SEO, Website Content Optimization
& Software Development

One of the most worrying things for any website owner is the thought that it could get hijacked and have Malware installed. This can severely affect visitor numbers as search results get labeled as not being safe due to Malware, which is one form known as Badware.

The most common methods of Badware infecting a site is through a security breach, for example through the attack of a website database, web server or website itself.
Once badware is detected and then removed from a site, the labels will now get removed within 24 hours in most cases, this is a marked improvement and comes as welcome news to webmasters.
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Chinese search giant Baidu.cn is fighting to save its reputation after state media accused it of selling high rankings to unlicensed medical services; to the detriment of public health.

Several unlicensed providers have taken advantage of Baidu’s ‘Pay for Performance’ (P4P) scheme to buy their way into the rankings for popular search terms, putting the search engine’s users at risk from expensive and often useless medical products and procedures. Read the rest of this entry »

Google has revealed that the company’s search frequency service, Google Trends, can detect flu outbreaks up to two weeks faster than traditional surveillance methods.

For those who have never heard of Google Trends, this is a free facility that allows people to view search trends by keywords or phrases. Read the rest of this entry »

A serious security flaw has been found in Google’s T-Mobile G1 phone - less than a week after launch.

The vulnerability, discovered by security experts at Baltimore firm Independent Security Evaluators, could potentially allow hackers to direct G1 users to malicious websites. Read the rest of this entry »

In celebration of its 10th birthday, Google has dusted off its 2001 search index for another outing.

Google 2001 allows users to turn the search clock back to a simpler time, way before the credit crunch and when no-one had heard of Barack Obama or Sarah Palin, to see how Google viewed the web in January 2001. Read the rest of this entry »

Google has announced some new improvements to its Quality Score metric for Google AdWords. Over the next few weeks, Quality Score, which aims to improve the relevancy of PPC adverts, will be calculated at the time of each search query. Read the rest of this entry »

Search engine usage is on the increase and has risen by 69% since 2002, according to a new report into internet behaviour.

The study by Pew Internet also indicates that almost half of internet users will use a search engine at least once during their day, up from only a third six years ago. Read the rest of this entry »

A new search engine devised by a group of former Google employees is the latest pretender to the Mountain View company’s search dominance.

Cuil.com (pronounced cool) claims to be the “world’s biggest search engine”, indexing 121 billion pages - reputedly 3 times as many as Google. Read the rest of this entry »

Google are close to a $200 million deal to buy leading social bookmarking site Digg, according to a report from TechCrunch.

Digg, estimated to attract over 230 million visitors annually, has been a longstanding takeover target for companies including Google and Microsoft, and it appears the Mountain View firm are keen to add the brand to their portfolio. Read the rest of this entry »

Microsoft has stated it would be prepared to reopen negotiations to buy Yahoo, but on the condition that a new board is elected first.

The news is a boost to investor Carl Icahn and his backers who are seeking to elect a new board at Yahoo’s stockholder meeting on 1st August. Read the rest of this entry »