Because it looks like Yahoo have spotted a gap in the search market that the other two major search engines haven’t. While Google and Bing have scrapped over their ability to index the billions of websites available on the internet, Yahoo have dropped out of online search and adopted Bing’s own algorithm. Because they’ve been working out how to search mobile phone apps.

Rough estimates state that there are around 350,000 apps (short for applications) in Apple’s iStore and upwards of 200,000 apps in the Android market. And no way of searching for the application you want without using the sometimes unreliable in-built search functions.

Until now.

Yahoo App Search combines Droid and iPhone apps into one easily searchable database, allowing you to find app descriptions, price details and a screenshot – filtered by platform, price and genre. While this dual-platform feature seems like it will only be of use to people with both Android and Apple handsets (so, nobody), it will help developers spot gaps in the market, leading to even more useful, intuitive applications.

And, in true social internet style, the search also lets you know which applications are trending and popular. Which is a far less intrusive way of bringing social data into search…

This isn’t the first time Yahoo have brought in a groundbreaking new search product to the market under the noses of the competition. The company released (and promptly scrapped) a real-time search years before everyone was excited by Google’s ‘game-changing’ Google Instant release.

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Buoyed by the recent takedown of MegaUpload, the entertainment industry in the UK have set their sights on the biggest suppliers of pirated material in the world. The search engines Google and Bing.

A confidential document, leaked by The Guardian and a free speech campaign group shows that a number of copyright holders view the search engines as culpable in the rise of online piracy because they direct users away from legitimate outlets and towards pirate websites:

“Consumers rely on search engines to find and access entertainment content and they play a vital role in the UK digital economy. At present, consumers searching for digital copies of copyright entertainment content are directed overwhelmingly to illegal sites and services.”

Report on “Responsible Practices for Search Engines in Reducing Online Infringement”

The report then goes on to suggest a number of solutions to this problem, none of which the search engines will be particularly happy with:

• De-ranking sites that breach copyright – The report claims that Google and Bing must “exert control” over what is shown
• Prioritising legal sites - Search algorithms must be changed to favour legality over relevancy
• Improve current complaints procedures – Apparently Google aren’t good at responding to complaints. Who knew?
• Stricter advertising rules – No more pay per click for pirates

It’s unlikely that Google and Bing will willingly adopt these solutions, and we imagine that they’ll take offense at the report’s insistence that search engines favour illegal sites.

The music industry may have a point though. A search for downloads of the UK’s top selling album – Ed Sheeran’s +, gives the following results on Google:

“Download Ed Sheeran +”

1. Pirate
2. Pirate
3. Pirate
4. Pirate
5. iTunes
6. Amazon
7. Pirate
8. Pirate
9. YouTube
10. Pirate

Bing displays the following:

1. Myspace
2. Pirate
3. Amazon
4. Wikipedia
5. iTunes
6. EdSheeran.com
7. EdSheeran.com
8. Last FM
9. Capital FM
10. Amazon

If this trend is repeated for searches for other albums and songs, then it looks like the music industry has a point when it comes to Google, but perhaps not as much of a point with Bing. But other than instigating yet another investigation into search engine practices, we’re not sure what they can do.

Oh, and if you’re looking to get a legitimate copy of an album, you’re probably better off using Bing, instead of Google.

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He might be the first Pontiff to embrace social media, but it looks like Pope Benedict XVI hasn’t yet decided whether using Twitter is a vice or a virtue.

The leader of the Catholic Church took out time from checking the trending topics on the official Vatican Twitter account to provide a statement for the “World Day of Communications”. And his focus, like that of protesters, commentators and governments the world over was on social networking and search engines.

The Pope started by comparing Twitter to the Bible, which seems like a compliment from a man who’s job description is “God’s representative on Earth”:

“In concise phrases, often no longer than a verse from the Bible, profound thoughts can be communicated.”

Pope Benedict, Twitter fan?

