Since the disavow tool was announced by Google last year I’ve heard a great deal of confusion over its use. There’s still confusion, too. There shouldn’t be. Here are WebmasterWorld we’ve discussed the use of the disavow tool on many occasions, and Google’s Matt Cutts has made a video answering a question that I hear most often. Watch the video (below) and learn whether you should use the disavow tool without a manual penalty applied.
My view is that you should use the disavow tool with great caution. Ask yourself why you need to disavow links in the first place, and could those links be removed through normal methods? Then, think again before you use it. If you’re still uncertain, and you should be, consider asking someone with experience of using the disavow tool to help.
You’ll find the video in this post, and the
discussion over here.
Welcome to this WebmasterWorld Weekly Round-up.
The previous WebmasterWorld Weekly is
here.WebmasterWorld Members this week were discussing the
most annoying aspects of today's web sites, from pop-ups to pop-unders. What is your site pet hate?
Google and Microsoft have agreed measures to block abuse images. Now both companies have introduced new algorithms (software instructions) that will prevent searches for abuse imagery delivering results that could lead to such material.
This week I heard that a
zero day exploit has hit vBulletin Versions 4.x.x and 5.x.x, and the hackers claim to have leveraged a "critical vulnerability."
Yahoo this week said it was moving to
encrypt even more data flow to improve privacy. Yahoo's CEO, Marissa Mayer said, "There is nothing more important to us than protecting our users' privacy. To that end, we recently announced that we will make Yahoo Mail even more secure by introducing https (SSL - Secure Sockets Layer) encryption with a 2048-bit key across our network by January 8, 2014.
Today we are announcing that we will extend that effort across all Yahoo products."
Interestingly, Google has already changed their position on this data encryption, so Yahoo is catching up. However,
Microsoft is still behind on the issue of server to server encryption.
How do you think
Google's SERPs will look by the end of next year? Many searches are completely filled with promotional material, leaving very little organic SERPs left. WebmasterWorld Members were debating how Google's SERP interface might look by the end of 2014.
WebmasterWorld Members are reporting a drop in Google traffic and reports of
DNS errors in Google Webmaster Tools. Is this related to rich snippets disappearing? Join our thread on the topic.
I read that the UK's plan to
reform its .co.uk domains was to go ahead next year. UK websites will soon be able to use shorter addresses despite concerns the move could cause confusion.
Google is testing a
new look AdSense home page and there's an option to check it out on the page when you log in.
Pinterest has just launched
Place Pins which is ideal for travellers. Pinterest says, "Place Pins were designed to combine the beautiful imagery of a travel magazine with the utility of a map online so you can share it with friends."
Google has announced a new
Wallet Debit Card devised to help users access their balance, and is launched in the US for the time being.
This week, WebmasterWorld Members were reporting a
new Google AdSense ad being tested. These ads have appear with 90 x 90 logos. What do you think of the new ads?
I heard that a a blogger had discovered his
smart TV was transmitting unauthorised viewing data back to the makers servers. Not so smart, eh!
Vint Cerf, Google's evangelist, said that
privacy may be an anomaly. It certainly ought to be a priority, imho. Join the discussion and have your say.
This week, Members were reporting big
changes in Bing's SERPs. It didn't seem to last long, so it may have settled. What have you seen in Bing's SERPs?
Twitter this week seems to have
removed the DM feature where anyone could send DMs to anyone.
Here's that video I mentioned earlier.
"
Should I use the disavow tool even if there's not a manual action on my site?"
Have a wonderful week everyone, until next time...
Cheers
Neil
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WebmasterWorld Weekly Round-Up 22 November
