Google, Yahoo, MSN Radical algorithm change?

Not sure if this is a local anomally or not, but . . .

Over the past few weeks I have been doing alot of research into Project Northwood, Sudden Response ?05, etc.

Up until today it didn't matter which of the stated SEs I "typed" into when searching for "Project Northwood", "Northwood", "Sudden Response '05" the actual .gov/.mil sites were ALWAYS the first result. It was kinda nice and easy.

Yet as of today, neither of them come up on the first page if at all!

As a webmaster of dozens of websites I subscribe to many SEO type newsletters, from which the latest algorithm changes/massages are closely watched, though I have received no reports of any recent (past 48hrs) drastic changes.

I could understand any given one SE making changes that dropped .gov/.mil sites right off the map (though higly unlikely), but three of the absolute majors!?

Again, this may just be a "local" anomally, but it just struck me as rather ODD!

I mean for over three weeks I could go to Google and search for "Sudden Response '05", "Northwood", "Project Northwood", etc., and like clockwork the first result was always the same.

Now when doing the same exact search, and numerous similar variances, the actual sites have gone off the results map.

Just curious if others have noticed similar occurences.

As I said. . . I keep a rather close watch on SE algorithm changes, for obvious reasons, and have not seen nor heard of any recent changes to cause such drastic changes. Especially across three of the major SEs out there.

Any/All input would be greatly appreciated!?

Thanx!

Try youre search on www.google.com/unclesam

I have been monitoring robot activity on several local realtor websites and over the last several weeks it seems that the robots have been visiting twice as often as they have previously with inktomi leading the pack, followed by google and msn. Im not precisely sure which SEs use inktomi, but with them the number of robots on at the same time is up from 1 to 4 and they visit daily. The other 2 SEs only every other day with a single robot. Previously these later 2 only visited once per week.

Unfortunately this has not increased the SE ranking of these websites.

Not the same...

I use Uncle Sam quite often.

Even if Google took "Uncle Sam" one more step out of Beta it wouldn't/shoudn't have that drastic of an effect on thier main search results.

Doesn't explain the sudden shift in MSN nor Yahoo either.

Not that I rely/trust/go with searches on either Yahoo or MSN, think they're both overall quite inferior to Google, I was simply including them as their results, using the same searches, ALSO "shifted" suddenly over the past 48hrs.

Not sure just what it all means . . .

Between web work, programming, hosting, and in-home/on-site pc repair/maintenance I probably spend on average 12-14 hours a day in front a pc in one fashion or another.

As I said . . . it may just be coincidence, but from past experience it would not seem so, especially from the collective standpoint. Google, Yahoo, and MSN don't ecessarily play well together. :O)

/

[edit on 2-8-2005 by 12m8keall2c]

Just thought I should include this upon reflection of the original post.

It isn't just that the first results were different . . . the "rest" were completely different also.

The "rest" being 2+ links to posts on ATS, as well as a combination of other similar forums/groups/etc.

Now the results look like this:

Google:

www.google.com...

MSN:

search.msn.com... orthwood

Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com... P-tab-web-t&toggle=1&cop=&ei=UTF-8

Yes, Inktomai has been very active as of late, along with Googlebot's normal frequency, but not so much from MSN or Yahoo.

Yahoo and MSN do rely heavily upon Inktomai for results.

Yahoo (where MSN SE tech originally comes from) is cored upon Inktomai's Db.

Again, maybe it's just a local thing, regional, but it still strikes me as VERY odd!

[edit on 2-8-2005 by 12m8keall2c]

[edit on 2-8-2005 by 12m8keall2c]

I find google search to be getting worse. It used to provide great results, now you have to sift through the sludge to find the info you want.

Maybe its not them, and maybe its the fact that more and more sites are popping up, but it just isnt what it used to be.

It beats MSN, but I will still use yahoo for some queries.

Google news does seem to be better though.

