Month: July 2021

How Schema can Radically boost your Click Through Rate

Although this is somewhat morbid, there’s an on-going joke amongst SEO experts that the second page of Google would be an incredibly effective place to hide a dead body. And it’s true. Think about it: when was the last time you looked beyond the first page when you were conducting a Google search? We’re willing to bet it was a while ago.

So, if you have a well-designed website that has been populated with high-quality copy and content but you still aren’t getting many visitors, you probably aren’t securing enough organic traffic from search engine results pages (SERPs).

Research is constantly telling us that pages that rank higher on SERPs are also securing more click-throughs. For example, the number one organic result is securing an average click-through rate (CTR) of just over 31%. This top-ranking organic result is also approximately ten times more likely to secure a click than the tenth organic result.

But this clearly isn’t the only factor contributing to CTRs. In fact, Google has made a point to integrate a variety of features into SERPs that also secure clicks and one of these is rich snippets. Structured data or schema markup is also playing a central role but it’s something that is simply being overlooked by too many businesses.

What is Schema Markup?

Google wants to understand both the content and context of every webpage to ensure that it is consistently providing its users with search results populated with high-quality, relevant content. Schema markup can be used to provide Google with important information about a webpage in a standardised format. 

As Paul Morris, MD at Bristol based, Superb Digital, states “Structured data is also useful for removing ambiguity. With structured data in place, an online grocery store selling apples won’t show up in the search results for resellers of Apple consumer electronics.”

A recipe page is the example that Google uses to explain structured data. So, a recipe page may use structured data to explain the ingredients, method, calories, and cooking time to help Google properly classify the page content.

But how does this translate into SERP information?

Let’s conduct a Google search for “best movies 2020”. The SERP we are presented with contains a carousel right at the top, which features images of movies that Google considers to be 2020’s best movies. These images are clickable and will take users wanting more information about a particular movie to more in-depth SERPs.

This is just one example of an interactive infobox that can appear at the top of SERPs for relevant queries. As these infoboxes sit above organic search results, securing a place within them can by-pass search engine optimisation (SEO) altogether.

What exactly does Schema Markup do?

Essentially, schema markup will allow you to provide additional information within your search results. This will ensure you take up more space in SERPs and can provide an enhanced user experience by letting visitors know what they can expect from your content when they decide to click through.

There are a variety of different types of information you can use structured data to communicate, including:

 

1. Reviews

Incorporating reviews from your existing customers in your search snippets can demonstrate to new leads that you are a reputable and authoritative business within your niche. Plus, the orange stars are instantly eye-catching!

2. Location Information

As local search becomes increasingly prominent, showcasing the precise address of your business within SERPs can help you to boost footfall and entice new customers into your store.

3. Contact Information

Similarly, structured data can be used to make it incredibly easy for potential customers to get in touch. This will reduce the number of steps they will need to take to contact you, thereby increasing the likelihood that you will hear from them.

4. Events

If your business has an upcoming event, highlighting this information within your search snippet using event schema can help you to secure additional attendees. Even if a potential customer doesn’t want to attend this specific event, it will still demonstrate that you are an active business that is eager to host interesting events and engage your audience in meaningful ways.

5. Product Information

We all know that marketplaces are competitive and if your search snippet contains even just the smallest amount of additional information, you’re far more likely to secure a click over your competitor brands. You’re aiming to provide ‘just enough’ information to out-do your competition and appeal directly to your target audience.

It is possible to use schema markup to display specific product prices in the SERPs which can be beneficial but requires testing to make sure. This can be very valuable if your offering has a lower price than everything else on that SERP but likely won’t work if your offering has a much higher price tag. If the latter is the case, you might find it more valuable to use price range schema which will use a price indicator, such as £ for affordable offerings or £££ for more premium offerings.

It is also possible to use schema markup to display the availability of a particular product. This can be beneficial if you’re offering an in-demand product with limited availability because it can create an instant sense of urgency. It is unlikely to be beneficial if key items are currently out of stock as this will likely result in a sudden reduction in the CTR for that result.

