This week Matt Cutts answered the popular question about guest blogging and spam on the Webmaster Help YouTube channel. His response verified thoughts which many blog publishers (including myself) have had around the low quality 'guest bloggers' that target higher profile blogs - often submitting content that's already been used on other sites.
The note to take away is that Google have their eyes on a system that's being increasingly abused - so be aware when considering guest blogger submissions, always research to make sure they're not offering you second-hand content.
Survey Monkey and Search Engine Land joined forces to conduct some research on Christmas shoppers last month. The results showed that 70% of US consumers would look for a “known retailer” when deciding what search results they click on. Results within the “What will you use to search for gifts this year?” category, showed that Google and Amazon came head to head, with only a percentage apart. It was also good to see Groupon sneaking up and even beating Bing.
If you’re a Spotify fan like we are, then you’ll be pleased to know that they have finally launched a free streaming service for mobile devices. It's about time! So the question is, what will you have access to? Well, if you’re not a premium user, you’ll be limited to basic features, meaning a shuffled version of a playlist or an artist’s catalogue. You can now get the updated mobile app, including a big green “shuffle button” for free users.
Social media favorite, Instagram announced a new private messaging feature called Instagram Direct, on their Facebook page. The feature allows users to send a photo or video privately to up to fifteen followers. No surprise that they’re attempting to compete with rivals Snapchat. Will it work?
Lastly, the Wordtracker office will be enjoying the Christmas party tonight. Have a great Friday, see you next week!
