Googles Two Indexes - Main and Supplemental

Mel · 10-25-2003, 03:31 AM

I am not sure quite when Google started with its second (supplemental )index but it seems to me that I first noticed results from the supplemental index about a month ago.

Google says it only searches the supplemental index when the searches are "difficult". Shades of the Inktomi BOW and ROW indexes!

Now we can have lots of fun figuring out who gets into which index how and why.

Given the discussion a couple of months ago about Big G reaching the limit of the number of pages it could index with its current addressing scheme I wonder if this could be the jury rig fix for that problem?

Pimpen 2010 · 10-25-2003, 10:36 AM

Do you have a link to the supplemental one?

Marcel · 10-25-2003, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pimpen 2010

Do you have a link to the supplemental one?

Did you think long and hard before asking that question?

Pimpen 2010 · 10-25-2003, 11:17 AM

I know what you mean but I know someone has a link, there is a way to get it. (if any of that makes sense)

digitalpoint · 10-25-2003, 11:24 AM

They have been doing supplemental results for a long time...

http://www.google.com/help/interpret.html

Although they don't say much about it.

- Shawn

Mel · 10-26-2003, 01:16 AM

What do you consider a long time Shawn?

This index first saw the light of day August 26, 2003 so far as I can determine, and I cannot find out much information on why it is being done (I suspect to solve the address problem), what are the criteria for results from the supplemental index being added to search results, if pages indexed in the supplemental results are included in the PageRank calcs, etc, etc, etc.

If you have any information it would be welcome.

I, Brian · 10-26-2003, 04:36 AM

I don;t know anything about this supplemental index.

What is it's actual effect on the SERPs?

PhilC · 10-27-2003, 03:41 AM

Is there any reason to suppose that the supplemental results are not provided by another engine?

Mel · 10-27-2003, 06:27 AM

According to posts by Googleguy this is an experimental google index.
The results appear intermingled with Google regualr results and only demarcated by the words supplemental listing in the Serp.
There are no indications that it is provided by another SE.

PhilC · 10-27-2003, 07:14 AM

Did GG say why they're doing it?

Mel · 10-27-2003, 09:19 AM

Not really Phil. He said it was to help out with "difficult or obscure searches" but I really don't understand that. You can find someof these pages and then do a search for common terms found on them, and they seem to rank well enough.

digitalpoint · 10-27-2003, 03:02 PM

Mel - should have clarified that... a "long time" in the Internet world is anything more than month.

- Shawn

younghistorians · 10-27-2003, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mel

I am not sure quite when Google started with its second (supplemental )index but it seems to me that I first noticed results from the supplemental index about a month ago.

Google says it only searches the supplemental index when the searches are "difficult". Shades of the Inktomi BOW and ROW indexes!

Now we can have lots of fun figuring out who gets into which index how and why.

Given the discussion a couple of months ago about Big G reaching the limit of the number of pages it could index with its current addressing scheme I wonder if this could be the jury rig fix for that problem?

Intresting...never heard of that before