Wilburforce - 1:15 pm on Nov 1, 2012 (gmt 0)

You don't have to read it

No, but it distracts us from more intelligent lines of inquiry.

In this thread the original poster's task ("trying to figure out why some sites survived and the majority didn't") isn't helped by jumping at imaginary shadows.

In my sector it looks like high keyword count/density/emphasis (both on-site and in backlink profile) are now counter-productive for Google, but still carry weight for Bing/Yahoo.

Similarly, outward links to other authority sites now seem to be harmful (or at best worthless) for Google, but still add authority for Bing/Yahoo.

These conclusions are suggested by what the pages in current results contain (i.e. very low keyword count), by on-site changes I have made (e.g. lowering keyword count/emphasis, removing outward links, rewording).

If anyone else has reached similar - or different - conclusions, adding them might help us remain focused.

However, I am confident that Google are far more interested in factors like click-through and bounce-rate than in how big my business is or what I last bought (unlike Amazon, who have emailed me repeatedly about everything that might possibly be related to the christmas present I got for my nephew two years ago).