Google Says (Some) Missing Features Will Be Added To New Google Maps

Google took its new Maps site out of beta this week, but many users noticed that some of their favorite features from Classic Maps were missing.

Not to worry, Google says. It’s aware of that and plans to bring at least some of those missing over to the new Maps site in the near future.

The team will continue to work to improve the new Google Maps, so look out for better performance and additional features, like send to car, in the coming weeks.

That mention of the Send To Car feature is as specific as Google would get in its replies to our questions about the missing features we’ve noticed. That list includes:

1.) Send To Email and/or Car. When looking at a place or address in Classic Maps, there’s a “Send” option under the “More” tab that lets users email the place/address or send it to certain vehicle navigation systems.

2.) Default location. There seems to be no easy way in new Maps for a user to set his/her default location.

3.) More Info link on business listings. In Classic Maps, every business listing popup includes a “More Info” link that gives searchers quick access to the business’ Google+ Local page. On the new Google Maps, the only way to get from the business listing to its Google+ Local page is to click the link that says how many reviews the business has.

4.) Terrain maps disappear when looking at directions. You can see terrain maps in the new Google Maps, but the option goes away when looking at directions between two (or more) places.

5.) 3D Directions. In Classic Maps, there’s a 3D/2D toggle when looking at directions. The 3D version autoplays a moving drive-through of the route between your start and destination.

These are a sample of the features that we’ve found to either be missing altogether, or perhaps just very difficult to find in the new Google Maps. Google’s statement that at least some of these will be brought over from Classic Maps “in the coming weeks” is good to hear. Some more specifics on which ones would be even better.

Google Targets Two Polish Link Networks While Continuing To Target German Link Networks

Google lead of search spam Matt Cutts posted on Twitter that Google has taken action on two link networks operated in Poland this week. Matt wrote that Google is “not done with Germany yet, but we just took action on two Polish link networks.”

The Google Poland Webmaster Blog posted a reminder today about unnatural links and how to submit a reconsideration request.

Matt Cutts didn’t drop a hint on which Polish link networks were specifically targeted, like he has done in the past. But he did specifically say Google did take action on two link networks within Poland.

Earlier this month, Google’s Matt Cutts announced they took action on a large German SEO agency and their clients for link schemes. This came after a warning from Cutts that Google would target German link violations.

Aviate Is Yahoo’s Answer To Google Now (And More)

Yahoo has bought nearly 30 companies since Marissa Mayer took over as CEO. A large number of those were talent acquisitions — though not all of them. Among the product or technology acquisitions, Aviate could turn out to be one of the most strategic and important.

Emphasis on the word “could.”

Aviate presents itself as an “intelligent homescreen.” It’s an Android launcher that organizes and customizes the presentation of your apps. Though not fully mature, Aviate offers a number of different, intriguing opportunities for Yahoo.

Aviate can potentially help Yahoo come back in mobile and local search — although the company needs a multi-pronged approach. It’s also the Yahoo’s best potential answer to Google Now.

Aviate is in private beta right now so most Android users haven’t had an opportunity to try it. I installed it last year, didn’t immediately see the benefits and so uninstalled within about 48 hours. 

Since the rumored $80 million Yahoo acquisition I’ve reinstalled it on my Nexus 7 tablet and have been using it daily. Now that I’ve been more patient with Aviate I’m starting to see its value. However there are a number of missing features and capabilities. It’s not yet “robust” enough to fulfill its strategic potential.

Needs a Search Box

Putting aside any technical capabilities on the back end, which I can’t directly speak to, the most obvious thing missing from Aviate is a search box. I’m not just saying this because Yahoo is pushing to get back into search. It would provide genuine utility to the app.

I’m sure that Marissa Mayer clearly understands how helpful to users and to Yahoo an Aviate search box would be. I initially found myself poking around for a way to search from the homescreen rather than using the Google app.

Any Yahoo search functionality should also incorporate the ability to find and launch Android apps on the device (and perhaps in Google Play). Even though a “bookshelf” of apps is just a swipe away (see image above), users will want the ability to find and launch apps via search — as you can on Android (via Google Search) and the iPhone.

Allow Homescreen Image Personalization

The hot-air balloon image you see above currently cannot be changed (it becomes darker or lighter depending on the time of day). That must change.

