Google Re-allows WebPosition Gold Searches
About a month ago, it seemed that Google blocked WebPosition Gold for good. However, just yesterday a post on Search Engine Roundtable proved otherwise. Here is the gist of the post:
Just about a month ago we reported about the issues people were having with WebPosition Gold and other rank checking tools. We first thought Google was going after these rank checking tools but then we learned that the issues were due to Google testing out new HTML structures and layouts in the search results pages.
After reading the article, I ran a client’s ranking report on WPG and found that yes, in fact, I can get Google’s ranking results again! At the same time, I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it: while higher rankings are the short-term results you want from SEO, better conversions are the long-term goal.
Tags: conversions, Google, WebPosition Gold, WebTrends
September 8th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Hi Nicki,
No. Google didn’t do anything on their side to block or help WebPosition. They simply change their HTML from time to time. At times the changes are subtle and do not really cause anything problems with WP scanning their pages, at times we have to reprogram WP.
I saw this recently…
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/search-experiments-large-and-small.html
Notice that for the average person, looking at their screen shots, you really can’t tell what is differences might be between their examples. However some of those code changes may cause WebPosition, our competitors, Firefox plug-ins, and other apps to need to be re-programmed so that they can understand the HTML that Google is publishing. And even after being re-programmed, Google may decide to go back to a an older style or try yet again, something new.
This has always been the case, since day 1.
September 8th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
@ Scott, thanks for the clarification! From the SE Roundtable article I included, it was nice to see that Google hadn’t actually blocked WP (it had seemed that way originally).
I’m glad, though, that you folks at WebTrends are keeping up with the programming changes as they happen!