New Google 2 KW Term Filter

a checklist

[Rugles]

My Summary

Ok, here are the related factors to what I am referring to as the "new google 2 kw filter", until somebody can come up with another name.

- 2 kw term
- used to rank very high, now vanished
- with " "'s returns to high rank
- does not affect rankings for other terms on same site
- home page involved
- only happens on google, still rank high on Y/MSN
- appears on only specific but changing data centers
- long standing site
-?

..... what else would you add to the list, please keep it simple and short

[ken_b]

Regarding the "" thing...

I'm not sure this is relevant, but I'll put it out here anyhow.

I've lost a few #1 spots (not in the top 1,000 at the moment) that include a 2 word term. Trying the quotes brings my pages right back.

But I noticed that a single quote at either end of the term brought my pages back also.

"two words

or

two words"

Seems odd to me, but I don't really understand how these things work.

[steveb]

"word1 word2 word3
top three results for the past few years

word1 word2 word3
all three top results gone

How exactly did we ever get to the moon?

[Rugles]

That is relavant.

Never tried it with one quote mark.

[kidder]

I tried a few searches - using quotes my sites come straight to the top for 2 and 3 keyword searches. Although I don't know what this tells me these search terms have been gone since the 27th... Does it mean this is here to stay?

[Lorel]

Check your site for scrapers. I find the same effects all the time.

[Troppo]

Has anybody checked the number of results returned for the query with and without the ""? The huge variation I see raises the possibly that the double quotes are simply eliminating pages from the result that would otherwise outrank those shown without that modifier. If so one thing this test indicates is that strict keyword sequence and proximity are not an absoulute for ranking well. Another more likely possibility is that the double quotes eliminates synonyms and/or plural singular variatons from consideration.

[jdancing]

It appears the "quote" glitch is reversing tonight. My two main key phases are showing up back in regular position without quotes on random data centers. One minute top rankings, the next gone. It's pretty strange.

I don't know why I waste my time following these Google ups and downs. If I didn't read it here I wouldn't have known anything happened and wouldn't have spent the last day concerned. Bottom line is even though I lost two big phrases I picked up 50% more google traffic from new 3 and 4 word phrases.

I look at my logs and business during the "quote" glitch and things have been better then ever - why worry?

[steveb]

I see some pages reappearing, but probably the majority not.

[stormy]

My case might be slightly different:

-I'm affected for a one kw search (my main term).
-Rest of queries are ok.
-Restricting the search to pages in my language brings back my usual position.
-allintitle does the same
-allinanchor has me missing
-3 year old site, clean

[Alex70]

regarding the quotes, it could be a way to switch the filter/penalty off Try repeting the search with -jhdsgfkjsdfhg after two words search

[Rugles]

It is back to normal for me.

Is anyone else still suffering?

[berrysharpie]

I am still suffering :(

[HayMeadows]

- Keyword phrases did not show up in exact order on page anywhere.

[randle]

This thing is affecting all sorts of sites now. Some really strange looking results here;
[64.233.167.147...]

If this is for real its gonna sting.

[randle]

Seems to be spreading;

[66.102.7.147...]
[64.233.167.147...]
[64.233.167.99...]
[64.233.167.104...]

[ogletree]

It is very interesting. I see what yall are talking about. In my case I have moved up so this is a good update for me. I guess the guys I beat are very unhappy about it. I have no idea why I won and they did not. We both have most of our links from directories. I do know the sites that were beating me had almost all their links from paid directories. One site was a textbook SEO job the other was a all flash site so it is not an over seo penalty.

[egomaniac]

One of my keywords has recovered to its original pre-6/27 position. Everything else for me is is still wierd and seems to be influx...

[randle]

On the above dc's I now have interior pages ranking higher than the index used to. What ever this filter is it appears all about the home page.

[outland88]

I'm still suffering and it looks like it has spread to an additional keyword for me.

I also saw a distinctly different index emerge in my area and the changes make Florida look like small potatoes. About 20 sites (not mine)I was monitoring completely vanished from the index. It's the first time I ever saw the top authority sites uprooted.

[synergy]

It's the first time I ever saw the top authority sites uprooted.

I saw this happen during the Florida update. The authorities eventually came back. This is definately one of the wildest updates I've seen since Florida, yet no spot on the WebmasterWorld home page.

Maybe Google is taking a sample of authority sites and withdrawing them from the results to see how the overall web is formed without them in play. It would give Google engineers a great look at "the other side" of the web so that they may better the authority side of things. After all, authorities are the sites that populate the results the most.

I'm seeing post after post of people (including me) who have had stable authority sites for 4 years being removed... common sense says that it cannot and will not stay this way.

[SuddenlySara]

It really does seem like many authority and close to sites are being removed from certain money phrases to me and being compared by user searches on "the otherside".

[Rugles]

>>Is anyone else still suffering?

I am seeing the SERPS with the " " filter again. :-(

This is starting to get frustrating.

[Rugles]

>>>I saw this happen during the Florida update. The authorities eventually came back. This is definately one of the wildest updates I've seen since Florida, yet no spot on the WebmasterWorld home page.

It should be on the home page, just because it is so strange, and the filter hits long standing "white hat" sites. It is one thing if you go up or down a few places, but this thing wipes you out for just a single term.

[steveb]

There seems to be some movement on this, but none of it good. For one search the top three pages listed, two internal and one a main index page, have been gone. One of the internals came back, but a different internal and a different index disappeared. (Five different domains involved in other words.)

It seems to me well regarded internal pages are effected the most often, but some index pages effected too (usually less powerful sites).

[MrStitch]

Maybe they're just running a few filters to collect certain information, then compile it for a couple of days, and then finally roll out the 'real' update.

This would explain all the up's, down's, and sideways'.... Not to mention, a smart thing to do if you're looking to block out specific things.

[nutsandbolts]

This is definately one of the wildest updates I've seen since Florida, yet no spot on the WebmasterWorld home page.

I agree with you there...

I suppose the only difference these days is I try not to care about the rolling Google updates anymore - if I did my heart couldn't stand it ;)

[cabana]

I have to care. I pretty much dropped out completely. No Google = No income. Lets just say I am not going to miss church on Sunday. I hope this is just a 2-3 day hiccup.

Dose the Google Site Map help your rankings?

[HieroHero]

That list is exactly what happened to my site.. Do people suggest changing the links on my site now? or should I sit it out a little longer and hope google rectifies the problem..

[cabana]

One other thing I noticed today. The 2 biggest retailers and normally the top spots have also fallen off or way down. I am sure if the "leader" in my industry also fell out of the rankings there has got to be some sort of bug with the new update. Speculation keeps my mind off of the fact that my sales are in the tank since the 27th.

[G_Smitty]

This thing is affecting all sorts of sites now. Some really strange looking results here;
[64.233.167.147...]
If this is for real its gonna sting.

I hope it don't spread. The results are way off target. I have my own pages showing up in place of my previous top ranked pages and they have nothing to do with the search phrase.