Google has redesigned advertisements used in its Maps application to include more user-friendly features. The company has already reported a 100% increase in click-through rates due to the newly designed ads. Search results now feature larger, easily clickable buttons that show up in more places on the phone’s screen. The buttons allow users to place calls or to find directions with ease. Websites now load within the Maps app instead of launching in a separate browser page. Replacing the old red flags are new blue Google markers to tell users exactly how far they are from a location.
T-Mobile tested the markers feature last summer and saw 162,000 click-throughs in one month. “Adding local store information to mobile apps definitely increases relevancy for the user, which is why we regularly see click through rates of 13%. We’re very pleased with the results,” said a T-Mobile spokesperson. Continue reading “Google Maps’ New Ads Improve Click-Through Rates” »
On June 11 Apple kicked off its annual WWDC. Now in its 23rd year, the highly anticipated developer’s conference reportedly sold out of tickets in just 1 hour and 43 minutes. People from 60 countries made the journey to San Francisco to join 1,000 Apple engineers at the annual event. Here is what Apple revealed today:
The New MacBook Air
The new MacBook Air line will run up to 3.2 gigahertz and see an improved graphics performance of up to 60%. The new MacBook Air features USB 3.0, which is ten times faster than the previous model – all for $100 less than before.
It’s been long suspected that Apple will replace Google Maps with its own mapping technology, and today the company confirmed that iOS 6 will feature a proprietary mapping application. Up until now, iPhone users have relied on the Google Maps application to find locations worldwide. However, over the course of the last few years, Apple purchased a series of mapping technologies to build its own application.
In 2009, Apple acquired PlaceBase, specializing in creating an API for combining data and location information. Then, in 2010, the company purchased mapping visualization firm Poly9. Last year, Apple bought C3 Technologies for its automated 3D mapping algorithms. With the acquisition of these three companies, Apple has built its own completely in-house mapping solution. Apple will preview the next version of its mobile operating system, iOS 6, during its annual World Developers Conference beginning June 11 in San Francisco. Continue reading “Apple Cuts Google Maps out of iPhone” »
Google has introduced a new technology that changes the way users search on the web. Launched last week, the Google Knowledge Graph works with users to determine their search intent. For example, search for a generic term like “orange” and a new window will appear with options asking what you intend to search for (the county, the city or the fruit). Simply click on your meaning and the Google Search results will filter accordingly.
The world’s largest search engine company has introduced a new feature to Google Search; the right hand column summary. A search for a well-known figure, for example, will lend a summary of that person’s bio, date of birth/death, achievements and other related figures to appear on the right hand side. This function of the Knowledge Graph is meant to guide people to potential serendipitous discoveries if a search for one topic leads to a related one.
The simplicity of this change carries great ramifications. Google is switching from simple keyword recognition to understanding the meaning of relationships and entities. Search terms are no longer a string of words but rather an identification of a person, place or thing. Google has built a database of over 500 million of these “things” and 3.5 million facts about them from Wikipedia, Google Local, Google Maps, Google Shopping and Freebase. Users will begin to see the new Knowledge Graph prominently in Google Search results in coming weeks.
It is still unclear how the Knowledge Graph will impact search engine optimization. Because Google is now focusing on grasping the user’s intent, it narrows down the field of search engine results. And by offering a more complete user experience without having to leave the page, it could mean more revenue coming in through Google Adwords.
For now, Google is collecting information from users so that eventually it will no longer have to ask for the user’s intent. What do you think about Google’s new Knowledge Graph? Do you find it to be helpful? Let Blue Interactive Agency know in your comments below!
The innovative and ingenious creators of Google Maps, Jens and Lars Rasmussen, have been busily developing Google’s newest communication and collaboration tool-Google Wave. For the past two years, the brothers have been in Australia developing the new tool for communicating over the Web. They exhibited their work for developers in San Francisco on Thursday.
Essentially, Google Wave is an application operating in a Web browser that creates a shared online desktop for two or more users to easily interact and exchange messages and information, similar to instant messaging or email. The users are able to share and edit rich documents including images, formatted text and graphics. A cool feature of Google Wave is the ability for users to drag and drop widgets into a Wave, and play a game together, publishing results to the Web or saving them. According to Lars, “It is a communications and collaborations tool. We call it a Wave. It is equal measure document and conversation”.
A novel concept from the bright minds behind the sensational Google Maps, Wave will be available in late 2009. Google is making the tool available to developers immediately, to incite them to build new apps for it. Rumor is that developers at Google have created a Wave that follows the Twitter messages of the user. It has the potential to become a convenient place where people can keep up with various mail and instant messaging accounts. Google is certainly making waves, and showing that internet browsers have become dominant enough to be used as a platform to develop multifaceted apps-a potential blow to the desktop. Relayed by Blue Interactive Agency, South Florida web design and online marketing firm.
Google has unveiled an addition to Google Transit on Google Maps-users can now navigate the entire New York metro region including the subway system, commuter rail, bus and ferry services from the Metropolitan Transit Agency (MTA), the Port Authority of New York and Jersey, New Jersey Transit and the City Of New York. The fundamental goal of the Google Transit project is to make public transit information as easy to find as any other geographic information.
The addition of New York City is a monumental step in the direction of making Google Maps fully interactive. This will aid the 20+ millions of New York and surrounding area residents, as well as its millions of annual visitors. It is hoped that adding the transit system information to Google Maps will make it more accessible and easier to navigate, not to mention less daunting for those unfamiliar with the system.
The addition of the transit system will serve as a lifestyle tool to mitigate public transportation and help to streamline metropolitan transportation. It will make planning trips using public transit systems simple and enjoyable.
Public transportation is a vital link to a city’s efficiency-it must be easy to navigate. With public transit systems easy to navigate, more people will feel confident using them, thus alleviating environmental concerns, energy costs, congestion and other issues. Google continues to work closely with transit systems worldwide to bring the information to the tip of everyone’s fingers. Brought to you by Blue Interactive Agency, your online marketing source in Florida.
Google has redesigned advertisements used in its Maps application to include more user-friendly features. The company has already reported a 100% increase in click-through rates due to the newly designed ads. Search results now feature larger, easily clickable buttons that show up in more places on the phone’s screen. The buttons allow users to place calls or to find directions with ease. Websites now load within the Maps app instead of launching in a separate browser page. Replacing the old red flags are new blue Google markers to tell users exactly how far they are from a location.
