So Google UK’s results have been a bit screwy for the last week or so, with a supposed algorithm update taking place. I’ve been keeping an eye on some weirdness happening within the “car insurance” SERP since the update happened:
So I’m talking (well, not so much talking, more ripping websites apart) at the forthcoming SMX London on 18/19 May at the Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden. I’m doing the SEO Checkup session on 19th May at 3pm. Also on the same panel are Dixon Jones and Jane Copeland.
I’ve just noticed a new low for Yahoo’s organic results. I just did a brand search for one of my clients, which consisted purely of the clients name, and the first result wasn’t my client, but Yahoo Chat - wtf!
So I was doing some egosurfing lately, and noticed that in the 2-3 years that I left my blog in state of decay my personal SERP has become extremely competitive. I used to rank top for my name in Google UK, but can now only muster 2nd 
SEO chatter was awash with talk of a GoCompare penalty last week. I didn’t think it was a penalty, and posted my thoughts over at Patrick Altoft’s SEO blog. Here I’m going to talk a little more about why I don’t think it was a penalty, and how to determine whether you have a search engine penalty.
Looks like Google are doing more tinkering. It’s all very exciting! They’re updating Page Rank at the moment, and look like they’re rolling out additional links within search results. I’ve highlighted them in the screenshot below
I’m sure I’ve seen these before, but it looks like they’re just rolling them out to a wider audience. With all these changes going on, it’s difficult to fathom how they do any control testing.
Long time no see. I had my first snowboarding 3 weeks ago, and I’ve just found it quite difficult to get back into blogging on my return. I’ve also become addicted to Tweeting, so it feels like I’m much more likely to spend my time commenting there than here. Anyone wanting to follow me, you can find my profile here.
So Google have been busy beavering away lately. First they rolled out “Vince’s Change” in the US (it’s yet to hit Europe apparently), then they rolled out the “Orion Update” that saw changes to SERPs last mid-last week, and then on Friday they started testing the Google Wonder Wheel. And all this just as I was starting to feel there wasn’t much happening in the world of search at the moment. Continue reading
Just checking my Google Analytics, and I’m getting some awesomely random refferals:
Intriguing SEO game or elaborate link bait. I’m not so sure yet, but it’s late and I’m flummoxed.
Comment here if you know what the answers are, or Tweet #searchgame
Oh man, what a day! So I got up this morning, concerned about my first conference presentation at SES London 2009. I spent the morning prepping at home - given this was my first time, I really wanted to be prepared. I left the flat at 12.20ish, planning to get the 12.49 from Brighton to London Victoria. My plan was to arrive in London at 2ish, 30 mins across London to Islington, and then arrive at the Business Design Centre at 3pm, an hour in advance of my speaking slot. What a mistake! Continue reading