NEWS

Google’s Mueller on Migrating to a Previously Parked Domain

Published

4 years ago

February 19, 2021

Google’s Mueller on Migrating to a Previously Parked Domain

Google’s John Mueller answered a question about whether there’s a sandbox effect that holds back a site after changing domain names to a domain name that was previously parked. Mueller responded with details specific to previously parked domains and how Google treats them when they are activated on an existing website.

Background Information

The person asking the question said that she was working on a site that has changed domain name. The site architecture and URLs remained the same. The only thing that changed was the domain name.

The new domain had previously been parked and had been actively used as a site at some earlier point in time. The person asking the question related that currently the site is being indexed 96% of the time by Smartphone Googlebot.

Her question was if there was some kind of sandbox effect caused by the domain name change that was holding the site back from being switched over to mobile first indexing.

It should also be noted that later in the video she mentioned that the rankings had dropped and were slowly recovering in the week since the domain switchover.

Don’t Worry About Mobile First Indexing

John Mueller first mentioned to not worry about the delay in mobile first indexing.

Mueller answered:

“I wouldn’t worry about the mobile first part for something like that because we kind of have the timeline set for switching everything over to mobile first anyway.

So that will happen in (I don’t know what is it, in March or April?)… I don’t know what timeline we had there. So that’ll happen anyway.”

Previously Parked Domains Can Cause a Temporary Effect

Mueller next addressed the issue of switching a site to a domain that was previously parked. He noted that there can be a temporary effect.

John Mueller explained:

But with regards to moving to a previously existing domain where there was parked content, you can definitely see some temporary effect there.

Not so much in terms of a sandbox effect or something like that but more in terms of if we’ve always seen a noindex page on this site for the longest time, then probably we’re going to assume that it’s still noindex for awhile.

And you might see kind of this… moment where for… I’ve seen it happen for maybe a week or two, maybe up to three weeks, where it’s just our systems assume that this is still a parked site and essentially treat the new content that is there as being parked as well.

And then it either doesn’t get indexed at all or it ranks kind of really badly in the beginning and then at some point, our systems go, oh, it’s no longer parked and essentially it just pops back in.”

The person who asked the question nodded her head and noted that she is beginning to see some recovery with rankings that had dropped in the week since the domain had been changed.

She also noted that there have been domain mismatch errors reported for AMP. She said that the new AMP content has been crawled but that the old AMP pages are still being reported as existing because the redirect hasn’t been processed.

Mueller responded:

“That’s something where you might see a temporary effect until all of that settles down a little bit where maybe we have the AMP URL somewhere linked and we go off and crawl it with a desktop crawler initially and then we realize, oh, we have to use mobile because it’s AMP. Then we would pick that up.

But that’s something that I would expect should settle down fairly quickly… like in the order of… I don’t know.. one, two, three weeks, something around that range.”

Mueller further noted that AMP pages and images, anything that was previously on the old domain should be redirected.

Domain Name Changes and Ranking Drops

In my experience, Google is very good at handling changes in domains as well as changing the URL folders of where sections are located.

Dramatic changes in rankings are not unusual. Mueller’s observation that it can take from one to three weeks matches my own experiences changing domain names.

Citation

Watch the Google SEO Office-hours Video

The video begins at about the 15:30 minute mark.

Searchenginejournal.com

NEWS

OpenAI Introduces Fine-Tuning for GPT-4 and Enabling Customized AI Models

Published

4 weeks ago

August 21, 2024

Max

OpenAI Introduces Fine-Tuning for GPT-4 and Enabling Customized AI Models

OpenAI has today announced the release of fine-tuning capabilities for its flagship GPT-4 large language model, marking a significant milestone in the AI landscape. This new functionality empowers developers to create tailored versions of GPT-4 to suit specialized use cases, enhancing the model’s utility across various industries.

Fine-tuning has long been a desired feature for developers who require more control over AI behavior, and with this update, OpenAI delivers on that demand. The ability to fine-tune GPT-4 allows businesses and developers to refine the model’s responses to better align with specific requirements, whether for customer service, content generation, technical support, or other unique applications.

Why Fine-Tuning Matters

GPT-4 is a very flexible model that can handle many different tasks. However, some businesses and developers need more specialized AI that matches their specific language, style, and needs. Fine-tuning helps with this by letting them adjust GPT-4 using custom data. For example, companies can train a fine-tuned model to keep a consistent brand tone or focus on industry-specific language.

Fine-tuning also offers improvements in areas like response accuracy and context comprehension. For use cases where nuanced understanding or specialized knowledge is crucial, this can be a game-changer. Models can be taught to better grasp intricate details, improving their effectiveness in sectors such as legal analysis, medical advice, or technical writing.

Key Features of GPT-4 Fine-Tuning

The fine-tuning process leverages OpenAI’s established tools, but now it is optimized for GPT-4’s advanced architecture. Notable features include:

Enhanced Customization: Developers can precisely influence the model’s behavior and knowledge base.
Consistency in Output: Fine-tuned models can be made to maintain consistent formatting, tone, or responses, essential for professional applications.
Higher Efficiency: Compared to training models from scratch, fine-tuning GPT-4 allows organizations to deploy sophisticated AI with reduced time and computational cost.