What do I need to know about Schema Markup?

Arguably most importantly, you need to know precisely what your ideal audience is searching for and the intent that sits behind that search to ensure that your search result is perfectly pitched to capture their attention.

In addition to capturing their attention and securing their click, it is also imperative that the page they land on contains the information they were promised. Don’t forget, failing to fulfil your promise will impact your overall image and make it impossible for your target audience to view you as a trustworthy operation that can enhance their lives.

Schema markup implementation is a technical process that requires in-depth HTML, coding and SEO knowledge, so this isn’t beginner’s stuff and it pays to work with a reputable SEO agency, who have case studies and a proven track record (like Superb Digital who we mentioned above). 

Dell Technologies Helps GOAL Support Global Emergency Response During Pandemic #Dell #GOAL

Dell Technologies today announced its work with global humanitarian non-profit, GOAL Global,  developing an IT strategy that allows the continuation of life-saving global operations during the pandemic. GOAL used Dell Technologies expert services to strategize and deploy an architecture that empowers GOAL’s employees around the world to continue delivery response during the pandemic and minimize disruptions to its technology infrastructure.

As a first responder to humanitarian crises for more than 40 years, GOAL is committed to working with vulnerable communities to help them survive crises and support them on the road to recovery. Its frontline staff of 2,400 employees across 14 countries operate in environments where poor network connectivity and frequent power outages are the norm. They rely on IT to manage logistics – including access to food, shelter, and healthcare – mobilize an integrated response through collaboration, collect local data that informs a response, as well as analyze and report on how donor funds are spent. This reliance became even more critical as the pandemic shut down travel and supply chains early last year.

GOAL worked with Dell Technologies to help it quickly move forward with planning and implementing an all-digital approach to boost connectivity, efficiency, provide agility, and ensure its data is safe.

“GOAL believes in a world where poverty no longer exists and we work with vulnerable communities to help them respond to and recover from humanitarian crises,” said Janet Humphreys, CIO of GOAL. “During the pandemic, our humanitarian aid became even more critical. Dell Technologies offered our organization a lifeline through its expert advice on moving to a hybrid computing model, supporting us in the migration and educating our staff on how to use it. Today, we’re more connected than ever and equipped to continue our journey in providing aid to others.”

GOAL believed this approach was necessary to increase connectivity. Dell Technologies ProConsult Advisory Services conducted detailed analysis of GOAL’s IT infrastructure and barriers to success. It  provided a comprehensive assessment of GOAL’s current state along with a strategy to move forward, which included a hybrid computing recommendation.

The non-profit’s frontline workers are often dispersed in areas with poor connectivity. They often don’t have the needed bandwidth to share data between their localized environments and GOAL’s centralized environment. Dell Technologies and GOAL defined an architecture that makes it easier for frontline staff to work on local copies and upload/download, while other teams work online. With Dell Technologies’ migration expertise, GOAL was able to maintain emergency response and program delivery during the transformation as well as increase the number of people served by one million – from five to six million – around the world.

Dell Technologies Employee Experience Measurement Services were also delivered to measure and analyse IT sentiment so GOAL could strategically prioritize where to focus on improvements, create action plans, and measure change over time. Dell Technologies’ counsel around best practices for change management, user adoption and training improved IT experience scores by 30% in subsequent measurements. GOAL also achieved efficiency and scale by replicating solutions across the 14 countries that the frontline operates.

“GOAL is like many global non-profit organizations grappling with a number of challenges – dispersed workforces in remote locations, small budgets, no scope for downtime – that require them to work smarter when it comes to digital transformation,” Bertrand Lalanne, vice president EMEA presales at Dell Technologies. “GOAL’s success proves that organizations, no matter their challenges, are able to move to hybrid computing approach with the right guidance, support and technology. Dell Technologies is uniquely equipped to support organizations from all sectors and sizes, at any point in their digital modernization journey, allowing those in some of the toughest environments to flourish.”

