The Official Who's Dissapointed With the last Google update thread

[Alphawolf]

You guys can just use this too:

http://www.scroogle.org/

You guys want to see a good example of companies being removed?

punch in:

mystery shopping

Now...even more to the point:

mystery shopping company

You'd think with a query like that I'm pretty much telling Google I want to see mystery shopping companies.

In a niche field like this they are only known for a handful of terms.

And the terms that vanquished pages just so happen to be the Top 2 for Overture and AdWords- and the only meaningful 'money phrases.

While this is Overture Suggestions, AdWords is similar in traffic/CTR, etc...

Searches done in October 2003
Count Search Term
22772 mystery and shopping (was #4- now not in 1st 1,000)
1127 mystery shopping company (was #2 now not in first 1,000)
988 mystery shopping job (not helpful)
293 association mystery provider shopping (not helpful)
254 frankfurt mystery shopping (not helpful)
228 mystery shopping services (_FIRST_ 'money phrase' Google allows companies to be listed in.)

And no- the lower search terms do not convert more highly. After a year plus of asking how people found their company it was damn near *always* that top phrase just remove the 'and'.

The "good" thing- it was a wash. As you can see near 90% of those who were in the Top 100 are no longer for that industries top phrase.

Since this Florida update the results from Overture/Adwords has been great because potential clients cannot see any companies on Page 1...so the Ads have a higher CTR now.

Is it a math 'bug'- try telling 89 business owners this when the selective phrases that nuked companies were the Top 2 most competitive for their industry.

As some have pointed out some very competitve phrases haven't been effected like 'web hosting' or 'web design'

<shrug>

It's good to be a monopoly, eh?

Happy turkey day to those of us in the USA.