Google going downhill?

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Big Pete

  • #1
    Is it just me or has anyone else noticed how crap google is becoming ?

    A new site online over a week ago and submitted not indexed still ?

    Modifications to another site not indexed after 2 weeks ?

    I have a sneaky feeling something is wrong in the google Uk Camp ?

    I am actualy finding msn bling far superior and more accurate for searches .. even yahoo seem to be better at the moment and i never ever thought i would see the day i would be saying that ?

    anyone else noticed things not the same ?


    ps; I am sure they only want money money money on PPC and thats all they care about nowdays .. suddenly i am getting thrown with money free vouchers for adwords etc..
     
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    KM-Tiger

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  • #2
    My rule of thumb with Google is that the good stuff is usually never on page one.

    If it's a technical query page one stuff will be either out of date, or just asks the question. The answer you want will be pages 3-5.

    Same with purchasing, the 'CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP!' carp floats to the top, quality is page 2 onwards, or in Adwords.
     
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    tbomedia

    tbomedia

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  • #3
    Big Pete said:
    Is it just me or has anyone else noticed how crap google is becoming ?
    Click to expand...

    In what way?

    Big Pete said:
    A new site online over a week ago and submitted not indexed still ?
    Click to expand...

    Submitting your site to Google does nothing to increase indexing times. I'd need to see the site - but have you generated a site map, registered with webmaster tools for example?

    Big Pete said:
    Modifications to another site not indexed after 2 weeks ?
    Click to expand...

    Completely normal in my experience, and this hasn't sped up or slowed down recently.
     
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    Big Pete

  • #4
    KM-Tiger said:
    My rule of thumb with Google is that the good stuff is usually never on page one.

    If it's a technical query page one stuff will be either out of date, or just asks the question. The answer you want will be pages 3-5.

    Same with purchasing, the 'CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP!' carp floats to the top, quality is page 2 onwards, or in Adwords.
    Click to expand...

    well thats ridiculous somebody should tell google to get there act together !!

    If you type in plumber in Scotland as an example how the heck can google have first 2 pages of silly things like holidays in Cyprus with good plumbing ? . its getting stupid on there
     
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    blloyd

  • #5
    Agreed. I suspect the focus on Google Adwords is now forming the core of their search business and as such everything else is slipping.

    I personally never visit Adwords or featured results because they also seldom match up to what I actually want.

    Just my two cents anyway...
     
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    Big Pete

  • #6
    tbomedia said:
    In what way?

    EXAMPLE ;

    greeting cards below in sig, is the ONLY card making supplies seller on the Balearic islands .. Now any search engine should say ohh hmmm card making suppliers in Mallorca . there is only this one i will list it .

    Yahoo does number 1 msn Bling does number 1
    google has it at page 129 .. above it is Holidays in mallorca etc ..

    pathetic


    Submitting your site to Google does nothing to increase indexing times. I'd need to see the site - but have you generated a site map, registered with webmaster tools for example?

    google used to be on the ball , just from having good keyword counts . in such a niche market area ,google would always find it ,,

    Completely normal in my experience, and this hasn't sped up or slowed down recently.
    Click to expand...


    Ok so maybe you havent noticed it yet ,i hadnt until this last few weeks..

    One thing for sure bling has its act together .. and i stand by my findings google is losing it ..
     
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    Big Pete

  • #7
    blloyd said:
    Agreed. I suspect the focus on Google Adwords is now forming the core of their search business and as such everything else is slipping.

    I personally never visit Adwords or featured results because they also seldom match up to what I actually want.

    Just my two cents anyway...
    Click to expand...

    I agree. unless its competitors i never click adwords either ..

    you know the moment you do click, it probably has no relevance and the Company is dearer than the others to pay its click costs back :D
     
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    SFD

    SFD

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  • #10
    I have noticed Google taking longer to show a site as indexed. The cache won't show for 6-8 days but when it does it showed it was cached 6-8 days ago, when it was first submitted or linked to.

    With regards to results I have seen a few improvements recently, namely a couple of very spammy link-dependent rankings being removed from the index, which was nice.
     
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    M

    MASSEY

  • #11
    blloyd said:
    Agreed. I suspect the focus on Google Adwords is now forming the core of their search business and as such everything else is slipping.

    I personally never visit Adwords or featured results because they also seldom match up to what I actually want.

    Just my two cents anyway...
    Click to expand...

    I never click the ads either, i just search the organic listings. They do seem to be taking a while to index now, but on certain occassions i have had sites indexed virtually straight away,

    and i dont think they even bother updating your meta information at all anymore,

    Yahoo is producing better quality listings, i found it quite easy to get to position 1 page 1 with a test site,

    I just wish yahoo stepped their game up and become a more visited search engine.
     
