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We've had some major changes recently, both in the algo and in the bots.
I would like to make some observations on the behavior of the fresh side of fresh/deep bot, and find out what others have noticed.
I have seen two sets of freshdates (may have missed one) since the datacenters all started showing equal backlinks post-Esmerelda. Here is what I have noticed:
1 - It seems to me that the freshboost still exists.
2 - PR level of the page does not effect who is visited and who gets dates - two pages that have less pr than us (and <5), that we normally rank higher than, seem to be getting fresh dates and the boost, with no changes whatsoever in their content.
3 - We had an 'index page problem' that seemed to disappear last Wednesday/Thursday. However, when the freshdates appeared the problem seemed to return - we lost our index page and dropped a few positions.
4 - We are getting visited by a bot that behaves like Freshy, but aren't getting freshdates ourselves. We used to get them every time they came out.
5 - Some hidden text spammers (members of a bigger spam circle) are getting freshed.
You asked for observations, and unfortunately, that is all I have observed so far...
Also, I've noticed that pages can still drop out of the index...so crawling isn't 100% fresh/deep unified even though the bots are (or at least the IP range is).
3 - We had an 'index page problem' that seemed to disappear last Wednesday/Thursday. However, when the freshdates appeared the problem seemed to return - we lost our index page and dropped a few positions.
Totally on the nail with this one and such a mystery why the Fresh behaviour would cause the fix to revert back again...
Fresh bot tended to visit me every other day and pick up 100 odd pages out of the site which consists of about 150 crawlable pages.
Since Esmerelda this pattern has continued.
Late in Dominic and early in Esmerelda I noticed that the fresh pages seem to have much more flux - page could be freshed in at number 1 and the freshed in at number 70+.
The last few days has seen more stability. (Stable at 70+ but hey - site is new).
Have probably seen an increased activity of fresh bot visits this Sunday and Monday - not any deeper though so not sure if this is deep crawling.
Although in mipapage post it was suggested that fresh dates have only appeared twice since Esemerelda, I think that fresh content without dates has been appearing regular every other day (Dont know what makes G decide to go with a date or not)
So quick summary of points in mipapage post:-
1. Yes - probably more activity.
2. Agreed, although I felt that this was always the nature of freshbot - never been convinced PR was the main thing that attracts freshie.
3. Not experieced this.
4. Visited also and updates appearing regular without freshdates.
5. Yes, Freshbot will visit pages which we may consider spam.
I noticed that the last Freshbot is from June 29th. It isn't giving much of a boost. Or possibly the boost given is not the same for each site. For example I have one site which is solidly in top 10. During the month it's ranking changes from anywhere from #2 to #6. However, it's weakest rankng occurs when there is a freshbot date. Other sites do better when their sites get the freshbot date.
I think the freshboost phenomenon is more to do with new sites/pages as opposed to sites/pages pre-existing in the index.
This is definitely not true. I have pages which were unchanged for months and in Google's index for years which receive fresh dates. It has more to do with pr and possibly new links. I can give you dozens of examples of this.
This is definitely not true. I have pages which were unchanged for months and in Google's index for years which receive fresh dates. It has more to do with pr and possibly new links. I can give you dozens of examples of this.
Freshboost? Are you sure? Of course old pages can get freshbotted, and that's all they need to have a fresh tag.
Like the algo there are probably lots of different factors in the calculation of pages that fresh may visit.
I think it probably has more to do with how the pages are found and from where (EG who has linked to you) - and how much power is left in freshbot (after all how else are new sites found)
What I would like to know is from people who are not experiencing fresh date at all - when have you been visited by freshbot, if at all?, are there sites out there that have not seen googlebot at all since Esmerelda (excluding banned sites)?
Freshbot: 64.xxx... visits your site picks up new content in theory.
Freshdate: In the serps date next to serp listing representing the date the freshbot came to that page/site
Freshboost: A perceive ranking boost caused by the freshbot.
Well, not every site that receives a freshdate is really fresh. Also, the effect of the freshboost isn't always positive. See my earlier post.
