Google’s Live Usability Tests

Google’s Live Usability Tests – Another Explanation of Why Patience is a Virtue in SEO – Insights for SEO Newbies

The Google Blog provides information about Google’s commitment to enhancing the user experience.

To do so, they run live tests on random test groups. We all have the opportunity to become Google Guinee Pigs (GGPs).

They are currently testing:

• how to improve job searches,
• how to improve site navigation, and
• a “Remove Results” feature

Testing the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages)

Obviously returning highly quality SERPs is the biggest part of the user experience that any search engine wants to improve upon.

• SEO newbies often see fluctuations in their SERPs and wonder why Google is specifically “attacking” them.
• Remember – Google has a massive search index containing billions of webpages, images and other file formats… with multiple data centers that are NOT 100% synchronized.
• Depending on which data center your search retrieves the results from, you are going to see different results. Refresh your search results & you may see immediate changes.
• This includes the number of pages indexed, as well as the position or rank of the pages within the SERPs themselves.
• On top of that, Google uses specific data centers to test changes to their algorithms and may then revise them and re-test before it becomes a permanent part of the indexing and/or ranking algorithms.

Therefore, you must be prepared to see and understand significant changes in the number of your pages indexed as well as the ranking of those pages for various search terms. This is a normal part of the process.

SEO is definitively a long-term process. So what you must look for is improvement over time, regardless of the up-and-downs that might occur on a daily/weekly basis.

Remember, patience is a virtue especially in the world of SEO.


Quick Notes

• Google recently completed the roll out of their BigDaddy update that caused massive fluctuations in the SERPs and raises concerns for all webmasters.

Notes on vBSEO

• Most vBSEO users monitor their indexed page count closely using the google search query for site:mydomain.com. While many users are concerned when they see temporary decreases in their indexed page count – they are very happily surprised to find that it soon corrects itself and increases the overall number even further.
• vBSEO strives for a 1-URL-Per-Resource system for vBulletin forums that reduces redundant URLs and (likewise) duplicate content issues. New vBSEO customers should be aware that their indexed page count will drop upon installation. But… this is a VERY GOOD step in the right direction for their SEO. vBSEO is helping Google and other engines to purge duplicate content – making indexing of your forum far more efficient than what could be achieved with a standard vBulletin installation.
• Many vBSEO users report significant increases in their Google referrals, even after their indexed page count drops. This goes to show that redundant URLs to the same content was NOT helping them & that vBSEO is increasing your search term relevancy on a page-by-page basis.

For Discussion

• Have you been concerned with fluctuations in Google's SERPs, especially during a major update?
• How do you rate Google's current SERP accuracy? Better or worse than in the past and by what degree?
• Are you vBulletin archive pages clouding your search results & reducing usability for users that find those pages?

Source:
Official Google Blog: This is a test. This is only a test.

FYI Did you notice that Google is choosing to use CRUs (Content Relevant URLs) ending in .html and containing keywords from the pages title for their URL?

Code:

http:// googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/04/this-is-test-this-is-only-test.html

Very good articles. Thanks for writing them.