Bing vs. Google: Webmaster Tools - Part 2
In a previous article, I’ve started analyzing Microsoft’s new search engine Bing versus Google. However I didn’t focus on search results, but we focused on Webmaster tools offered by both Bing and Google.
In this article, I’m going to go on with analyzing Google Webmaster tools and summarize both Bing and Google webmaster tools as well.
Google Webmaster Tools
Home page includes messages that Google may send to webmasters to enhance their sites and a list of sites added by a webmaster.
Dashboard includes 4 sections for first 9 top search queries, crawl errors, external links that refer to my site and a list of sitemaps within site.
Sitemaps page shows available sitemaps for site with total URLs and indexed URLs as well. Page allow deletion and resubmission of the sitemaps and an option to download sitemaps list or data for all sites.
Crawler access page gives details about the robots.txt file within site and checks which options are disabled by the robots.txt file that prevents search engine crawlers see some pages.
Sitelinks are links to interior pages within the site. Google generates these links automatically based on site structure allows Google algorithms do this process.
Change of address is a cool tool that allows faster indexing of the new domain that site moved to and keeping old domain data as if domain was never changed.
Settings of Google Webmaster tools allow webmasters to check target users for a certain country, set preferred domain and set crawling rate either automatically or manually.
Top search queries displays information about each user search queries as for impressions and clickthrough. Clickthrough means user clicks on site links in these searches.
Links to your site page shows a list of links that lead to site.
Keywords page is one of the coolest tools in Google Webmaster tools, because Google bot not only index pages, but also it analyzes every word in the site and finds the most frequently used words within site that a webmaster can add in site meta tags to enhance search results.
Internal links are pages linked by other pages on site.
Subscriber stats are statistics about users who subscribed for site RSS feeds.
Crawl errors is a tools that gives complete details about errors found during site crawling. The cool is that this tool not only for web, but also for WAP access through mobile devices.
Crawl stats page shows graphs about pages crawled by day and kilobytes downloaded per day
The best of the tools is found in the last page I display in this analysis and it’s the HTML suggestion page. This tool finds issues within site while Google bot was crawling the site. These issues if they were well treated will lead to a better experience and performance to enhance site rank on Google search engine. Tool includes 3 sections as for: meta description, title tag and non indexable content with capability to download these issues and a date for last updates.
Summary
I’d never found any powerful Webmasters tool like Google Webmasters tools. I can consider it a perfect for any webmaster who doesn’t want to invest extra money for paid tools and the greatest investment to get their site on top ranks of Google search results.
Searching for Ahmed Mahdy’s site contents on Bing and Google
Now after displaying and analyzing features of Bing and Google Webmaster tools, I’ve made a real test about searching for site contents.
Searching: Ahmed Mahdy
Bing
As seen, after the sponsored sites, you can find 2 sites with title: [Ahmed Mahdy - “From Community. To Community”]. This was my old URL that was cancelled! And still yet indexed since the old Live Search!
My site –which you’re on now- is ranked 5th using my name as reference. No more results about it on Bing.
Google
As seen, Google ranks my site the second and third after an old indexed site before. First result of my site is for the root URL, second one for the items tagged with my name. Really cool!
Searching: Imagine Cup WWF
Bing
As seen, Bing never found any result for my site for a post has the text: Imagine Cup WWF.
Google
As seen, Google firstly ranks the highest priority sites in their list which include same search results “here MSDN Blogs in this case”, while my site rank taken place in third and fourth positions.
Overall Summary
Bing Webmaster Center is a very basic tool in comparison with Google Webmaster tools. Microsoft is still in need of a very long time to be able to create more professional tools for webmasters. Google would still the top of search engines for long years.
Bing is more likely to be Live search with a replacement for Live logo and URL. Bing search engine yet was designed for USA to let them make decisions, while Google doesn’t make any difference between any country.
If you’re not American citizen and would like to use Bing, so you’re so unlucky, since whole Microsoft web based services was only designed for USA: Bing, Live Translator, adCenter and more.
Microsoft should re-take another step to enhance Bing and its web better more. We might see those changes in the next few years. Hoping so…
Bing vs. Google: Webmaster Tools – Part 1
Since Microsoft announced the launch of its competitive decision maker search engine, all
news to show the powers of Bing versus its first competitor and world first search engine Google.
While all news and posts gave great analysis about both Bing and Google –as search engines, all news neglected the included tools for webmasters.
