Forum Moderators: open
Maybe, in some cases.
We will make A LOT more money this month than last via Google, but I still feel that the new filters/algo have done more harm than good.
OTOH, it won't be particularly difficult to manipulate the SERPS with the "new google". The brute force that was required to rank on hyper-competetive terms has been replaced by a need for finesse. The skilled will surely "win" now.
The brute force that was required to rank on hyper-competetive terms has been replaced by a need for finesse.
The finesse will be looking for all FFAs you can find and posting links to your competitors with killing anchor text - hoo-haaa!
Not really very fair though...
The skilled will surely "win" now.
About time.
And the best news for users in years - lets hope this actually means the creation of some half-decent websites.
TJ
My several niche sites with niche anchor text are way up in the SERPS - Google rocks.
It would be nice if WW were able to identify 'new' users as alias'. I wonder how many 'new' posts there would be if the username said:
New Name (alias Old Name)
What the heck is your job if not to help "produce relevant results"?
Late reply to Steve B
Nice attempt at spinning what I said, no, it's not my job to produce relevant results, it's my job to build relevant sites, which I do, it's G that doesn't rank them.
Maybe after the monthly update ( usually happens to me, at the end of every month, i know other ppl r spidered more) , it will work out?
What goes round comes round...
Because your tiny collection of sites has escaped this time, hardly makes Google rock. Hence the comment is totally worthless.
Any sound intelligent and objective study will reveal the new differential between focused niche sites and large semi-relevant pages from large sites. It's not rocket science.
The consequential result being fewer sites in total being served on first pages of returns. Lower quality.
I donno, ive hardly done anything bad, not even slightly.
I just will try to be patient and hope it works out in the end, i think it will.
For people out there, do the results seem new at all? To me its like they have some old results. In anycase im sure we have to be TRY to be patient
Well, Well, Well, Some strong-headed opinions here.
The Update threads are generally taken over by people who feel badly done to. Most of the members I learned to listen to since I found this site don't seem to have joined in on this discussion.
Iguana, although it is very possible true that mostly "whiners" participate in the Update threads, how can you be so confident in speaking for the silent lurkers? Those who abstain from this thread may be in one of following situations:
1) Badly hit by the update, but are waiting for it to finish before speaking
2) Badly hit by the update, but too apathetic/resigned to care any more (after months of "Broken Google" according to some people)
3) Hit badly by the update, but don't want to admit it (ie., some moderators and veteran posters may want to maintain a reputation)
you may call it experience.
======================================
You should also glance through other Discussion Forums on Google. Same atmosphere over here - Tremendous complaints and widespread negative feelings on Google among webmasters and Seo - This has become more and more in during the past few days! Something abnormal down the drain is going on...
None of my sites were effected at all - UNTIL THIS AM!
I did not feel smug about it, I thought it may be due to the fact that there were not that many external links.
However, I kept reading as I knew it was only a matter of time before the "other shoe drops".
It is imposible to remain unchanged if everything else is moving around you.
The curious thing was the search for my keyword remained very consistant. As I was only in position 22 to begin with, I was very familiar with the sites that were above me.
Everything changed early this AM. That position 22 is now position 63. Other keywords have made similar declines.
Is there anyone else who has found themselves as late entrants in this event?
Caryl
THE REALITY: Focused niche websites, attract focused niche anchor text, and contain focused niche content. A recipe for disaster under the new algo.
I'm a a forum oldie who is smiling about this update, but I'm not exactly sure what I did right so there's not much I can say.
Quite obviously it isn't going to affect everyone. There is a formula in play which has the GENERAL effect of damaging the ranking of focused niche sites to the benefit of general semi-relevant pages from large deep pocket sites.
If you compare a snap shot of before/after for decent sized sample of results this effect is clear. The SERPS are much weaker because of it.... whether that means that Google will actually change back to any degree is another matter entirely. The should - but sadly I dount they will.
