11 replies to this topic

[bwelford]

Today Google is now saying:
Searching 3,307,998,701 web pages

Perhaps that's because today AllTheWeb is saying:
Currently searching 3,151,743,117 web pages

Now for a Google search on "the", I get a count of 3,480,000,000 web pages.

The same search on AllTheWeb shows 1,316,623,131 web pages.

So Google seems to be bigger than they say and AllTheWeb may well be smaller.

What does it all mean? It beats me.

Barry Welford

<edit> to correct mistake spotted by compar</edit>

Edited by bwelford, 27 August 2003 - 04:31 AM.

[Jill]

Not sure that's really an accurate way to test it.

ATW may simply know better than to bother to return all the results for the word "the."

I don't think you can conclude anything from that test.

J

[bwelford]

Jill

I agree with your comment on the ATW result. But why is Google publishing a database size only a little higher than the published ATW database size, when clearly it is somewhat bigger than that? Do you understand the Google reasoning?

Barry Welford

[Jill]

They don't want to brag?

Don't want ATW to feel bad?

Can't count?

Don't really know?

[compar]

Now for a Google search on "the", I get a count of 3,480,000,000 billion web pages.

I don't really think it is 3,480,000,000 billion. That's a hell of a lot of pages. I think you mean either 3,480,000,000 pages or 3.480 billion pages. Not 3 billion billion.

[bwelford]

You're right, compar. I first wrote 3.48 billion, then changed it to the same format as the ATW number but mistakenly did not remove the billion. Sorry.

Barry Welford

[bwelford]

You go away for a long weekend and suddenly everything has changed!

Lots more internal and external linking pages now indexed by Google.

And the count of webpages for "the" has suddenly increased by 50% to 5.29 billion webpages from the 3.55 billion webpages or so showing before. Of course the Google home page is still showing:
Searching 3,307,998,701 web pages

Does anyone know what has happened?

Barry Welford

[Mel]

Perhaps Google have a few pages up their sleeves they're not telling us about?

When I search google for +the google says it returns 5.23 billion pages.

[compar]

Does anyone know what has happened?

Barry Welford

I don't think anybody knows for sure what the different numbers mean. However I'm sure there is one conclusion that we can safely draw.

Google indexes a hell of a lot of pages!

[zdkid]

I just did some test search on Google to see if they had inflated numbers or not after reading the same article.

Basically they always says "Results 1-100 of about 525,000. Search took 0.70 seconds"

I set my preferences to display 100 records per page, leave at all languages.
Search term "Herbalife"
Scroll to the bottom, hit the next button a couple of times, and everything ended at 901-994. What about record 524,006?

So I am wondering where the hell did the other 525,000 - 994 = 524,006 records go? I am in total shock now.

Can some please run this experiment to see that it's not my browser. Thanks.

Edited by zdkid, 03 September 2003 - 10:36 PM.

[projectphp]

The real reason is to give Gogole some free publicity. Just imagine: If Google reported the correct number, and it just got bigger and bigger, that isn't a story. However, if AllTheWeb publishes 3.1 billion, and then Google publishes 3.11 billion, that is TWO stories, the first when ATW takes over, the second invariably being "Google wins back crown".

Never underestimate the publics love of a battle and conflict. Google winning hands down is hardly a story at all.

Great Marketting ploy by Google, and a great way to keep interest in search in general alive.

[compar]

Great Marketting ploy by Google, and a great way to keep interest in search in general alive.

Have you got any proof or documentation for that wild claim?????