Andy Taylor says, “The Google Search Network gives advertisers the ability to gain additional AdWords traffic and conversions from users across the web, as Google delivers ads on partner websites in much the same way it does on Google.com. To target users searching on these partner sites, advertisers need only check a box in campaign settings to “include search partners.” However, AdWords advertisers have long pined for a bid modifier to adjust bids for Google’s search partners, as the value of this traffic is often very different from that of clicks that come from users searching... [...]

It’s surprising how many useful features browser creators place in these products we use every day, far more than “click a link to go to a site” the original purpose of browsers. Any modern browser has functions that can simplify your online life, some of them built into the browser itself, and others added by plugins. Google seems to be leading the way in supplying these advanced features, and there a many that most people are unaware of. PC Magazine recently published an article outlining some of the useful features you probebly never heard of, but would find helpful. In the... [...]

PC Magazine reports unofficial leaks that IApple is interested in the app market for people using the rival Android operating system. Apple has been testing the waters with an Android app called Apple Music on Android. Prior to this, Apple released an Android app that helps people migrate their files (music, etc.) from Android to their new Apple product. In the PC Mag article, Angela Moscaritolo reports that Apple’s Tim Cook is hinting at bigger Android plans will be announced in the months to come. There’s a motivation for this move by Apple. Android has overtaken Apple’s... [...]

Zak Stambor says, “On Google websites paid clicks rose 40%. Google Inc. grew its paid clicks on ads 31% across all sites and 40% across Google sites and those in its advertising network in the fourth quarter of 2015, the search giant reported today. The earnings release is the first financial statement since the company split into two segments: Google and Bets, which encompasses eight “moonshot” subsidiaries, such as the Nest connected-device division or self-driving cars. The growth stems in part from the search giant’s increased push to drive consumers to click on search ads, rather... [...]

Danny Sullivan says, “After 15 years, the head of Google Search — Amit Singhal — has announced he’s leaving Google. In his place, John Giannandrea, who has headed Google’s artificial intelligence and machine learning efforts, is taking over. Good, bad or no change for Google? The end of humans shaping search results? Singhal: Keeper Of The Search Algorithm Singhal has been a driving force with Google search ever since he joined the company in 2000. Back then, with the company much smaller, he was a roll-up-your-sleeves executive who rewrote the algorithm originally created by Google... [...]

Barry Levine  says, “The Google Play app store has removed a newly popular ad blocking app for the Samsung mobile browser. Adblock Fast, a mobile app in Google Play, works with the new Content Blocker Extension API that Samsung recently introduced in its mobile browser, which is installed as the default browser on its Android phones. The API supports third-party plugins that will block ads on the mobile web, and the free Adblock Fast was the first out the gate. Adblock Fast is made by Rockship Apps, whose founder and CEO Brian Kennish told TechCrunch that Google cited a violation of a section... [...]

Jay Leary says, “When we launched Moz Content at the end of November, we limited the subscription to a single tier. At the time we wanted to get the product out in the wild and highlight the importance of content auditing, competitive research, and data-driven content strategy. To all of those early adopters who signed up as Strategists over the last few months, a big thanks. Since then, we’ve made a long list of improvements to both Audit performance/stability and the size of our Content Search index. Along with those updates we also added two new subscriptions for larger sites and agencies... [...]

Greg Sterling  says, “Google parent Alphabet just released fourth quarter and full year earnings. The company surprised analysts and beat their consensus expectations on the top and bottom lines. CFO Ruth Porat said the company’s revenue growth was a product of mobile search acceleration, YouTube and programmatic. Fourth quarter revenue was $21.3 billion vs. expectations of $20.8 billion. Earnings per share were $8.67 compared with expectations of $8.09. Full year revenues were nearly $75 billion. Here’s the Q4 geographic revenues breakdown: US revenue was up 24 percent year-over-year... [...]

Amy Gesenhues says, “Google says its soon to be launched AMP project will be supported by Google Analytics. Aimed at creating web pages that load faster on mobile devices, Google’s AMP – short foraccelerated mobile pages – was announced in October of last year. Shortly after announcing AMP, the project gained support from ad platforms like Outbrain, AOL, OpenX, DoubleClick, and AdSense. Now along with ad support, publishers will have access to Google Analytics to measure how their AMP content is performing. For publishers looking to use AMP to provide an improved user experience, we’ve... [...]

Matt Asay says, “Google’s master plan has always been clear: Get more people using the Internet, and sell more ads alongside their searches. As I’ve written, that adds up to $6.30 per Internet user per year. Unfortunately, that plan has hit a snag, as the Guardian’s Charles Arthur uncovers. As the desktop dwindles and mobile devices surge, “new users and new platforms on which Google is available aren’t as valuable as the old ones.” Put more bluntly, “Mobile search is a real problem for Google: people don’t do it nearly as much as … it would like.” Don’t... [...]