Pattern in Yahoo Updates

jajit · #1 (**permalink**) 08-15-2004, 01:29 PM

Is there a pattern in the slurp updates. How often they visit, if on a scheduled period like Google? I've tried to observe this and am wondering if anyone has tried successfully. THanks

JaJIT

pne · #2 (**permalink**) 08-17-2004, 06:21 AM

JaJIT,

Don't think so. There's no rhyme nor reason to it. Lots of posters here are highly critical of slurp! but it seems to come by me twice a day or so. The thing that's bugging me is the infrequency of cache/SERPs updates (btw I'm absolutely convinced they're linked and convinced too that Yahoo have had technical problems over the last couple of days, possibly linked to a major SERPs update).

Good luck trying to work it out.

pne

ronniethedodger · #3 (**permalink**) 08-17-2004, 06:47 AM

pne and I are very much agreement on the crawl to index delay. We have the same feelings -- which are well justified.

Rather than go on another rant, look at this post I just made.

pne, we were just talking last month about how we were highly anticipating August at Yahoo. Now it is here and half over. I don't know man --- this is not a good start. What do you think?

pne · #4 (**permalink**) 08-17-2004, 07:06 AM

Ronnie,

Couldn't agree more. I've been having substantial trouble optimising for Google (mostly resourcing to be honest), so I put lots of effort into standard on-page optimisation for Yahoo. Lo and behold last Friday SERPs were updated and I started to rank as follows

of 80 key phrases
- 47 top 20
- 21 top 10

So, naturally, felt satisfied and, sort of, vindicated (btw same stuff working for MSN beta test which, I now notice, has finished).

Today, Yahoo has reverted to old cache. SERPs shafted, waiting for update (hope!), also noticed that Yahoo wasn't recognising my preferences (100 results per page etc).

This makes me think that they're experiencing some technical problems. If it was just the SERPs I'd be inclined to the view that it was update/data centre type of thing, but with my preferences gone too...?

Anyway I'm going to keep a close eye on this and will look at thread you've mentioned above.

Cheers,

pne

ronniethedodger · #5 (**permalink**) 08-17-2004, 07:54 AM

I noticed my preferences got whacked too ... I had it set to a hundred just like you. Wow ... I chalked that one up to just a cookie thing and never though twice about it.

The SERPS have changed ... and I took a dive in some spots. My competitor (#1 at that) went down with me on the same phrases. Same thing at MSN -- results appear to be identical.

But unlike you -- I have held that spot solid for over a year on all three with no problems. That it just one product line though. I have not checked in depth on all of them.

MSN is still in Beta right? The notice just says they will be releasing another preview.

Quote:

Anyway I'm going to keep a close eye on this and will look at thread you've mentioned above.

Oh ... that is just a rant. Don't pay any attention to it. ;0)

pne · #6 (**permalink**) 08-17-2004, 09:19 AM

Ronnie,

This is absurd. Preferences reset to default again between 12:30 - 13:00 GMT! Are you getting the same?

pne

ronniethedodger · #7 (**permalink**) 08-17-2004, 08:04 PM

They went back to 100 per page. Is that what you mean? I did not go in and change them back to 100 when it was using the default settings ... so it reverted back.

pne · #8 (**permalink**) 08-18-2004, 04:39 AM

Ronnie,

Mine went from 100 to 20, they're messing with our minds!

Seriously though, Yahoo.com has switched between old cache and new cache twice in the last 24 hours. Yahoo.co.uk has been using exclusively old cache. I'm obviously aware that when a major SERPs update is underway there will be a little inconsistency in the results, but this is very strange. BTW who are MSN getting there current results fom? There's funny things happening there too.

Cold compress time.

Regards,

pne

ronniethedodger · #9 (**permalink**) 08-18-2004, 05:00 AM

As far as I know, MSN is still pulling from Yahoo. They dropped the Inktomi portion a almost two months ago. Those results pretty much match up with Yahoos, with minor MSN adjustments to them. How much of the Yahoo Index they are providing is another question. Any part of Yahoo that deals with Inktomi, Overture, or SiteMatch is not included in there.

I have not been keeping an eye on the results for a while at Yahoo. I will take your word on them going in and out ... but what are they going out to is the question. Are they floating in those newly crawled pages from the Slurp crawl last month, and back out again?

Cold compress time is correct I guess. But you and I both saw something like this coming last month and knew it would be wild to watch ... well hopefully it is not too wild, eh?

MSN shutting down the Tech Preview area is a little interesting to note however. Considering the knee-jerk reactions that Gmail had on these two in the email arena, it would not surprise me if they are all playing a little cat and mouse game now with Search. It is getting closer to Year End, Gates line in the sand dateline so to speak and Yahoo wants something to show the world (at least our part of the world).