Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo have added support for the new Canonical Link element to help identify a link to content on your site where all traffic should land when more than one link exists to the same content. The Canonical Link will be used for the search engine index, and sitemap URLs will still be used when there is a tie between more than one URL link.

Wordpress 2.9 has now integrated the rel="canonical" link element, which will display between the "head" tags, but only on single post pages:

Note: Wordpress itself does not actually integrate the wp.me short url format in the core. The Stats plugin, version 1.6 or above, is required for the wp.me short url format to be integrated.

Drupal has not added core support for the rel="canonical" link element, so Yoast has created a module that will add this feature to Drupal.

If you’re using Wordpress, as NG does, then you will want to have the rel="canonical" link element on all the pages of you’re blog such as the homepage, tag, content, and other pages of your blog, so that each page can tell the search engines which link to use for all similar content that might otherwise be labeled as duplicate content. For instance, if you use the Google analytics campaign tag for traffic coming from Twitter your link might look like:

For this page the Canonical link should be:

To make sure all your pages tell the search engine which link to use you’ll need a plugin to help with this SEO (search engine optimization). Here at NerdGrind we use the a Wordpress plugin called All in One SEO Pack, which has included Canonical URLs for a while. The All in One SEO Pack is highly recommended.

The addition of Canonical Links can significantly improve the SEO of your blog, and this can result in more traffic, as well as higher quality traffic. Below is a video on Canonical Links, and a few links to more resources on this very important topic.

Specify your canonical
Handling legitimate cross-domain content duplication
Demystifying the duplicate content penalty

Matt Cutts explains the Canonical Link element in the video below:

Back in 2004 Google submitted a single illustration of their Google.com homepage, of which the main component is a search box with two submit buttons below it, and a few text links.

On September 1, 2009 Google received their search page patent from the United States Patent Office. Technically Google has patented their homepage as a web "graphical user interface," for which they now have a patent to exclusively use that design. Google also submitted an application for the design of their search results in 2004, and that patent was issued in 2006. It would seem Google intended to license out the use of their patent to other search engines, namely Yahoo, but just ahead of the patent license approval some search engines have change their design to steer clear of the infringing on Google’s patent.

There is a long history behind the story of Google’s design patent filings. It all begins with Overture.

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Google has announced that they are going back on the advertising deal made earlier this year with Yahoo. The deal was Yahoo’s effort to resist the hostile takeover that Microsoft was attempting by creating revenue through the display of Google ads on Yahoo sites.

The proposed deal did bring up countless antitrust questions from those within the Department of Justice. It has since been recognized as a way for Yahoo and Google to wave off and weaken Microsoft’s buying position, but now that Yahoo and Google have split for obvious legal reasons, what remains of Microsoft? Will they make another stab at Yahoo or will Yahoo attempt the impossible and merge with AOL for salvation of both companies.

Either way, it should prove interesting and we will keep you updated.

Microsoft made an offer to buy Yahoo!, but over the weekend Yahoo! rejected the offer saying they believe their stock is worth another $12 billion. However, last week as news hit the stock market Microsoft’s share value declined about the same price as they bid for Yahoo! Microsoft offered half cash, and half stock in their bid. Yahoo! is worried about retaining control over the new company, and Microsoft has said the MSN brand would be replaced by the Yahoo! brand, but Yahoo! still believes Google would be the better partner.

What’s really at stake? Years ago Yahoo! purchased Overture, which was a paid bid search engine out of Pasadena, California. Overture secured a patent for paid bid search advertising, and Yahoo! now owns that patent. If Microsoft were to purchase Yahoo!, then Microsoft would own that patent. Microsoft would then be in a better position to compete directly with, and to challenge Google’s control over the Internet advertising market. If Google were to purchase Yahoo!, then Google would become a monopoly in the Internet advertising industry, and government regulators may at that point step in to analyze exactly how Google’s ownership of Yahoo! might effect competition going forward.

Yahoo has launched a “suggest search” feature that brings up a list with suggested search terms.It is not entirely new since it has been available on the Firefox Yahoo toolbar, but it will be new to Yahoo.com.

Google offers the same service with its Google Suggest.