Search Engine Optimization NEWS

Webmasters continue to see breadcrumbs on Google’s result pages. What are breadcrumbs, for which websites does Google display them and how can you get Google to display breadcrumbs for your own website?

What are breadcrumbs?

Breadcrumbs is the name for the hierarchical site navigation links that are often used on web pages. Here’s an example: “You are here: Home > Category > Sub category > Page“.

Since a few weeks Google displays breadcrumbs for some websites on the search result pages:

Why is it good if Google shows breadcrumbs for your website?

If Google displays breadcrumbs for your website then you basically have more links on Google’s result page. Each page in the breadcrumbs line has its own link.

If your web page is listed with breadcrumbs in the results then it is more likely that the searcher will come to the right page on your website and that you will get a sale.

How can you get Google to display breadcrumbs for your website?

If you want Google to display breadcrumbs for your website, you have to use bread crump navigation on your web pages. That means that you must have a set of delimited links on your website that reflects your website hierarchy.

Google’s Matt Cutts recently published a video in which he tries to shed some light on the topic. It seems that Google is still testing breadcrumbs on the result pages and that the display of breadcrumbs in the search results will change (just like Google’s Sitelinks changed).

Regarding the question which delimiter is best for breadcrumb navigation, Matt remains very vague. For example, links could be delimited with >, hyphens or the » symbol. So far, all examples on Google pages use > as the delimiter so it’s probably best to go with that symbol.

Depending on the size of your website, it is a good idea to use breadcrumbs. They make it easier for users to navigate your website and they help users to remember where they are on your website.

Of course, breadcrumbs alone won’t get you in Google’s search results. You must also make sure that Google finds the right keywords on your website and that your website has enough inbound links.

Bing just keeps adding, and adding, and adding, and adding. Kinda reminds me of Google.

Bing has announced a new “Stocks and Funds page” that offers in-depth information for users following or doing research related to stocks and finances. A sample page looks like this one for Apple:

Searching on Bing for a company’s or fund’s ticker symbol prompts a new link called “Investor Data” on Bing’s main search results page. (circled in the image above) Clicking that link leads to the new Stocks and Funds page.

This is probably not a feature I’ll be using much since it’ll only remind me that I sold a few shares of Apple stock many years ago when it was below $10. Sorry, Bing….

Things that make you go HMMMMMM? With Apple pulling Google form the iPhone and going with Bing, Apple working with Microsoft claiming war against Google, Bing to become the search default on Safari and all other browsers that Microsft can get ahold of… Hmmmmm, makes you think this war may not be winnable by Google, and Google stands to loose at least 10% of its search volume.

Soooooo…. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have filed plans with the SEC to sell five million shares of Google stock each over the next five years. The sale will bring the pair’s ownership of Google down to 48%, slightly less than majority control.

Usually when key players start selling stock it’s a sign of something. And I don’t think they are looking to buy a new yacht.

Not to worry as CEO Eric Schmidt still owns 10%, keeping the trio well in charge of the goings on at the Mountain View-based company. (If he petitioned to sell stock too the SEC would have freaked out!)

Google has a dual-class stock structure. Execs get 10 votes per share of Class B stock, but when they are sold, they become Class A stock with just one vote per share.

Currently, Page and Brin own a combined 57.7 million shares of GOOG. With a share price today of $540/shr that comes to a mere $31,158,000,000 – YES, that is over 31 Billion Dollars!!!!!