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    Big Pete

  • #12
    MASSEY said:
    I never click the ads either, i just search the organic listings. They do seem to be taking a while to index now, but on certain occassions i have had sites indexed virtually straight away,

    and i dont think they even bother updating your meta information at all anymore,

    Yahoo is producing better quality listings, i found it quite easy to get to position 1 page 1 with a test site,

    I just wish yahoo stepped their game up and become a more visited search engine.
    Click to expand...

    yep me also

    and msn bing,, also as i was impressed with that one, if they sharpen up then they could keep google in check maybe ..

    its just as we know people have google transfixed in there brains now ..but i suspect google are about to get as many companies it can to pay to be listed and seen, so have a vested interest in filling the searches with garbage so the genuine sites will go ahead and sign up..

    tactical operation brewing i reckon :rolleyes:
     
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  • #13
    MASSEY said:
    I never click the ads either, i just search the organic listings. They do seem to be taking a while to index now, but on certain occassions i have had sites indexed virtually straight away,

    and i dont think they even bother updating your meta information at all anymore,

    Yahoo is producing better quality listings, i found it quite easy to get to position 1 page 1 with a test site,

    I just wish yahoo stepped their game up and become a more visited search engine.
    Click to expand...

    agreed I put a page up that was indexed by yahoo in 2 days still waiting on google 2 weeks later.

    Maybe getting so big they can't cover all the bases so quickly as before.?

    Earl
     
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  • #17
    OldWelshGuy said:
    Google dropping pages from large sites, and taking time to index and add new sites. Looks like they are full again. YIPPEE we can look forward to a massive spam purge sometime soon, when lots of babies get thrown out with the bathwater and the forum is full of 'my traffic has gone/my site has gone from Google ' threads :)
    Click to expand...

    And the old timers go sailing merrily on there way.;)

    Earl
     
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    PipeTen-Carl

    PipeTen-Carl

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  • #21
    These sorts of threads seem to appear every now and then and it seems like people who complain most about Google search results tend to be very people trying to gain from/game Google (website builders, SEOs) rather than end users.

    Bing is certainly one of the easiest to 'game' and I find the search quality and depth horrendous when compared to Google and Google is much more accurate with the recent localisation improvements.

    Hence it is no surprise that the previous posters 'plumber in scotland' query returns results for 'holidays in Cyprus with good plumbing' (probably with a postal address in scotland) because the previous poster is located in/searching from, Mallorca Spain!
     
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    Big Pete

  • #22
    PipeTen-Carl said:
    These sorts of threads seem to appear every now and then and it seems like people who complain most about Google search results tend to be very people trying to gain from/game Google (website builders, SEOs) rather than end users.

    Bing is certainly one of the easiest to 'game' and I find the search quality and depth horrendous when compared to Google and Google is much more accurate with the recent localisation improvements.

    Hence it is no surprise that the previous posters 'plumber in scotland' query returns results for 'holidays in Cyprus with good plumbing' (probably with a postal address in scotland) because the previous poster is located in/searching from, Mallorca Spain!
    Click to expand...


    What a lot of twaddle !!

    You can be anywhere in the world and search on google UK or whatever .
    the plumbing was an example of the kind of garbage google kicks up .. all part of there we want you to pay for clicks strategy ..
     
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    PipeTen-Carl

    PipeTen-Carl

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  • #25
    Big Pete said:
    No i know i do.. but i have locations in UK Spain and also Balearics .. can check and optimise each and every area
    Click to expand...

    Interesting, my experience suggests that Google results vary based on the visitors country even when using the same Google extension (eg .co.uk) and even based on the visitors locality within the country (based on geo IP).
     
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    PipeTen-Carl

    PipeTen-Carl

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  • #27
    Big Pete said:
    I take it your not experiencing weird google happenings lately then ?
    Click to expand...

    No. As I (kind of) outlined in my original posting, the only time I come across forum postings suggesting problems with Google (and from feedback from the >10k customer sites we host) is when someone is trying to 'game' Google (by either getting undeserved ranking or expecting instant listing from new and unlinked sites) or by using inappropriate search terms.

    I get this feeling that you think I'm 'having a pop' at you and that's certainly not the intention, my original post was intended to offer a contrasting opinion on Googles quality and to perhaps shed light on why your search results may not be as accurate as you expected.
     
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  • #28
    PipeTen-Carl said:
    No. As I (kind of) outlined in my original posting, the only time I come across forum postings suggesting problems with Google (and from feedback from the >10k customer sites we host) is when someone is trying to 'game' Google (by either getting undeserved ranking or expecting instant listing from new and unlinked sites) or by using inappropriate search terms.

