In June, Microsoft launched their own 404 widget that replaced a typical 404 screen with one that includes a list of possible matches and the ability to search further within the site with Live Search. Microsoft’s claim at that time was that between 2% and 10% of all searches lead to an error page. Yikes.

Now Google has followed suit with their enhanced 404 widget that pretty much does the same thing as Microsoft’s, but with Google as the search engine instead of Live Search. The widget is unstyled and allows site owners to edit the CSS as they like it.

In other Google news, something I’m always interested in: Google’s performance in overseas markets. We’ve noted how they are behind in places like China, South Korea, Russia, and the Czech Republic. But Google absolutely dominates in India, where it holds 81% of the market share. This is similar to the massive advantage Google holds throughout Europe.

Google has a dilemma in certain markets where they are losing out to local search engines. In China, there’s a certain amount of selling out an information portal like Google has to do in order to gain a market foothold. In the past, they’ve admitted doing business in China has hurt their image, and yet they continue on. As Robert Scoble says, part of the reason Google needs to stick it out in China is the amazing amount of engineering talent there. Also, let’s face it: business is booming in China.

I’m most curious about Russia at this point, especially with the current diplomatic turmoil. Google has invested there recently, and the country is getting ultra-connected in the next few years. Should be fascinating.

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