[edited by: Napoleon at 2:50 pm (utc) on Nov. 19, 2003]
I'm a forum oldie who is smiling about this update, but I'm not exactly sure what I did right so there's not much I can say
I have a feeling that's pretty much the answer. 3 sites I've heavily optimised over the last 4-6 months have been hit badly. 3 other previously optimised but mostly untouched sites from over a year ago have actually improved very nicely. It leads me to believe that an optimisation “time frame” has been applied in this new algo.
Most of us remember the 'SearchKing' saga about a year ago, when google penalised that site for wrong doing and it was even more obvious by typing in 'searchking', the site did not reside in the top 20 results.
Now on this latest update, I am seeing similar things with my site, having typed in my domain name without the www and com I am well down the serps, even my internal pages are ranking better.
Does anyone else see this theme? or is just me!
I am far from convinced this update hasn't finished, but whilst some of us are probably going to return to the top of the serp's some will be penalised permenantly. I have a funny feeling my site is doomed.
I don't know if this is a google seo crime, but the only thing I can see what I have done wrong is possibly having too many outgoing links (link exchange's) something which has kept me up there at #1 position for over a year and something which all my competition do.
For many retailers the 4th quarter sales equals 50% of their yearly sales. To add this situation to a weak sales year may very well spell doom to many small businesses.
For those effected, how on earth will they find out what needs "fix'n" unless they stay in touch with others who are madly searching for answers?
Yes, many things have been rehashed, but in one of these posts there will be some information that will help lead the way out of this mess.
I maintain that if those who are speaking "down" to the masses here, were being hit in the wallet, they would go back to just lurking or join those looking for a solution.
So linking to your competitor thousands of times with the same anchor text may not *help* his site, but it's not going to get him banned or punished either. I don't know whether anchor-text has truly been devalued in importance, or whether it hasn't been fully factored in yet, or whether that has nothing to do with anything and is merely a coincidence; but in the educational sector at least, sites with relevant anchor text are all doing a-ok. Look up your favorite historical topic and see dozens of counterexamples to the anchor-text speculation for yourselves. (-:
I think the more competitive/commercial/spammier searches just haven't finished settling down yet, personally. The less competitive educational searches look terrific. I haven't noticed even one of my colleagues disappearing.
Florida Update has pulled me from #55 to #113 for one keyphrase, and from #88 to #642.
I have two queries,
1) Is this florida update now stable or there is still a chance of major fluctuation?
2) the keyphrase for which I was #88 is very very competitive, still I am,
#51 for allintext
#52 for allinanchor
#49 for allintitle, but nowwhere(#642) in SERPs.
What is the theory behind it?
Hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.
Thanks
Aji
;-)
If this is what Google sees as a great update and getting rid of spammers well I have sad news to tell them since Geocities sites are up in the top 10 - when adult sites are against their TOS. I find sites installing trojans and redirecting right-left-and-center, so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed someone is just yanking their chain for a few days until they totally disappear from the results.
1) Is this florida update now stable or there is still a chance of major fluctuation?
Nobody here can answer that for you.
You could, however, look at the top 50 results for that search term and see what it is that puts those sites there.
Examine the differences between theirs and yours. Content possibly?
TJ
Can anybody explain that?
It may sound greedy not being satisfied but keyword1 and keyword2 are like United and States (not real example). Anybody searching for something in the US would never just enter United or States, they would always type United States ........
On my main keyword search I have been #1 or 2 out of 500,000 plus pages for all of 2003 (except temporarily during April/May update) now I am not even located (top 500).
I know my site/pages have not been penalized/banned since I can locate some as above and all pages can be found in detail searches (keyword1 ... keyword5).
So why if I was the best result (Google's definition) to be returned for all of 2003, How can I now be so bad?
Was Google so wrong for so long and is now right or is Google wrong now?
Examine the differences between theirs and yours. Content possibly?
nope, not for me. have tons of relevant, useful content. which google seemed to love for many months.
