Google SEO - me ed erts!

Hello the SE/SEO community....

I'm a layman (quick to learn mind) to the SEO world and am realy
confused about how google wafts it's SERP/SEO magic. Could someone
help me understand the following (indeed, there are other group posts
about some of these, but they are not clear, so I re-ask...)

I guess it all stems from Google indexing.....

1. I noticed via my server stats that google takes a 'quick sniff' at
my sites on a daily basis. What's it doing? not much by the few kb's
it stays for.... and then every while it decides to stay for a Mb or
two.... is it at this point, that it decides to index/re-index the
site?

2. Assuming yes to the above, will a new site (being indexed for the
first time) get as much time and effort with the bot as a previusly
indexed one? - I mean, like for like sites (hyperthetically) one new
one old, will they index similarly? or is it a time thing? - 1st index
gets your home page, and a few meaningful orphans, next index... a bit
more etc....

3. Now the really confusing bit.... it appears you can gain an indexed
site (by virtute of a link from another site) in a couple of days, but
are given no PR, no back links, and no real 'seach status' - what's
this all about?

4. I'll guess at 3... it's pending a 'deep crawl'.... what exactly is
a deep crawl (if it does exist) and is this the 'magic' of all the
SEO'ers out there wait eagerly for each month?

5. Assuming (making lots of assumings here)... there is such a thing
as a 'deep crawl' is google doing it all the time (contary to what i
say above, and to that of other threads)? surely google doesnt just
take time out for three weeks, 'sniffing every evening' and then kicks
off a binge crawl of all the 100.....000's of sites an pages???

I have too many questions, i'll stop now - thanks for any help!!

On Sat, 01 May 2004 01:49:51 -0700, Ian_vx220 wrote:

1. I noticed via my server stats that google takes a 'quick sniff' at
my sites on a daily basis. What's it doing? not much by the few kb's
it stays for.... and then every while it decides to stay for a Mb or
two.... is it at this point, that it decides to index/re-index the
site?

The daily visits are most likely Googlebot picking up /index.shtml and
/robots.txt.

The larger visits are those "deep crawls" you see referenced.

2. Assuming yes to the above, will a new site (being indexed for the
first time) get as much time and effort with the bot as a previusly
indexed one? - I mean, like for like sites (hyperthetically) one new
one old, will they index similarly? or is it a time thing? - 1st index
gets your home page, and a few meaningful orphans, next index... a bit
more etc....

The more links there are to your site, the more frequently it will be
indexed.

There is a persistent rumor that sites which change more frequently are
indexed more frequently. In my experience, this is an urban legend.

3. Now the really confusing bit.... it appears you can gain an indexed
site (by virtute of a link from another site) in a couple of days, but
are given no PR, no back links, and no real 'seach status' - what's
this all about?

Google only updates the PR/Backlink database approximately once a month.

Until then, you will get a temporary PR which can't be seen, but will
factor into your position in the search results.

4. I'll guess at 3... it's pending a 'deep crawl'.... what exactly is a
deep crawl (if it does exist) and is this the 'magic' of all the SEO'ers
out there wait eagerly for each month?

he depp crawl is Googlebot gathering data. The PR/Backlink update is what
we wait for to see how we have done in the last month.

5. Assuming (making lots of assumings here)... there is such a thing as
a 'deep crawl' is google doing it all the time (contary to what i say
above, and to that of other threads)? surely google doesnt just take
time out for three weeks, 'sniffing every evening' and then kicks off a
binge crawl of all the 100.....000's of sites an pages???

Googlebot is always working -- but he seems to work harder at night.

I have too many questions, i'll stop now - thanks for any help!!

Check the web site in my signature. It's the FAQ for this newsgroup.


