Latest Update problems

Dropped from Index!

[Conard]

I just checked my site again for listings update. A couple of months ago I noticed Alta had a couple of 404 pages listed for my site, so I submitted them to be dropped along with their replacements. Today I noticed that my entire site was dropped using the url: and host: searches. I sent them an email and asked if I was dropped for any known reason or if I did something wrong. The reply was
"Thank you for choosing AltaVista.
Unfortunately, AltaVista does not provide information on ranking and URL
indexing other than what is posted on our site. This is so that no one
person, site, or group receives more information than others.

Thank you again for using AltaVista."

I just re-submitted again, we will see what happens in a couple of months. I enjoyed #1 listings for several keywords for a couple of years, then gone. The funny part about this is that the #1 and #2 pages listed now are 404 pages from two other competitor sites.

[Eric_Jarvis]

I'm trying to submit a whole bunch of pages to altavista...they keep telling me the pages aren't available

I'd rather they just shut down than run this badly

[backus]

One of our clients has been taken for a good keyword phrase. Put straight to number 1. I wrote to Altavista about another client, asking why after 4 months of asking, hasn't our URL been accepted. I worded the email such, that I was a lifelong user of AV and it worried me to see it lose out to Google and Fast. They quickly wrote me a very nice reply, saying they physically submitted the site to the index, it will definitely be there in 6 weeks. They hoped that I would continue to use AV. They almost apologised for being rubbish!

[herb]

Has anyone noticed/or cares that AV is switching DBs almost every hour for the past two days.

We have one site that jumped to number one from something like 20th on an extremely completive KW pair and the next hour a new one-page site (not ours) grabs spots, 1,2,4,6. At the same time another of our sites that has been in 4th position for months has dropped off the radar. It's still listed but I haven't had time to drill down to find it.

When we are in the first position AV returns 310,00 results. When we are dropped its returning 1,200,000 results. When presenting the large DB most of the top listings are gateway pages, that are KW stuffed.

[JonB]

me site too.My free site is in and getting good results but my paid domain just disapoeared from their index.will write to them.My completely new sites were added but only 1 or 2 pages each.

[dogboy]

"Unfortunately, AltaVista does not provide information <EDIT>...this is so that no one person, site, or group receives more information than others."

hehehe.... that about sums them up:)

[budterm]

Backus - What email address did you use to write to them? A site that we have had indexed for five years just got dropped. How do you think I should word a letter?

[backus]

To the email/help section. Be nice to them. Explain that AV was your number one choice for years, blah, blah, blah. Then tell them to get it right, or you're going to Fast and Google! That should do it.

[budterm]

Thanks, backus, I will give it a shot.