Forum Moderators: Robert Charlton & goodroi
Recently, we've started to improve the software, and it can also detect lots of things like rank checking and other automatic queries to Google. Of course, we don't show the message to everybody that comes onto our radar, but our new software looks pretty good at detecting programmatic queries. If you're using WebPosition or other software that sends queries to Google from a program, I'm not surprised if you're going over a threshold where your queries are on the radar.
If you do see this message, I would recommend not sending so many queries to Google--the volume or type of queries are unusual enough that it's attracting greater scrutiny from us. If you avoid sending queries to Google from a program, you'll be as right as rain.
Best wishes,
GoogleGuy
Perhaps there are other triggers too.
Also, the page itself had a lot to be desired. It told me about viruses and then wanted me to enter info to proceed. Didn't seem all that different than was some trojans do, so I didn't do it!
It sounds like Google is trying to be a bit more intelligent about things, so a company with 30 people running behind the same firewall doesn't accidentally trip the filter.
It's interesting that this is becoming necessary, though. As scripting becomes more and more accessible to people, Google and other major 'free' service providers have to respond with actual service limits.
It's part of a move towards a more rational business plan, I suppose. Maybe this will move Google in the direction of an actual, subscription-based API as well -- so people who want to do rank checking will pay for the bandwidth they use. If Google really can scale their services indefinitely, this would make a great deal of sense to me.
What if GoogleGuy were to sign up with another name, in this forum, then sticky you for details about your secret software? How long would it be before he had enough details to derail the operation?
I don't think it's wise to trust people who have special methods for beating Google and then talk about them in forums where Google is listening.
(Of course, to be ultra-paranoid... What if GoogleGuy were to sign up as 'Webhound,' and post that he has a secret program to beat Google, and then watch and see who expresses interest in it?)
Hmm...
(Yes, I watch too many spy movies.)
I don't use rank checkers, no really I don't. But I do wonder what google could do about it anyway? Besides banning my I.P. telling tales on me.
"Whatcha gunna do google huh huh huh...!"
Sorry, I was just joking.
Guys rank checkers are bad and the use of which can lead to dire consequences.
I being of sound mind and body and being free from duress, annoyance or external stress make this statement of my own freewill.
is this ok?
[edited by: igf1 at 6:35 pm (utc) on Mar. 8, 2005]
Nope, not allowed to use the Google API for anything but "personal, noncommercial uses". And it only gives the top 10 anyways.
So, checking my ranking is not a personal, noncommercial use?
(Of course, to be ultra-paranoid... What if GoogleGuy were to sign up as 'Webhound,' and post that he has a secret program to beat Google, and then watch and see who expresses interest in it?)
Webhound certainly would be an appropriate nic...
1) Why not launch your own tool to check PR. It is quite evident now that lots and lots of people are checking PR these days?
2) In many cases 1000 results are not enough why not start a survey requesting users if they would like to see more results.
Thanks Google is still the best.
What does it mean to be on the radar? Ack.
Also, I think it means they know what movie you went to Sat. night.
How was Be Cool, btw? ;-)
The API getting only the top 10 results is too limiting. We want to see approaching competitors coming so that we can learn what works, not panic when they're on top of us. It can be a bit like reading tea leaves to figure it out, but I can say for certain that we've picked up valuable techniques we would otherwise be losing business because of. We're not trying to get away with something, we're trying to compete fairly.
Expand the API. Let us buy access and get more than 10 results. We'd be first in line, beats the hell out of spending a couple hours a week tracking down the newest ways you guys malform your HTML. This week it was links that appear to be a real link taken, stripped of http:// and url-encoded. Ugly stuff.
I can get the same 1000 results I am able to using the regular google via the API. The only issue is that you can only get 10 results per query, but it's easy enough to use multiple queries to get far more than 10 results.
Just use the "start" parameter in your query to start past result 10.
That said, some of it is definitely static and specific keyword based. There are certain terms that willl trigger it automatically, perhaps problems terms used in the past.
The API getting only the top 10 results is too limiting. We want to see approaching competitors coming so that we can learn what works, not panic when they're on top of us
The API allows you to get 10 results at a time, not just the top 10 result. Still a little limiting, but it works fine as long as you're not checking WAY down the SERPs or a huge number of keywords.
