain the site load time. A thought to change the URL structure at this point can be harmful.

In case one wants to change the URL, create 301 redirects to newer URLs/pages.

Social Media and Network Sites – Participation does help

With loads of players in the competitive business market, everyone wants to know tips and secrets to help their online business rank high on different search engines.

If some try a free business listing, then others seek web SEO companies to increase traffic on the website. Every strategy works, but campaigns need to be executed in a proper manner.

People often ask how social media and networking sites help one in SEO. Yes, it does help. Membership/active participation in various social media and networking sites (like Facebook, Twitter etc) would help to: spread the message across, to build trust and generate traffic from various sources.

Facebook even has an option [on site], which lets users promote their pages and get more LIKES on a daily basis by PAYMENT. Some may even wonder if this is an acceptable method to boost rankings on search engines.

What do readers think about it? Join us for this forum.

Is your website down? What about Google page ranking?

Is your website down due to any of the following reasons: browser related issues or DNS (Domain Name System) problems?

Have queries about your website, which was down for a day and doubt if it would affect your search engine rankings? The video (courtesy: Matt Cutts) should be of help. Take a look.

Yahoo with a strong market grip after many acquisitions

After MileWise.com, GoPollGo.com and PlayerScale.com in May 2013, Yahoo declared its intention to acquire Tumblr, the very month.

David Karp established Tumblr (micro-blogging site) in February 2007. On 20th June 2013, Yahoo completed the acquisition of Tumblr.

Innovation takes center-stage of Yahoo, this year. Under the leadership of Marissa, the California based technology company continues to do wonders by coming up with novel ideas for business growth and development.

After getting hold of Tumblr, Yahoo even expanded business in La Vista and filled in new positions at work.

Yahoo acquired the New York based Qwiki and San Francisco based Xobni, this July. Stay tuned for technology news and updates.

Google, occupied with Android Game Console

A top search engineer from Google feels strict EU regulations would harm innovation and affect the Internet search industry.

The grapevine is that the always innovative and resourceful Google is working on an Android game console, which would hit the market soon.

Google even plans to come up with the next generation Nexus Q (media streaming entertainment device).

The first-generation Nexus Q released on 27th June 2012. Hang around for Nexus Q sequel - time to see, if Google will recover from the past failure.

Watch this Web Listings Inc space for further updates.

Yandex browser goes mobile

The Russian Internet company launched Yandex browser for mobile gadgets. Be it web searches or images - now, everyone with an iPad or Android Smartphones can look for things online, through their touch-screen devices.

The browser takes into consideration particulars of mobile Internet and helps everyone find quick and relevant results, suited to different search queries.

If small screens of mobile devices are drawbacks for many, then Yandex browser solves this problem by supporting with a voice search feature.

On Yandex mobile browsers, one can even navigate through favorites and frequently visited websites, at ease.

Mobile phone users can load Yandex browser through Google Play, Yandex and App Stores. Downloads available for iPad - iOS5 and higher and Android Smartphones - 4.0 and higher versions.

Be with the SEO Company Web Listings Inc, for search engine news and technology updates.

Wavii is already in, and Waze is in the pipeline

After Wavii, Google is on the chase again – and this time after Waze.

The California based company acquired Wavii on 30th April 2013. Mergers and Acquisitions are not anything new to Google as the company gets its hands on just about everything.

This time, Google is after Waze Mobile, an Israeli software company, which is into mobile-route planning software.

The Google-Waze deal is worth about $1.03 billion. Industry sources say Google may finalize the deal any time next week.

Even Facebook was in the race, to acquire Waze. Let us wait and see.

For technology news and updates, stay tuned with Web Listings Inc.

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