The Reids wrote on Mon, 20 Jun 2005 14:02:29 +0100....
Quoted message said:
I submitted my websites to "Google Directory" a while ago. I've
had good Google listings for years, suddenly nearly all my good
ranking disappear (sites still there, just not ranked well).
Anyway, the one remaining good ranking had odd description, words
not on my web page. Strange. So I Googled for those words and it
took me to Google Directory, the words used were my description
to Google.
My theory is that as Google uses the directory info (documented)
in search calculations it is only listing my site when query
matches my submitted description.
So,
A How the hell do you withdraw from Google Directory?
As I understand it, the Google Directory is not really organised by
Google themselves. It takes data from the Open Directory, which is run
by a network of volunteers. See <http://dmoz.org/about.html>
I suppose you could find your entry in the Open Directory, then go
through the "update listing" procedure. This doesn't seem to
specifically allow for withdrawing your site, but I think most changes
go to an editor for review so there's a reasonable chance they'll act on
your request. That would then feed through to the Google Directory in
due course.
Quoted message said:B Is my theory nonsense?
Yes, I suspect it might be. The reason you've dropped down the listings
in the normal Google search engine (not the Directory) will be to do
with Google's complex algorithm for determining the relevance of your
site against the keywords searched. And how that compares with other
sites that have moved up the listings.
The algorithm includes how prominent the keywords concerned are on your
own site. And it particularly includes how many other sites link to
you, what keywords they use in their link to you, and how popular those
sites are themselves.
I don't know, but I suppose it's possible that the keywords that are
used in the Directory might improve your rating when people search on
those keywords. But if so, then consider the likely result if you
withdraw from the Directory. It seems to me that you'll then get a
worse rating for those keywords, and no improvement for any other
keywords. You'd be worse off, not better off, so I wouldn't do it.
The other use that Google makes of the Open Directory is that if you are
listed in it then the results of a normal Google search will include the
description of your site that the Open Directory editor drafted. If you
think that description is inaccurate, you can ask for it to be changed
(again, using the "update listing" procedure). But the editor is
unlikely to do anything unless he/she agrees that the new description is
more appropriate to help people using the Directory. Just asking for
changes to improve your Google rating probably won't meet with approval.
Quoted message said:BTW you might like to know the students not irritate
rec.travel.europe with west highland way questions.
"Not irritate"? Do you mean they "no longer" irritate r.t.e, or that
they "now irritate" r.t.e?
--
Tim Jackson
[email hidden]
(Change '.invalid' to '.co.uk' to reply direct)
Absurd patents: visit http://www.patent.freeserve.co.uk
