The history and evolution of SEO

Ever wondered when links became such an influential component of SEO? Or when Google released the infamous "Florida" update and what effect it had on search engine optimisation? Perhaps you're interested in the origins of the unsolicited link exchange, or want to know when (and why) nofollow was created. All these questions and many more are answered in Greenlights SEO History of the Internet, a graphical two page "cheat sheet" plotting the evolution of SEO and key events that have happened during the fourteen year history of the industry. Here at Greenlight the history of SEO is something we find quite fascinating. But while there are many disparate sources of information on the topic, I was unable to find a single source that packaged all of the key events that have happened in our industry in a single, graphical timeline. Thus, I give you the History of SEO (click for... Read full article

Twittle & Twing - Why Google and Bing need Twitter data.

First it was Microsoft, followed a day later by Google. At the end of last week both giants have signed deals with "micro blogging" phenomenon Twitter to reuse its vast repository of data for their own purposes. The terms of the deal aren’t known, but it probably represents the first time Twitter has managed to leverage its user base – around 5.1 million strong, if you go by publicly accessible profiles – as a major source of income. This has proved a stumbling block for other Social Media favourites such as YouTube and Facebook, but by acting as a single gathering point for the type of information that search engines can’t typically get at, Twitter has made itself extremely attractive to Google and Microsoft. Time Sensitive Queries Search engines exist in part to satisfy a need for what might be termed “static” search; informational or transactional searches where the user... Read full article

Farecast could be Bing's best point of leverage

I've always liked the Farecast interface. It gives that feeling of true flexibility of refining your choices without you having to keep going back and endlessly redo your searches. It is one of those few great examples of professional and expert power, put in the hands of the consumer by new web technologies. The fact that it also lets you compare your results with other agent sites like Expedia is a boon too, because the consumer always wants to know what they could be getting elsewhere, and showing them, which no doubt will lead to a commission should they take that route, works out for everyone involved. Integrating it into Bing's search results is a very nice touch, too, and puts it squarely ahead of Google on travel integration, and makes the Google SERPS seem almost vanilla by comparison. This will increase the reach of these powerful, yet underused services... Read full article