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The problem doesn't seem to be related to a specific data centre (i.e. it can occur at all of them). The problem also arises for a search of allinanchor, allintitle and allintext of keyword1. However, it seems that other keywords or combination of keywords are not affected.
Anybody else seeing a similar behaviour?
We had a PR of 6 before our entire site was dropped by google for an unknown reason.
Our index page is the only page left in the google index.
Who knows if it's timing (ie hitting the button too soon) or what, but sometimes it happens on the refresh, and other times by hitting 'search' again.
Personally I just feel that it's difficult to run a search engine that big, with rolling updates etc - change anything and it can lead to disaster - but yes there are certainly problems, possibly bigger than Googleplex really appreciates.
Example: blue widgets, solid at #2 or #3;
shiny widgets, solid at #1 or #2
blue shiny widgets, completely gone first try, hit refresh and #1.
With any logically based, well functioning, system of ranking results this would surely be impossible, objectively wrong.
Since you asked for a specific example of the vanishing index page phenom, and since it's now tagged me again, having dealt with it back in April and (briefly earlier this week), there is a spam report using indexpage and index page as keywords from me to you via the Big G spam report form
<added> It appears this phenom, at least as to the example given in the report has to do only with the www-fi data center, which is apparently what both www3 and ww3 are hitting on at this time. <end of addition>
Report sent.
GoogleGuy, for the record, we sent one in too (on the 8th). The words 'indexpage mipapage googleguy' all in there. Look forward to hearing what you find!
Are you lot talking about your index pages dropping out of the Google index altogether (i.e. it doesn't appear on a search for "someveryspecifickeyword site:www.mysite.com"), or do you mean that the page drops like a stone in a particular set of search results, presumably due to some minor algo flaw?
If the latter, I've been suffering from it for months...
hit refresh....site is number one
all subsequent refreshes...site number one
go away for 2 hours..open up browser...site not in index
refresh...site number one
all subsequent refreshes...site number one
happens on all datacenters!
I hope all the reports from people that are having different problems aren't clouding the issue too much for Google to see what we're talking about.
My top fives require refresh or research to bring most of them up last time I looked (five minutes ago).
Once the site returns after a refresh or research it stays there, however having watched the data centres earlier in the week, it took more than one refresh to bring the whole lot up stable.
I can't even begin to think what would cause it, but anyway, despite mentioning some scepticisim, Googleguy requested the other day spam reports containing 'indexpage' to be sent so he can check out those sites affected.
He received and aknowledged mine, and the problem hasn't gone away so should he care to keep an eye on it he will see the problem I guess - I get it every day for dozens of searches.
[edited by: Yidaki at 3:44 pm (utc) on Aug. 9, 2003]
Yesterday, it disappeared from the index, it doesn't even show up when I search for www.myurl.com. My site is commercial, but it does not have spam by any sense of the word.
I think this is evidence of a) a rolling update and b) a f***ed up google.
I sent a spam report re: the above issue, but as of yet have not had an acknowledgement from GG
Same here, but he's a busy guy I'm sure, so I don't take it personally. As said above, I'd imagine this is a problem they'd definately like to lick in one shot for everyone, rather than look at every affected site.
A general statement that there is indeed something wrong and that it is being worked on would be nice, but it's probably not considered wise in terms of public relations.
It's important to remember, that so long as the Googlers can see it happen (ie proof) then it will be a little worrying for them, as things like this can have a habit of growing.
So while enough people are affected to keep these threads going currently with the few (relatively) webmasters who visit here, that translates to a much bigger 'invisible' problem.
If the problem then gets bigger without the Plex knowing about it, it could be a disasterous bug in the system - so I feel that so long as they see examples they will be very keen to fix it Google wide asap!
If it happens - hit refersh and my listing is back.
However, this is not the case on one datacentre, and it has been this way since around wednesday.
No matter what you do my listing is nowhere for my main key phrase on this one datacentre.
This is the old index gone missing problem from dom/esme time.
Anyone else seeing a re-occurence of this?
However GG is on the case, please put it in a spam report with 'indexpage' in the content and your domain which is doing the magic act - plus example searches - GG has requested reports thus, just recently.
Cheers,
Seek.
I am going to take a well thought-out guess on a few things here:
1) I believe that this is happening to most people when they search a single keyword, and not multiple word key-phrases.
2) That the keyword returns many results, i.e., a very competitive keyword.
3) That this is the result of an "over tuned" algo that Google has put in place for that keyword, and not a problem that the webmaster did to his/her index page.
No, mine is a two word name.
<<2) That the keyword returns many results, i.e., a very competitive keyword.>>
No, in my case, the category isn't particularly competitive.
Last time this happened though (April?) it was on my bread and butter two word phrases. That may still be to come this time.
I also don't think this is an algo thing. I think this is a problem with a certain group of sites that either were created or significantly changed at a certain time (namely March). Our site has been online for going on 2 years now, but in early March was when we started doing some real optimizing for serps.
Other sites, who use the same, proven (non-spammy) methods of optimization are firmly in the index, which really leads me to believe this is some sort of data flub rather than anything related to a spam filter or algorithm.
I should have been more specific, I realise the vanishing problem is happening to a lot of people - the MAIN reason for my post was to see if anybody else has missing index pages completely, not temporarily - regardless of how many times you refresh
This is only for a main 2 word phrase and is only happening on 1 datacentre - has been for several days.
This is exactly the widespread problems people had during DOM/ESME
Anyone got this specific problem as well?
i'm seeing the old gone completly problem for a recently targetted keyword..really does seem to be a connection between specific inbound anchor text and not showing up for it all....
Much harder to put a label of 'problem' on it if it's not an obvious unintended flaw like the refresh thing.
1. not created around March
2. not 'significantly' changed then either
3. not affected last time around
4. Yes there is an algo tweak possibly as some results are diabolical (no, not me whining, but from a user perspective - my quality competitors dead in the water also!) however the inconsitency is a 'Google is slightly broke' indicator as with the orrible update we experienced before, it's not normal search engine behaviour, it's not good search engine behaviour.
Google will fix it sometime, I just hope (obviously it's soon), the best thing to do is follow GG advice and report it to Googleplex via a spam report with the url, the search terms and 'indexpage' in the content - less talk, more reporting to Googleguy as requested - last time this happened he said he only received three spam reports on the subject - perhaps why it's still broke!?
Cheers,
Seek.
one of my sites lost its index page for one of our main 2 keyword phrases. Was on 2nd page and now a sub page is on page 5, with index nowwhere to be found.
THe index page comes up with other searches though.?
Scott
drewls, my site was:
1. not created around March2. not 'significantly' changed then either
3. not affected last time around
Oh, well...there goes that theory out the window! lol
I do know that most of those affected by this refresh bug were affected the last time there were issues with the 'lost index' problem. However, I guess it's not a given that all sites experiencing this now were involved in the earlier mishap.
I still say it's a data loss problem and not an algo problem, but who knows...we're just guessing from the sidelines. The guys at the plex are the ones who really know what's up. :)
