So Google Blog Search has changed the way it indexes content.

Instead of  indexing content from RSS feeds, the search now focuses on full content from pages.

According to those in the know at Google the indexing change has “improved the results for a lot of queries, both because we have the full content of the page and because we extract links that are missing from the feeds”.

But change rarely comes without a niggle or two. Some users have reported problems in a Google Groups post when a person’s blog name drew results based on blogroll content, too.

The Google team member does admit that “there have been occasional complaints about the use of the feed content, particularly the problem with partial feeds”.

Google also revealed that it had expected some problems from blogroll matches, but that they “may have underestimated the impact on searches using the link: operator or where the query matches a blog or blogger’s name”.

However, Google is working on fixing this glitch and plans to use the full-page content for searches, but exclude the content that isn’t actually part of the post.

The search engine supremo is hoping to have the problem sorted by the end of this year.

If you thought that grammar and spelling matter less on the internet then take heed of a recent survey.

Almost 40% of respondents asked by GooseGrade, a user copy-editing service, revealed that they had come across blogs and websites with grammatical errors or inaccuracies.

More than a quarter said they experienced these problems frequently, while 14% said “very often”.

But more critically, a third said they abandoned a site immediately if they encountered spelling and grammar mistakes.

Perhaps it might be worth paying a professional copywriter or proofreader to ensure your website is grammatically correct.

Colour plays a significant role in all areas of life – including the design of websites.

It’s widely evidenced that colours influence feelings and emotions.

For example, red is associated with boldness and passion, while blue is often linked to feelings of calmness or authority.

So it is obvious that the right use of colour can be the route to attracting more visitors to a website.

Choose your website colours with care

Here are some common feelings associated with colours:

Red: passion, energy, excitement, power – but also, danger, aggression.

Orange: warm, friendly, energetic – but also, hippy.

Yellow: light, optimistic, happy, bright, rich, kinship, hope – but also, danger.

Green: nature, restful, wealthy, relaxed – but also, envy

Blue: cool, calm, natural, free, peace, trusted, strong – but also, sad, depressed, cool.

Purple: luxurious, royalty, wise, sophisticated – but also, a bit childish.

White: pure, honest, clean, innocent, fresh, spacious – but also plain and vacant.

Black: powerful, elegant – but also, gloomy, mysterious, dangerous

Grey: Sleek, chic, modern, reliable – but also, dull.

Brown: richness, comfortable, strong, credible, nature  – but also, dirty, poor

Pink: romantic, fun – but also, childish and overly girly

Tips for a colour-coded website

Contrast is important: It’s vital that visitors can read text so black writing on a white background is perfect. Black works well on paler shaded backgrounds, too, such as light blue. Use white text on a bold colour with caution in case of colour saturation.

Choose three colours and stick to them: Harmony and identity is good so go for a basic palette of only a few colours.

Natural not artificial: Bold, bright colours can be harsh on the eye, although primary colours work well with promotional style websites. Often, though, more natural hues are more inviting.

Old and young: As a general rule, younger people like bolder colours and older people prefer more sombre shades. So think about this if you’re creating a website for a particular age group.

Men and women: According to research men prefer blue and orange to red and yellow. Women like red more than blue and yellow more than orange. And don’t assume that all women like pink. Another survey showed that blue is a favourite colour for 57% of men and of 35% of women.

But what do you think? Does colour influence your attraction to a website and if so, which colours do you prefer? What colour combinations work for you, too?

Apparently, for some firms it’s “who you know” when it comes to search engine optimisation.

Big companies, with websites running to hundreds and thousands of pages, make the most of partners and sponsors, using them to get links to specific pages rather than a homepage.

For example, take a firm like Orange that may be sponsoring various events. The marketing guys at Orange could speak to the people running an event page and ask them to link through to a topical Orange page, not simply their home page.

Doing this with all sponsoring partners could have a major affect on search engine marketing efforts. For the more partners a company has, the bigger impact this kind or “linking” will make on make to SEO.

Maybe you’re not in the big company league yet, but this information is worth bearing in mind for when you do grow.