With Dell Technologies’ commitment to help 1,000 non-profit organizations on their journey to digital transformation by the year 2030, this is an example of how the company is working with customers to support shared social impact goals. Technology is crucial to keeping GOAL operational and employees connected and the success of its mission.

Game apps to download on your smartphone

With more than 2.5 billion active devices today and nearly 86% market share, Android is establishing itself as the most widely used operating system in the mobile world. And on Google Play, video games are undeniably at the top of the list of the most popular applications. Thus, with such a huge number of games, it is not always easy to find the best games that are worth playing.

Total War Battles: Kingdom

Developed by The Creative Assembly, the Total War series has since become one of the pillars of the strategy game. Extremely complete, this series pleasantly mixes real-time playing with strategy and management to deliver a most pleasant experience. With the Total War Battles series, the studio has created a simplified version of its game, much more suited to the nomadic format.

Gone are Antiquity (the usual setting for the main series games), we find ourselves here in medieval England, with the ultimate task of unifying the kingdom in order to reign supreme. In this game, you get to manage a city, which will allow to unlock a whole bunch of bonuses and improvements, and of course, battles in real time. Apart from the rather inconvenient interface, Total War Battles: Kingdom is a good little strategy game that you can enjoy with your friend.

Rayman adventures

Rayman Adventures game desing is very pleasing to the eye thanks to the performance of the Ubi Frame Art. The gameplay is perfectly suited to mobile support thanks to responsive and very well-thought-out touch controls. Although it offers very few free-to-play elements, it is difficult to deny the overall charm of Rayman Adventures, which certainly deserves its place on the smartphone of any lover of android games in general, and Rayman in particular.

Fallout Shelter

How do you adapt a game like “Fallout” to mobile, when its ergonomics do not exactly comply with touch screens? By taking only the universe of the game to create a totally different game. This is how Fallout Shelter was born, a fun resource management game based on the codes of the eponymous saga. The player must develop an atomic shelter collecting survivors, optimizing the production of various resources, population and capacities of the shelter. Addictive, Fallout Shelter is also demanding as it continues to run in the absence of the player.

Shadowgun Legends

Shadowgun Legends is one of the best sci-fi shooter video games. In this game, your main objectives will be to complete missions and help other shadowgun companions. You can also participate in the arenas where you team up with other ghost guns and take out waves after waves of enemies. After eliminating all the waves, you get high prices. The game also includes tons of customization options and very powerful weapons. The game is completely free, there are in-app purchases, but you can complete the game without spending real money.

Special mention: Games for many making

Such games are becoming more popular each year. We are talking about games where you compete against another player or team of player to earn real money. Games such as baccarat are offered by online casinos, most of which have downloadable apps.

Why website owners need to build backlinks

Do you have good quality content on the pages of your website? It’s perfect! So why is your site still not taking off in the search engines? Simply because you haven’t thought about increasing your virtual popularity. And good popularity requires a good strategy of backlinks to your money site: multilingual link building strategy.

How to determine a good backlink?

There are different concepts to consider in order to determine the worth of a backlink.

First of all, it must correspond to the same theme as your page in question, the same field. Why?

Because Googlebot will crawl your website on which you have built a link and then discover a backlink redirecting users to your site. Its goal is therefore to find a similarity between the two pages. If there are similar points between these two pages, Google may take this criterion into account as something positive both for the SEO of the partner site and for your own site.

The site of your future Guest posting partner must also be written in the same language. There should not be an intrusive aspect (such as, for example, advertisements). The Trust Flow and the Citation Flow must not have too large a difference.

In the Page Rank part, we could see that The Trust Flow represents the trust index of your page. Citation Flow, on the other hand, represents link popularity.

Why make backlinks to your site?

Creating new links that are relevant to a client means working on their visibility and increasing the popularity of their site in search engines.

In summary, the more people talk about you on other blogs, the more likely you are to improve your rankings in the SERPS. There are therefore two reasons to put in place a strategy to obtain a solid backlinking!

To promote your site

Even though Google advocates natural links, that is, all inbound links created without the intention of tampering with its algorithm, a little push doesn’t hurt. Because if no one knows your site, no one is likely to talk about it.

