The Axandra newsletter archive - 14 December 2004
Welcome to the latest issue of the Search Engine Facts newsletter.

This week, we're taking a look at Google's new Suggest feature.

In the news: Microsoft releases its desktop search tool, Yahoo and Ask Jeeves announce their desktop search tools, Google scans books from big libraries and more.

Table of contents:

We hope that you enjoy this newsletter and that it helps you to get more out of your web site. Please pass this newsletter on to your friends.

Best regards,
Andre Voget, Johannes Selbach, Axandra CEO

1. Facts of the week: The new Google Suggest feature

Google Labs have just released the beta version of a new Google tool: Google Suggest. As you type into the search box, Google Suggest guesses what you're typing and offers suggestions in real time:

How does it work?

"Our algorithms use a wide range of information to predict the queries users are most likely to want to see. For example, Google Suggest uses data about the overall popularity of various searches to help rank the refinements it offers."

Google Suggest is based on a JavaScript library. When you type a letter, Google Suggest requests a special modified version of Google's search tool which only returns the necessary data.

Google Suggest disables your web browsers auto-complete feature and it defines a field for the new auto-complete popup menu. Each time you enter a character in the search field, Google Suggest fills that field with the results of a query to a special database.

What can it do for you?

By suggesting more refined searches up front, Google Suggest can make your searches more convenient and efficient by keeping you from having to reformulate your query.

The downside is that Google Suggest limits the number of suggestions. If the current version of Google suggest became an official Google feature, the number of different search queries would be reduced. People wouldn't enter their own keyword creations anymore but they would use Google's limited suggestions.

Interested in some funny results?

Google Suggest sometimes returns interesting suggestions. For example, enter "my boyfriend is", "my girlfriend is" or "the truth is". It's fun to try new words and see what Google will do with them.

By typing single letters in the search box you can see the Google ABC: A is for Amazon, Z is for zip codes.

More information about Google Suggest can be found here. If you're interested in getting top rankings in Google and other major search engines, you might want to take a look at IBP.

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2. Search engine news of the week

Microsoft debuts desktop search tool

    "Microsoft Corp. released its long-awaited desktop search technology yesterday, entering a crowded race to dominate information access on Windows-based PCs.

    Still in beta mode, the free system lets people search the contents of their hard drives, including Microsoft Outlook e-mail, calendar items, contacts and Office documents. [...]

    Ask Jeeves, which bought desktop search company Tuckaroo Inc. in June, is expected to launch its own system this week."



Yahoo plans desktop search

    "Yahoo will release a desktop search tool in early 2005, joining other search engines looking to catalog a variety of information beyond Web pages [...]

    Instead of building its own tool, Yahoo licensed technology from Pasadena, CA, startup X1 Technologies. X1 lets users search their computers for word processing files, e-mails, photos and more than 220 other data types."



Google to scan books from big libraries

    "Google Inc. is trying to establish an online reading room for five major libraries by scanning stacks of hard-to-find books into its widely used Internet search engine.

    The ambitious initiative [...] gives Mountain View, Calif.-based Google the right to index material from the New York public library as well as libraries at four universities: Harvard, Stanford, Michigan and Oxford in England."



Google now offers access to European city maps

    "Due to the new cooperation between Google, Inc, and Mapsolute GmbH, maker of the unique mapping portal Map24.com, it is now possible to search for city maps in all European Google search engines. If you enter a city name into Google.com, the first result list entry is a special link to Map24.com that brings up the corresponding city map."



Search engine newslets

3. Articles of the week

Accoona: Should Google worry?

    "Even with a Clinton appearance, Accoona has a long way to go before it can compete with Google. Its artificial intelligence had better prove to be a quick learner. Or like many of the dot-coms that came and went, the outfit's launch party may turn out to be its high point as a business."



The impact of search engine usage on consumer buying

    "comScore Networks today released the findings of a breakthrough study revealing the impact of search engine usage on the online and offline buying process. The study [...] analyzed the timing of search engine usage and the role of different search term categories in the shopping process among consumers searching for electronics and computer products."



Eight months of click fraud in Oregon

    "After initial happiness with the results, eight months later Hendison discovered someone with a Portland-based IP address had been clicking on his ads at over 20 times the frequency of a person looking for an online insurance quote. Hendison calculated that, at a cost of $6 per click, the extra activity from that IP address alone was costing him between $200 and $300 per month."



Judge hears Geico, Google trademark case

    "A federal judge heard arguments Monday in a trademark dispute that could threaten millions in advertising revenue for search engine Google Inc."

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4. Recommended resources

Get top 10 rankings on Google, Yahoo and other major search engines

    A search engine optimization method that really works is to analyze the web pages that currently have a high ranking for your important keywords. IBP analyzes the top 10 ranked web pages and it tells you what they have done to obtain these high rankings.

    IBP's Top 10 Optimizer helps you to optimize your own pages for top 10 rankings in Google, Yahoo and other major search engines. IBP is a unique real-time web site promotion software tool that you can't get anywhere else.

    When a search engine changes its ranking algorithm, IBP allows you to immediately optimize your web pages for the new algorithm. IBP is always up-to-date.



Want to be mentioned in this newsletter?

    Just send us some words about your successes with IBP or ARELIS and you might get featured in this newsletter along with your web site address.

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5. Previous articles

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