Strange Google

[multilingual]

I've noticed a rather strange thing happening with Google search results.

For my particular keyphrase I was ranked at no. 6 on Google until the 17th October, when my site ranking dropped completely. My site later emerged on 2nd November at no. 36 (Poor, but better than nothing :) )

I made quite a lot of changes to the site during that dead period and I am keeping an eye on the search results every day to see which way my site is heading. This daily search has revealed a strange anomoly.

In the mornings, before 12:00 my ranking has been steadily increasing and is now at no. 24, but in the afternoons my ranking has been slipping away and I am now at no. 45.

I have learnt recently that Google have lots of different Data Centres and that they can throw up different results. But, if these results are from different Data Centres then they seem to be updating in opposite directions. :?

I know that Google is still in a bit of flux after the updates, but I am confused as to what is happening.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Cheers

JB

[multilingual]

Apparently Not.

:wink:

I will just sit tight and see what happens. :)

JB

[epiphany]

I know a few people have reported changes like this since the last Google update but our fringe keywords have jumped about like this for as long as I can remember. It's just the nature of keyword optimistion and the lower your page rank the more pronounced this effect is.

[duenna]

There are many data centers. During October you witnessed what is widely reported as the Google Jagger update. Your ADSL at work can provide different results to your cable at home.

If you have access to decent stats for your website you can check who or what is referrring to your website.

Again you can fine tune your SEO to this build correct inbound links etc. The aim is grow on a monthly scale etc.

Google is constantly updating its index. My site has 24,000 pages indexed on one day and on another its 26,000.

The important thing to do is to ensure that your code is clean and that your website is updated as often as possible. Just get on with it! Good luck.

[multilingual]

Thanks for that.

I build new content pages every day so I do 'get on with it!'

I was just wondering why the site was going up in the morning and down in the afternoon.

The other point, which I find a bit strange, is the comment about finding different search results from a different ISP.

This topic was covered on Webmasterworld the other day and I was still none the wiser after reading through it.

To me (tell me if I am wrong :) ), it is Google that decides which Data Centre to point it's domain name to. So if I type in www.google.com it will run from my ISP (NTL) through various others until it reaches it's destination. It is quite easy to watch this path by doing a trace in command prompt.

I have tried this with a friend of mine and we both ran the same trace. He is on BT and the path was quite different. However, we both ended up at the same place, ie 66.102.9.99.

So I can't see why a different ISP would throw a different result.

It is surely Google that decides whch Data Centre is giving the result, unless you don't bother typing in www.google.com and instead type in a specific IP address for another Data centre?

:)

JB

[duenna]

If you copy and past the I.P address into your address bar of your browser you will be presented with a strange website called Google English. 66.102.9.99 if you were to do the same with a whole bunch of google ip addresses it would be the same thing. Yet Google English has no known domain name. Data is served through these conduits. Your ISP at home as mine (NTL) can have delays in net content cache etc or you could be using a proxy that can delay content. The other aspect we have to consider is that it is in Googles better interest to provide you with demographicly the most acurate results for the search term you request, on both the result aspect and the potential for the result to bear revenue for accurate advert placement? But who really knows. I could spend hours tracing all google IP addresses and trying to come up with theory after theory, but the truth in my small mind is that they just want us to get on with it.

Google UK. Now the way in which results are delivered are through conduit IP address's such as the one above.

Its an IP filtering thing, which if we were to impliment to benifit SEO we would confuse their data handling capability and upset their terms of service. IP filtering or directing is deemed a no no with Google and it is clear to see why. They control every aspect of the result you get when you type in your search term. The so called "dance" is just an update. the ripples of which may well explain why your listings have fluctuated?

Finally about the Data center IP's. If you try and submit your URL via www.google.co.uk/addurl/?continue=/addurl you have to pass a human test to prove you are not a bot trying to auto submit.

visit http://66.102.9.99/addurl/?continue=/addurl see the diference? Make you own mind up.

In terms of SEO, get the right ingredients to your website, valid code, great content with a balence of function and your results will get better. Let them get on with the SERP worrying over at webmasterworld. To think the hours of musing this search/portal has caused many a man/woman. It makes me laugh.

Good luck with the site!

[multilingual]

Thanks for that, it makes more sense now :)

I am not one for reading through everything on WMW, if I did I would never get any work done, but I do try to read a bit each day just so that I am learning to do as much as I can right and as little as I can wrong.

It is interesting, but I agree that some of them take it to a level which is way beyong being practical.

:)

JB