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Google Docs Gains E-Commerce Option Posted by Thomas Claburn, Jul 30, 2009 06:10 PM Google (NSDQ: GOOG) on Thursday released the Google Checkout store gadget, software that allows any Google Docs user to create an online store and sell items using a Google spreadsheet. "Using new Spreadsheet Data APIs, we've integrated Google Docs and Google Checkout to make online selling a breeze," explains Google Checkout strategist Mike Giardina in a blog post. "In three simple steps, you'll be able to create an online store that's powered by Google Checkout and has inventory managed and stored in a Google spreadsheet." Giardina insists that the process is simple and can be completed in less than five minutes. To use the gadget, Google users first have to sign up for Google Checkout. They can then list whatever they want to sell in a Google spreadsheet and insert the Checkout gadget, which can also be used on Google Sites, Blogger, and iGoogle.

Google Working on Faster, More Caffeinated Search Engine Click to enlarge Google announced today that it has been working on a faster search engine that will improve results for web developers and power searchers. Dubbed Caffeine, the new project focuses on next-generation infrastructure and seeks to improve performance in a host of areas including size, indexing speed, accuracy and comprehensiveness. Could this also be seen as a step towards improving access to the Deep Web? For now though, developers are being asked to go and check out the http://www2.sandbox.google.com/ and try a few searches with it. Then, compare those results with those found on the current Google site. If a "Dissatisfied? Help us improve." link displays, click on it and type your feedback in the text box along with the word caffeine. Since it's still a work in progress, Google engineers will be monitoring all feedback.

Search Force SEM Platform Now Supports Image Ads SearchForce, a company whose platform consolidates bid optimization, campaign management and reporting, has incorporated support for content-rich image ads. The company claims it is the first search engine marketing and bid optimization firm to do so. Users can now decide the specific placement of image ads within Google's AdWords network. They can also optimize bids, track conversions and view reporting on them. According to SearchForce, image ads remain lamentably little-used because of lack of visibility, awareness about location of placement, and the inability to clearly associate ROI to spend. Apart from the support of image ads, its platform also enables users to segment keywords by performance and automate multiple programs. In May, the company launched a new profit algorithm that enables clients to quickly adjust bids based on quality, seasonality and day of the week patterns. A recent Hitwise report found that, while marketing dollars are increasingly moving online, search advertising has taken a blow as a result of the recession.

Calling All SEOs and Webmasters: Google Wants You Click to enlarge Now through Sept. 30th, Google is looking once again to its community of developers to help guide others and contribute short tutorial videos to their Webmaster Central YouTube channel. The basic requirements are as follows: - Keep the video short: Approximately 3-5 minutes. - Think small: A short video is a good way to showcase your use of Top Search Queries, but not long enough to highlight an entire SEO strategy. - Focus on a real-life example of how you used a particular feature: For example, you could show how you used link data to research your brand, or crawl errors to diagnose problems with your site structure. Do you have a great tip or recommendation? (Go here for a complete list of requirements and submit all videos through their help center.) This is not the first time Google has reached out, nor is it something new to the industry. The site is billed as a one-stop shop for webmaster resources that helps with crawling and indexing questions, as well as introducing offerings to enhance and increase site traffic. The YouTube channel has more than 5,000 subscribers and 113 uploaded tutorials since launching in January.

Enquisite Search Marketing Shares: Google Sends Most Traffic Dec 19, 2006 at 10:58am ET by Danny Sullivan Enquisite is a search ranking tool that works in part by gathering in your traffic details. That means they take in data from a variety of web sites and so can see general traffic patterns. They’ve just posted search referral data for November and part of December, putting Google far above anyone else in terms of sending search related traffic (about 78 percent). Yahoo follows in the 6-7 percent range, then MSN in the 3-4 percent range. Data is based on 10 million referrals in the period. Number of sites involved isn’t said.

Google is also adding some features to Insight for Search. There's a new forecasting feature that makes predictions based on historical data and search patterns.

August 20, 2009 Google Chief Economist Says Conversion Rate Doesn't Vary Much by Ad Position Google's Chief Economist Dan Friedman Hal Varian and his team have conducted research on whether ad position affects conversion rate. Their conclusion is that it doesn't much. I have a feeling "much" is subjective among SEMs. Their research showed that for search results pages with 11 sponsored ads, conversion rates "only" varied 5% from first place to last. So, if an ad gets a 1% conversion rate in the first place, the worst it would get is 0.95%. Friedman Varian wanted to emphasize that ad position is affected by ad quality. Therefore, ads with higher ad position are likely better quality and more likely to have higher conversion rates. In other words, don't compare apples to oranges when testing ad position. You would need to test the same ad across various positions.

Google Insights Forecasts the Future Posted by Thomas Claburn, Aug 17, 2009 05:46 PM Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has enhanced Google Insights for Search, its search term data analysis tool, to help users see into the future. Now available in 39 languages, Google Insights for Search includes a new forecasting feature that can extrapolate a search term's future popularity based on its past performance. For search terms with a lot of historical data, Google Insights for Search can project a likely trend. It's not a perfect prediction of what's to come, but it may be useful in certain circumstances. Google has also added an animated map that allows users to see how search query volume changes over time in specific geographic regions. Graphs generated using Google Insights for Search can be presented on any Web page or iGoogle page using an embeddable gadget. This is particularly use for tracking the ebb and flow of online discussion about a particular topic.