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Originally Posted by crankydave
You were the one who stated there was a contradiction in what I posted based upon what was not posted in the blog. It was you who assumed that what was not posted was true.
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Not exactly. What I read was that one's meta-description has no bearing on ranking.
Your contention was that "filtering" and a page being in the Supplemental index were somehow independent of ranking and, that one's meta-descriptions effected filtering and being in the Supplemental index.
But, if a page is "filtered" or a page is in the Supplemental index specifically due to its meta-description, i.e. it ranks for nothing, that would suggest that its rank is effected,no?
Does a page that is "filtered" or is in the Supplemental index rank at anything other than 0? If it isn't filtered and isn't in the Supplemental index, it would likely rank differently than were either of those two conditions to apply, right?
On the other hand, were the meta-description improved somehow so as to prevent 'filtering" or being in the Supplemental index, would it not show up in the SERPs where it hadn't in the past and so again, its rank be effected?
Quote:
Originally Posted by crankydave
Ranking is a separate process from filtering. Ranking is the way a data set for a query is ordered for display to the end user. You need to understand how a query is processed.
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You keep saying that ranking is separate from filtering but even though I have asked, you haven't explained what "filtering" you are talking about.
On many different forums many different people have created different "filters" to try to explain what they think is happening. Google blogs, articles and forum posts also mention "filtering" in some fashion or other but often to the extent of rarely are they the same.
I know how queries are processed. The question is though what do you ascribe to this "filtering" term?
Quote:
Originally Posted by crankydave
Now, the meta description, as well as the title element, can cause a page to be placed into the SI. I've tested and retested it repeatedly.
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Do you have a link to the tests you performed? Since they would contradict what I have experienced, I would be interested to look at your methodology to see where the difference in results may come from and then be able to possibly refine the test.
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Originally Posted by crankydave
Perfectly useful and unique pages with plenty of content can move into and out of the SI on either of those 2 factors alone. The meta description does not affect the ranking of the site but being in the SI can.
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First of all, there is a problem here. We were talking about the meta-description but you seem to be adding the title tag as well.
Did you perform independent experiments based on just the meta-description itself?
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Originally Posted by crankydave
You can add a unique phrase or word to the meta description and nowhere else on the page and that page will not show up anywhere at all in the search results on Google for that phrase or word.
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Of course, otherwise it would be the same as the meta-keyword in usefulness, i.e none.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crankydave
You can place that phrase or word on page and allow it to and allow it to be indexed then go back and add it to the meta description and the position in the SERP's will not change based upon doing so. Been tested and retested.
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Agreed, meta-description has no effect on ranking. But then again that was never in contention.
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Originally Posted by crankydave
This is why reading carefully what is said (and not said) is important.
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What is said can also have implications concerning what is said.
If I said, "This page is not in any of Google's indexes.", I didn't say that page would not show up in SERPs but did I really need to?
On the other hand, if I said, "This page is ranked #2 in the SERPs for a keyword.", do I also need to say that it is also not in the Supplemental index and that it is not filtered?
Quote:
Originally Posted by crankydave
The meta description will not affect your rankings within the search results. This is what I posted and it is what the was cited by the blog. A page has to make the search results in order to be ranked.
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That is not the point of contention.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crankydave
No. Being in the supplemental index is what can affect ranking within the search results since a page there may not make the data set for a query to be ranked at all... for anything.
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Agreed. And since being in the Supplemental index or not being in the Supplemental index effects ranking and Google said that one's meta-description doesn't effect one's ranking, it can't very well effect something that can effect one's ranking.
By the way, if one does have a stroke, it can be determined whether one's salt intake was a major contributing factor so your analogy is probably not the best one to use.