Contacting bloggers on the same theme as yours is therefore the ONLY way to popularize your site and get people talking about it. This makes it possible to establish effective links, which will lead to back links: quality link building!

To improve your ranking in Google SERP

A backlink to your site is equivalent to a recommendation for a search engine like Google. So, this is a good SEO signal. It’s like telling your friend to eat at a certain restaurant, because you ate there.

With Google, it’s the same: building a relevant link is positive signal. And the more quality links you have that point to you, the more you get into Google’s radar in a positive way and ranks your site better.

Finally, it worth mentioning that one should only trust an SEO expert, in case they want to hire someone to do the heavy work. I do not recommend trusting an amateur; that would be a waste of time and money.

Tech Review – SwitchBot Curtain. Make your old curtains smart. #Switchbot #Tech #Smarthome

The SwitchBot Curtain came in an exciting array of connectable devices for the smart home which included SwitchBot Curtain, SwitchBot remote, SwitchBot Solar Panel, SwitchBot Thermometer and Hygrometer and SwitchBot Hub mini. The various units are designed to work for one app on your phone, reducing the need to have multiple apps for each product. This provides an ecosystem of integrated units for the smart home The kit comes with no screws or bolts or hardwiring, electrician required.

 

Features:

 

Works with – retrofit property.

  •       For any types of curtains rail   No matter it is Rod, U Rail track, or I Rail track, SwitchBot Curtain can always fit.
  •       Support U Rail Curtain
  •       Support Rod Curtain
  •       Support Rail Curtain

 

This kit is designed to work with (Note the SwitchBot Hub Mini, is required for this to work and sold separately)

 

This is excellent for the ecosystem to control the units from a security perspective open and close the curtains at random times or used for other features in terms of connecting to the thermometer/ hydrometer to check the temperature or turn off / on other connected devices.

 

Make your curtains smart in seconds, also makes your existing curtains motorized and automated with 30-second installation. schedule, and touch and go.

The marketing team for SwitchBot may get legal action and in my opinion, this is false marketing without giving the full truth, and are setting up customers to fail.

The process involves opening the box, read the instructions,  download the app via the QR code, register your account, await a  SwitchBot verification code via email, physically set up the SwitchBot curtains,  set up the app on the phone, and configure, calibrate the curtains, notwithstanding read the 48-page guide for installation and charge the kit for 10 hours, if taking a short cut and not reading the manual prepare for the “ Factory reset on numerous occasions “ by holding the contact button for 15 seconds.  All this in 30 seconds installation!

 

Battery:

Charging takes 10 hours while once charged lasts an excellent time up to last 8 months depending on the usage. An alternative option to minimise the need to charge the kit would be to purchase (sold separately) the SwitchBot Solar Panel which would mitigate the need for charging, The kit is supplied with modern USB C charging cables which if not going for the solar panel option could be charged leaving a power bank attached to the SwitchBot Curtain overnight removing the need to remove the SwitchBot Curtain from its hanging position. This is a real positive for the smart home. The other devices came with a standard battery which is easily changed as required.

 

SwitchBot Thermometer and Hygrometer

Once configured which is easy, this will mirror the temperature in the room to your app which is ideal to set alerts if the temperature drops below a certain temperature e.g., Child’s bedroom which can be configured to take an action. The Hygrometer is used for measuring the humidity of the air. For maximum heating effectiveness and comfort, humidity levels should be between 30% and 50%. In the summer, a maximum of 55% is tolerable this is great to be aware of if monitoring the elderly. The Thermometer is slow to change temperature, having placed this is a fridge down to 2 degrees Celsius, on placing within the kitchen it took approx. 10 minutes to raise back to the normal temperature while appears correct when compared with 2 other temperature gauges. The app does keep a record, which can be displayed graphically of the temperature which can be exported as required for a day, week, month or year.

