Study Shows No Clear Evidence That Google+ Drives Ranking

At SMX Advanced, I presented results from a study we had done that convinced me that links in shares from Google Plus and Facebook behave like traditional web-based links. My statements at SMX Advanced were later disputed by Matt Cutts during his keynote interview by Danny Sullivan, leading to a live discussion — Matt even invited me up on stage during the keynote:

Read more: http://searchengineland.com/study-shows-no-clear-evidence-that-google-plus-drives-ranking-171789

Yelp Triples The Search Filters On Its iOS App

Yelp quietly made a pretty big expansion of its search capabilities on iOS within the past week.

The company’s latest iOS app update included a new photo viewer, increased visibility of bookmarked businesses, improvements to review highlights … and about 15 new search filters that should make it easier for users to find the specific types of businesses they’re looking for.

Before the update, Yelp’s iOS app had seven filters including things like Price, Delivery, Offering a Deal and Distance. The update added 15 new filters:

• Takes Reservations
• Accepts Credit Cards
• Outdoor Seating
• Good for Kids
• Good for Groups
• Take Out
• Wheelchair Accessible
• Accepts Insurance
• Has TV
• Dogs Allowed
• Free Wi-Fi
• Paid Wi-Fi
• Full Bar
• Beer and Wine Only
• Happy Hour

Read More: http://searchengineland.com/yelp-triples-the-search-filters-on-its-ios-app-171621

Study: Google Reviews Determine Local Carousel Rankings

Since the launch of the Google “Local Carousel” in June, SEOs and marketers have been trying to reverse engineer the ranking variables that elevate listings into that hallowed ground. Mike Blumenthal offered a good early roundup of stories and analysis.

Now Digital Marketing Works (DMW) has conducted an extensive study of what might be called “Carousel results” and come to the conclusion that the quality and quantity of Google reviews are the single most important variable determining inclusion and ranking.

Read More: http://searchengineland.com/study-quantity-quality-of-google-reviews-determine-carousel-rankings-172221

Bing Ads Introduces Performance Comparison Graphs

The Bing Ads UI has long been plagued by obfuscation. Yes, there have been improvements such as the addition of performance trends and change history visualization, but there hasn’t be a way to compare performance data without downloading, formatting  and analyzing reports on your own. Finally, Bing Ads is working on a solution.

Today the company announced it’s working on new performance comparison feature to:

• Compare your current performance to that of a previous period.
• Compare your performance with the MOVING AVERAGE, a reliable performance baseline to measure the success of your campaigns against.
• Compare your performance between weekdays and weekends.
• See performance comparison in the context of change history.

Read More: http://searchengineland.com/bing-ads-introduces-performance-comparison-graphs-172266

Official: Google Rolling Out App Launcher, Flat Logo

The testing is over.

Google has confirmed its plans to add a new app launcher to the main Google navigation bar that will give users quicker access to other Google products.

It’s the same grid-style app launcher that many users will already recognize from Android devices and Chromebook computers. Google has been testing this nav launcher since February, if not earlier.

Read More: http://searchengineland.com/official-google-rolling-out-app-launcher-flat-logo-172279