5 entries on 1st page for a single domain

[Shatner]

So I've run into a problem which I've been trying to solve for months, getting nowhere on. Hoping someone here will have some insight.

I'm in a heavily contested industry with hundreds of keywords and dozens of sites all vying for the top spot in those keywords, a few months ago, something bizarre happened: Google basically handed total control over all keywords in our topic to a single site.

Search any of the keywords, level long tail, in our industry and this one site, let's call them greatwidgets.tld has 5 search listing on the first page for every keyword.

5! And not just on one keyword, but hundreds of keywords. It's been going on for months now.

Outwardly there's nothing all that different from this site and the dozens of others vying for those keywords. They aren't a big brand site either, just a run of the mill site.

With every google update they seem to only increase their domination too. It's been going on for months. I've even seen some keywords where they have six and seven spots.

Anyone here have any clue as to why Google would just hand over ALL the page one results on a certain topic to one site?
.

[edited by: Robert_Charlton at 7:33 am (utc) on Oct 10, 2013]
[edit reason] further exemplified example domain [/edit]

[piatkow]

The best that I can manage is two and then only for certain searches. This is a "feature" that I have seen for many years.

The short answer is "because they can". The longer answer is that the algo, rightly or wrongly, determines that that gives the best search experience for their customers.

[Shatner]

My question is... Why would the algorithm EVER think that putting 5 links from the same URL is providing the best customer experience... Let alone the same URL in hundreds of keywords. It's not even a big brand URL.

It's very confusing.

[simonlondon]

I have never seen anything like this or would believe this could ever happen. Perhaps you could get someone from Google to review these queries.

[SevenCubed]

A few of my sites are the beneficiary of domain crowding. The most recent one is a site that redeveloped that had been around for 10 years previously (I didn't produce the original). I sent it live at beginning of August, for a very competitive local service of which there are hundreds of providers. That site gets 4 of the top 10 listings frequently for a variety of keywords related to their service. It's embarrassing but I'd rather be the beneficiary than one of the sites pushed to page 2 as a result of it.

Even though it's working for me instead of against I still think it's terrible to see domain crowding in results.

This one for example gets spots 7, 8, 9 and 10 for a variety of terms. And when it does manifest it's typically the last few results of page one. Almost seems like the algo is looking for filler to push other organics off page one so that Adwords becomes more enticing. Just about all of my clients have reported to me that they are being contacted by google "advertising partners" that can "guarantee them first place in SERP for 1 year". These people don't know each other but that is the common theme of wording they repeat to me.

Obviously the reps also aren't verifying that these businesses are already listed one page 1 organically. I guess it's just blanket calling. Certainly makes them look unprofessional to say the least.

[CaptainSalad2]

@simponlondon, host crowding is very common with directories Google has deemed fit to rule!

I posted a screen print in this thread [webmasterworld.com...]
[img27.imageshack.us ] that proves it, 6 page one slots including the one on the new feature!

[edited by: CaptainSalad2 at 1:25 pm (utc) on Oct 10, 2013]

[SevenCubed]

I should have added above, it's been said that the callers typically have thick accents so there's a possibility that these are just resellers of Adwords working from overseas locations doing their thing unknown and unsanctioned by Google.

[tigger]

Shatner - this has been going on for ages, I just checked for one of my terms and the top 7 were all the same site just throwing up different pages

you really would have thought with all the tweaking and messing around the G does that it would be able to just display one page per site...its really not hard you know! ...Bing can !

[netmeg]

I have sites that get the first 11 spots (yea, going to the next page even) for some queries. While I can't complain about that (and yea, I'm the authority site for those queries, no ifs ands or buts), I almost wonder if it wasn't Google not being quite sure as to user intent (there's those two words again) - like they know the site is right, but not sure which page was best suited.

I'm off season now so not seeing the queries, but it'll be interesting next year to see how Hummingbird plays into all this.

[Shatner]

I could see this happening in say a less competitive niche or one where a particular domain was so clearly head and shoulders better than all the others in there.

Or maybe even if the domain was a big brand, that would at least make sense.

It's very confusing though because NONE of those things is true here.

Meanwhile it seems like there's an artificial limit on how many links my domain and others in our niche can have on the first page. Google very clearly limits me to ONE link on page one. If I have a link on page 1 for a keyword, and then post something new related to that keyword, it removes the old link and replaces it with the new one.

Meanwhile, this competitor, if they have 4 links in a keyword and post something new, Google just adds that one in too and now they have 5.

It seems clear there is a VERY different set of rules working for both of our domains. Yet we both are liked enough by Google that we can both rank on the first page. Sometimes my stuff even ranks #1 and then he takes spots #2-6 below me. So GOogle ranks me higher often.... but for some bizarre reason Google thinks this competitor deserves 5 spots and I should be limited to only 1.

So confusing.