SwitchBot Hub mini

This is required to allow the technology to connect the smart home to your router and connected remotely to the devices and the likes of Alexa. This as many products do not support connection from your router on 5G and do not support does not support WEP and WPS for now, (which as stated by SwitchBot ) makes users vulnerable. If this does not connect instantly on the first go, a requirement may be required for a techie to login into your router to configure firewall rules as troubleshooting.

SwitchBot remote,

The remote is possible the most used items, simple in what it does, configured via the app to e.g., top button press = close, bottom button = open. Again, instructed in the manual but configured via the App. This is ideal as once configured, no app, phone, Wi-Fi etc. is required just press the button to open or close which has worked faultlessly once configured and calibrated.

App use, SwitchBot:

The app has got a rating of 2.8 out of 5 with over 100k downloads, the rating would not be considered a good rating but can often be caused by an older version of the software or bug. In my opinion, I believe this is a fair result for the app having various issues on the initial setup, (albeit tried on an older phone – and got an error when tried to use the Forget Password – error Validation error detected, with code lingo in terms of the details must satisfy regular expression pattern.)  This was again used on newer android phone and technically worked with FAQ, but a lot of time spent on trial and error, (Hence read the manual and app details to prevent hours of futile time setting up)

Once the app is set up, controlling the curtains or configuration of the other devices was standard in terms of adding a new product with challenges to establish how to link one product to another, various links to videos were available to view online in this area via the FAQ.

Brand:

SwitchBot has been around since 2016   with a tag line of, we help you to create a comfortable home with innovative smart home products.  Which I would agree with (once their app get a makeover)  https://switch-bot.com/

 

Overall:

My biggest niggle on this product is the claim “30-second installation” which is compounded by an app that still requires work and manuals that in my opinion are written by someone English is not their first language. Notwithstanding the above, the product once setup works well, and has been the focal point of many visitors who have been very impressed with the simplicity of the unit, allowing it to be used via the App, or remote once configured, alternatively connect via various smart home option E.g., Alexa. Again, the simple things have been done, pulling one curtain manually, the Touch & Go kicks in to close/open both curtains as required ensuring an equal balance with both open / closed as required. The remote, or the Touch & Go requires no smartphones required once setup and has the advantage of no cables needed to run or electrical wiring to be done. Keeping with one standard brand in terms of one smart home ecosystem again is another positive ensuring when you change the phone or do a smart reset you are not stuck with numerous apps to configure as required. This is ideal for the elderly if set up by a junior person and calibrated to allow them easy of use for the curtains and visibility to see the temperature of the rooms when away.

This has the potential to be a colossal winner once the app & setup nuances are updated.

BUY 

 

The Innsmouth Case Out Now on Xbox and PlayStation Consoles

Following the successful launches on PC and Nintendo Switch, publisher Assemble Entertainment, and developer Robot Pumpkin Games, are thrilled to announce that The Innsmouth Case is out today for Xbox and PlayStation consoles. This scary-comedy-text-adventure game set in the mysterious and foreboding Lovecraft universe is available from Microsoft Store and the PlayStation Store for £11.99 / €14.99 / $14.99.

The Innsmouth Case takes players on a truly harrowing, humorous, and fantastical journey where nothing is what it seems. It’s a game of cat-and-mouse with sinister forces in the tenebrous town of Innsmouth, a place packed to the gills with nameless horrors, and it’s your job to stay alert, stay safe, and solve the case of the missing girl.

To solve the enigmatic disappearance of little Tabitha Marsh, the most clever detective is not only wanted but desperately needed. Unfortunately, that particular detective is busy, so the case goes to you! Pack your belongings and prepare to head to the remote fishing village of Innsmouth, as The Innsmouth Case awaits!

Crack the Case and Save the Girl…It’s the Only Way to Survive Innsmouth!

