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Senior SEO at Weboptimiser
07 March 2003 13:58pm
Well now, the last few days have been have been, um, interesting. Google have *finally* started the update sequence, so hold on tight, their recent statements indicate that its going to be a wild ride this time.
1) New ODP RDF dump : Following the resolution of the ODPs recent problems with producing a version of the directory for their partners use, Google will be using a more up-to-date version for this update. Those of you with new or improved dmoz listings will benefit
2) Expired domains : Google are changing the way expired domains are handled. Currently, there is a nice little "grey market" in domains with a good PR (PageRank, a measure of the sites "importance" according to Google). Google are intending to put a stop to this, as it can lead to sites having an inherited good ranking, that is undeserved. Google are intending to "reset" such domains when they expire, and discount any pre-existing links. This will be rolled out fully over the next few months
(NB this tactic is/was heavily used in the "adult" sector, and could lead to sites ranking for quite innoccuous and unexpected phrases. This detracts from the searcher experience, in Googles view, hence the action. Also note, this is NOT a "get out of jail free" exercise. Any penalties that apply to the domain may still exist. Caveat emptor! This may change in future indices)
3) Lifting of penalties : Many sites have been caught out, either by hiring less-than-ethical SEO companies, or from following outdated advice that would have got you to the to of AltaVista in '98, but gets you banned these days. Often these are SME sites, who can't/won't (and don't get me started on the "won't" category) pay for a professional service. Those that have "cleaned up" have a shot at getting back into the index WITHOUT having to get a new domain.