Christina Warren says, “Google announced on Tuesday that it has added new spam filtering support to Gmail to help crack down on phishing attacks. Last week, Gmail added support for non-Latin characters as a first step in helping email become more global. This is good news for countries where users speak and write in non-Latin languages, but it can also present potential security challenges”. Google Introduces Better Spam Filters to Combat Gmail Phishing Mashable  [...]

Re/Code team says, “Google’s search engine is displaying Frankenstein-esque characteristics. Like the fictional scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who created a monster more powerful than its master, Google’s algorithm designed to rid the Internet of spammy links is proving difficult, if not impossible, to control. In June, CNBC.com reported on a Google algorithm called Panda that crawls the Web to periodically push what the search provider considers lower-quality sites down in the rankings while elevating better pages”. Has Google Lost Control of Its Anti-Spam Algorithm? Re/code  [...]

David Hamilton says, “Well, that’s one way to bend the Internet to your will. Google on Thursday applied its not-inconsiderable leverage as Search King of the Universe to “encourage” websites to encrypt their traffic, thus protecting themselves and their users from hackers and other spies (hello, NSA!) What Google is doing here is an unquestionably good thing. The decentralized Web has been remarkably lax in adopting simple security measures that safeguard your email, conversations, reading habits, and all other manner of personal details you’d rather not share with... [...]

Jason Abbruzzese says, “Google’s YouTube has acquired Directr, a startup aimed at helping small businesses create promotional videos. Directr markets a mobile app on iOS that provides small businesses with a way to create and publish videos. Details of the deal were not disclosed, but Directr is a relatively small operation, having only raised $1.7 million in funding. The company will integrate into YouTube’s video ads division. “Our small band of scrappy film lovers set out 2 years ago to help regular folks make great video. Today, we are incredibly excited to take the next... [...]

Michael Cottam says, “The Panda algorithm looks for high-quality content, but what exactly is it looking for, how is it finding what it deems to be high-quality, and—perhaps most pressingly—what in the world can we do to befriend the bear? In today’s Whiteboard Friday, Michael Cottam explains what these things are, and more importantly, what we can do to be sure we get the nod from this particular bear”. Real-World Panda Optimization – Whiteboard Friday MOZ Blog  [...]

Oliwia Berdak says, “”When will Google launch a bank and what will it look like?” is a question I frequently hear from our banking clients. Google’s activities in digital wallets and payments, as well as its reputation as one of the most disruptive firms in the market, have obviously left many banking executives worried. Unfortunately, they’re asking the wrong question. I’ll leave aside the issue of whether Google or perhaps Apple or Amazon should be the focus of this increased attention. Each of these players has its unique strengths and growth plans, and some of these... [...]

Todd Wasserman says, “In an effort to compete with other online shopping destinations, namely Amazon, Google announced it was adding customer reviews to searches on Thursday. Searches for terms that could be construed as products, like “blender” or “lawnmower,” will now include reviews on a five-star scale that are aggregated from merchants, third-party sites and editorial sites”. Google Adds Amazon-Like Ratings to Searches Mashable  [...]

Bill Faeth says, “Over the weekend Google released another search algorithm update, this time to their Local Search Algorithm.  An article by Search Engine Land, the updated has appropriately dubbed this the “Pigeon” update, which will most likely stick, as this appears to be a significant update. The algorithm update will provide more accurate and relevant local search results that are linked to organic search results within the Google Maps feature, also know as Google Places.  This is critical for local businesses and SEOs as it appears that the two sets of search queries will... [...]

This is a reminder for the Website Magazine webinar scheduled on July 31. Website Magazine is hosting a webinar on Thursday, July 31 at 2.00 pm EDT. The topic of the webinar is “Did Google just penalize me?”. The WM team says, “That’s the first question everyone asks when their traffic drops. The mystique of search engines, and how they do what they do, lends itself to sensationalism. Mainstream media fans the flames with reporting about websites violating terms of service, with results ranging from penalties to page rank downgrades. The truth is, today few businesses... [...]

Bill Slawski says, “I’m going to be asking you to take over as Panda for a little while to see if you can identify the kinds of things that Google’s Navneet Panda addressed when faced with what looked like an incomplete patent created to identify sites as parked domain pages, content farm pages, and link farm pages. You’re probably better at this now then he was then“. Unraveling Panda Patterns MOZ Blog  [...]