The ability to personalize that space is critical to the ultimate success of the app. Similar to the way Bing uses beautiful imagery on its site, Yahoo could also do something really elegant and clever with changing Flickr images in that spot. But users must also be able to upload their own images.

Someone may come back and say, “It can be changed.” Indeed my hunch is that it can be customized. Yet after several attempts I haven’t figured out a way to do so, which means the option isn’t intuitive enough. Speaking of which, the entire app needs to be at once simpler and offer more functionality.

Make the App More Intuitive

The impressive thing about Google Now is that it works without much active customization. Currently in the settings area of Aviate is a long list of “collections.” These categories help organize apps by type; they can be thought of as an alternative to folders on conventional Android or iOS.

There are both a default set collections and an alphabetical list of apps. Collections can be turned on or off. Aviate will offer you different collections based on time of day (such as “morning” or “work” in the am) or other variables.

There should be fewer collections. There should also be a customization option that allows users to create their own collections categories. In addition, the collections list isn’t obviously accessible. It takes a bit of time to find how to access it.

That’s a metaphor for the fact that the app overall is not quite as intuitive as it needs to be. (Some of this could be addressed with a new user tour on the app.)

Yahoo Now: More Personal Assistant Functionality

Yahoo also needs to use the homescreen real estate to push and show more dynamic content: upcoming meetings, weather, traffic, sports scores, top news, etc. Enabling this would make it much more of a direct challenger to Google now.

Some of this information is available if you pull down the homescreen image (calendar items, weather). But Yahoo needs to find an elegant way to push more contextually relevant content to users. There are probably several ways to use the homescreen real estate more effectively and make Aviate more powerful and useful in the process.

There’s a great deal more I could say and suggest, regarding local search and maps for example. I’ll leave those items for a later post.

My view is that Aviate holds enormous potential for Yahoo. However the company needs to push Aviate even further in the direction of an “intelligent assistant.” It needs to add more passive personalization and functionality, while simultaneously simplifying and making the app more intuitive overall. That’s no small task with lots of heavy lifting to be done on the back end. 

The addition of a search box wouldn’t hurt either.

Google Testing More Ads On Knowledge Graph Panels: Google Play Gets The Spotlight

In December, we reported that Google is testing ads on Knowledge Graph panels. The example then was an ad for local car dealership appearing on the car knowledge graph. We’re now seeing ads on the knowledge graph for movie streaming rentals that give Google Play the VIP treatment.

Below is a screenshot showing the ads that appear on the knowledge panel for the movie “Megamind”. In all the examples we’ve seen so far, Google Play is featured first with a sort of enhanced listing that includes the brand icon and “Watch” call-to-action. An “Also available from” ad listing appears below the featured ad spot on several results.

Amazon is the only streaming services included in the “Also available from” that we’ve spotted at this point. [See Update at the end of this post.]

It also seems that Amazon is included only when the rental prices on both services are the same. For example, on the knowledge graph panel for Despicable Me 2, shown below, only an ad for Google Play shows with a rental price of $4.99. It turns out Amazon rents that movie for $5.99.

This is the case for “All is Lost” as well, which rents for $3.99 on Google Play and $4.99 on Amazon.

It’s unclear why Amazon is the only streaming service other than Google’s own Google Play included in the ads. Google isn’t commenting other than to say, “We’re constantly testing new ways for users to find useful, clearly-labeled commercial information via Google search.” A spokesperson did add that the company has been testing various search ad formats and features like these for more than a year, though it’s not clear what those earlier experiments looked like.

The knowledge graph ads are appearing on both desktop and mobile SERPs.

Update: Hulu Plus is showing on some results. Examples include “Lost In Translation” (shown here) and “Exit Through The Gift Shop”. In the example of “Glengarry Glen Ross” shown below, Google Play is not noted, and Amazon is the only vendor listed.

Google Requiring Some Business To Reverify Their Listings Or Be Removed From Google Maps

Some business owners are receiving emails from Google requiring them to reverify their listings within three-weeks or their listings will be removed from Google Maps and Google+ Local.

The emails contain the subject, “Action Required: You have 3 weeks to save your Google Places Listing.”

It is unclear how many businesses have received this notification and how many businesses this may have impacted.