But unfortunately for the immortal souls of Twitter users everywhere, The Pope isn’t too happy with us all spending time tweeting, even if he recognises our penchant for ‘profound thoughts’ on subjects such as last night’s tea, the inexplicable popularity of One Direction and what we’ve just posted on our blog.

In fact, he’d much rather we stopped Tweeting quite so much and all just shut up:

“Joy, anxiety and suffering can all be communicated in silence — indeed it provides them with a particularly powerful mode of expression.”

The Pope, not a Twitter fan?

But, The Pope wouldn’t be The Pope if he didn’t take time out from wondering just what he thought about Twitter to explain that our penchant for using Google is a sign that we all need a bit more religion in our lives:

“Search engines… have become the starting point of communication for many people who are seeking advice, ideas, information and answers. Ultimately, this constant flow of questions demonstrates the restlessness of human beings, ceaselessly searching for truths, of greater or lesser import, that can offer meaning and hope to their lives.”

Pope Benedict, again.

So, there you have it. Twitter can be profound, but you should use it less, and your use of Google is a sign that you need some meaning in your life. Either meaning or, if last year’s Google Zeitgeist is to be believed, scampi. One of the two.

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So after seven days like that, you can imagine that Google wouldn’t want to hear that their biggest rival had continued to increase their market share in December 2011.

Well, unfortunately for Google, Bing have finally achieved in the USA what they achieved in Europe months ago – becoming the second most-used search provider, with over 2.7 billion searches carried out in the US alone.

It’s not been all bad for the market leaders though, as they managed to increase their own market share by a fraction of a percent, making up for a drop-off in the number of people using Yahoo:

Search Engine Rankings for December 2011 (USA)

• Google: 65.9% – 12 billion searches
• Bing: 15.1% – 2.7 billion searches
• Yahoo: 14.5% – 2.6 billion searches
• Ask: 2.9% – 531 million searches
• AOL: 1.6% – 287 million searches

When you take into account the fact that a number of search engines are powered by Bing, the Microsoft search engine was responsible for over 26% of organic search results. They’re not quite knocking on Google’s door yet, but if people are disillusioned with Google over social search, market shares could become very interesting over the coming months…

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Somewhat unsurprisingly, it took the internet about an eighth of a second to decide that this was a stupid idea, that Google weren’t doing this to improve search, and that we all liked it just fine when we only had ten search engine results on a page, flanked by a few pay per click ads.

To save you from wasting today trawling through hundreds of rants and screeds, here’s a summary of why the net isn’t happy about Google’s latest masterplan:

Complaint One: How can you have social search without Twitter?

Put forward by: Twitter

Last year, Twitter decided that they didn’t want Google to use their data anymore, and withdrew from an agreement over live search – which up until then had displayed tweets in real time. So it’s no surprise that Google have left them out in the cold when it comes to “Search, plus Your World“.

This hasn’t stopped Twitter from blasting Google’s move in a statement which demonstrates why any social search needs to include the micro-blogging service:

“As we’ve seen time and time again, news breaks first on Twitter. We’re concerned that as a result of Google’s changes, finding this information will be much harder for everyone.”

Twitter Statement

Compelling argument?:  Yes. As we mentioned yesterday, a social search function that doesn’t include the largest social networks is at best hopeless, at worst a concerted effort to promote Google+. Speaking of which…

Complaint Two: This is just a concerted effort to promote Google+

Put forward by: SearchEngineLand, thousands of SEOs and social media experts

What do you do when you’ve spent years working on a social network to challenge Facebook, and it’s pulling in about as much traffic as the terminally declining MySpace?

According to skeptics (including one or two in the FirstFound office), you integrate your social network into your main search product, giving undue prominence to social pages and making users think that said network is far more important than its userbase would suggest.

Compelling argument?: Our Google+ business page, which has a handful of users, outranks our Facebook and Twitter pages which have been going for years and have decent followings. So yeah, we think there’s something in this. Which could be a problem, because there’s a bunch of commissions waiting to hammer Google on just this issue.