Additionally, OpenAI has emphasized ease of use with this feature. The fine-tuning workflow is designed to be accessible even to teams with limited AI experience, reducing barriers to customization. For more advanced users, OpenAI provides granular control options to achieve highly specialized outputs.

Implications for the Future

The launch of fine-tuning capabilities for GPT-4 signals a broader shift toward more user-centric AI development. As businesses increasingly adopt AI, the demand for models that can cater to specific business needs, without compromising on performance, will continue to grow. OpenAI’s move positions GPT-4 as a flexible and adaptable tool that can be refined to deliver optimal value in any given scenario.

By offering fine-tuning, OpenAI not only enhances GPT-4’s appeal but also reinforces the model’s role as a leading AI solution across diverse sectors. From startups seeking to automate niche tasks to large enterprises looking to scale intelligent systems, GPT-4’s fine-tuning capability provides a powerful resource for driving innovation.

OpenAI announced that fine-tuning GPT-4o will cost $25 for every million tokens used during training. After the model is set up, it will cost $3.75 per million input tokens and $15 per million output tokens. To help developers get started, OpenAI is offering 1 million free training tokens per day for GPT-4o and 2 million free tokens per day for GPT-4o mini until September 23. This makes it easier for developers to try out the fine-tuning service.

As AI continues to evolve, OpenAI’s focus on customization and adaptability with GPT-4 represents a critical step in making advanced AI accessible, scalable, and more aligned with real-world applications. This new capability is expected to accelerate the adoption of AI across industries, creating a new wave of AI-driven solutions tailored to specific challenges and opportunities.

GOOGLE

This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update

Published

3 months ago

June 30, 2024

Entireweb News Bot

This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update

Here’s what happened in the world of Google and search engines this week:

1. Google’s June 2024 Spam Update

Google finished rolling out its June 2024 spam update over a period of seven days. This update aims to reduce spammy content in search results.

2. Changes to Google Search Interface

Google has removed the continuous scroll feature for search results. Instead, it’s back to the old system of pages.

3. New Features and Tests

Link Cards: Google is testing link cards at the top of AI-generated overviews.
Health Overviews: There are more AI-generated health overviews showing up in search results.
Local Panels: Google is testing AI overviews in local information panels.

4. Search Rankings and Quality

Improving Rankings: Google said it can improve its search ranking system but will only do so on a large scale.
Measuring Quality: Google’s Elizabeth Tucker shared how they measure search quality.

5. Advice for Content Creators

Brand Names in Reviews: Google advises not to avoid mentioning brand names in review content.
Fixing 404 Pages: Google explained when it’s important to fix 404 error pages.

6. New Search Features in Google Chrome

Google Chrome for mobile devices has added several new search features to enhance user experience.

7. New Tests and Features in Google Search

Credit Card Widget: Google is testing a new widget for credit card information in search results.
Sliding Search Results: When making a new search query, the results might slide to the right.

8. Bing’s New Feature

Bing is now using AI to write “People Also Ask” questions in search results.

9. Local Search Ranking Factors

Menu items and popular times might be factors that influence local search rankings on Google.

10. Google Ads Updates

Query Matching and Brand Controls: Google Ads updated its query matching and brand controls, and advertisers are happy with these changes.
Lead Credits: Google will automate lead credits for Local Service Ads. Google says this is a good change, but some advertisers are worried.
tROAS Insights Box: Google Ads is testing a new insights box for tROAS (Target Return on Ad Spend) in Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns.
WordPress Tag Code: There is a new conversion code for Google Ads on WordPress sites.

These updates highlight how Google and other search engines are continuously evolving to improve user experience and provide better advertising tools.

FACEBOOK

Facebook Faces Yet Another Outage: Platform Encounters Technical Issues Again

Published

6 months ago

March 20, 2024

Max

Uppdated: It seems that today’s issues with Facebook haven’t affected as many users as the last time. A smaller group of people appears to be impacted this time around, which is a relief compared to the larger incident before. Nevertheless, it’s still frustrating for those affected, and hopefully, the issues will be resolved soon by the Facebook team.

Facebook had another problem today (March 20, 2024). According to Downdetector, a website that shows when other websites are not working, many people had trouble using Facebook.

This isn’t the first time Facebook has had issues. Just a little while ago, there was another problem that stopped people from using the site. Today, when people tried to use Facebook, it didn’t work like it should. People couldn’t see their friends’ posts, and sometimes the website wouldn’t even load.

Downdetector, which watches out for problems on websites, showed that lots of people were having trouble with Facebook. People from all over the world said they couldn’t use the site, and they were not happy about it.

When websites like Facebook have problems, it affects a lot of people. It’s not just about not being able to see posts or chat with friends. It can also impact businesses that use Facebook to reach customers.

Since Facebook owns Messenger and Instagram, the problems with Facebook also meant that people had trouble using these apps. It made the situation even more frustrating for many users, who rely on these apps to stay connected with others.

During this recent problem, one thing is obvious: the internet is always changing, and even big websites like Facebook can have problems. While people wait for Facebook to fix the issue, it shows us how easily things online can go wrong. It’s a good reminder that we should have backup plans for staying connected online, just in case something like this happens again.