5. Yes, Freshbot will visit pages which we may consider spam.
I should have qualified the original point. It seems that spammy pages that 'go missing' (spam filter maybe?) seem to magically reappear with a freshdate.
I've seen this phenomenon since pre-dominic.
What I would like to know is from people who are not experiencing fresh date at all - when have you been visited by freshbot, if at all?, are there sites out there that have not seen googlebot at all since Esmerelda (excluding banned sites)?
I have been visited four times since last Saturday (28th June). After some more review, it seems that some of our internal pages received a freshdate, but our index page - yes, the one that goes missing - didn't, even though FDbot has grabbed the page on all four occasions.
For people who are getting flushed down the serps when they receive freshdates, are you checking the pages that rise above you? I mean, do they have freshdates too?
This is what I was suggesting that the drop people notice is due to other sites ranking better based on the freshbot. One reason, as I said before, is the freshbot might remove the effects of pr.
When my index page disappears, I do a search for another phrase on the page, and my index page comes up in the serps with a freshdate.
Today, a subsidiary page is demonstrating that freshdate just drops it's rank by a page or two.
One thing I forgot to add - this is curious. I checked the same data center. For key word Blue widgets, there is a fresh tag of June 29th (on page 9 of results). However for key word widgets, there is no fresh tag date and page 1. This is on the same data center. Can someone who has greater technical knowledge explain this?
To answer your other question, the sites above my site in the rankings - some have fresh tag dates, others do not.
For people who are getting flushed down the serps when they receive freshdates, are you checking the pages that rise above you? I mean, do they have freshdates too?
Excellent question. Half of the sites above me have dates (6/29). The other half do not. A few of those that dont have just recently reappeared. After freshbot, but prior to the freshdate, I get bumped up, then come back down after the date appears.
In my category, a couple of the sites above me receive freshdates, but don't disappear. They're older sites, with little if any change from month to month.
I see the same. Age is important!
One thing I forgot to add - this is curious. I checked the same data center. For key word Blue widgets, there is a fresh tag of June 29th (on page 9 of results). However for key word widgets, there is no fresh tag date and page 1. This is on the same data center. Can someone who has greater technical knowledge explain this?
I've seen it, but can't explain it! Maybe the particular serp hasn't been updated yet?
Freshboost is a temporary ranking boost given when Freshbot finds a NEW page, not each time it visits a page that's already in the index.
A "Fresh Tag" doesn't necessarily indicate a Freshboost.
I'm having the same problem on one of my sites of rankings dropping when freshdate appears. If someone can tell me how to ban freshbot, I'll try it for a couple of days and see what happens.
Not such a good idea, as Google's Fresh and Deepbot are one and the same. You ban it and you're not going to do to well in the big G...
"For people who are getting flushed down the serps when they receive freshdates, are you checking the pages that rise above you? I mean, do they have freshdates too?
my observation with my site is that the top 10 sites in the search results remained virtually unchanged (Stable) when I get/lose the freshdate stamp. The difference is, when I get the freshdate, my site sinks to page 3. When the freshdate is gone, I go back to my previous position. Again, the other sites seem stable and also get/lose the freshdate at the same time.
Freshboost is a temporary ranking boost given when Freshbot finds a NEW page, not each time it visits a page that's already in the index.
If this is true, it is important. I have been 'dropping' in the serps when two older sites get freshed and mine reverts back to the 'missing index' state.
#1 in the first msg was due to what I observed above, but I guess then the reason that I am dropping isn't that they are freshed and I am not, it's that I am 'losing' my index page. As this seems to be an age issue, I can't wait for the next 'update' or the start of the 'rolling update'
are you basically saying that although nothing changes in the content of the ten results on the serp, when Fresh tags appear your page drops a bit and then rebounds when the tags are gone?
That's what happens to me. Disappear when freshtag appears. Later return to exactly the same place.
You said it happened last year. Did it stop? Has it restarted for you?
crobb305,are you basically saying that although nothing changes in the content of the ten results on the serp, when Fresh tags appear your page drops a bit and then rebounds when the tags are gone?
Yep..that's what is happening. And my site is fresh too.
C