Complaint Three:  This is yet another example of Google’s penchant for privacy and anti-trust violations

Put forward by: A number of privacy and anti-trust groups

Google’s unfairly promoting Google+, Google’s sharing data that users might want to keep private, Google is trying to set up a monopoly whereby you never need to leave Google for any reason whatsoever. It’s all the usual arguments, from all the usual suspects.

But this time, it does look like Google are guilty as charged. Your Google+ pictures will pop up in Google searches, and why would you need to visit Facebook when you can just use Google to search for information on your friends, thanks to the magic of Google+?

Compelling argument?: We’ve got to admit. “Don’t be evil” seems like a fanciful dream at this point.

But what do you think? Have you popped over to Google.com to try out social search? Do you think it’s pointless? Are Google biased? Is this a ridiculous attempt to monopolise the web?

Or is it a storm in a teacup that will all blow over soon?

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In their infinite wisdom, Google’s search team have decided that when you search Google.com, you really want to search Google+. So as of today, they’re beginning to drop your social data into your search results.

They’re calling this new development “Search, plus Your World”, and it was announced on the Official Google Blog yesterday:

“Search is pretty amazing at finding that one needle in a haystack of billions of webpages, images, videos, news and much more. But clearly, that isn’t enough. You should also be able to find your own stuff on the web, the people you know and things they’ve shared with you, as well as the people you don’t know but might want to… all from one search box.

“We’re transforming Google into a search engine that understands not only content, but also people and relationships.”

Official Google Blog

What Does This Mean?

Simply put, it means that Google will now look at your Google+ network as well as the Google search database when you do a search. And, when Google deem appropriate, photos, status updates and profiles from Google+ will be dropped into your search results.

For example, if you search for “Christmas Party Venues”, you’ll see a few organic Google results, a map with local venues, status updates from your friends lamenting the fact that they drank too much at their own Christmas Party, photographs of you, drunk at your Christmas Party, and some AdWords results. Which is a far cry from the days of ten, trustworthy organic listings and a spattering of ads.

When Will I See Social Results?

For now, only people who are logged into their Google account and are searching from Google.com will see social results. And, in the short term at least, they’ll be told that their search might incorporate social results (see the image above).

So if you’re searching from Google.co.uk, or you’re logged out of your Google account, you’ll just see relevant web results, as chosen by the Google search algorithm. Which is nice.

Is This Really a Good Idea?

Time will tell, but initial comments aren’t positive. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, people aren’t emotionally invested in their Google+ networks, and aren’t particularly interested in seeing a smattering of photographs from their circles.

And with Plus still being far smaller than Facebook, a few dissenting voices are claiming that there’s not really enough social data available to make this move worthwhile, and that the majority of Google users don’t have Plus accounts and as such won’t be affected.

Google do want to involve Facebook in the future, but the social networking giant is currently partnered up with Google’s search rivals Bing. So don’t expect to see a link any time soon.

For now, this integrated social search is optional – so if you’re happy with Google’s usual results, just don’t sign into your Google account.

But what do you think? Is this the future of search, a gimmick, or a ploy to increase Google+’s userbase? Let us know in the comments section.

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Image credit – SearchEngineLand.com

FirstFound have constantly and consistently advised our customers against link buying because Google’s Webmaster Guidelines are incredibly clear on the issue. Don’t do it:

However, some SEOs and webmasters engage in the practice of buying and selling links that pass PageRank, disregarding the quality of the links, the sources, and the long-term impact it will have on their sites. Buying or selling links that pass PageRank is in violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and can negatively impact a site’s ranking in search results.

Google’s own advice on Paid Links

So when it came to light yesterday that Google had decided that it was all a case of “do what we say, not what we do”, the online SEO community decided they weren’t happy about the situation.

