Hi Jackken ~
You are quite right!
Doing a search for your URL, www.google.com, produces the following results:
"www.wishbonefarms.com/
Google can show you the following information
for this URL:
* Find web pages that are similar to www.wishbonefarms.com
* Find web pages that link to www.wishbonefarms.com
* Find web pages that contain the term "www.wishbonefarms.com""
- ://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=www.wishbonefarms.com&btnG=Google+Search
It doesn't pick up your Title Tag, "Dog Breeders in Iowa and
Illinois", which the snippet of information published with search
results usually does.
Nor does it pick up any of the text on your site, which it would
normally do, meaning that snippet of information would or should read,
"Dog breeders in Iowa, Illinois: Cavalier King Charles
Spaniel, Coton de Tulear, Dandie Dinmont Terrier,
Havanese, more. Rare breed puppies for adoption from
Wishbone Farms."
or at the very least, your description tag, which is in order and
identical to the first words on your actual web page.
As you noticed, yours is not the only site which this has happened to
since the last major update to Google's algorithm.
This was first noticed and remarked upon in a thread on Webmaster
World in March. The discussion thread is here:
- http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/22615-2-10.htm
While the problem was noticed and a lot of theories on why this is
happeninig expounded, there is no definitive word from Google on why
this is happening.
Some of the theories are:
1. The title is lost when updates don't occur for a while,
and Google is crawling higher ranked pages more often
lower ranked for updates. [Msg #13 by trimmer80]
2. A way to eliminate "spammy" content. [Msg #15 by
HughMungus]
3. Google was expiring old index pages before it had a
chance to reindex. [Msg #60 by Dayo_UK]
4. Pages that had their titles and/or text dropped had no
or only one inbound link [Msg #67]
5. Pages with no PageRank or links TO the page had this
happen to them - including links in the Open Directory
(DMOZ.org) [Msg #124]
6. Google hiccuped and is giving strange results.
Even more recently, this has been noticed again in this thread, "No
title no description - Answers or more questions?"
- http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/23326.htm
And it is suggested it is caused by a few more reasons not covered in
the first thread mentioned above.
Please bear in mind that these discussions are only anecdotal, and the
participants are using websites with which they are familiar to check
out these theories. The truth is only Google knows, and they haven't
said anything in either of the threads. (GoogleGuy is a Google
engineer who often helps out in the Webmaster World forum and you can
assuredly pay attention to any posts made by him).
Now, having said you aren't alone in what you see, an examination
shows that Google has no links TO your site listed, and your site
isn't included in DMOZ.org.
Whether or not this is the reason, it does match some of the criteria discussed.
It has also been noticed that Google is weeding out what it considers
"spammy" websites - and while in come cases the definition may be
obvious, in others, it can be a bit more subtle.
For instance, your description metatag matches the first words (within
your H3 tags) at the top of your web page. Moreover, their being where
they are make no logical sense in relation to the rest of the page,
which does contain information. It has been suggested that this is
read as an attempt to 'spam' or 'game' the system, and it might have
triggered a filter of some sort which created the listing as it is.
Other speculation is that it is a "shot across the bow" from Google
for those same kind of 'spammy' practices.
The real truth of the matter is that only Google knows, and they're
not talking about it.
The good news is that those pages (and evidently there were thousands
of them) which were represented exactly as yours is - that is, just
the URL and no snippet, are slowly reappearing with their Title tag
showing and an accompanying snippet of information.
The basic answer to your question about "why" this is happening is an
honest "I don't know" - nobody does.
In the meantime, an easy way to fix it is to make some changes to your
site and to submit it via Google's Add URL page here,
- ://www.google.com/addurl.html
Bearing in mind that Google recommends making your page for your
visitors, not for search engines, you can make some simple changes
such as:
1. Title Tag - Currently your title is "Dog Breeders in Iowa
and Illinois". I wonder if that is as effective a title as
using your name, or the name of your breeds, etc., instead
of such a broad title, which to a casual searcher might
indicate a list of all dog breeders in those states.
