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As Danny reported over the weekend, Google added a significant search feature (Matt Cutts mentioned it first to let us know). You can now type into Google, whois domain.com and get the whois information for that domain.
For example, whois seroundtable.com returns this result:
When you click on the whois link, you are taken to Domain Tools. Domain Tools is one of the most widely used whois databases out there. Curious if it was a formal partnership or just because Google likes the resource? In any event, the Sphinn thread has one comment about that:
I can't believe that they have "partnered" with a site the does an SEO analysis upon clicking? http://www.domaintools.com/seo-score/
Forum discussion at Sphinn and DigitalPoint Forums.
Comments:
Michael Martinez
04/23/2008 04:26 pm
This is a real conflict of interest. Google needs to get out of the SEO business and stay out of it, as far as buying and partnering with SEO firms goes. I think they should formalize their Webmaster classes to the point of creating a business model to teach people basic design skills and best practices but they don't need to be introducing bias into their search results.
Teddie
04/23/2008 07:20 pm
I have used the feature a few times recently after Matts comments but was dissapointed with it, because the feature does not display all or even the useful whois information, all it displays is the registration and expiry date and a link to Domain Tools. As Micheal points out this appears a little unfair to other whois services and actually a free SEO handup, but I guess the Google engineers and mathematicians have calculated that it is enough of a relevancy improvement to be worth rolling out.
Bill Kruse
04/24/2008 09:45 pm
I can't get it to work at all here in the UK. BB