The issue concerns a marketing campaign for Google’s fast-growing Chrome browser, and the URL www.google.com/chrome. Despite Google’s own rules on buying links, a marketing company employed to promote the web browser decided that they’d like to pay bloggers to write posts on how brilliant Google Chrome is. In essence, paying people to link back to the Chrome website. Which just isn’t cricket.

This underhand tactic was brought to the world’s attention by Search Engine Land, who thought that swapping Amazon gift cards for back links constituted a significant breach of Google’s quality guidelines, and a backlash ensued. Google then tried to avoid taking action by claiming they’d just asked for a few video ads and that they had nothing to do with the marketing tactics they were paying for.

Funnily enough, this didn’t wash, and the company has been forced to demote Google Chrome in the listings for no less than 60 days. Meaning that the site no longer appears for Google searches for the term “browser” (it does still appear on page one of Bing, so obviously Microsoft aren’t copying that particular result…) or “chrome”. Somewhat irritatingly for people who want to download Google Chrome, the site isn’t even listed for “Google chrome”.

“We’ve investigated and are taking manual action to demote www.google.com/chrome and lower the site’s PageRank for a period of at least 60 days. We strive to enforce Google’s webmaster guidelines consistently in order to provide better search results for users. While Google did not authorize this campaign, and we can find no remaining violations of our webmaster guidelines, we believe Google should be held to a higher standard, so we have taken stricter action than we would against a typical site.”

Google Statement

If you’re considering buying links, we’d like to strongly suggest that your reconsider. After all, if Google can’t get away with breaking their own rules, what chance do you have?

If you’re interested in ethical optimisation that meets Google’s guidelines and won’t get you de-listed, call FirstFound now on 0161 909 3400, or visit the FirstFound website.

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We’ve all pretended to be interested in Bing, Facebook and Twitter’s little statistics dumps. But as of today, we no longer need to stifle our yawns. Because the big one is here. Google Zeitgeist 2011.

As the world’s most popular search engine, Google has its finger on the pulse when it comes to knowing exactly what we’re interested in. And while Twitter, Facebook and Bing may pretend we’re all hooked on TOWIE, Egyptian protests and trampy-looking girls, Google cuts to the heart of the matter and tells us what we really want.

And what we want to know is this.  What is scampi?

Google’s Fastest Rising UK Searches of 2011

Here are the ten most exciting, intriguing and on trend things that happened this year. Prepare to be amazed.

1. Royal Wedding – The undoubted top story of the year on Google was the marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton. Or, as we know her following the wedding, Princess Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Sister of a Her With the Nice Bottom.
2. iPhone 5 – It’s not out yet, and we’re still excited about it. The untimely death of Steve Jobs has done nothing to diminish the UK’s passion for Apple products.
3. FIFA 12 – Yes, the third hottest search in 2011 was for a game with 2012 in the title. Some of us in the office can remember Leeds reserve ‘keeper Mark Beeney’s pixellated nose in FIFA 97, and we think today’s gamers will harbour fond memories of Wayne Rooney’s photorealistic mug in FIFA 12.
4. Groupon – The UK’s premier supplier of discount colonic irrigation and cut-price pedicures received more than its fair share of searches last year. Imagine the disappointment people felt when they realised there’s not much worth buying…
5. iPad 2 – Yup. We still love Apple.
6. Ryan Dunn – The late Jackass star died in June following a car crash. We’d like to think that most of these searches took users to YouTube clips of men setting each other on fire and leaping off of things. It’s what he would have wanted.
7. Adele – Popular song-warbler Adele ballooned in popularity this year, probably because everyone’s forgotten that ridiculous “chasing pavements” song that blighted 2008. Good on them if they have.
8. Minecraft – Online peasanthood simulator Minecraft lets you experience the joys of farming, mining and building your own rustic shack. And then attacks you with giant spiders. It’s actually brilliant.
9. Rebecca Black – If you missed out on her horrendous “Friday” song, count yourself lucky. And don’t go searching for it. Trust us.
10. Ed Sheeran – Ginger-haired Yorkshire singer  Ed is only 20 and he’s already on the Google Zeitgeist list. He’s like an uglier Halifax-based Justin Bieber.