You might also want to pull your closing </title> tag up
against your actual title text, instead of on a line by
itself. While it is uncertain if this has a bearing, why
leave empty space for your title. Why not exactly define
the title and leave no room for speculation.
2. About that <h3> tag which echoes your description metatag -
With the way your site is designed, and the content within
it, it is easy to assume you are repeating that phrase in
the hopes of getting a higher ranking in the search engine
results pages.
I admit, I am trained to look for spam and therefore see
it where none is intended, if I had to make a judgment, I
would say this was 'spam'. Repeating the phrase for no
logical reason, and it really adds no value to your site.
3. Content - One of the hardest things to do for any website
is effective copywriting. The object is to use terms under
which you which to be found in search engines, and to get
the message across to your visitors. In terms of commercial
sites, the object is to compel the visitor to look within
and ultimately, to buy.
You might want to rework the content to reflect what the
site is about - the *purpose* of the site, and put the
personal information inside on an "About Us" page. This
gives you an advantage of refreshing content and perhaps
making your site a more effective tool.
Then resubmit your site - it can't hurt, and as you can see, you
aren't penalized for doing so. This will prompt the Google crawler to
revisit your site, and it may 'clean up' any problems they may be
having. It won't hurt, and it may help.
Develop relevant links TO your site. Currently, Google shows no links
to your site, and Google emphasizes the importance of links in "How Do
I Get My Site Listed on Google?"
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/1.html
Finally, you can also wait for the problem to correct itself. It seems
that in time these sites come back with their title and a snippet
showing as you would expect to see the listings in response to a
search query.
Some Google Resources For You
==============================
I have taken the liberty of including important links from Google's
site. This information will help you understand Google's goals and
responsibility to the web searcher (and not the webmaster or site
owner).
Webmasters who follow the guidelines and avoid Google's "Thou shalt
nots" usually have no problem getting listed and showing up under the
search terms they desire.
* Google Today (absolutely the best information you
can read about the "how and why" of Google's results
- ://www.google.com/corporate/today.html
* How Do I Get My Site Listed on Google?
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/1.html
* My Web Pages Are Not Currently Listed (a good 'primer'
on how and why Google works so well)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/2.html
* PageRank Information (covers both Google's PageRank and
SERPS)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/4.html
* Webmaster Guidelines (contains both the dos and don'ts)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html
* Google Facts & Fiction (can you buy your way to a
high ranking in Google?)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/facts.html
* Search Engine Optimizers (some good advice on what to look
for if you're going to hire a Search Engine Optimizer)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/seo.html
* Frequently Asked Questions (pretty much what it says, but
definitely worth wading through)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/faq.html
* Remove Content from Google's Index (just in case you feel
a burning need to start all over again)
- ://www.google.com/remove.html
Other Sources of Information
================================
There is also good information from many of the top search engine
optimization experts, such as
* Detlev Johnson, Search Engine Guide
- http://www.searchengineguide.com/detlev/
* Danny Sullivan, Search Engine Watch
- http://www.searchenginewatch.com/
* Jill Whalen, High Rankings
- http://www.highrankings.com/
* Shari Thurow, Web Pro News (and quoted all over the Internet)
- www.webpronews.com/
who all have columns or newsletters to which you can subscribe and
keep abreast of the best way to use good content for better
positioning in search engine results.
In addition, Webmaster World - http://www.webmasterworld.com/ - has
discussion boards on most of the search engines. While some of the
discussions are anecdotal and/or questions for information, there is
usually enough discussion to keep abreast of what seems to be
happening.
There is an entire section devoted to Google at:
- http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/
It never hurts to keep track of the discussions; but remember, trying
to optimize for search engines only is like trying to hit a moving
target. You'll notice among the more experienced contributors to the
discussions - plus the SEO experts listed above - that there really is
no substitute for content, relevant links and good HTML.
While this didn't pinpoint what the problem is, it does give you some
food for thought, and at least shows that it appears to be enough of a
problem that you can be assured that Google will fix it. After all, it
is Google's job to continue to work to bring searchers the most
relevant content in response to their search query.
Search terms ~
I relied on information I refer to and use on a regular basis to
answer your question.
Regards,
Serenata
Google Answers Researcher |
