For a brief moment, Google began taking pre-orders for the new Nexus phone before it had received approval from the FCC to sell the phone. Apparently due to a communication mix-up, the incident was a mild embarrassment for Google. It shut down the ordering process and said it wouldn’t sell the hone until the FCC approved (this approval is a legal requirement for the sale.) Fortunately, approval has now been received as of 19 October, and the formal sales will commence on the day originally planned in early November, or shortly after it. This is just another example of the many hurdles product... [...]

Pete Pachal says, “Google wants to change email for the better. To do it, it’s launching a new email app, separate from Gmail, called Inbox. Announced via blog post, Inbox builds upon Gmail’s relatively successful tabs, which introduced new buckets for Social updates and Promotions. The app features Bundles, which will group together similar kinds of messages, so things like bank statements and receipts are grouped together. Bundles will be user-customizable as well. There’s also Highlights, which puts important emails front and center — photos from friends, flight itineraries... [...]

Jim Yu says, “Panda “4.1″ – another iteration of Google’s algorithm aimed at low-quality web content — hit on September 25, and some brands saw upward of a 90 percent loss in their organic search footprint, according to initial research conducted at BrightEdge. In this post, we’ll go over the latest Panda iteration, and what it could mean for your website’s content strategy based on findings on which sites were impacted positively and negatively. How Is Panda 4.1 Different Than Before? Although Google closely guards its algorithmic secrets, here’s what we know about Panda... [...]

Graham Charlton says, “Over the weekend Google released its latest Penguin update, the first in more than a year.  This follows a recent update to Panda, which took aim at thin content and aggregator sites. I asked Stephen Kenwright, head of search at Branded3, about the aims and impact of this latest update”. Penguin 3.0: what’s it all about? ‘Econsultancy’ Blog  [...]

Matt McGee says, “Against what seems like an almost constant string of accusations that it’s not doing enough to prevent online piracy, Google today touted recent progress on that front today with an updated version of its How Google Fights Piracy document and new anti-piracy efforts in its search results. The 26-page document, first published in 2013, outlines Google’s five anti-piracy principles: Create more and better legitimate alternatives (to piracy). Follow the money. “The most effective way to combat (online pirates) is to cut off their money supply,” the document says,... [...]

Selena Larson says, “Google’s Gmail 5.0 app will finally provide Android users with one email management application that streamlines all their different accounts. According to a video obtained by Android Police, the Gmail app expected with Google’s Android Lollipop mobile operating system will let users read and answer email from non-Gmail accounts such as Yahoo and Outlook. It doesn’t say whether it will manage other accounts as well. If the Gmail app will manage a variety of outside email accounts, the new app could finally give Android users an obvious alternative to bouncing... [...]

Liz Gannes says, “Google missed expectations for the September quarter despite a slowdown in the decline of online ad rates. The search giant reported adjusted profit of $6.35 per share. The Street was looking for $6.54. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company had $16.52 billion in sales for $13.17 billion in net income. It basically looks like Google spent a lot of money this quarter — categories like operating expenses, data center and hardware costs and stock-based compensation were all up. The company now has 55,030 employees, up nearly 3,000 since three months ago”. Google Misses... [...]

Greg Sterling says, “Google announced Q3 2014 earnings this afternoon. The company reported $16.52 billion in “consolidated revenues.” This represented a 20 percent increase over Q3 2013. However earnings per share and revenues were below Wall Street expectations. The stock is off in after-hours trading“. Google Q3: Earnings, Revenues Miss, Paid Clicks Up, CPCs Down 2 Pct. Marketing Land  [...]

Derek S. says, “With 50 percent of searches with local intent leading the user to visit the store, it is imperative that businesses optimize their mobile presence. While the effectiveness of pay-per-click ads still divides search marketers, those that use the advertising format must take every opportunity to make their ads as effective as possible, say, for example, by including a click-to-call button. In early November 2014 Google has stated that it will begin offering a new feature for businesses that will allow them to use local numbers as call extensions in AdWords ads”. Google... [...]

Chow says, “Google Analytics allows bloggers to see almost every statistic under the sun in regards to their site. The benefit of seeing these statistics is the opportunity it provides to watch growth, see mistakes, and make adjustments accordingly. It is important for bloggers to understand Google Analytics and what it has to offer. Here we will review a few tips to help you understand these statistics! Firstly, the average visit duration – how long readers are staying on your page – per given amount of time (such as “monthly” “daily” or “hourly”).  From experience, if visits... [...]