Google removes ads from the right side of search results
In 2016, Google removed ads from the right side of its desktop search results in all languages worldwide (with two exceptions: ad boxes with product information and knowledge panel ads).
Google Ads would only appear at the top and/or bottom of the page.
An additional ad (i.e. four instead of three) would appear above Google’s organic search results for so-called “highly commercial search queries”.
This was actually the culmination of a test that started in 2010 and increased significantly in 2015, mostly outside the US
Google’s official statement on the change:
“We’ve been testing this layout for a long time, so some people might see it on a very small number of commercial requests. We will continue to make optimizations, but this is designed for high-commercial searches where the layout can deliver more relevant results for searchers and better performance for advertisers.”
Read all about it in Confirmed: Google to Stop Showing Ads on Right Side of Desktop Search Results Worldwide.
Also on this day, Bing announces updated Bing Webmaster Tools
2020: The new toolset promised to offer faster, cleaner, more responsive and even more actionable features.
The vast majority of Amazon advertisers plan to spend more on ads again this year
2020: Our survey found that specialist Amazon marketers and paid search marketers are most likely to manage campaigns on the platform.
Video: Rhea Drysdale on hyperlocal SEO and saving money for clients
2020: From running a small business to diving deep into SEO to help clients succeed.
Google can use different ranking weights for YMYL requests
2019: Google confirmed that they give more weight to factors such as expertise, authority, or trustworthiness in their ranking algorithm for searches related to “Your Money, Your Life.”
Google Actions vs. Alexa Skills is the next big battle on the App Store
2019: There were thousands of skills and actions, but very few people used them.
Google changes query re-crawl limits, noting daily limits versus monthly quotas
2018: Google finally revealed the new recrawl limits in a revised help document.
Google Maps adds directory search and shopping mall browsing in local area
2018: Google added a new tab called Directory to the local panel in search results.
Google Chrome extensions that bring back the “View image” and “Search for image” buttons in Google image search
2018: Google removed some popular features in image search, but some Chrome extensions are bringing that functionality back.
Keyword infringement: Edible Arrangements files $209 million trademark lawsuit against Google
2018: The central claim was that when users searched [Edible Arrangements] (or versions of that name) they saw product ads for competitors like 1-800-Flowers.
Webmasters: Keep an eye out for hreflang implementation notifications from Google
2016: Google sent a large number of notifications to webmasters who misimplemented hreflang markup.
Google App Streaming now live for many apps via Try Now button.
2016: You can preview apps right from the search results before downloading them.
Search in images: Brett Dennen on Google, Google sign of a doctor and Google moving boxes
2016: The latest images reveal what people at the search engine companies eat, how they play, who they meet, where they talk, what toys they have and more.
Google’s new hacked website classifier incorrectly classifies some websites as hacked
2015: Many websites noticed that Google flagged their sites as hacked and dangerous in search results. The problem wasn’t with their websites, but with Google’s classification for hacked websites.
Google AdWords is launching an Android app for advertisers, but currently only for Canadians
2015: Canadian Google AdWords advertisers were able to download an Android app to manage their campaign on the go. Google promised to expand support to other countries soon.
Google News bug deletes trending topics from sidebar navigation
2015: A fix was coming soon.
Google Mobile Search places publishers’ content in carousels
2015: Users could quickly scan topic-related content from individual sources on mobile devices.
Bing provides a link to order food online at your favorite restaurants
2015: You could search for a restaurant that offers online ordering and click the Order Online button.
Google’s Matt Cutts: Backlink relevance is a big win in terms of search quality
2014: Cutts replies, “Is there a version of Google that excludes backlinks as a ranking factor?”
The new Google Maps comes out of preview today
2014: Overall it was a more visually appealing product than the old cards with a wide range of improved features.
Google was almost a website that allowed users to order pizza through a fax machine
2013: Sergey Brin explained how a single failed fax allowed the birth of Google.
Bing updates Friends’ photo search with Windows tile layout and slideshow view
2013: Changes included a new title-like layout you’re familiar with from Windows 8 and a slideshow view for faster and richer photo viewing.
Last of Search UI Innovation now falls to Yahoo veteran Laurie Mann
2013: Laurie Mann, who had been Yahoo’s senior vice president of engineering operations since 2002, was promoted to lead Yahoo Search.
Alibaba creates Aliyun search engine to challenge Baidu and Google in China
2013: The look and feel of the SERPs on Aliyun looked more like Google than a comparable page on the Chinese search engine leader Baidu’s website.
ChaCha beats Google, Bing, and Siri in Answers Quality study
2013: “ChaCha consistently provided the highest quality answers across the largest set of categories and question types.”
Twitter traffic up 9% thanks to Google
2010: When Google added real-time results to its search interface in December, it had a major impact on people discovering tweets in search results.
Google: “At Buzz, we failed to recognize that users have different privacy expectations”
2010: Google also revealed that for every 15 people who click through to privacy settings and preferences, “four users edit settings, one opts out, and 10 do nothing.”
Google Shopper: Scan books, DVDs, video games, barcodes and get prices
2010: You could point the app at books, CDs, DVDs and video games and barcodes and it would pull the details of that product and show you the prices, stores, reviews and more about that product.
Google adds Maps, local search for 30 countries in Africa
2010: Users could now find local businesses.
Yahoo formalizes rich ads in search, text ads get images or videos
2009: After testing this for almost a year, Yahoo officially announced Rich Ads In Search – a service that placed images and videos in paid ads in Yahoo’s search results.
Go to Figure: Twitter tests adding search to main navigation
2009: Twitter search had become incredibly popular, even though most people had no idea how to find it.
Official: Google is enforcing the AdWords URL policy starting April 1st
2008: Policy required the ad’s display URL to match the destination URL.
Microsoft signals long-term commitment to search even without Yahoo
2008: Bill Gates said with or without Yahoo, the company would invest heavily in web search over the long term to compete with Google.
Yahoo Sees Big Gains in Customer Satisfaction on Search
2008: Yahoo named the “Search Assist & Suggestions Rankings” metric, where it apparently outperformed Google, based on Search Assist’s launch in October.
Google Earth Image Update: Images from Spain
2008: Image update covered the eastern edge of Spain, including Barcelona.
Chinese government reprimanded Baidu for distributing ‘dirty images’
2008: Internet users in China reportedly used Baidu to find images of actor Edison Chen and several female stars engaged in sexual acts that spread across the Internet.
Topix to power the community for local NBC affiliates
2008: Topix has already done so for select newspapers and Gannett TV sites, claiming 100 media partners for its local news and/or community features.
SES London 2008 Day One Review Google sends a lot of traffic to Wikipedia
2007: The percentage of Google’s downstream traffic going to Wikipedia increased by 166% year over year.
Google Finance Plus logs into Google search results
2007: Clicking on the plus sign opened a preview of Google Finance.
Previous contributions by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from Search Engine Land
These columns are a snapshot in time and have not been updated since publication unless otherwise noted. The opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.
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