Google Insights for Search is a search tool that shows you search volume patterns across specific regions, categories and time frames. I decided to try out Insights for Search to see for myself. I did a search on WordPress Theme, applying a worldwide filter and looking at a time frame range between 2004 – present. The search result was quite interesting.

If you look below, you will see a steady growth between 2004 and now which is as expected considering weblogs become popular in recent years but what is more interesting is to see that the majority of regional interest in WordPress Theme is from the Asian region, mainly Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Singapore, etc. (Take a look at the screenshot no. 2).

The assumption I can make based on the search result is the growth of Broadband usage in the Asian region and the availability of lower cost shared hosting have contributed towards the interest in creating a self-hosted blog, hence the search for WordPress Theme.

Screenshot no. 1

Screenshot no. 2

The rising search terms gives even more interesting insights into my search on WordPress Theme. Clicking on WordPress Magazine Theme reveals that a Western region interest and the interest picked up in 2007.

Screenshot no. 3

Screenshot no. 4

Google Insights has just revealed very useful information for me which I can use strategically if I am planning to advertise WordPress Theme products. The key search phrases reveal a completely different regional audience.

My analysis tells me that the Asian region WordPress users are still searching for “free” themes but in the Western region, users are more interested in magazine style themes and are more likely to pay for these themes.

Another reason could be that the Western region users are using WordPress for business and the magazine theme is more appealing and professional looking while the Asian region users are mostly personal blog users.

The revelation is Google has given another powerful free tool for users and web strategist to learn more about search patterns. It is a tool that should not be overlooked.

Link: http://www.google.com/insights/search/

Today Google announced that the Google Custom Search Engine (CSE) has gone global. It is now available in 40 languages in close to 80 countries.

The Google CSE is useful for people who have websites, blogs or special interest groups. You can create a custom search engine that search only your site, search the web but emphasize on a list of sites that you define or search the entire web. What Google CSE provides is the abiltity to configure boundaries or restrictions to search within the search dataset that you setup.

Google provides two editions of the Google CSE. There is a free with ads version and a business edition version. The business edition requires a subscription that starts at $100 and is ad free.

For those of you who are interested in learning how to setup Google CSE, the video below gives an overview. You require a Google account to use Google CSE which you can easily create.

The top 10 useful web sites according to Pandia Search Engine News:

1.  Google Web Search
2.  IMDB
3.  Amazon
4.  The Wikipedia
5.  Techmeme
6.  Tripadvisor
7.  Google Maps
8.  Online Conversions
9.  How Stuff Works
10. Download.com

The list is provided by editors of Pandia showing their favourite sites for practical problem solving, search and information.

Google created Google co-op to allow end-users to create their own search
engine. It is a collaborative tool which allows users and volunteers to
contribute information and in return help Google improve the search
results
for everyone. Hence, creating vertical search engines. This is achieved
by allowing users to add trusted sites/URLs using the Google co-op tool.
Google will take the information and prioritize the ranking of the sites.

Using search engines have become part of our daily web experience. Most people use google and refer “google it” to the world search on the net.AdSense, AdWord and internet marketing and advertising have also become a lucrative business for many companies who call themselves SEOs. After allsearch engine marketing is about using the search engine to drive more traffic to a web site. Pandia has come up with a search engine marketing 101 guidefor beginners. It is worth reading the article whether you are a newbie or if you are interested in driving more traffic to your web site.

Pandia Search Engine Marketing 101

According to TechNewsWorld, Search engine leader Google has been forced to respond to a security vulnerability in its Google Desktop Search software, which reportedly made it possible for computer intruders to view desktop search results via the Web. Google claims it has fixed the problem for current and future users of the service.

Google will provide the ability for searching books by digitizing out-of-print and copyrighted works. Google will partner with major libraries on this project. The partners include five major libraries, University of Michigan, Oxford University and the New York Public Library.

A new search facility by Google. What this tool does is, it tries to guess what you are trying to find in real time. As soon as you have started typing Google will try to guess what you are looking for, offering you alternative search keywords and queries with an estimate of the number of pages containing the relevant search keyword phrases.

Although Google already has a feature called “Did you mean?” links, Google Suggest are produced automatically. You don’t have to click on the relevant link to get the suggestions.
Google Suggest FAQ

Source: Pandia Search World

Each time you click on Go! on Blingo search, you are part of a lottery where you can win cameras, iPods, movie tickets, etc. Unfortunately this applies to US citizens only. Blingo is powered by the GigaBlast search engine. Gigablast’s goal has been to become a search engine results provider to search sites and portals.

Source:Pandia Search World

Accoona is based on an American/Chinese cooperation as the search engine headquarters are in New Jersey while the main owner can be found in the Peoples’ Republic of China.
The main focus for this search engine is business related information. However, Accoona is building its own search engine index, which includes other web sites as well.

Accoona claims to be using artificial intelligence to let your “super target” your search queries. The idea being to alter the the balance between search terms in order to make to results more relevant.

Source:Pandia Search World