The term returned more than 19 million results in which a large percentage of the results redirect users towards a site called soft4pcs.com. The site contains a number of pirated copies of popular software titles and works by putting up a fake prospect of being an online store offering cheap products. Users are then attracted to the ‘cheap’ product and so enter in their details where the attackers take away what they need.

Other attacks have been seen from a group called ASProx which is a botnet, injecting malicious links into ASP WebPages that have been incorrectly configured. Searches that have been made for terms like ‘used corvette parts’ have returned results pointing to a page that has redirected users to ads-t.ru that has attempted to serve a hostile Adobe Flash file which installs malware onto computers.

Researchers have reported that Google has more than 3.2 million results containing sites with malicious script and its rival Bing showing 188 million results. Those figures reduced significantly for the same search terms after many blogs and warning were posted across the internet. The attacks only reveal just how intricate the role of search engines, domain name registrars, webhosts and websites play in the potential for scamming a large number of people.

The problem also arises when the web pages that have been compromised are found to be hosted by legitimate websites, which appear to have administrators who have not been careful. Some of the victim websites have included Stanford University, Official Webby Awards site and the official website for 1980’s musician Bryan Adams. It has been said that the attackers would not compromise these sites if Google did not feature them as prominently in their results.

Currently Google use algorithmic and manual techniques to pinpoint the scammers and removing them immediately. However, the difficulty lies in these criminals finding new ways to compromise web pages and thus constantly succeeding in tricking Google and other small search engine programs. Nevertheless, Google and Microsoft’s security team are continuing in their efforts to prevent and remove malicious links from their search results flagging sites as they go along.

To see more in-depth information on how these rogue activities are effecting search results read the following blog post from Unmask Parasites when they demonstrate the extend of the issue and how users and search results are being maniplucated.

Of course, others have tried to do this before, namely the Third Voice – but with little success. The Sidewiki is a tool that can forms part of the Google toolbar, and allows comments to be posted on any page on the net. As it floats above pages as opposed to being in it, no webmaster can opt out. The only saving grace for the webmaster is the fact that he or she can control the top comment (via Google Webmaster).

Many blogs and sites have been relying on comment threads to add pagerank to their pages; when the Google algorithm sees lots of non-spammy comments appearing, it thinks the page is more valuable. Now though, Google seem to be trying to control comments too – and have a highly complex algorithm which judges if a comment is worthy of being posted on Sidewiki.

Having only a few comments might not be enough to activate the Sidewiki as a viewable resource; but if enough high quality comments are made, then they become viewable. The aim is to create a high quality web annotation service, but many will see this as Google muscling in on an area that gives them too much control; after all, Google is surely about letting the internet grow naturally, rather than harnessing every aspect for their own financial gain?

While there can be no definite answer to this, many SEO experts agree that poor quality writing is likely to be demoted by Google. Some say that it scans blocks of text much in the same way as a word processor does – highlighting basic grammatical errors as well as spelling mistakes. While one or two typos or misspellings are not going to have an adverse effect, a piece of copy that is littered with errors is probably going to be given a rap on the knuckles by Google.

As far as writers of the English language are concerned, this can only be a good thing – if Content is King then Grammar is his Gold and Spelling is his Silver; it seem that Google’s insistence on good copy is securing many an SEO copywriter’s job.

Good SEO is time consuming and requires good writing. It looks like this isn’t going to change anytime soon, so the Search Engine Optimisation economy is set to continue booming. It sometimes seems that Google doesn’t actually like SEO companies – after all, they’re working Google’s system, and in many cases circumventing the obstacles Google puts up to secure high quality content across the internet. But that’s SEO.

Since its launch in December 2008 Google Chrome has become increasing popular as an internet browser by users worldwide, however it still lags behind market leaders Microsoft with Internet Explorer and Mozilla Foundation’s Firefox browser.

The recent deal between Google and Sony is the first agreement which Google have signed with a major personal computer manufacturer which is set to increase the awareness of the Chrome browser.

The company made just 2 acquisitions in 2001, and interestingly made no purchases in 2002. But the next year they really seemed to get their wallet out; over this twelve month period they grabbed a grand total of 6 companies. These firms included sectors as diverse as weblog software, blogging services and the web search engine Kaltix. Two of the firms were online advertising specialists.

In 2004 they also made 6 acquisitions, beginning with the Ignite Logic – a HTML editor, and finishing the year up with buying out Keyhole Inc – a map analysis firm. During this year Google also bought Picasa. Picasa is certainly famous now, but it has really taken 5 years to become the huge picture hosting brand that we know today.

Next year Google really went crazy with the old spending sprees. They bought 11 companies: 2 German, one Canadian and one Brazilian – the rest were American. The biggest purchase was of AOL’s broadband service for 1 Billion dollars. If it wasn’t obvious Google were one of the big boys before, it was by now.

In 2006 Google toned it down a bit with a paltry 10 acquisitions. The biggest by far of these was the video sharing website YouTube. By this stage Google had acquired technology and firms in areas as diverse as online advertising, map analysis, 3D modelling software, search engines, web analytics, file sharing, spreadsheets, image organisers, traffic analysis – and much more.

Since 2006 Google took over a further 18 companies, bringing the current running total to 56 firms of the finest techie talent in the world.

It’s little wonder then, that Google literally owns the internet.

Insights for Search is a powerful tool which allows users to view statistics of specific search criteria over time, allowing them to gain valuable information about their relevant search queries.