--
Will
Webmaster: http://www.internet-search-engines-faq.com

Will Spencer <will.spencer (AT) internet-search-engines-faq (DOT) com> wrote

On Sat, 01 May 2004 01:49:51 -0700, Ian_vx220 wrote:

1. I noticed via my server stats that google takes a 'quick sniff' at
my sites on a daily basis. What's it doing? not much by the few kb's
it stays for.... and then every while it decides to stay for a Mb or
two.... is it at this point, that it decides to index/re-index the
site?

The daily visits are most likely Googlebot picking up /index.shtml and
/robots.txt.

The larger visits are those "deep crawls" you see referenced.



2. Assuming yes to the above, will a new site (being indexed for the
first time) get as much time and effort with the bot as a previusly
indexed one? - I mean, like for like sites (hyperthetically) one new
one old, will they index similarly? or is it a time thing? - 1st index
gets your home page, and a few meaningful orphans, next index... a bit
more etc....

The more links there are to your site, the more frequently it will be
indexed.

There is a persistent rumor that sites which change more frequently are
indexed more frequently. In my experience, this is an urban legend.



3. Now the really confusing bit.... it appears you can gain an indexed
site (by virtute of a link from another site) in a couple of days, but
are given no PR, no back links, and no real 'seach status' - what's
this all about?

Google only updates the PR/Backlink database approximately once a month.

Until then, you will get a temporary PR which can't be seen, but will
factor into your position in the search results.



4. I'll guess at 3... it's pending a 'deep crawl'.... what exactly is a
deep crawl (if it does exist) and is this the 'magic' of all the SEO'ers
out there wait eagerly for each month?

he depp crawl is Googlebot gathering data. The PR/Backlink update is what
we wait for to see how we have done in the last month.



5. Assuming (making lots of assumings here)... there is such a thing as
a 'deep crawl' is google doing it all the time (contary to what i say
above, and to that of other threads)? surely google doesnt just take
time out for three weeks, 'sniffing every evening' and then kicks off a
binge crawl of all the 100.....000's of sites an pages???

Googlebot is always working -- but he seems to work harder at night.



I have too many questions, i'll stop now - thanks for any help!!

Check the web site in my signature. It's the FAQ for this newsgroup.

Thanks Will!

Your FAQ site was a good read.

So, in brief, a site that is new and found by google (lets say by a
link from another site) is firstly 'indexed' (it exists in google),
for a period of time and allocated a guestimate PR, and then (governed
by IBL popularity it seems) it's give it's write up, PR and back
linkage... each month or so.

That makes sense - could I kindly ask a couple of q's not mentioned in
your faq:

1. Scripting before html - we use quite a lot of PHP scripting before
html/head and body of our pages. Do you think this may give google
problems (I referr to previous comments about google having to fight
past x-lines before it gets to text.)
2. Once you get PR/linkage, does it remain in place for the month or
so until the next deep crawl?
3. I have a site yet to be directoried by DMOZ/ODP, as google
directory uses the ODP, does this prejudce google search results?

Thanks, cheers - Ian.

On Sat, 01 May 2004 07:03:36 -0700, Ian_vx220 wrote:

1. Scripting before html - we use quite a lot of PHP scripting before
html/head and body of our pages. Do you think this may give google
problems (I referr to previous comments about google having to fight
past x-lines before it gets to text.)

That's a continuing discussion around here.

I say it doesn't matter. (As long as total page length stays under 100k.)

I believe that opinion puts me in the minority.

2. Once you get PR/linkage, does it remain in place for the month or
so until the next deep crawl?

It stays in place for a month or so until the next PR/Backlink update.

Many sites are deep crawled every night, but the big PR/Backlink update
usually doesn't happen more than once a month.

That said, I have seen numerous instances where backlink numbers will
change *slightly* during the month. This, like most Google behavior, is
unexplainable.

3. I have a site yet to be directoried by DMOZ/ODP, as google
directory uses the ODP, does this prejudce google search results?

A DMOZ entry will gain you a bunch of inbound links, which always helps
with Google.

Most all of my sites are waiting for DMOZ listings. Waiting... and
waiting... and waiting...

I've talked to some folks who have been waiting for several years.