Features of The Innsmouth Case include:

  • Become one with the Lovecraftian world around you, as each and every decision you make has a permanent effect on the ongoing story
  • The “interactive book” styled gameplay captivates with its perfect blend of offbeat humor and classic horror
  • Your fate is entirely in your hands; a total of 27 possible endings are to be discovered. Are you saving the day – or are your days in Innsmouth, and the world, numbered?
  • Explore 21st century Innsmouth, talk to more than 20 animated characters and solve the mystery of the disappearance of Tabitha Marsh

2,500 Learners Take Their First StepIn2Tech on Microsoft’s Digital Skills Training Programme #StepIn2Tech

Today, Microsoft Ireland announced that over 2,500 people have registered for StepIn2Tech, the digital skills training programme that was launched just four months ago in partnership with Fastrack to IT (FIT).

Developed by Microsoft Ireland in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the StepIn2Tech programme aims to equip 10,000 people with the digital skills required to transfer to emerging and in-demand roles within the digital economy. It’s particularly focused on supporting those who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic and those who have either recently left school or college.

Since its launch in March, the programme has helped workers who have lost their jobs in retail, hospitality, tourism and other sectors to reset their career aspirations and pursue new career opportunities in the digital economy.

The 10,000 digital skills training places being provided by Microsoft Ireland are additional to the 50,000 further education and training places being provided by Government through the new ‘Pathways to Work’ scheme, which was recently unveiled.

Speaking about his StepIn2Tech experience, graduate David Kelly said: “I was working in a coffee shop when the pandemic hit and then I suddenly found myself at home with no job. I started to look into my options and discovered StepIn2Tech. Over the past couple of months, I’ve completed each of the learning pathways within the programme which included coding, cloud and digital marketing.

“StepIn2Tech is a great programme made even easier by the fact that learners can do it from their own home. The best bit for me was the guided mentoring and support that I received along the way. As a result of the skills that I developed by participating in StepIn2Tech, I’ve been able to secure a place on a pre-tech apprenticeship with FIT, which will hopefully provide a stepping-stone into a career within the technology sector. I’m very excited to be on a new career pathway and am optimistic about what the future holds.”

James O’Connor, Vice President of Microsoft International Operations, said: “StepIn2Tech is one of a number of initiatives that Microsoft Ireland has developed as part of our Pathways for Life education and training programme, which empowers learners – irrespective of their age, background or experience – to participate fully in Ireland’s digital economy through the development of their digital skills. We launched StepIn2Tech as a direct response to the Covid-19 pandemic with the goal of supporting an inclusive and sustainable economic recovery. The programme helps people to acquire the digital skills that are needed to secure employment in the digital economy but also to thrive in their existing roles that, because as a result of the past 18 months, may have been digitized.

“The initiative has been received positively and we’ve been delighted to see so many complete the course to date and learn of the individual success stories behind each learner. Two weeks ago, the Government announced its own ambitious ‘Pathways to Work’ scheme which focuses on helping people displaced in the jobs market to acquire new skills to secure employment post-pandemic. StepIn2Tech will support this mission and I’d encourage anyone whether early or mid-career or out of work to avail of this training to accelerate your employment opportunities.”

Peter Davitt, CEO, Fastrack to IT, said: “We were delighted to join forces with Microsoft Ireland to launch StepIn2Tech earlier this year. As a result of the pandemic, digital skills have become essential skills for a wide range of roles across multiple sectors. Furthermore, due to the pace of digital transformation that has occurred over the last 18 months, the digital skills gap has widened and so it’s essential that people leverage programmes such as StepIn2Tech to upskill to play a meaningful role in our economy’s recovery.

“StepIn2Tech has already resulted in positive learner outcomes, whereby some have chosen to pursue additional education and training opportunities and others have progressed on to apprenticeships or returned to employment. I’d like to encourage anyone who is interested in either developing their digital skills or considering a new career to register for free today to StepIn2Tech.”

For more information on #StepIn2Tech or to register to participate in the programme, visit: https://fit.ie/stepin2tech/.

You can now ask Alexa about the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games #Tokyo2020 #TokyoOlympics

As athletes and fans across the nation prepare themselves for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games and tomorrow’s Opening Ceremony, Amazon’s Alexa has been learning facts to give customers quick and easy access to Great Britain and Ireland’s latest news and successes throughout July and August.