As well as revealing their crystal ball of search statistics, Google have also added more visualisations to the Insights for Search via the use of an animated map. This feature allows users to visualise how their search queries change over time in various geographic locations.

The full paper (PDF) on the new features of Insights for Search has been published on Googles research site and is openly available.

I do not mean why bother getting a present for your loved ones, I’m not that much of a scrooge, I simply mean why bother rushing around the shops when there is a perfectly good computer with a perfectly good internet connection at home!

Internet traffic statistics provided by Hitwise show that UK internet search traffic to online retailers is increasing year-on-year. From toys and games to Christmas groceries all your Christmas shopping needs are now available online, meaning you can shop till you heart is content without even leaving the house. You can sit in the warm comfort of your own home, with your feet up in front of the TV, glass of wine in hand, and casually search the internet for your perfect give, laughing to yourself about all those people traipsing around in the cold and wet winter weather desperately search for gift ideas.

Although the use of internet search engines is still on the rise, many people are still unfamiliar with some of the shortcuts available to them, this is where I reveal a few (possible) unknown secrets.

…google product search

I am becoming more and more lazy when it comes to shopping. Firstly I could not be bothered to traipse around the shops hunting for the perfect gift so I turned to the search engines. Now I can’t even muster up the will to search various websites for the perfect gift…I told you I do not like shopping! But luckily for me I do not have to.

Google have invented the lazy mans shopping dream, Google Shopping. Google Shopping has actually been around for ages but it is still used far less than a regular organic search when people shop online for gifts. Google Shopping aims to simplify the online shopping process by eliminating the need to visit each individual website to view details of a product. You can simply search for your desired product and Google will return results based on this search, listing an image of the product, a description, and the price (which you can even sort in ascending order to find the cheapest option). It really does simplify the online shopping process whether you’re searching for childrens toys, computer games, clothes, or more!

…what are the limitations?

Well there are upsides and downsides to Google Shopping. In order for a company to list products within Google’s product search they must submit specific criteria to Google i.e. Google will not simply crawl every site and list every product which they sell. Companies are required to inform Google about their products, which unfortunately not all companies choose to do.

This means the shopping results are limited. Most large organisations will list their products within Google’s product search, however many of the smaller business will not, which means you may well be missing out on a better deal.

Either way I would recommend Google Shopping to anyone like me who really does not like shopping. It’s quick and easier, I’m just waiting for the next phase in laziness to be revealed, Google Psychic Shopping; a service whereby Google automatically chooses and purchases my products for me so I do even have to lift a finger!

If you own a small company and you are interested in maximising the potential of your website within search this Christmas, via Google Shopping, organic search or PPC contact me or visit www.highposition.net for more information on how we can help your online marketing campaign.

On2 Technologies provide a video compression technology allowing video files to be deliverd over the internet in a minimalistic formal. With this technology on board the search engine giant Google can help to deliver an improved quality of video via an internet search.

Sundar Pichai from Google stated:

“We believe high quality video should be part of the web platform. We are committed to innovation in video quality on the web, and we believe that On2’s team and technology will help us further that goal”

The deal, which should be signed on the dotted line later in the year subject to shareholder approval from On2, is more than likely to pass over On2s current client base which include the likes of Song, Adobe, Nokia and Skype.

This has the potential to be a big development in the online video industry.

Google Wave is a brand new real-time social networking facility set to bring a level to social communication around the world. Google Wave allows users to combine all their favourite social media tools in one browser window from Twitter to Facebook, email to instant messaging and more giving users the power to control all their messages under one digital roof!

So what exactly is a Google “Wave”?

A Wave is a real-time method of communication allowing users to share photos, videos, text, maps and much more in a real-time environment. The real-time interaction allows a user to share information at any time in the process, with live transmission as you type,, rather than IM software such as Messenger and Facebook Chat, allowing user to have faster conversations.

“Any participant can reply anywhere in the message, edit the content and add participants at any point in the process. Then playback lets anyone rewind the wave to see who said what and when.” – Google

The launch of Google Wave promises to be a giant step in social media communication however the initial service is set to be limited to a minimal 100,000 users each of which must sign up in advance to stand any chance of using the software. Google Wave is set to roll out to a larger audience a month or so after the initial launch.

To get an advanced preview of Google Wave visit the official site at http://wave.google.com.

Nine months ago Google launched its attractive Google Chrome browser, which, say the company, has been taken up by 30 million users worldwide. With a clean, simple interface and quick start-up times it seems Google’s new OS will be guided by the same principles. Highlighting the fact that people want to access their data much more quickly than before, Google’s own blog states: ‘People want to get to their email instantly…. They want their data to be accessible to them wherever they are and not have to worry about losing their computer or forgetting to back up files’

It seems Google want their new OS to fade into the background and simply facilitate the fastest, smoothest operation possible. Initially targeted at net books, the company plans to open source the system’s code later this year, so that the whole system will develop with the assistance of the open source community.

Like Chrome before it, Google have gone back to basics with the security architecture of their OS, aiming to eliminate the need to deal with malware, viruses and security updates – for so long an issue with Microsoft’s range of operating systems.

With Windows 7 about to launch, Google’s announcement has put a cat amongst the pigeons – as no genuinely alternative operating system has been on the market for years. Google have just slipped a stick of dynamite under Microsoft, and we’re all waiting to see if it goes off.

With Microsoft enjoying a 90 percent share of the operating system market, it won’t be easy for Google to steal the crown from Mr. Gates, and evict him from his thrown. But as far as many are concerned, if there is one company that can storm the Windows Fortress – it’s Google.