June 03, 2005
Google's update - the "crisis" continues
The story so far:
* Google is revamping its ranking algorithm, a process that takes weeks.
* Some poster at the forum Webmasterworld has named this upgrade "Bourbon," which has stuck.
* A poster using the tag "Google Guy" has begun answering questions and complaints about "Bourbon" on various Webmaster World threads as if he were a Google employee.
* Lots of nervous questions are hitting Google Guy, then reflecting back into the SEO blogosphere as webmasters see their site rankings fall.
For those looking to find a neat summary of Google Guy's assurances, here's one done by Patrick Deese at Dotcomicide.
Now let's step back for a moment and look a the situation.
First, note that we have a major corporation making unannounced changes that affect hundreds of thousands of people - and the best we can get for a spokesman is an anonymous poster - representing himself as a Google employee - on an Internet chat board. That's sad, Google.
Second, few questions directed at Google Guy seem to be from the SEO consultants. That's reassuring - they have enough sense to be off somewhere partying and counting down the days until they are re-engaged to re-optimize all previously worked-on client sites.
Third, and most interesting, the worry (and questions) seem to be coming mainly from webmasters.
Webmasters, do you take heat if some third-party server goes down? If the user's monitor fails? Have you ever heard of "Acts of God"? That's insurance lingo for stuff you don't control. Make "Acts of God" work for you. Take the day off. Visit a sick relative. Hug your child. You're not fixing this.
A webmaster writes: "Searched for my site title, found my site at position 150-something. [...] I'm also getting WAY more hits than usual from Google Images. How weird is that? This isn't giving me the right clientele at all."
Is so weird it's actually kind of fun. It's certainly not actionable.
It's nice to have answers and nice to be proactive, but if you have put the fate of your company into the hands of one firm that will not even issue a press release about its software updates, I pity you. And your employers.
"Bourbon" is a Hitchcock thriller for webmasters who have staked too much on Google rankings. Happy ending? For those who spread the risk.
So busy yourself with diversifying traffic feeds.
Posted by at June 3, 2005 06:02 AM