--
Will
Webmaster: http://www.internet-search-engines-faq.com

On Sat, 01 May 2004 10:24:20 GMT, Will Spencer
<will.spencer (AT) internet-search-engines-faq (DOT) com> wrote:

On Sat, 01 May 2004 01:49:51 -0700, Ian_vx220 wrote:

1. I noticed via my server stats that google takes a 'quick sniff' at
my sites on a daily basis. What's it doing? not much by the few kb's
it stays for.... and then every while it decides to stay for a Mb or
two.... is it at this point, that it decides to index/re-index the
site?

The daily visits are most likely Googlebot picking up /index.shtml and
/robots.txt.

The larger visits are those "deep crawls" you see referenced.



2. Assuming yes to the above, will a new site (being indexed for the
first time) get as much time and effort with the bot as a previusly
indexed one? - I mean, like for like sites (hyperthetically) one new
one old, will they index similarly? or is it a time thing? - 1st index
gets your home page, and a few meaningful orphans, next index... a bit
more etc....

The more links there are to your site, the more frequently it will be
indexed.

There is a persistent rumor that sites which change more frequently are
indexed more frequently. In my experience, this is an urban legend.



3. Now the really confusing bit.... it appears you can gain an indexed
site (by virtute of a link from another site) in a couple of days, but
are given no PR, no back links, and no real 'seach status' - what's
this all about?

Google only updates the PR/Backlink database approximately once a month.

Until then, you will get a temporary PR which can't be seen, but will
factor into your position in the search results.



4. I'll guess at 3... it's pending a 'deep crawl'.... what exactly is a
deep crawl (if it does exist) and is this the 'magic' of all the SEO'ers
out there wait eagerly for each month?

he depp crawl is Googlebot gathering data. The PR/Backlink update is what
we wait for to see how we have done in the last month.



5. Assuming (making lots of assumings here)... there is such a thing as
a 'deep crawl' is google doing it all the time (contary to what i say
above, and to that of other threads)? surely google doesnt just take
time out for three weeks, 'sniffing every evening' and then kicks off a
binge crawl of all the 100.....000's of sites an pages???

Googlebot is always working -- but he seems to work harder at night.

Night where, Will?

BB

I have too many questions, i'll stop now - thanks for any help!!

Check the web site in my signature. It's the FAQ for this newsgroup.

On Sat, 01 May 2004 15:28:33 GMT, Will Spencer
<will.spencer (AT) internet-search-engines-faq (DOT) com> wrote:

On Sat, 01 May 2004 07:03:36 -0700, Ian_vx220 wrote:

1. Scripting before html - we use quite a lot of PHP scripting before
html/head and body of our pages. Do you think this may give google
problems (I referr to previous comments about google having to fight
past x-lines before it gets to text.)

That's a continuing discussion around here.

I say it doesn't matter. (As long as total page length stays under 100k.)

I believe that opinion puts me in the minority.




2. Once you get PR/linkage, does it remain in place for the month or
so until the next deep crawl?

It stays in place for a month or so until the next PR/Backlink update.

Many sites are deep crawled every night, but the big PR/Backlink update
usually doesn't happen more than once a month.

That said, I have seen numerous instances where backlink numbers will
change *slightly* during the month. This, like most Google behavior, is
unexplainable.



3. I have a site yet to be directoried by DMOZ/ODP, as google
directory uses the ODP, does this prejudce google search results?

A DMOZ entry will gain you a bunch of inbound links, which always helps
with Google.

Most all of my sites are waiting for DMOZ listings. Waiting... and
waiting... and waiting...

I've talked to some folks who have been waiting for several years.

and they're DMOZ editors.....

BB

On Sun, 02 May 2004 06:12:04 +0100, Big Bill wrote:

Googlebot is always working -- but he seems to work harder at night.
Night where, Will?

Night at Google HQ.

4am Mountain Time seems to be the busiest time here.

--
Will
Webmaster: http://www.internet-search-engines-faq.com