Napoleon - 7:57 pm on Jun 1, 2003 (gmt 0)

>> that webmasters should NOT rely solely on Google for their traffic <<

Oh Please! Not down that ally again.... we'll all use the other engine that monopolizes 80% of searches then!

>> How badly broken is Google?<<

We will learn whether it is at all, or by how much, as soon as they bring all the data up to date.

Yes, there's stuff missing alright, and there are sites ranked that haven't existed for yonks, but these things may well be set right with the next proper update.

We are supposed to see some update in the next couple of weeks, but assuming we ever see a full crawl again (hmmm), that may well be 6-7 weeks.

The sooner the better really, as some people outside the webmaster communities are indeed starting to notice (only a few though to be fair). The problem for Google may be more that the webmaster influence in this industry (search) extends well beyond its numbers. Perception is important, and the perception of Google's quality isn't what it was at present.

However... the new updated data may (or may not) address most issues. I personally expect it to on past performance, and Google deserves the benefit of the doubt, but we'll just have to wait and see.