The Top “What Is…?” Searches of 2011

We like asking Google questions. And Google like making a note of what questions we’ve been asking so it can embarrass us in December.

1. What is AV? – The Alternative Voting System was called Nick Clegg’s “miserable little compromise”. And with a tagline like that, there’s no wonder that people voted against it.
2. What is scampi? – Scampi is a fish-based food, involving various molluscs and white fish deep fried in breadcrumbs. It tastes nothing like Scampi Fries, which are a wheat-based pub snack.
3. What are truffles? - Either a sort of fungus, or a type of chocolate. Don’t mix the two up, because chocolate pasta isn’t great.
4. What are piles? – Are you sitting comfortably? If you aren’t, you know what piles are.
5. What is 4D? – It’s a marketing gimmick
6. What are cookies? – Either a baked snack food, or something that makes the internet work and that the EU doesn’t understand in the slightest. The fools.
7. What is copyright? - It’s a legal device that’s stopping you from reproducing this blog post on your scraped article site that’s hosted in India. You know who you are…
8. What is zumba? – It’s a fun way to get fit, apparently. Our web designer prefers Boxercise. Bless him.
9. What is iCloud? – Apple’s attempt to brand cloud computing. It’s the little “i” that gives the game away.
10. What is probate? – It’s the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person by resolving all claims and distributing the deceased person’s property. Apparently.

Rising and Falling People

Google have also let us know who’s been hot in 2011, and who most certainly has not. Which is bad news for a cavalcade of X Factor contestants and a certain Deputy Prime Minister that nobody agrees with anymore…

Rising:

1. Ryan Dunn (Deceased Jackass star)
2. Adele (Singer)
3. Rebecca Black (YouTube “sensation)
4. Ed Sheeran (Singer)
5. Amy Winehouse (Deceased singer)
6. Charlie Sheen (Tiger-blooded Winner)
7. Steve Jobs (Deceased entrepeneur)
8. Kate Middleton (Future Queen)
9. Nicki Minaj (Singer)
10. Darren Criss (Actor/Singer)

Falling:

1. Nick Clegg (Politician)
2. Maradona (Legendary footballer, ex-Argentina manager)
3. Alicia Keys (Singer)
4. Heidi Montag (“Media Personality”)
5. Alexandra Burke (X Factor Winner)
6. Hayley Williams (Singer)
7. Joe McElderry (X Factor Winner)
8. Stephenie Meyer (Terrible author)
9. Robert Pattinson (Terrible actor)
10. Shakira (Singer)

Well, that’s it for 2011 trends season. We’ll be waiting patiently for December 2012 when we predict Google will be telling us that we’ve all been chatting about the London Olympics, Euro 2012 and the inexplicable popularity of someone who uploaded a funny video to YouTube.

For some inexplicable reason, the Microsoft-operated search engine hasn’t released one overall list, so we don’t know for sure whether Bieber Fever beat The Royal Wedding into submission, but there are lists available for a number of subjects.

So here they are, Bing’s top searches for 2011:

News

The News trends show without a doubt that it’s Americans who use Bing far more than the rest of the world, with stories such as the trial (and acquittal) of suspected child murderer Casey Anthony topping the charts despite not making the European papers. That said, the death of British pop star Amy Winehouse was apparently more searched for than information on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the USA.

1. Casey Anthony Trial
2. Osama Bin Laden Death
3. Hurricane Irene
4. Japan Earthquake
5. Amy Winehouse Death
6. Joplin Tornado
7. Michael Jackson/Conrad Murray Trial
8. 9/11 Anniversary
9. Republican Presidential Candidates
10. Haiti Earthquake Anniversary

Technology

We can’t have been the only people expecting iPads, iPods and iPhones to top this list, but it looks like Microsoft’s search engine is used for searches about Microsoft’s Xbox games console. Who’d have thought it?