Google’s Jade Wang said in a help thread that these emails are indeed from Google and should be taken seriously. The email reads:

Due to changes in Google Maps, we’d like to inform you that unless you review and confirm the information in your Google Places account, we will no longer be able to keep and show it to Google users after February 21, 2014.

As a result, on this date your listing “LISTING GOES HERE” may be deleted.

If you wish to keep your listing active, follow these three easy steps:

1. Log in to your Google Places account

2. Review and update your information

3. Click the “Submit” button

Sincerely,

The Google Places Team

If you are nervous the email went into your spam bucket and it might apply to you, then you can manually take these steps to be safe. Jade said:

If you did receive this email, don’t worry. Please log into Places for Business, take a look at your business information, update it if necessary, and click “Submit.” You’ll need to do this for all listings in your account by February 21, 2014, so they can stay on Google Maps. Otherwise, you’ll need to add your business information and undergo PIN verification using Google Places again.

Where Yahoo Might Again Compete In Search: Mobile

Kara Swisher on Friday broke the news that Yahoo was working on two internal (no longer) secret initiatives to get Yahoo back into organic and potentially paid search and thereby separate from Microsoft. Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has been critical of the Search Alliance with Bing and its impact on her company.

The Search Alliance deal, negotiated by Mayer’s predecessor Carol Bartz — Scott Thompson is like theWilliam Henry Harrison of Yahoo — is pretty much a failure for Yahoo. It has benefited Microsoft and helped Bing to grow share, but mostly at Yahoo’s expense. Google has essentially been untouched by the Alliance.

Putting aside any legal or contractual obstacles, Danny Sullivan expressed skepticism that Yahoo could be competitive in search again. I think that’s true on the PC. But there might be another arena where Yahoo could succeed — in mobile.

While Yahoo probably couldn’t beat Google in straight up mobile search the company could build out additional verticals with a search component. Local comes to mind in particular but this would potentially apply to any of the verticals featured on the Yahoo homepage:

With the right content and user experience, Yahoo could generate new “search” usage and ad revenue from mobile. Though Google is widely used in mobile, basic “search” is generally not the preferred way to find things. Take for example the following data from Placed and Cars.com about how smartphone users look for price and product information while on auto-dealer lots.

Search is there but it’s a fourth choice. Accordingly search is far less formidable on smartphones than it is on PCs. If Yahoo were to go “all in” on mobile and develop a range of compelling experiences and apps it could generate additional search traffic and targeted ad inventory in a vertical or specialized context.

I’m not saying any of this would be easy. (I don’t know what the Yahoo-Microsoft Search Alliance contract says about mobile.) Quite the contrary, it would be enormously challenging to do it all well. But there is an opening here for Mayer and company.

Postscript: I neglected to discuss above how Aviate, the intelligent homescreen Yahoo acquired, might also further this mobile search objective. In my original post on the acquisition this is what I said:

In April last year, I suggested that Yahoo pursue a similar “home” strategy on Android. The Aviate acquisition now gives the company that opportunity. Why not maintain Aviaite but with Yahoo branding (e.g., “Yahoo Home/screen”)? The company could also integrate a Yahoo search box into Aviate, effectively “colonizing” Android for Yahoo search.

Aviate or “Yahoo Home” would potentially turn Android (Google) devices into Yahoo devices. And it would probably be more widely adopted than Facebook Home because it surfaces rather than buries or hides apps as Facebook Home did. Overall, Aviate is much more useful than Facebook Home.

Google Brings Search Funnels Attribution Modeling Tool To AdWords

Google announced it is adding a Search Funnels Attribution Modeling Tool to AdWords to help marketers better understand how AdWords campaigns are part of the sales funnel.

Advertisers can look at five different attribution models in AdWords and compare up to three attribution models simultaneously to analyze keywords, ad groups and campaigns that are contributing to the funnel, but aren’t represented in last click conversions.

The five attribution models in the new tool are:

 Last click: Gives all credit for the conversion to the last-clicked keyword

 First click: Gives all credit for the conversion to the first-clicked keyword

 Linear: Distributes the credit for the conversion equally across all clicks on the path

 Time decay: Gives more credit to clicks that happened closer in time to the conversion

 Position-based: Gives 40% of credit to both the first- and last-clicked keyword, with the remaining 20% spread out across the other clicks on the path

According to the post, AdWords advertisers should “Stay tuned” for more attribution-related features. The new tool is rolled out globally.