So many Google updates. So little time.
It was another overachieving week for Google. In addition to launching their own quasi-social network and acquiring Aardvark, they were busy pushing out a bunch of updates to existing products and sharing new data. And yes, even Buzz has received its first round of updates.
Without further ado….
AdWords is now offering up Bid Ideas in the Opportunities Tab. Bid ideas are based on bid simulator data.
Google AdSense explains how they treat keywords from referral search engines as content on publisher websites in order to serve up relevant ads.
Only 2 out of 300 events will stream live on the Internet.
It’s no secret that people are increasingly multi-tasking their entertainment, firing up the laptop to access the Internet while watching TV. This is not lost on search engines and who would very much like your split attention to be spent with them.
Bing and Google in particular are going head to head when it comes to mapping Vancouver and nearby Whistler, where many events will be held. Both Bing and Google have already announced enhanced mapping elements for both cities. Now, Google stepped it up a notch by grabbing “Street View” images of ski slopes via snowmobile.
Suggestions run the gamut from competitors to simply next-door establishments.
If you’re browsing Google Maps and click through to Place Pages, you might notice a new feature. “Nearby places you may like” is a recommendation feature designed to help users explore cities and neighborhoods.
Some suggestions seem to be related to proximity of the business whose Place Page you’re browsing. Other suggestions seem to be competitors of said business.
Google says that the recommendations are not based on any single criteria. Rather, they use a set of broad signals, which they continue to refine.
The Google Maps team has been working hard with partner GeoEye to push out an updated imagery of Haiti. The update includes imagery taken at 10:27 am EST on Wednesday, January 13 – approximately 15 hours after the earthquake hit.
You can download the KML file to view in Google Earth and the layer is available for viewing in Google Maps as well.
The imagery is primarily for Port-Au-Prince. Google says they’ll add more imagery, but you only need to download the file once.
Here’s what the imagery looks like in Google Earth:
Presidential Palace
Over 100,000 business have been selected as “Favorite Places in Google.” Over 9,000 cities and towns in all 50 U.S. states are included. The businesses are being sent decals they can place in their storefront windows. The decals include a barcode, known as a QR code, that can be scanned by smartphones, including iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry.
When the QR code is scanned, it will take the user directly to the business’s Place Page on Google Maps. There you can get coupons, read reviews and star it for future reference.
Recently, Google Maps launched Navigation, a robust GPS system for Android. But it only came out for Android 2.0, meaning it could only be used on the brand spankin’ new Motorola Droid from Verizon.
Good news for Android 1.6 users. You’ll get to use Navigation for your Turkey Day travels this week.
Simply update Google Maps from the Android Market to gain access to turn-by-turn directions, search by voice and to find coffee along that traffic-packed route you find yourself on this extended holiday weekend.
The Google Earth and Maps Team has been hard at work unloading a bunch of updates. First up, Street View images for the state of Hawaii have been added. Now, all 50 states have Street View.
Additionally, Street View imagery has been added to 5 cities in Mexico, “huge swathes” of Spain, and 30 towns in the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, new updates have come to Latitude. You can now track the history of where you’ve been. This history is not made available to your friends.
Last month, Yahoo! and Google launched a couple of contests (separately), and this week both are announcing the finalists.
First up, Yahoo! is looking for a new Yodel, and they received 21,000 entries. They’ve narrowed it down to three contestants each for the US, UK and India. Click on the links below to view the finalists’ entries and cast your vote:
US
Tiffany Jo from Arizona
Carlo from Arizona
Christopher from Oklahoma
UK
India
In September, Google launched Place Pages, which aggregate content to give a fuller listing for local content in Google Maps.
Ads appear on those Place Pages and now AdWords users can see if their ads are appearing on them. The data is included on Placement Performance reports.
You can’t currently bid for an ad to be placed on a Place Page, but Google says bidding higher will increase your chances of appearing on them.
Google is vamping up its real estate search offerings with two new announcements. First up, AdWords is testing comparison ads in the mortgage/refinance vertical. The idea behind comparison ads is to help searchers filter what they’re really searching for when they type in something like “mortgage.” Check out this screen shot of a comparison ad, per the Inside AdWords blog (click for a larger view):
When you click the ad, you get taken to a chart that lists various rates and lenders.
