Google search using speed to rank sites

Google web search rankings are now partly affected by a site’s speed, the company has announced on the same day as it reveals its first UK acquisition.

Google search results are now being based partly on a website’s speed, the company has announced. Previously, ranking was purely based on the relevance of a site to the terms a user searched for, but the system has been adjusted after Google studies found that site visitors discriminated against slow web pages.

The search giant said, however, that only a very small number of sites would be affected. Writing on the company’s Webmaster Central Blog, engineers Amit Singhal and Matt Cutts wrote that “While site speed is a new signal, it doesn’t carry as much weight as the relevance of a page. Currently, fewer than 1 per cent of search queries are affected by the site speed signal in our implementation. If you haven’t seen much change to your site rankings, then this site speed change possibly did not impact your site.” The blog post also emphasised the importance of speed for web users and provided links to tools that site owners could use to speed up their web pages.

The news came on the same day that Google announced it had bought Plink, a two person start-up based in Cambridge. The company works on visual search, and its first application, PlinkArt, identified a painting if a user took a photograph of it using their camera phone.

Founders Mark Cummins and James Philbin will now go to work on Google’s Goggles visual search application. Google added that the acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, marked the start of an ambition to buy one firm a month.

Internet Explorer 9: 10 Things to know

The software giant Microsoft is all set to update its IE browser. The Redmond-based company released a platform preview of Internet Explorer 9 for developers at MIX10 Web developer conference in Las Vegas. Microsoft is betting on IE9’s speed and performance to expand its majority share in the browser market. The company claims that the new browser will be faster than Firefox 3.6. According to Microsoft, Web and application developers will want to upgrade to the next version of Internet Explorer for its optimized performance and HTML 5 support. Here’s all about Internet Explorer 9’s very first release.

What’s new in IE9?

For now, Microsoft is betting on IE9’s speed and performance. The company claims that the new browser will be faster than Firefox 3.6. The company says Web and application developers will want to upgrade to the next version of Microsoft’s Web browser, IE9, for its optimized performance and better support for several standards: HTML5, DOM, and CSS3. IE9 is also the first browser to provide hardware-accelerated SVG support. IE9’s new script engine, internally known as `Chakra’ compiles JavaScript in the background on a separate core of the CPU, parallel to IE. HTML5 will also allow IE9 to move beyond resource hogging browser plug-ins to display multimedia content online.

How IE9 looks?

It is too early to comment on IE9’s user interface. For, there is still no beta release. The platform preview is essentially a frame for showing off the new browser’s JavaScript and rendering engines. So, there’s no Back button, bookmark manager, history feature, toolbars, and other so-common features in a browser interface.

What exactly is IE9 Platform Preview?

Internet Explorer Platform Preview is not a full Web browser. It is intended to give developers an opportunity to test and provide feedback on the underlying platform for Internet Explorer 9. To distinguish it from a full browser, the company calls it a Platform Preview. Microsoft plans to update the release every 8 weeks.

Can I use IE 9 release for my regular browsing?

No. As mentioned above, the Platform Preview is not a fully-functional browser. It opens links in a user’s default browser, not the Preview app. Since the Platform Preview cannot be registered as a default browser on a user’s system, the links do not open in it. Also, some of the features may or may not be the part of the shipped version of IE9, depending on developers’ feedback through various stages of Platform Preview.

Does IE9 release replace my current Internet Explorer?

No, it does not, though it does share some settings with your existing Internet Explorer installation. Platform Preview installs side-by-side with earlier versions of Internet Explorer and any other browser(s) on your computer.

Any cool feature in IE9 release?

Microsoft has released some technology demos that show IE9’s better support for JavaScript, its HTML5 capabilities, and support for hardware-accelerated graphics. Some demonstrations include, flying images, map zooming, pulsating bubbles and GPU-powered falling balls.

What are system requirements for IE 9 release?

Users need a Windows PC running either Windows 7 or Vista. On Vista, you need to have installed Internet Explorer 8 and you need to install the Platform Update for Windows Vista, available on Windows Update since October, 2009. Platform Preview is only available in a 32-bit x86 version but it will install and run on 64-bit Windows 7 and Vista.

Can IE 9 release run on Windows XP?

No. Microsoft has said that IE9 will not be available on Windows XP. According to the company, “IE9’s GPU-powered graphics take advantage of new technologies available in Windows 7 and back-ported only to Windows Vista. These technologies depend on advancements in the display driver model introduced first in Windows Vista.”

When will first IE 9 beta ship?

Microsoft has still not given any fixed time period for the beta release of IE9. The company says that the beta version will be released as a full browser once the build has reached the customer quality bar.

How can I download IE 9 release?

The IE9 Platform Preview can be downloaded from Microsoft’s Web site ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/ .