I was lucky because Bing was launched in late May while I moved this site to new server with new domain name, that gave me opportunity to start adding my site to both Google Webmasters and Bing Webmaster tools as well.
In a series of 2 articles, I’m going to make a complete analysis and analogy between Bing vs. Google Webmaster tools.
Bing Webmaster Center
Note: You might need to install Silverlight to display images
Images up show all different options in Bing Webmasters Center.
First image shows the site list that can be added per account and authentication method used by each site.
Second image shows the summary of chosen site as for last date site was crawled by Bing bots, number of indexed pages, domain score and same details for top 5 pages crawled.
Next image shows site profile as for sitemap address, verification method and webmaster e-mail.
For Crawl Issues page, any crawling issues are shown if found.
Backlinks gives details about sites that have links for your site with score of reference pages.
Outbound Links shows links in my site that refer to other sites.
Keywords is a very weak tool to manually search keywords on site.
Sitemaps are a method to inform Bing bots about site pages.
Summary
Since May 2009, Bing crawlers didn’t crawl but only the homepage of the site! That’s pretty much weak crawler bot. Last crawling process was taken 25 days until the date of writing this article. Regarding profile, it’s very simple and doesn’t allow more details.
In the next article, I’m going to give details about Google Webmaster Tools and summarize the topic as well. Follow up!
AHMEDMAHDY.COM Recognized By Microsoft MEA MVP Lead!
Before a month, and after few days of site’s re-launch, I was surprised that Rurai Plint, Microsoft MEA MVP Lead recognized me and my site on his personal blogs!
Here is Rurai’s blog about me and my site posted on June 9, 2009
Microsoft Student Partners Hit The New Tech
It’s not often I write about an individual, but from my previous role I developed a soft spot for education and to today I still give Lectures in Universities, why? Because it’s such a blast and students have so much passion. Imagine Cup (World wide Student Software Competition) was one of my favourite activities.
Well I digress, this chap I met when joining the MVP program however and we started communicating on MSN on a regular basis, since then he has become a MSP (Microsoft Student partner) and has really matured into technology. just yesterday we caught up and he now has a very active blog, and WOW talk about embracing the new technologies.
He is even become super proactive and has won prizes in the beta testing programs Microsoft runs, Well done Ahmed you have developed nicely I wish you all the best into the future and I hope I had some influence in this great work you doing :-)
Check out his blog, some neat Windows 7, VS2010 as well as some Bing stuff:
http://www.ahmedmahdy.com/
I’d stop very long by this post that’s considered a medal of honor for me personally and a trust from Microsoft leads of our news and blog posts, promising everyone that we’d always offer the best of the best whenever site is up :)
Rurai, A BIG THANK YOU!
If you’re interested to read the original post, please refer here: http://ruariplint.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!4DC22E349714F30F!590.entry
Imagine Cup WWF - Day 3 Preparation: Snapshots Behind The Scenes
It’s now almost 1 AM, unlike public press to take snapshots of the general events, I decided to take some snapshots of what’s going behind the scenes, maybe due to my position with team captains, competition admin crews…
Now I’ll leave you with photo snapshots taken around the day from different places.
Click View Full Album to view! Enjoy!
Imagine Cup Pre-Launch: Warming Up with Fun!
MSPs Suite – Snapshots from everywhere!
MSPs & Volunteers: Work, Rest, Fun!
Some snapshots of Ahmed Mahdy “That’s me!”
Imagine Cup WWF Preparations: Warming up!
Today, almost all Microsoft staff arrived the hotel for the Imagine Cup WWF. Registration just started officially an hour ago, everything is working very smoothly. I met Leandro, the Global MSP manager and I met up very brilliant and cool Microsoft guys.
Outside the admin crew, I’ve took those pictures while some of MSPs, volunteers and Matt, the Imagine Cup internet guy were warming up with this cool soccer game.
Follow up more!
Exclusive – IC WWF, Meeting with Microsoft Executives
I feel so happy because 2 of Microsoft executives are going to make a session in the living room associated with the suite I’m staying in tomorrow within few hours from that moment I’m writing this post.
I’ve added some snapshots for the living room that is now a session room! Hope you like it!
More will followed tomorrow!
Exclusive – IC WWF, Meeting with Microsoft Executives
I feel so happy because 2 of Microsoft executives are going to make a session in the living room associated with the suite I’m staying in tomorrow within few hours from that moment I’m writing this post.
I’ve added some snapshots for the living room that is now a session room! Hope you like it!
More will followed tomorrow!
