----------------------------------------------------------------- SearchReturn Discussion List "Understanding Internet Search Technology" ----------------------------------------------------------------- Moderator: Published by: Disa Johnson SearchReturn http://www.searchreturn.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- June 13, 2006 SearchReturn Issue #071 ----------------------------------------------------------------- SEND POSTS: ----------------------------------------------------------------- Refer a friend: http://www.searchreturn.com/subscribe.shtml ----------------------------------------------------------------- .....IN THIS DIGEST..... // -- ESSENTIAL NEWS -- // "Yahoo! Customized IE7" "Possible Google Index Changes" "Horrid SEO Past And Present" ----------------------------------------------------------------- // -- ESSENTIAL NEWS -- // ----------------------------------------------------------------- ==> Yahoo! Customized IE7 http://downloads.yahoo.com/ie7beta/index.php Essentials: Yahoo! has customized IE7 beta 2 and released their version of the software to users. The browser will open to Yahoo!, and a second tab will load Yahoo! Mail. The default engine in the search pane is Yahoo!, though it all remains perfectly changeable. This ties Yahoo! users closer to IE7, similarly as in the past when Yahoo! has developed customized versions of IE in partnership with ISPs. It should be noted that the new Yahoo! homepage design initially only worked with IE. Firefox users had to contend with a short delay, and it is remains unavailable to Firefox 2 beta users. This is key information because it hints that Yahoo! is not neglecting the IE browser as a platform to integrate with their future site and services, and is perhaps looking more to it instead of Firefox. Since IE and ActiveX allow Web extensions that are unavailable to other browsers, certain future Yahoo! services may depend on IE, but Yahoo! is not likely to abandon any browser with significant market share. On the other side of this battlefront, Google and Firefox have tremendously strong ties since the lead developer of Firefox was recently hired by Google. Google has an advertising agreement in place worth tens of millions of dollars to Mozilla Corporation. This all makes Google's recent complaints about unfair default search practices by Microsoft in IE7 seem wrongful considering Google is the default search in Firefox. Google doesn't control the desktop however, Microsoft does. The importance of this subject cannot be understated. If Yahoo! (and AOL) decide to develop extensions with Microsoft, and Google with Firefox, the browser wars are headed for another big round, (this time with search and portal Web services at stake). Microsoft's previous victory against Netscape may have seemed totally unfair, but antitrust regulators recently gave them a pass on tying their new search to IE7's default. So far, the IE7 browser is not up to par against Firefox, mainly because the fears that Microsoft would rest on its laurels after defeating Netscape came true. Major security patches were all that Microsoft really did to update their browser, while makers of Opera innovated with tabs and other neat features that are now the standard. Yahoo! may have chosen IE7 because of their foray into media such as music and video. Security issues aside, consider that with programming ActiveX controls, extended features can enhance the user experience well beyond the much lauded AJAX and Web2.0 look and feel. But let's not forget that Microsoft themselves want to compete in the music and video space as well. Microsoft, however, has a judgment against them with respect to unfair practices tying applications to their operating system. They are watched very closely, and required by the US Department of Justice to compete fairly, (especially with regards to tying software to their dominant operating system). This permits Yahoo! to safely develop with the IE engine as AOL has. AOL famously switched from using the Netscape engine to IE, (the final blow), thus ending the original browser war for Netscape. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ==> Possible Google Index Changes http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/003931.html Essentials: Anecdotal reports indicate some sites neglected by Google during the previous BigDaddy infrastructure update are showing back up. Matt Cutts explained that sites with few or no backlinks were not going to get crawled as often after BigDaddy. These reports may not hint that a full Google Dance is underway, instead Google may be reacting to complaints from site owners. It is always a good idea check your own listings in anticipation of a full-fledged update when reports of changes flare up. Stay tuned in case a bona fide update is imminently close. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ==> Horrid SEO Past And Present http://www.threadwatch.org/node/6942 Essentials: Although the author would have you believe the type of spammy SEO pointed out is something new, it most certainly is not. Many have pointed out the keyword stuffing nature of such bad writing since the turn of the millennium. Heather Lloyd- Martin has presented at Search Engine Strategies a Cashmere Sweater keyword stuffing example as writing that must be avoided since those times. Regardless of not being new, spam-style SEO continues today totally unabated. Those companies unconcerned with stuffing titles (because it barely changes the visible appearance of what users see), should bear in mind the text in the title represents their result on the SERP. This writing style negatively affects click through, which is important for maintaining rankings and traffic from search engines. Spam writing for search is also simple to detect and can be cause for removal, (since the content is low-quality). ----------------------------------------------------------------- Stay Tuned. Got feedback?: http://www.searchreturn.com/feedback.shtml Archives: http://www.searchreturn.com/digest-archive.shtml Alternate formats: http://www.searchreturn.com/info-formats.shtml Manage Subscriptions: http://www.searchreturn.com/help/manage-subs.shtml Problems unsubscribing? 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