Google searching like this: 'seach-term-here site:www.xenforo.com/community' gives no results

Grover

Grover

Well-known member
Hi, I don't understand something.

When I perform this search in Google: 'interface site:www.xenforo.com/community' I get o results.

In fact, I get 0 results on every searchterm I type in like that in Google, when I want to find something on www.xenforo.com/community

Edit... well coincidentally I just discovered WHY
confused.png
. When you ommit the 'www' from the search command it... works!.

For me it's a bit strange , because I was used to search through Google exactly like this on www.vbulletin.com:

'interface site:www.vbulletin.com/forum'... which does give lots of results.

Also, the Dutch Help files from Google themselves, show an example ('press site:www.google.com') that it is indeed possible to use 'www' inside the search command: http://www.google.nl/intl/nl/help/refinesearch.html#domain

Who enlightens me?

PS: it's not only strange for me, but it also worries me a bit, since for people who are used to search like this it might seem that XenForo powered websites are simply unsearchable through Google this way.
 
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Grover said:
Yes, so... so should the frustrating Site-Search of them!
Click to expand...

Then set it up as such in your configuration? rather than 'properly' ..

url forward without .htaccess to rewrite it, so both work. and both will be indexed.

This is a google matter, in my useless opinion.
 
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Brogan said:
Have you tried contacting Google about it?
Click to expand...

This issue is so obvious to me, that I can not imagine that there are not much more -of the millions of Google-users who reported it. In fact, I see this as quite a serious 'bug'/design issue, that I have problems understanding that a company like Google (we are talking about search here) leaves something like this unattended. Seriously, for the past few months I believed XenForo.com was simply unsearchable through Google. Really. I just discovered today by accident that I need to ommit the 'www' inside my search... It's just totally... and I say... totally incomprehensibly to me. Google! We are talking about the Search mammoth Google here... and this thing about the site-search is pretty puzzling.

(Well...maybe I should just point Google's CEO's to this thread... they might even become enthusiastic about XenForo and switch these forums over, just to thank me ;))
 
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I must disagree.

We have selected http://xenforo.com as our website address - http://www.xenforo.com could point to something entirely different. You are sufficiently experienced with Google to know about the site: search, so I'd expect you to use the address as used by the site you want to search.

If I maintained different content for example.com and www.example.com, I most certainly would not want Google to automagically return results for example.com when I search for site:www.example.com.
 
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As someone on the bottom of the totem pole of the web world ....I can tell you that I almost never do a site search...and for that matter...call me a nub, but...I actually haven't typed www into an address bar since...um dsl was fast...I don't know if it is bad practice or good practice..but in this instance if I did go do a google site search I would have not noticed that issue as I type www in text messages to refer to internet in general and that's about it. I however didn't know that I could make www.somesite.com point somewhere other than somesite.com and that is blowing my mind...(seriously).

Kier said:
automagically
Click to expand...
This get's a like...you have been like spammed.
 
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Grover, were you aware that omitting the www prefix for sites that force www still search fine on Google?

If you try site:facebook.com, it'll show www.facebook.com on all search results (and save you a second on the triple-w tap).
 
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Kier said:
We have selected http://xenforo.com as our website address - http://www.xenforo.com could point to something entirely different.
Click to expand...

Kier, I have a different viewpoint. I am totally convinced that the majority of internet user really do not know/realize that http://sitename.com can lead to a total other site then http://www.sitename.com. In fact, I just realize this now myself clearly, thanks to the postings by Floris and yourself. Seriously. And I am not the only one, according to EQnoble here.

I am sorry (actually I'm not ;)), but from an average internet Google end-user it is highly confusing that there are words inside a thread (that you can enter through http://www.xenforo.com/community/threads/separate-front-end-language-and-acp-back-end-language.6179/#post-129487) that can only be found through Google's site search if you ommit this 'www' from your search.

You are sufficiently experienced with Google to know about the site: search, so I'd expect you to use the address as used by the site you want to search.
Click to expand...

I think it's good to realize that (the constant point of my ramblings) the 'www' is so commonly/automatically used by the majority of internet users that they do not and will not pay attention if a site uses it or not. I believe this is really obvious. That's why it's totally counter-intuitive from an average end-user perspective that Google apparently expects you to know which site is using this www or not! I am sorry, but this is (the way it works now) just putting the 'burden' on the enduser, whereas clearly the issue lies with Google.

If I maintained different content for example.com and www.example.com, I most certainly would not want Google to automagically return results for example.com when I search for site:www.example.com.
Click to expand...

I understand what you are trying to point out, but trust me, the majority of people do not even know that there is in fact a difference between the two examples. I am pretty amazed Google (and people in support of this thinking pattern) apparently thinks people are aware.

Or maybe it's just that Google intended this functionality to be used exactly the way Floris and yourself are describing it. But then Google should really make this much more clear in the error/message to the enduser... if there is indeed no other solution then to be forced to ommit the 'www' if you want to do a freakin' simple site-search.

Really, as I said, I seriously was under the impression that Xenforo.com was unsearchable with Google's site-search and ofcourse my knowledge of the internet and all his quirks/bells and whistles is certainly far from perfect/complete, but really: exactly for those kind of people like myself, one expects the major search engine to be substantially more user friendly in this matter.
 
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i always tend to site search without www because it includes subdomains as well. of course if i am to search on a particular subdomain, i would use it.

it is always a safer bet because google would still show results for www.domain.com when site searched for domain.com.
 
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yeah but if you want to be perfectly honest most average users of google don't know how to do anything there but type a query hit enter...they aren't aware that google search can solve math problems find patents and a whole bunch of other stuff I probably will never use personally...not that they are not great tools.
 
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James said:
Grover, were you aware that omitting the www prefix for sites that force www still search fine on Google?
If you try site:facebook.com, it'll show www.facebook.com on all search results (and save you a second on the triple-w tap).
Click to expand...

Yes, so if you type in 'interface site:facebook.com' Google gives us graving users a beautiful list of results. 1.080.000 to be precise ;). And the same list of beauty appears trustfully in front of our eyes if we type in : 'interface site:www.facebook.com'. Well... you (the average internet user) would expect this... but that it also not the case. The results are decreased by almost 50%: 609.000 results counted.

Really, how can this be not confusing to Joe Average?

(I do sound a tiny bit frustrated in this discussion, don't I? :D Must be the flu I have now for almost 3 freakin' weeks! But I guess this -next to ignorance- is also no excuse?
wink.png
)
 
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All I'm saying Grover is take heart...I can count on one hand the amount of people I know face to face that know you can search one site's content from google, or that google has custom search modifiers that you can type in the search field to effect the queries results if that is even the correct way to say it...
 
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Okay, before I go to sleep... and give this and myself a well deserved rest ;): Bing for example has exactly the same issue... (and I will try other search engines in my dream).

Conclusion of this insightful night: I guess this functionality is not made for Joe Does 1-10 Average then...

(but this searchengine is in favor of the Joes: http://www.yandex.com/ :cool:. Type in interface site:www.xenforo.com with or without the www and the results are exactly the same...)
 
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