Microsoft Imagine Cup 2009 – Welcome to Egypt!
It’s 1 AM, after midnight of my the first day for preparing for Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals “WWF” in Cairo, Egypt. As I’m a Microsoft Student Partner for Microsoft Egypt, I was lucky to officially volunteer in organizing for IC WWF. The more luckier that I’ve arrived the first one, hence I’ve got a first come first served opportunity to choose my preferred room in the reserved suite for MSPs who are not residing in Cairo.
More luckier, I’ve got an Admin Assistant position, where I work with the Imagine Cup competition administrators. I really like the the team work, seems like a bee cell. Very quick brainstorming, very short briefs and quick effective decisions are taken.
I got my first task as admin assistant and I really liked it!
I had an important meeting for my graduation project in the far west of Cairo which took me an hour to go, 3 hours to get back on a 65 degrees temperature that heated the road much to burn our faces!
I just get panic from plane’s view from far landscape for Cairo’s International Airport which I can see through the glass of my room’s balcony beside the heads of CityStars compound.
I’m not going to give any details about the competition due to NDA and code of ethics.
Follow up with my blog, you’ll always get updated with all new about Imagine Cup!
Exclusive: Boxed Windows 7 Ultimate
Before several days, I received Microsoft Windows 7 Beta SWAG gift from Windows 7 Beta team. It’s a FedEx box with Boxed Windows 7 Ultimate Beta & RC DVDs (x86, x64), plastic fishes sink with light, a plastic colored yoyo toy and an original thanks letter signed from all Windows 7 Beta team as best answerer for a question asked in a beta chat.
The Windows 7 Beta DVD Box is a made of cartoon, however, it represents the final design of the expected box design which strikes the guesses of some people posted some news about leaked copies of Windows 7 Box.
Here are some pictures of the SWAG I got…
Windows 7 SWAG #1
Windows 7 DVD Box Front
Windows 7 DVD Box Back
Home Guest!
Welcome!
Dear all,
Welcome to my new blogs! After long thinking, I decided to migrate from Windows Live Spaces to hosted service "Thanks to DiscountASP.NET" based on powerful datacenter with Windows Server 2008/IIS7.
This blog system I'm using is that one used by MSDN Blogs used by Microsoft employees. Yeah! 
It gives me a feeling as if I'm belonging to these blogs especially I'm focused to DPE Division at Microsoft as for my position as MSP "Microsoft Student Partner".
However, I won't stop posting in both here and WL Spaces in order to maintain a backup way for my blogs in case of domain expiry (who knows) 
.
I hope you enjoy the site! If you want feedback or contact me, feel free to use the contact page.
Regards!
Building a Robot, Is That Really Simple?
I've got many readings in Robotics from toys passing with mobile and industrial robots to space rovers. I really found it's so interesting that anyone can build their own robots so simply. I decided to build a Robot for my graduation project! Well, the idea is crazy -at least for my colleagues at faculty- due to lack of academic and financial materials.
Alright, I've searched tens of sponsors and could only gain a technical sponsor in specific parts of the robot, but no financial support.
I've did some Internet searching and could reduce costs up to 50%. That was really cool part to do to boost implementation process of the robot.
What's the problem then?
Actually, programming a robot is not that very simple. Okay, you may consider it: Plug, Program and Play (PPP). You can purchase all required hardware with tens of cautions of power failures and risks of incompatibility issues with hardware, then the most critical part is programming. You're not making simple software to control over a robot. It's all related to creating a special software for a customized platform with many considerations (power management is really tough!), networking and controls, even if you used the simplest programming languages like C#.
Roverbot
Roverbot is the codename of my graduation project. It would be the first of its type implemented ever in my university. It’s not simple at all to build a robot, but very fun to challenge!
Roverbot is expected to be released officially by June 2009. I’ll let you all meet Roverbot J.
Just wish me best of luck!
Laws of Robots
One: A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allows a human being to come to harm. Two: A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. Three: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.”
For The Second Time in Less than 1 Year, Internet is Down in ME
It’s my third day and my LAN cable is still disconnected, while I have a very limited internet access, 3 naval fiber cables that carries more than 98% of bandwidth to Middle East and Far East countries were broke down near Italy.
Authorities didn’t declare yet the reason of the broke down. That reminds us of the famous Internet broke down in Middle East and Asia in February 2008 where 4 naval cables were broke down in Mid Sea near Alexandria, Egypt and Dubai, UAE in the same way.
