It took 5 weeks for google to index my internal links in the webmaster tools, it that normal ?
Once indexed does it also mean that ranking has been updated ?
tedster
4:45 pm on Jan 4, 2012 (gmt 0)
Do not think that Webmaster Tools is in real time - it often lags well behind the data used for ranking. WMT is a second level reporting function and does not directly tap Google's main data repository. At their scale, reporting lags are unavoidable because their first focus must be the actual SERPs.
netmeg
6:37 pm on Jan 4, 2012 (gmt 0)
I dunno; I put up a small 13 page site for a local therapist about six weeks ago, and near as I can tell, only two pages are indexed (reported and actual). It does seem like G is taking its own sweet time about it.
tedster
7:12 pm on Jan 4, 2012 (gmt 0)
Ah so - thanks netmeg. So Google apparently IS in one of those slow periods we've seen from time to time.
Sometimes those slow indexing periods happen right before a major shake-up of some kind, as if they were using their awesome processing power for something else. I wonder if we're headed for something like that. Heck, with Google it seems like we're usually headed for some kind of shake-up, doesn't it?
@member22, are you talking about internal links (anchor tags) not being reported in WMT, or the URLs themselves not showing up? The word choice has me unsure.
HuskyPup
7:31 pm on Jan 4, 2012 (gmt 0)
Yep, I'm finding them very slow at the moment for new sites as well even with new stuff on established sites. I assumed similar to your thoughts tedster and especially with launching during the silly season.
member22
7:40 pm on Jan 4, 2012 (gmt 0)
Tedster I am talking about internal links in the WMT. I am not sure what you mean by slow... but I have a PR 4 and believe 5 weeks is normal for google... isn't it ?
Whitey
12:27 am on Jan 5, 2012 (gmt 0)
The site: tool is updating indexed pages faster than WMT, and even the site: tool lags and is notoriously inaccurate [ it's accuracy seems to work better at folder level ].
Likewise, somewhere i read that backlink reporting in WMT is not reliable either, so maybe a 3rd party application could work better.
Whitey
2:42 am on Jan 5, 2012 (gmt 0)
Heck, with Google it seems like we're usually headed for some kind of shake-up, doesn't it?
Let the machine do it's thing through the break, and then push the red button in February for another major update and year of panic.
