Weekly SEO news: 2 February2010
Welcome to latest issue of the Search Engine Facts newsletter.

Webmasters continue to see breadcrumbs on Google's result pages. What are breadcrumbs, for which websites does Google display them and how can you get Google to display breadcrumbs for your own website?

In the news: Google stops MS Internet Explorer 6.0 support, some words about Google PageRank, Steve Jobs about Google's "don't be evil" mantra and more.

Table of contents:

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Best regards,
Andre Voget, Johannes Selbach, Axandra CEO
1. How to get your breadcrumbs on Google's result pages

Webmasters continue to see breadcrumbs on Google's result pages. What are breadcrumbs, for which websites does Google display them and how can you get Google to display breadcrumbs for your own website?

breadcumbgs

What are breadcrumbs?

Breadcrumbs is the name for the hierarchical site navigation links that are often used on web pages. Here's an example: "You are here: Home > Category > Sub category > Page".

Since a few weeks Google displays breadcrumbs for some websites on the search result pages:

Why is it good if Google shows breadcrumbs for your website?

If Google displays breadcrumbs for your website then you basically have more links on Google's result page. Each page in the breadcrumbs line has its own link.

If your web page is listed with breadcrumbs in the results then it is more likely that the searcher will come to the right page on your website and that you will get a sale.

How can you get Google to display breadcrumbs for your website?

If you want Google to display breadcrumbs for your website, you have to use bread crump navigation on your web pages. That means that you must have a set of delimited links on your website that reflects your website hierarchy.

Google's Matt Cutts recently published a video in which he tries to shed some light on the topic. It seems that Google is still testing breadcrumbs on the result pages and that the display of breadcrumbs in the search results will change (just like Google's Sitelinks changed).

Regarding the question which delimiter is best for breadcrumb navigation, Matt remains very vague. For example, links could be delimited with >, hyphens or the » symbol. So far, all examples on Google pages use > as the delimiter so it's probably best to go with that symbol.

Depending on the size of your website, it is a good idea to use breadcrumbs. They make it easier for users to navigate your website and they help users to remember where they are on your website.

Of course, breadcrumbs alone won't get you in Google's search results. You must also make sure that Google finds the right keywords on your website and that your website has enough inbound links.

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2. Search engine news and articles of the week

Internet ExplorerGoogle stops supporting MS Internet Explorer 6.0

"It's about darn time: Google has joined the ranks of tech companies relegating Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 to the archive tapes of history. [...] Internet Explorer 6 has long been a thorn in the side of Web developers and application designers: although the application sported many new features when it debuted with Windows XP nine years ago, the browser’s well-known bugs and maddeningly incomplete, inconsistent, and often incorrect support for Web standards has forced many developers to specifically create retrograde services explicitly for IE6."



Q and A: Is Google PageRank dead?

"It might be true that webmasters don’t need to obsess about the little green bar that is the Google Toolbar PageRank score, but the influence of links in Google’s PageRank algorithm is alive and well. [...]

While Toolbar PageRank scores may not be as indicative as they used to be, link building is still absolutely vital as a way to boost search ranking for a page. Measurement now though is via observation, individual search query rank, number of pages indexed and number of backlinks achieved."

Editor's note: we've mentioned it before in our newsletter. It is not important that your website gets many green pixels in Google's toolbar. It is important that your website gets high rankings for the right keywords and good inbound links.



Eric Schmidt Google is another country

"Google is not a country. Eric Schmidt – who would be prime minister if it was – kept repeating the point at a briefing he gave at Davos this afternoon. They didn't have a police force, they didn't have jails, they didn't have their own prosecutors. [...]

In other respects Google is not unlike many other countries (Britain, say) which turn up at Davos with half the cabinet."



 Google joins the titans of Silicon Valley lobbying

"In just five years, the search engine giant has gone from almost no presence in Washington to spending more money on lobbying than all but one other Silicon Valley company in 2009. And in the past three months, Google topped all other valley spenders."

Related: Google begins search for regional [Middle East] lobbyist



Apple's Steve Jobs: Google’s "don't be evil" mantra is "bullshit"

"We did not enter the search business, Jobs said. They entered the phone business. Make no mistake they want to kill the iPhone. We won’t let them, he says. Someone else asks something on a different topic, but there’s no getting Jobs off this rant. I want to go back to that other question first and say one more thing, he says. This don’t be evil mantra: 'It’s bullshit.' Audience roars."



Search engine newslets

  • Google considers giving more transparency about revenue splits in AdSense.
  • Google Translate adds Haitian Creole.
  • Google Analytics adds 6 more languages.
  • Google falls victim to Chinese knockoff brand.
  • Google's privacy principles.

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3. Success stories

Patrick Polglase"We have seen our sales rise 37% monthly."

"IBP was introduced to us in mid 2009. We are a small sustainable activity toy business based in a remote area that sells wooden and outdoor activity toys exclusively online.

We have a display and test area called 'our garden' with a dedicated test team of scientists and outside expert consultants - (our kids - their friends and local preschool and schools!)

Our key products such as Plan Toys Wooden Dollhouse and Trampolines were way way back on page a zillion on Google but with some IBPing we have reached page 1 on amazingly competitive search terms.

We have seen our sales rise 37% monthly like for like sales".
Patrick Polglase, www.bouncyhappypeople.co.uk

Tell us how IBP helped your business and 230,000 readers will see YOUR website

Let us know how IBP has helped you to improve your website and we might publish your success story with a link to your website in this newsletter. The more detailed your story is, the better.

Click here to tell us your story.

IBP

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4. Previous articles

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