Google Bookmarks

Google Bookmarks is a service of the U.S. company Google Inc. launched in 2005. It allows you to save bookmarks, tag, and browse interesting web pages.

Properties of Google Bookmarks

Google Bookmarks is a bookmarking service that only slightly differs in structure from other solutions available on the market. You can save the bookmarks directly into your existing Google Account. This service is not available to you without your own Google account. Google Bookmarks are not stored in the browser, but in the online profile so that they can be accessed from any computer or mobile devices.

Although the bookmarks are not directly related to a particular browser, they may still be used in conjunction with browsers. There are useful plug-ins or add-ons for popular software products to facilitate the administration and browsing of your Google Bookmarks. Google recommends using the Google Toolbar, which allows quick access to bookmarks. This shows how Google Bookmarks can be set up and used.

The role of labels

“Labels” can be stored for each bookmark in Google Bookmarks. These are keywords that assist in retrieving bookmarks. If you collect articles on the subject of search engine optimization, for example, you could sub-divide these with labels into different subject areas and presort them by topics such as “on-page optimization,” “off-page optimization” “trends,” etc.

Google bookmarks search

One of the strengths of Google Bookmarks is the searchability of bookmarks. Google can play its trump cards. The Google bookmark search searches not only the name and labels of social bookmarks, but also the contents of bookmarked pages. This allows users to track down the information they need quickly and effectively.

Google Stars

Google Stars is the new bookmarking system in the Google Chrome browser. After Google Stars had been tested by Chrome users in its beta version, the rollout of the extension took place in October, 2014. The extension can be downloaded from the Chrome Web Store for free and enormously increases the range of functions for the administration of bookmarks. From Chrome version 38 the service is automatically included. Once the extension is installed, old bookmarks you created earlier will be incorporated in the new system. Logging in with a Google account is required and the checkbox “Sync” must be selected to be able to use all the new features on all devices.

The bookmarking service Google Stars, differs conceptually from other conventional bookmark administration services with links and folders. Bookmarks can now be saved by clicking on the star in the Chrome browser and be searched with a new search. It is displayed with preview images, which originate from the visited websites. The bookmarks will be organized by the system if the user does not carry it out manually. The most important bookmarks are identified by Google Stars and are visible at first glance.

Google uses an algorithm to intelligently manage the content while improving the search function. The content of the saved webpages is the deciding factor. It is tagged with keywords and sorted in this way in intelligent auto folders. If bookmarks include links that are no longer accessible or may contain malicious software, the lists get updated and the user notified.

Google Stars works with online bookmark administration in order to be able to view the content on different browsers and devices. If you want to share a link with your mobile device in a social network, you can do so with just one click thanks to the online storage and synchronization function. Content administration can be done manually as well by clicking on “Edit.”

Relevance to search engine optimization

The Google bookmarks service is not of great interest for search engine optimizers. Being listed as bookmarks has not done anything for the ranking of a website. Based on the fact that Google has devalued bookmark links and their significance for ranking, bookmarks have become generally uninteresting in the field of search engine optimization. Google Bookmarks could still play a role merely as a tool for organizing information and useful instructions.

Web Links

• Google Tags & Bookmarks: SEO Implications