    I get this feeling that you think I'm 'having a pop' at you and that's certainly not the intention, my original post was intended to offer a contrasting opinion on Googles quality and to perhaps shed light on why your search results may not be as accurate as you expected.
    Click to expand...

    What does game google mean ,and what do you mean by undeserved ranking.?

    I take it you are having difficulty getting a decent ranking for web hosting.?

    Sounds like sour grapes to me ,But I could be wrong.;)

    I would be a bit p1ssed if I was on page 14 for web hosting,might as well be in the middle of the sahara

    Earl
     
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    B

    Big Pete

  • #29
    PipeTen-Carl said:
    No. As I (kind of) outlined in my original posting, the only time I come across forum postings suggesting problems with Google (and from feedback from the >10k customer sites we host) is when someone is trying to 'game' Google (by either getting undeserved ranking or expecting instant listing from new and unlinked sites) or by using inappropriate search terms.

    I get this feeling that you think I'm 'having a pop' at you and that's certainly not the intention, my original post was intended to offer a contrasting opinion on Googles quality and to perhaps shed light on why your search results may not be as accurate as you expected.
    Click to expand...

    People always pop on here its part of the day ...

    No its not a case of just my results .. but i have never known google be so low in the game as they are at the moment.

    never before have i known them be way behind yahoo and msn , and they seemingly have lost there way.. searches no longer seem to bring the logical results they used to..

    so until proven otherwise i am convinced its a strategy to get Companies to pay with them ..as ironicaly 2 lots of FREE adword £75 vouchers have suddenly appeared in the last week..

    weird or what ????
     
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  • #30
    Big Pete said:
    People always pop on here its part of the day ...

    No its not a case of just my results .. but i have never known google be so low in the game as they are at the moment.

    never before have i known them be way behind yahoo and msn , and they seemingly have lost there way.. searches no longer seem to bring the logical results they used to..

    so until proven otherwise i am convinced its a strategy to get Companies to pay with them ..as ironicaly 2 lots of FREE adword £75 vouchers have suddenly appeared in the last week..

    weird or what ????
    Click to expand...

    Not at all I always squeeze the lemon to get the last bit of juice out of it.:)
     
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    PipeTen-Carl

    PipeTen-Carl

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  • #31
    sirearl said:
    Sounds like sour grapes to me ,But I could be wrong
    Click to expand...

    Certainly not, I think perhaps I should insert more smiley's into my posts as people seem to misread the tone of my posts :redface::):p;):cool::D:rolleyes:

    sirearl said:
    I take it you are having difficulty getting a decent ranking for web hosting.?
    Click to expand...

    Without quotes or selecting [SIZE=-1]'pages from the UK'[/SIZE] we are #1 for 'linux web hosting' in Google, #2 in bing. #2 for 'windows web hosting' in Google, not very high for the same terms in bing (but that's not the reason for me personally disliking bing).

    I think that's pretty reasonable considering the competition and focus on SEO in the hosting market. We don't however put all our eggs in the search engine basket, a happy customer recommending our services is worth much much more than gaining a few places on a search term. google .com/trends?q=web+hosting probably illustrates why.

    sirearl said:
    What does game google mean
    Click to expand...

    That would be link farming, forum spamming, hidden text/layers, cloaked pages (which is a bit 2001) and all the other ways people try and unnaturally increase keyword density and inbound links with the expectation of increasing ranking.

    sirearl said:
    what do you mean by undeserved ranking?
    Click to expand...

    Complex question, but in a nutshell I think there's a general misunderstanding on what makes for a good search engine ranking strategy, possibly/probably due to some the SEO companies which claim guaranteed and instant results.

    Just because you're the only widget seller in your area of the widgetdom, it doesn't mean you can register a domain with lots of keywords in it, create a keyword heavy website with little quality content, get it indexed and to the front-page for your chosen widget keywords in a matter of weeks over and above everyone else.

    You have to build trust, reputation and quality inbound links, especially from whoever the search engine considers to be the most authoritative on all widgets.

    :cool:
     
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    Big Pete

  • #32
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    Not on my google your not
     
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  • #35
    PipeTen-Carl said:
    Complex question, but in a nutshell I think there's a general misunderstanding on what makes for a good search engine ranking strategy, possibly/probably due to some the SEO companies which claim guaranteed and instant results.

    Just because you're the only widget seller in your area of the widgetdom, it doesn't mean you can register a domain with lots of keywords in it, create a keyword heavy website with little quality content, get it indexed and to the front-page for your chosen widget keywords in a matter of weeks over and above everyone else.

    You have to build trust, reputation and quality inbound links, especially from whoever the search engine considers to be the most authoritative on all widgets.