Airport planes booking systems were broken down and had to turn to manual systems to be able to book tickets for passengers, Outsourcing companies redirected most support calls to some third parties and partners in Europe to fulfill the needs of worldwide customers and most Internet services were broken down.
In Egypt, Dr. Tarek Kamel, Minister of Information & Communications declared in a report that some routes are being redirected to the Indian fiber cable that links South East of Asia with Europe in addition to routing to some satellite communications and promised that users will get a partial enhancement in Internet service within few hours as a temporary solution until the fiber cables are being fixed.
Official reports declared that Internet services were broke down by percentages between 80% – 100% in the affected countries.
Since most Middle East countries are on Weekend on Fridays, external operations from foreigner investors in ME stock markets won’t be affected except if the problem still persisted by “Saturday” or “Sunday” when opening these markets in those countries.
The previous broke down in February 2008 reported that a new type of electronic terrorism might be the reason of a massive dis-connectivity with the world leaving affected countries in a digital havoc and complete digital darkness.
I think because this problem occurred again by same method “3 cables were broke down”, it might be the new e-terrorism or due to a natural phenomena occurs in the Mid Sea that some water airflows may cause this problem.
Some would ask, and how could I post this topic, I can simply say, in absence of DSL and digital connections, thanks to Dial-up! ;)
Some funny reports declared that the reason was due to some sharks munched the giant high voltage charged cables! Who knows?! Maybe sharks got more wilder underwater like our world is! :D
Announcing the Microsoft Student Partner – MSPs Technology Club – Tanta University
The Microsoft Student Partners program recognizes top young minds from around the world that are passionate about technology. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to develop real world skills to help MSP succeed in your future career, to help others learn about technology and to connect with other likeminded students, all while having a ton of fun along the way.
MSP is encouraged to share your passion and knowledge and to undertake a number of fun activities on campus. And in return MSP will get access to numerous benefits including Microsoft software, reference materials, and training, as well as privileged information about future career opportunities. For further information visit www.student-partners.com
Microsoft Student Partners – Tanta University
Microsoft Student Partners “MSPs” is currently activated at Tanta University, Egypt starting from the academic year 2008-2009. MSPs Club is the official channel for students to contact MSPs and Microsoft, as well. MSPs Club at Tanta University consists of several top minded students who are passionate towards technology with leadership of the official MSPs chosen by Microsoft. MSPs Technology Club – Tanta University is an academic nonprofit program and it’s a Microsoft Egypt DPE Division Subsidiary.
Major Initiatives within Club (Activities)
- Technology based sessions and workshops concerns Microsoft products/technologies or any technology that students are interested in.
- Encouraging students to register and compete in the Microsoft Imagine Cup student competition through the official website through a huge in campus road show via posters, flyers, brochures, newsletters and a main event and session explains the Imagine Cup in an amazing visual show.
- Mentoring, guiding and continuous support for the competing Imagine Cup students.
- Working with CS staff to update some certain courses (Operating Systems, Software Engineering and Computer Graphics) with the (WAP: WRK + ProjectOZ + OS Curriculum, Visual Studio 2008 as part of MSDN AA package and Microsoft Expression products) through workshops.
- Giving Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Science (Computer Science and Statistics Department) ELMS “MSDN AA Licenses” to the interested students through filling a special form including full name, faculty, grade, a valid e-mail (Tanta university’s official mail for enabled faculties) to send the username and password and SSN for authentication to download MSDN AA package legally and free.
- Distributing a bimonthly CD/DVD developer tools and materials created by Microsoft EMEA DPE team as known as Microsoft MSDN Community Distribution.
- Developing human skills and increasing awareness with IT industry environment through the Microsoft Student 2 Business “S2B” sessions.
- Distributing posters, flyers and brochures for MSP program and other Microsoft advertisements.
- The main communication channel between Microsoft Corporation, Microsoft Egypt and Tanta University’s staff and students.
- Inviting and registering interested students and staff who’re willing to attend Microsoft hosted events especially Microsoft Student Festival and Microsoft Egyptian Developers Conference “EDC”.
- Releasing a monthly wall magazine titled: Microsoft Tech-Zine to keep most faculty students updated with the Microsoft different divisions, products and technologies.
- Organizing midyear and final year .NET University sessions.
I’m very glad to manage this work. I really like it since I’m part of the Microsoft DPE “Developer & Platform Evangelism” Division and it’s my most favorite division at Microsoft after Windows Sustained Engineering team in Redmond.