Google officially launched Keyword Planner!

Google officially launched Keyword Planner, which is the combination of the Keyword Tool and the Traffic Estimator into one tool,  both of which will be sun setting about 60 days.

Keyword Planner also comes with some new features, including the ability to find new keyword and ad group ideas by “multiplying” keywords (combining two or more lists to generate new keywords). It will now let you target individual cities and regions within a country.

It also lets you add keyword and group ideas to a “plan,” which Google describes as a shopping cart of ideas that you can add to a current or new campaign.

Google+ gets some major facelift!

Google rolling out big changes for the Google+ platform. The new Google Plus interface focuses more on photo and video content. It gives more importance to an improved visibility and inclusion of graphical objects on the page.

The home page for G+ now has up to three columns populated with individual cards for posts and pictures, and the social network can intelligently learn the content of those posts and automatically add related hashtags for you. Columns appear or disappear depending upon the size of your screen, and cards can be flipped to reveal editing options, or moved to suit users' aesthetic tastes. 

Google testing new ways to show ads in the new Google Maps!

Google recently announced an enhanced version of its popular Google Maps service, and now the company provided a glimpse of the future of Google Maps at the annual platform development events.

The new Google Maps will offer unique maps for each person that gets more relevant with every click, highlighting the things which matter the most. 

Google revealed that they are testing new ways to show ads in  the new Google Maps. 

• Users will see search ads with location extensions directly on the map, below the search box
• Users will see search ads without location, below the search box

Google suggest the best way to have your ads seen by potential customers in the new Google Maps is to run search ads with location extensions and ensure to include  search partners in your campaign network settings to appear on Google Maps.

'Ok Google' - A multi-screen and conversational search experience!

The computers of the future will understand natural language and speak back to us, Google has suggested.

At the Google I/O conference, the company rolled out "OK, Google," which is a universal version of the Siri-style of conversational interaction. But instead of being solely on the phone, it will also work on your desktop via Chrome.

Google revamps Adwords Espress!

Google announced a redesign of its AdWords Express product, featuring clearer stats and graphs, a faster signup process, and a new real-time ad preview box. The changes are available starting today; just sign in and you can check them out.

Google says these changes are in direct response to customer feedback. The redesigned dashboard now lets you quickly glance to see how many views, clicks, and calls your ad generated. A pie chart breaks down your monthly spending while a line graph lets you track your results over time. 

Google announced smart content recommendations for your mobile website!

Google has announced smart content recommendations for your mobile website. The new feature is a mix of Google Search and Google+, that feed appropriate content on the basis of recommendations earned from social media service Google+.

The recommendations are on the basis of popular articles viewed by Google+ users and search authorship signals. In case you don't want to read further, all you need to do is tap the G+ option. 

Google also talked about its plan to have more in Google+ content recommendations and Google+ Sign-in. It is also looking forward to add more than 50 companies who have already integrated Google+ Sign In to share their stories from Google I/O.

Google announced new changes to Adwords terms and conditions!

Google announced new changes to the AdWords terms and conditions for all countries and territories in the Asian Pacific region except China, Korea, Taiwan and India.

Advertisers will have 45 days to review and accept the new T&C. Your ads will be paused if you fail to accept them within the time period. Affected advertisers will see the new terms and conditions when signing in and can accept the new terms from that page.  A full list of countries is here.

Google’s Matt Cutts: What should we expect in the next few months in terms of SEO for Google?

Google’s Matt Cutts provided a rundown of what Google’s webspam team has planned for the coming months, and what it means for webmasters. It involves the Penguin update, the Panda update, advertorials, hacked sites, link spam, and a lot more.

Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQmQeKU25zg

 

 

Google's Youtube announced paid subscription channels!

YouTube announced the launching of a pilot program that sees a number of its partners offering exclusive content behind a monthly fee.

YouTube, which is owned by Google, said the launch was part of an effort to enable "content creators to earn revenue for their creativity".

Under the pilot programme, a small number of content makers will offer the channels for subscriptions starting at $0.99 a month. Each of these channels will offer two weeks of free viewing before charges kick in and some will provide discounts for those who sign up for an annual subscription.

Consumer Spending Trends on Mother's day!

According to a research by the National Retail Federation and BIGinsight: Consumer spending is forecast to be up 11 percent this year for Mother's Day, showing an average of $168.94 spent in celebration. The NRF 2013 Mother’s Day consumer spending survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to the Mother’s Day holiday.

The survey found 14.1 percent of shoppers this Mother's Day will spend more than $2.3 billion on electronics, up from $1.6 billion last year. Additionally, gift givers will splurge on a special outing, such as brunch or dinner ($3.5 billion), flowers ($2.3 billion), gift cards ($2.0 billion), clothing or clothing accessories ($1.7 billion), and personal service gifts, such as a day at the spa ($1.5 billion).