    :cool:
    Click to expand...

    Oh I though a deserving site was one the gave the people searching what they were looking for ,thats what google keeps telling us.?:|

    only a handfull of people looking fo linus web hosting.:eek:

    you should go for "web hosting" there's thousands of the bleeders looking for that.;)

    Maybe you need to sort your SEO out and try a bit of gaming or even a tad of black hat well grey at least.:)

    Earl
     
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    directmarketingadvice

    directmarketingadvice

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  • #38
    Big Pete said:
    If you type in plumber in Scotland as an example how the heck can google have first 2 pages of silly things like holidays in Cyprus with good plumbing ?
    Click to expand...

    I'm in Scotland and I don't see anything like that. The first 5 pages (only looked at the top 50 results) were all perfectly sensible for that search query.

    Steve
     
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    tbomedia

    tbomedia

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  • #39
    PipeTen-Carl is talking a lot of sense for all the people reading this thread.

    For the original poster, and to echo PipTen, your search results will differ vastly depending on your location, regardless of going to .com or .co.uk. You'll get different results from someone in the UK using .com for example.

    You can get more 'neutral' results by using a service like Scroogle, which uses proxies in the states to avoid Google cookies and preferences that are set on your machine - and yes, Google is showing you 'preferred' results.

    I haven't been able to replicate your plumber example, I get the local listings first (next to the map) and then the first page looks pretty targeted.

    If you are having trouble getting good results with Google, think about your search terms and how you phrase sayings and words. Some minor grammatical changes to your search query, word order and punctuation can vastly effect results.

    Google taking longer to notice changes compared to Yahoo and Bing isn't always the case. I changed a number of pages on a clients site last week, Google has indexed the new content - the others have not.

    Sometimes its the other way round, but it varies all the time. Normally it is harder to get the first page of Google, but generally I think Google is taking the time to filter out the junk, and verify the website. The flip side to that means its much more rewarding once I get a client onto page 1 after 3-4 months of hard graft.

    Google is a moving target, and its always going to be a long term project to rank well, and rightly so, as they will be pushing to 70% market share this year.

    If you are having trouble with your rankings in Google, consider hiring a professional to help you out (and no, I'm not just trying to plug my services here!). Ongoing management with search engine optimisation is the most important factor to increasing your rankings.

    Hope that helps.

    Andrew
     
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    Big Pete

  • #40
    tbomedia said:
    PipeTen-Carl is talking a lot of sense for all the people reading this thread.

    For the original poster, and to echo PipTen, your search results will differ vastly depending on your location, regardless of going to .com or .co.uk. You'll get different results from someone in the UK using .com for example.

    You can get more 'neutral' results by using a service like Scroogle, which uses proxies in the states to avoid Google cookies and preferences that are set on your machine - and yes, Google is showing you 'preferred' results.

    I haven't been able to replicate your plumber example, I get the local listings first (next to the map) and then the first page looks pretty targeted.

    If you are having trouble getting good results with Google, think about your search terms and how you phrase sayings and words. Some minor grammatical changes to your search query, word order and punctuation can vastly effect results.

    Google taking longer to notice changes compared to Yahoo and Bing isn't always the case. I changed a number of pages on a clients site last week, Google has indexed the new content - the others have not.

    Sometimes its the other way round, but it varies all the time. Normally it is harder to get the first page of Google, but generally I think Google is taking the time to filter out the junk, and verify the website. The flip side to that means its much more rewarding once I get a client onto page 1 after 3-4 months of hard graft.

    Google is a moving target, and its always going to be a long term project to rank well, and rightly so, as they will be pushing to 70% market share this year.

    If you are having trouble with your rankings in Google, consider hiring a professional to help you out (and no, I'm not just trying to plug my services here!). Ongoing management with search engine optimisation is the most important factor to increasing your rankings.

    Hope that helps.

    Andrew
    Click to expand...


    LMAO

    I have been doing website optimisation for 20 years always top in searches ..

    You as an expert explain to me please How you can have a website be numbers 1 2 and 3 in yahoo and msn .. be so unique ie if there was only one red widget maker in the world , based in Sheffield (purely fictitous before you start searching :rolleyes: )

    Then google decides that a search for "red widgets in Sheffield" comes to the conclusion that a holiday in Sheffield is more appropriate ?

    Google has lost its way , i dont care who says what, they are losing it or they are deliberately ommitting stuff to try and extract money with there pay per click rubbish ..

    as stated before is it coincidence that i have suddenly been given 2 sets of £ 75 adword vouchers with a speel how we could be top ?

    Money grabbing greedy tactical manipulation going on OR there system is all to pot..

    definately something a foot for sure :|
     
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