Forum Moderators: open
Hello All,
By now many of you have probably noticed several things.
1. Your not getting as many referrals from me.
2. Your not getting as many referrals from LTWHA.
3.Your not getting as many referrals from Google, Yahoo, AOL.
Here is the lowdown. Late on Friday, November 14th, Google underwent a MASSIVE change to their ranking algorithm. Currently, for commercial search queries, Google is PENALIZING RELEVANT SITES for commercial search queries in which they stand to earn money from Adwords (the results on the right hand side). To verify this, click [url=here to see the current results for 'Lake tahoe weddings' (no quotes). You will not find one of your sites there, including tahoeweddings.com (mine) and tahoeweddings.org. You can also click here to view the sites that are missing from the top 100 since Google's change.
What do we do?
For starters, no knee-jerk reactions. At least no risky, expensive ones. Experts are up in the air over whether Google is temporarily broken, or this is an intentional attempt to increase revenue prior to going public. If it is the former, we can expect relevant results back soon. If it is the latter, we don't need to worry about Google anymore.
Rest assured I (and I assume all my competitors) are doing their best to get back the relevant traffic Google once provided. The quality sites will again rise to the top at Google, or someone will rise above them. Yahoo is poised to drop Google search results in favor of either Alta Vista or Inktomi, both of which they recently acquired, along with FAST and Overture. Microsoft is also expected to enter the fray soon as well with search features integrated into the Longhorn Operating System.
What else can you do?
For now, search with Alta Vista and Spread the Word.
Feel free to call if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Jenny
-asdf.com
info@-asdf.com
867-5309;)
That should have been done a week ago. As it is now, it appears that Florida is giving way to Galen (1).
Nice letter though - keep it on tap, as I'd imagine you are going to need it alot in the coming years.
>(1) Galen: Greek meaning healer.
I see no sign of this fellow, however.
If anyone mentions the Florida-FSU game today I will link to you without the www.;)
THAT was a travesty of justice.
something like:
"Google Goes Bad Bannana,
while Yahoo and Altavista are just ripe for the consumer."
or:
"Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall... Google Sits on Bad Egg."
"What's wrong with Google?"
I've seen no evidence of this - please expand.
Ref: original post:
1. Your not getting as many referrals from me.
2. Your not getting as many referrals from LTWHA.
3.Your not getting as many referrals from Google, Yahoo, AOL.
'Your' needs changing to 'You're' or 'You are'
'Your' needs changing to 'You're' or 'You are'Your correct;).
That should have been done a week ago.
In some cases yes, in some cases no.
Yes, if a huge percentage of they're sales are via Google.
No, if a small percentage of they're sales are via Google.
Yes, if you want them to watch results closely.
No, as its not in they're best interest to watch results this closely.
Just like in Financial Management, you want to do everything you can to train your clients to watch they're results no more than once a month. Once a year would be even better.
That should have been done a week ago.Its also much easier now because a week ago, many of my competitors and some of my clients were still present. It seems as though whatever they are doing involves turning the knob a little further.
Are the sites being removed (the obviously relevant) the same ones that would be used to determine local rank?
You mean you haven't seen the
Every dollar spent on SEO is a dollar not spent on adwordsarticle?
The press will be covering the IPO with a lot of interest. Any sub-plot will provide interesting fodder for their readership.
As it is now, it appears that Florida is giving way to Galen
Brett - Where is it appearing? I've been predicting that the current results couldn't stick... not fully... but I'm still not seeing anything that would make me sleep easier.
When I say please expand, I'm not doubting, just querying ;)
And no, I haven't seen the article you refer too. What is the publication?
It has been suggested that Google is using a bayesian type filter. IF that is true, it seems likely that your homepage is being penalized (or filtered) for the term for which it is most optimized.
Upon a quick check, my home page has dropped from page 2 to page 7 for the phrase "ACME widgets". ACME is a highly popular commercial term (but not at all spammy), and one that happens to have many ads. But, for "blue widgets", and "widgets", I'm still up on page 1 or 2.
The strange thing is that a large competitor of mine is in the #1 slot, and in terms of keyword density and PR, that page looks quite similar to mine.
For my main site all external anchor texts are the same: “city hotels”, so the site is now dropped:
#500 for the plural (used to be #1 before) but still # 1 for the singular.
I analyzed the new first 20 competitors for the plural: all of them are optimized, but all of them have external anchor text partial or totally different phrase.
I own many other sites, but I want to present you two of them - a very relevant case for me:
These two sites are builded in the same manner: "name1 hotel city" the first and "name2 hotel city" the other.
