Google Plan To Improve Webmaster Tools & Use Location Tracking Technology
Google Open To Suggestions For Improvement
Google engineer Matt Cutts has posted a blog inviting web site owners to make suggestions regarding the improvement of webmaster tools. He pointed out that Google are already sending out warnings about web spam. They have also incorporated useful information for the victims of site hacking and provided in depth information about link profiles. However, there are some other steps that Google could take to enhance the webmaster service.
Matt Cutts took the time to outline some potential means of improvement. He said that it would be possible to make Google authorship easier and send out comprehensive reports about website errors. It was also suggested that Google could offer more information about the different means of mobile optimisation. However, Cutts said that Google are unable to guarantee the implementation of such improvements.
Webmasters Provided With Advice About Link Disavowal
There has been some debate about the appropriate use of Google’s link disavow tool. Website owners have been unsure of whether to immediately deal with any unusual links or wait for warnings from Google. However, Matt Cutts has attempted to settle the issue by telling concerned webmasters to take pre-emptive action if they notice bad links pointing to their websites.
Cutts clarified his stance by advising webmasters to ‘feel free to just go ahead and pre-emptively say, you know what this is a weird domain, I have nothing to do with it, and no idea what this particular bot is doing in terms of making links, so go ahead and do disavows even on a domain level.’
Google Planning On Monitoring People’s Offline Behaviour
Privacy advocates would undoubtedly have been alarmed to read recent reports about Google’s plans to track activity in the ‘real world’. Apparently they have decided to use location mapping services to ascertain the effectiveness of mobile advertisements. It is also claimed that they are intent on providing the advertisers with information about the behaviour of digital users.
A Google statement revealed that ‘Conversions can come in many forms: visits to stores, phone calls, app downloads, website sales or purchases made after consulting various devices. Getting better insight into these complex purchase paths can help you optimize your online advertising and allocate budget more effectively.’
However, a leading privacy campaigner responded by saying ‘People need to be given a clear choice about when they share their location data, and one vague opt-in when using a map shouldn’t give Google carte blanche to then constantly track our location.’
Youtube Respond To Criticisms Regarding Google + Integration
The digital specialists at Youtube have been criticised since making the decision to demand Google + registration as a means of verifying video comments. They pointed out that this choice was made in order to solve certain problems with spam. However, it became apparent that the new system had ‘introduced new opportunities for abuse and shortly after the launch we saw some users taking advantage of them.’
Some digital users took the opportunity to include links to dodgy websites and incorporate ASCII pornography art. This led to considerable anger. Many people signed a petition to remove the Google + requirement. However, Google said, ‘Bulk moderation has been a long standing creator request and we’ll be releasing tools for that soon. At the same time, we’re also working on improving comment ranking and moderation of old-style comments.’