Following the Olympics Opening Ceremony on Friday 23rd July, Alexa will give customers the low down on Team GB, Team Ireland, ParalympicsGB and Paralympics Ireland athletes competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games this year. When asking questions such as “Alexa, what’s the Olympics update?” or “Alexa, what’s the Paralympics update?” customers will hear an update every day throughout the Games, with the latest news from Tokyo.

Additionally, as the athletes compete in their chosen sports, fans will be able to follow along with the successes of the teams from Great Britain and Ireland by asking for updates such as “Alexa, what’s Paralympics Ireland’s update?” to hear a daily summary of the team’s progress.

Alexa’s new knowledge can help fans become an expert on the athletes competing in events from the comfort of their own homes. Customers can ask “Alexa, who is the athlete of the day?” to hear a short biography of a chosen athlete.

To stay up to speed on the medals table using just their voice, customers can also ask “Alexa, which country has the most gold medals?”, or ask for team specific updates such as, “Alexa, what’s Team Ireland’s medal count?.”

Questions that customers can ask Alexa about the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games include:

 

  • “Alexa, what’s the Olympics update?”
  • “Alexa, what’s the Paralympics update?”
  • “Alexa, what’s Team Ireland’s Olympics update?”
  • “Alexa, what’s Team Ireland’s Paralympics update?”
  • “Alexa, which country has the most gold meals?”
  • “Alexa, what’s Team GB’s medal count?”
  • “Alexa, what’s Team Ireland’s medal count?”
  • “Alexa, who is the athlete of the day?”

Google to receive IDA Ireland Special Recognition Award 2021

IDA Ireland today announced that Google has been selected as the recipient of the IDA Ireland Special Recognition Award 2021. The award will recognise and celebrate the contribution that Google has made to Ireland over the past 18 years.

The award will be presented to Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google at an event in the US in September. The award will be presented by An Tánaiste & Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar and CEO IDA Ireland Martin Shanahan.

The Tánaiste said: “Google is one of Ireland’s biggest employers and it has helped make Ireland the tech capital of Europe. When it opened in Dublin in 2003, Google was planning a workforce of 200. Now it employs 8,000 people with many more jobs sustained indirectly serving its operations. Google is a worthy recipient of the IDA Special Recognition Award and I look forward to meeting Mr Pichai again in person later this year.”

“Google has had a remarkable success story here and the impact it has had on Irish society and the economy has been significant”, said Martin Shanahan, CEO of IDA Ireland. “IDA Ireland introduced this annual Special Recognition Award in January 2020 as we believe it is important that we celebrate the huge contribution our 1600+ FDI companies have made to Ireland. Foreign Direct Investment continues to be a substantive driver of the economy. Our client companies in Ireland have demonstrated longevity and resilience despite the unprecedented challenge posed by the Covid 19 pandemic, and continued commitment, creating jobs – the numbers directly employed in the multinational sector in Ireland is at an all-time high of 257,394. Additionally, eight jobs are created in the wider economy for every ten created by IDA Ireland client companies, amounting to estimated total direct and indirect employment of 463,300, clearly demonstrating the enormous benefits to the economy.

“The award recognises Ireland’s proven ability to be an enduring partner for businesses with international ambitions. It is also an opportunity to showcase internationally the level and sophistication of FDI in Ireland. IDA very much looks forward to presenting the award to Sundar Pichai and to acknowledge the contribution that Google has made to the development of Ireland as a recognised and thriving tech hub in Europe”, Martin Shanahan concluded.

“We established an office in 2003 with just five employees committed to making Ireland a home for Google and a hub for our EMEA operations. Our incredible team plays a critical role in driving Google forward right across the region and I’m honoured that this award will recognise their contributions”, said Nick Leeder, VP Google Ireland. “The IDA has been instrumental in nurturing Ireland as an international tech hub, where we have found a talented and dedicated workforce and a wonderful community we call home. In turn, Google Ireland is committed to helping Irish businesses and communities grow and, as we look ahead to our future in Ireland, I am excited about the work we will continue to do together.”