The same structure, the same old fashion optimization method. Cross-linking, different IP’s, same owner.
Last year the owner of "name1 hotel " changed, so the hotel’s name changed too; let say " new name"
I changed all the elements in the name1 site (title, etc) but not the URL and not the external anchor text.
So from one year the site is named and optimized for "new name hotel city “, but with the old external anchor text "name1 hotel city"
Surprise: after Florida "new name hotel" is still #1, but the “name2” is severe dropped.
I have more proofs, but I do not want to borrow you.
I know I am not a Guru, but may be my observation will help you to conclude.
I made same changes recently; if the effect will be positive, I will let you know.
This is my way to protest against new Google game.
May be is the time for action: just imagine a strong organization – millions of webmasters, SEO’s, site owners.
And who are those?
VERY VERY empirical (which is GOOD GOOD GOOD... as others... I got gigs on that stuff). Glad to have you here as a "new" ;-) user.
GOOGLE must go... the head of the snake is dangling and the worD must, MUST GET OUT.
WHY ARE WE SO BALLS IN SLING TO GOOGLE?
LOOK... Google made their name by low impact and feltching off
of DMOZ.. PLAIN and SIMPLE... now we all know... and boy..
I'd like to throw out my favorite 100 or so of corrupt DMOZ editor's
oh... oh... Apeuro... where are you chump!
But now iT's Brass Tacks and investor money on the line...
Google took no responsiblility for the client slash agent relationship
they "STOLE" and built Google on...
REALLY... you are going to sell investors on a database that is
from DMOZ... Look at AOL for that sort of crap...
Not a helpful post - mods please remove it, plus this one.
_______
I believe that also. I am in the same industry and see the exact same situation.
My problem, if this holds true, is quite simple as I never relied to any great extent on outside links, just enough from other content sites that I have developed.
I have already changed the structure on the current external links.
Now the real question is:
How long will this penalty last.
I don't think you'll win any friends sending them to Alta Vista...the results on AV are far worse than Google IMHO!
And, w.r.t these idle boast about Adwords revenue conspiracy, I haven't read one post in Adwords forum saying "Since the G update, my clicks/sales increased 50% from Adwords". This indicates users are fairly satisfied with the searches, even for commercial oriented kws, since if the serps are so bad, more people would be clicking Adwords.
Also, i have asked many of my friends, and no one said, G results have gone worse. They are finding either it is better or the same.
Try reading msg#170 of this thread: [webmasterworld.com...] Claus sums it up perfectly :)
[edited by: Chndru at 12:53 am (utc) on Dec. 1, 2003]
And who are those?Remember who I'm sending this letter too. None of them were even aware their sites had been dropped from the only keyphrases that bring any real traffic. I have participated in many if not all of these threads and am aware of nearly all the theories roaming ww and www.
In the case of #2, Google is broken.
I think the problem is anchor text.
I believe that also
Sorry to be so blunt, but WRONG!
Google wouldnt allow outsiders to affect your website. Think about how easy it would be for your competitors to totally screw you. This just isnt possible!
This was/is about targetting "highly competitive" terms to increase adword profits!
Think about how easy it would be for your competitors to totally screw you.
I agree. GG has always said external links to your site can NOT harm you. That would include anchor text. I doubt that Google penalizes for anchor text but it may limit the effectiveness under certain conditions.
This was/is about targetting "highly competitive" terms to increase adword profits!
Sorry to be so blunt but i believe you are WRONG!
I have some very consistent results in some very competitive keyword areas. I believe an attempt has been made to achieve something, as yet we are unable to identify what this 'something' is but what I do think is that we have not seen the end of changes coming in the near future.
I believe that also
Sorry to be so blunt, but WRONG!
______
Not to burst any bubbles, but dont you think that GOOGLE knows exactly who links to who and how many occurances.
I mean after all, their whole IVY league mentality is built on the premise that sites linked together is the universal answer to the worlds SE dilema.
After all, if 100 people link to you - you must be important!
In MHO this kind of thinking is kinda of naieve, and to believe that this would not have been exploited, is simply a dream. Look at the pre-florida serps. Case rested.
They have the ip address, administrators name, and IT contact of every site in their index.
It would a small task to match them up and apply a penalty filter to domain specific URLs.
GG has always said external links to your site can NOT harm you
But it's not entirely true, at least not at the moment.
[webmasterworld.com...]
Powdork, it seemed like a good idea to me... hope it helps.
But it needn't be true.
Do you really think anyone is going to risk setting up extensive links to their competitors in the vague hope it might harm them ;)
Absurd!