All google uncle sam does is basically do this search for you

site:*.gov (what you want)

say site:*.gov UFO

typing that in will give you same result as if you typed UFO in google uncle sam.

I use it for searching canadian government pages all the time.

Originally posted by 12m8keall2c
Not the same...

I use Uncle Sam quite often.

Even if Google took "Uncle Sam" one more step out of Beta it wouldn't/shoudn't have that drastic of an effect on thier main search results.

Doesn't explain the sudden shift in MSN nor Yahoo either.

Not that I rely/trust/go with searches on either Yahoo or MSN, think they're both overall quite inferior to Google, I was simply including them as their results, using the same searches, ALSO "shifted" suddenly over the past 48hrs.

Not sure just what it all means . . .

Between web work, programming, hosting, and in-home/on-site pc repair/maintenance I probably spend on average 12-14 hours a day in front a pc in one fashion or another.

As I said . . . it may just be coincidence, but from past experience it would not seem so, especially from the collective standpoint. Google, Yahoo, and MSN don't ecessarily play well together. :O)

/

[edit on 2-8-2005 by 12m8keall2c]

Just thought I should include this upon reflection of the original post.

It isn't just that the first results were different . . . the "rest" were completely different also.

The "rest" being 2+ links to posts on ATS, as well as a combination of other similar forums/groups/etc.

Now the results look like this:

Google:

www.google.com...

MSN:

search.msn.com... orthwood

Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com... P-tab-web-t&toggle=1&cop=&ei=UTF-8

Yes, Inktomai has been very active as of late, along with Googlebot's normal frequency, but not so much from MSN or Yahoo.

Yahoo and MSN do rely heavily upon Inktomai for results.

Yahoo (where MSN SE tech originally comes from) is cored upon Inktomai's Db.

Again, maybe it's just a local thing, regional, but it still strikes me as VERY odd!

[edit on 2-8-2005 by 12m8keall2c]

[edit on 2-8-2005 by 12m8keall2c]

In those examples you did not put quotes around the search topic.

Also, search engines need to distinguish themselves from another, so they may wish to make their results more useful than their competitors. One way t do that is return results that are deemed more useful.

I search a lot....everything seems to be coming down to money. The ads. But that may be just how it seems, or seems to me. The site, IWon, used to run Google as their SE, but now it's Jeeves...maybe Google got too expensive. Google did merge with Yahoo, and bills do have to be paid, I guess. Yahoo is probably still okay because of it's members. Ma Bell has merged with them also. As I said, it's probably all about the money....show them the money!

Originally posted by FibroKat
Google did merge with Yahoo

What are you talking about.

The idea of said merger is 100% rumor.

12m8keall2c, it may have omething do with this sort of search capability, I noticed a few days after this was posted the links to the google searches changed and seemed scrambled, suffice it to say it doesn't work like it used to. Check this thread out, it may relevant to your question, Uncle Sam left all his parent directories exposed to search engines...
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Well, from all I had read, I just surmised it would happen, I suppose...I apologize for my memory glitch...but here's something to look at:

blog.searchenginewatch.com...

I know....rumors. But I think it may be a done deal.

A merger of this sort would set the stocks ape.

I cannot see this happening at all.

Google stock has been on a steady rise for the last 3 mos., and Yahoo and it's affilliates are looking very steady. I still predict it...may have to take it back, but I still say it. Internet companies are being forced to merge, IMO, in this economy, to stay alive, and to, hopefully, grow.

I just wanted to add to the info on this post...some "IMO" stuff...not much, but...I've noticed: Google is really growing and is really everywhere! Jeez! Maybe they are just going for the premiere "searchPlus" company...seems that way. Hummmmm Probably no merge at all....just a ruse, PR thing.....

one day google will fall like a lead zeppelin.



Yahoo also searches far more pages than google.

Google can kick you out of the adsense program for not getting enough clicks ( genrating enough money )

I hate google