The inaugural Lenovo Tech World Conference, held on 28th May in Beijing, saw the Chinese multinational unveil a number of new research projects that could translate into usable technologies in the near future. Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing called the conference “a celebration of innovation”, and his company certainly did not disappoint in that respect.

Structured data and how it is used is becoming increasingly apparent in online search, especially in respect of search engine results pages (SERPs).

Google I/O 2015 came to a close on 29th May after two busy days of announcements, many of which came during the keynote address. Key announcements focused on Android M, Project Brillo (Google’s new operating system dedicated to the Internet of Things), and a number of new developer tools.

Google is not shy about promoting its latest developments and updates, and more announcements can be expected from today with the opening of Google I/O, the internet giant’s annual developer conference. The 2014 event was used as a platform from which to unveil Android TV as well as Android Auto and Android Lollipop, the newest version of the Android operating system. Google also used the 2014 event to unveil Android Wear.

Google has announced that it is to add indexed app content to Search Console, the service formerly known as Webmaster Tools. The rebranding exercise was announced earlier in May with the objective of reaching out to more users with an active interest in search marketing. Webmaster Tools was developed originally to enable webmasters to determine indexing status and to equip them with the tools necessary to optimise website visibility. Some functions of Webmaster Tools are:

Google has responded to the revelation that online searches using racist terms can bring up the White House and other locations with a promise that it will extend its so-called Googlebomb protection to incorporate Google Maps.

Google has made changes to its search results in terms of how it assesses quality content. From the start of May, a number of publishers had begun to detect changes in Google search results. Google had initially declined to say if any updates had been made to its search function, leading to the apparent change being labelled the “Phantom Update”, but it has now disclosed that there have indeed been changes to its core ranking algorithm. The changes are in respect of how Google processes quality signals.

Link building is seen as a useful component when developing a successful website in SEO terms; however, no less a figure than John Mueller, webmaster trends analyst with Google, is questioning the focus on link building at the expense of other essential elements in SEO. That having been said, many other experts feel that links are still very much a major component in any SEO strategy.

Media organisations are keen to embrace digital content, seeing it as the future of their industry, and the shift toward digital entails broader use of work from third-parties. This third-party work includes sponsored video/multimedia/content pitched by PR professionals. DS Simon, a New York-based digital communications firm, has carried out research into the use of third-party content, especially videos, and has come up with some surprising results.

Microsoft used a preview event on 14th May to reveal more details about what Windows 10 on smartphones is going to look like. Content writing services and those involved in video production will be interested to learn that Windows 10 Mobile, as the new smartphone version of the operating system is being called, will include software for the new universal Office apps, the new Windows Store Beta and the Xbox app.