1. Xbox
2. Kindle
3. Playstation
4. iPhone 5
5. iPad
6. Wii
7. iPad 2
8. Nook
9. Windows Phone 7
10. Macbook Pro

People

The big mover on Bing for 2011 was Justin Bieber, who moved up from sixth to claim the top spot. Lady Gaga moved in the other direction, dropping from third to ninth. This is all very exciting, although we’re not sure why.

1. Justin Bieber (Musician)
2. Kim Kardashian (Erm…)
3. Jennifer Aniston (Actor)
4. Lindsay Lohan (Drug & Alcohol Enthusiast)
5. Jennifer Lopez (Musician/Actor)
6. Britney Spears (Musician)
7. Katy Perry (Musician)
8. Megan Fox (Actor)
9. Lady Gaga (Musician)
10. Miley Cirus (Musician/Actor)

We’re surprised not to see more searches for The Royal Wedding, Kate Middleton or Pippa Middleton’s Bottom (which went viral following the wedding), but we expect these things to crop up on Google’s more global trends. But the real shocker is the fact that Steve Jobs misses out on the people and news lists, while no Apple products make the top three technology searches.

We’d put good money on Steve and the iPad 2 featuring highly on Google and Twitter’s trends lists, both of which should land in December.

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We know you’re an avid fan of the FirstFound Blog, but have you taken the time to read our regular online magazine? It’s November, which means that the all new issue of Optimise is on the virtual shelves, packed full of free articles on everything from marketing successes to not-so-fantasy football.

So make sure you take the time to read Optimise Magazine Issue 10 – especially if you’re a FirstFound client looking for an amazing special offer!

Optimise Issue 10

SEO Made Simple – The FAQ Edition: Our technical team answer the burning questions on our clients’ lips. Such as “Just how long does it take to get to the top of Google?”,  “Can blogging help my SEO?” and the ever-popular “Just what is that on Greg Doyle’s face?”. Ok, that last one’s a lie, but Greg is taking part in Movember this year…

Five Great Ways to Attract Online Attention: If your website can’t grow a fetching handlestache, just how can you stand out from the crowd? Optimise shows you how, with examples of how to use Twitter, Facebook and Youtube to promote your business.

Beyond SEO: We make a big song and dance about being the UK’s leading search engine consultants, but did you know that FirstFound can also build and host websites, write copy and articles (and blog posts and online magazines, for little-to-no recognition, thanks very much) and run your PPC campaigns? Well, if you didn’t you will after reading this.

Can Your Contacts Help With Your SEO: When you need some Help, it’s always easier to Get By With A Little Help From Your Friends. Luckily, there aren’t any tortured Beatles references in the article itself, just good, helpful advice. So if you’re reading, sorry Ringo.

Staffers in the Spotlight – FirstFound FC: We apologise in advance for the satanic eyes on display in the photo for this article. If it helps you calm down, just scroll up and take another look at Greg’s calming moustache (and donate for Movember). Anyway, we’ve got a footy team. And their captain is the new Liam Gallagher!

Help a Friend, Save £100: Are you a FirstFound client? Do you have a friend? Would you like to save up to £100? If you’re shouting “yes, yes, yes!” at the monitor, click here and take advantage of this great promotion.

FirstFound Success Stories: Some great FirstFound reviews from very happy clients. Isn’t that nice? Yes. Yes it is.

News and Stuff: Google+ launches! Retweeting and Sexting in the OED! Typos are teh scoruge of the intrenet! Steve Jobs passes away. If you’ve missed any of the big stories of the past few months (which you wouldn’t have if you subscribed to the RSS feed here at the FirstFound Blog, you’ll find them recapped in Optimise’s handy News and Stuff section. Isn’t that convenient?

So, what are you waiting for? Get over to www.optimise-firstfound.co.uk now and read the latest issue!

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