Is Google Insane?

I've just put a site live with high-ish hopes that I've done a decent job of optimising its pages for a couple of key search terms. I won't know if I've been successful for a little while, so while I'm "waiting" I'm looking at how other sites that rank highly for competing keywords are structured.

What I find is that in at least 2 out of 10 cases I've no conception of how these sites got any type of ranking, let alone a top 20. Case in point (no names mentioned of course):-

A page with a PR of 7, in the top 20 out of around 5 million for a very competitive keyword. It's someone's home page in free ISP space; has a dozen images, a few broken image links and a total of 5 - yes, five - words, non of which is the keyword. In fact, the keyword isn't mentioned anywhere in the code or text or anywhere else. This page is linked to by half a dozen other pages, 5 of which are from the same site and identical to the first page.

If this had been the only one I would've thought it was just an error, but maybe 15% of the ones I looked at (and I looked at dozens) were just as baffling. Is it me or is Google insane?

And I've just looked at the time and realised I've missed the X-Files, but with paranormal horror like this going on, who needs it?

"What I find is that in at least 2 out of 10 cases I've no conception of how these sites got any type of ranking, let alone a top 20"

Whilst Google is no doubt my favourite SE nowadays it seems to bring up a much higher number of irrelevant results.

Interestingly if you just look at these sites in your browser nothing appears untoward, however if you view the source you can see why. (For those not familiar with code then preview it an editor).

Often you can see why the site has got there..... googlebot can be spammed it seems quite easily!

For example, a quick search for branded shopping products on Google will soon reveal a UK site using this technique.

I never employ these techniques simply because sooner or later you pay!

Yeah but some times Google is mental.. I am number 1 for "cottages" why, I have no idea... some of the best SEO guys I know have not a clue.. I am not even going to bother trying to cash in the term as I am sure Google will return to normal for me in Feb.

mmmm or maybe I should LOL Will look bad on my corporate site unless I can come up with an angle.

Supercod, my advice to you would be "make hay while the sun shines"!!

If I was no.1 for anything in Google I'd be over the moon!!

Unfortunately I'm not though

Kieron

I know why it does this, its a good technique im gonna try but it's just a theory for now.

If you don't want to share what you think is doing it on the board would you mind dropping me a private email as to what you think is doing it so I can then get it stopped and get back my PR 8s, because of this mess I have lost head way in my rise up many keywords and for some stupid reason have the exact same backward links as cottages4you .. like what's that all about, I have not even link to these guys from that site, or anyone for that matter.

Clarke
There are quite a few sites with messed up backlinks this month which is probably the main factor. One of my sites has about 200 links from irrelevant sites Ive never heard of.
I guess it may have been a data management glitch on googles part - often these things sort themselves out in the subsequent dance when backlinks are recalculated.