Opensite explorer issues still there

[jbloggs]

Hi

I asked a question a few weeks ago regarding the linkings being shown in opensite explorer showing crazy stuff like psds and odd file formats as being  the source of the links.

I was told it was being repaired , the results were almost useless and I stopped using , I have just logged back in to check again and see even more random odd results with sites that would have no reason to link to us.

Is this tool ever going to be repaired ?

Is there a ETA for the fix ?

How come you are launching new tools when the existing ones dont work ?

Kind Regards

[randfish]

Hey LL - totally hear you on both fronts. With Linkscape, Ryan's precisely right. We went crawling deeper on large sites, and, as I noted in the blog posts around this issue, encountered these binary files. We attempted a fix for the past index using a blacklist of file types. It only caught about 40% of them. We were hoping that would be closer to 90%.

We've got two new indices running. One that launches mid-November that will have more of these files removed but not all, and another in December when we think we'll have them all cleaned out.

In terms of Google's search query data in Keyword Difficulty, that does suck. Google turned off our API access and we've been going back and forth with them to try to turn it on. We, along with a few hundred other tools, got shut off all together and trying to get back in has been a long, painful process. However, the tool does not rely on this data to get accurate reports (difficulty doesn't care how many times something's searched, just how competitive the top results are, which is what we look at). Thus, the tool's still fully operational, and you can still grab the KW data from Google's AdWords tool or your own API access (not as convenient, I agree).

TL;DR - We're fixing the OSE binary files issue by December (maybe sooner) and working with Google to try to get the Adwords API data back in KW Diff (but no guarantees).

Hope that helps and a million thanks to Ryan for jumping in and helping out on this. He's not an official rep or a Moz employee, but seriously appreciate him going above and beyond.

[KeriMorgret]

I'm so sorry about the frustration you're having. It's not quite 5:00 in the morning Seattle time, so it may be a few more hours before you can get a more complete response. I couldn't sleep and happened to be checking email and saw these replies. What I can offer you right now is Rand's post about this latest update at http://www.seomoz.org/blog/november-2011-linkscape-update. He says the following about the binary file issue:

As I noted in the September index update, we have had some serious issues when crawling deeper on large domains and encountering binary files that contain code our crawler recognizes and treats as a link. To help stop this problem, we applied a black list to this index to stop a large number of the files folks had reported to us (our estimate is that ~40% of binary files are now removed). However, we know there's still more than a few of these in the database of links so we'll continue cranking away on solutions to remove them all. Our hope is to have them reduced in the next index (November) and nearly eliminated by the December index. If you're ever curious about the next/previous updates, you can always see data for them on our Linkscape calendar.

[RyanKent]

The next OSE update is scheduled for Nov 15th, but the crawl is already a week in. The issue will likely be resolved, but the question is whether you reported it in time to be fixed for the Nov 15th update, or whether it will be in the December update.

Good luck.

[RyanKent]

Let's be clear on a couple things here. YOU came to the COMMUNITY Q&A and asked a question. I am a member of the community. I pay for the SEOmoz tools and service just like you. I am donating my time in an effort to help a fellow community member (you) with a problem they are facing. I am doing so without receiving any benefit other then possibly your appreciation. Your swearing and anger are completely misdirected. Lashing out at the people who are trying to help you, and getting upset at "the messenger" who is sharing accurate information wont help you either.

SEOmoz policies are clear. If you are experiencing an issue with a tool, contact the help desk! help@seomoz.org. The Q&A is for general SEO questions, not for reporting bugs.

Your McDonald's analogy is horrible with no realistic comparison here. SEOmoz offers dozens of tools, blog, Q&A and more. You are mentioning a single bug which, while annoying, does not prevent you from compiling accurate data which is very informative and actionable. The tools are under constant development WHICH IS A GOOD THING! Trying to offer the latest and greatest has risks, and bugs are one of them.

Majestic SEO offers some nice tools. The overall feedback I have heard regarding comparisons between the two tools specific to backlinks is "OSE is better hands down". Opinions vary, and you are welcome to go try competing tools if you have the belief they are better or would otherwise solve your problems.

[jbloggs]

Tried option 1 holding breath

[jbloggs]

"That is always your right but many SEOs feel OSE is an invaluable tool which they cannot work without."

Yeah I am hearing this , but I cannot wok with the data being given , example it seems like Ups.com has linked every site in the world.

last week it was ssa.gov

[jbloggs]

OK I just ran a check on site and the same crap I reported over 2 months ago i coming up

欢迎光临UPS     www.ups.com/asia/cn/chsindex.html/route/board.php?bo_table=pds..

From the linking root domains page I get all these false results

| *.swsoft.com/ | 90 | 18,408 |
| *.ups.com/ | 90 | 39,423 |
| *.fcc.gov/ | 86 | 24,978 |
| *.spaceweather.com/

| | |
| | |

| 80 | 8,182 |
| *.hostmonster.com/ | 75 | 44,325 |
| *.ndrc.gov.cn/ | 73 | 5,173 |
| *.bsplayer.org/ | 71 | 1,535 |
| *.rosettastone.com/ | 71 | 2,240 |
| *.iiasa.ac.at/ | 63 | 1,711 |
| *.echo-online.de/ | 61 | 3,020 |
| *.interwoven.com/ | 60 | 994 |
| *.hostingzoom.com/ | 47 | 398 |
| *.policyinnovations.org/ | 47 | 683 |
| *.gamania.co.jp/ | 46 | 771 |
| *.meijo-u.ac.jp/ | 45 | 733 |
| *.eon-mitte.com/ | 43 | 207 |
| *.circlecube.com/ | 42 | 175 |

Add to this that the keyword research tool now gives no indication as to the search volume , google search data removed and this is now less of a service than was originally signed up for.

I wasnt aware that the service cost has gone down. If I go into a Mcdonalds and ask / pay for Big Mac and fries, I want big mac and fries not some crap lame excuse that the fry maker is down so I just get a big mac. I think sucking up and oh well blah blah blah blah excuses dont help myself or you anyone else.  A definite fix date would be nice. If / when tools go down on our site we do NOT CHARGE CLIENTS for that month. I know of 2 other Moz users who have cancelled and gone to Majestic , I am wanting to stay with Moz but when I cannot trust the results I am seeing what choice do I have ?

PS It is a buyers RIGHT to be pissed off when said function /services dont work as promised, so please no more BULLSHIT arse licking replies.

[RyanKent]

In my experience you have two options:

1. Share specific examples of the issues you are facing by e-mailing help@seomoz.org. If you do such the issues will be resolved in 1-2 crawl cycles, depending on where the current crawl is at when the issue is reported.

2. Do nothing which means you are relying on others to submit an example of an issue and hoping the fix for their issue resolves yours. Option 1 is highly recommended.

At this point you can correct me and add option 3 which is to use another tool. That is always your right but many SEOs feel OSE is an invaluable tool which they cannot work without.

[jbloggs]

Hmm I having to contain myself here

[KeriMorgret]

Hi Ryan,

Thanks for jumping in here with a quick and helpful response.

We do expect to see an improvement (though not a complete solution) with the release of this month's index. We use our own tools, so we encounter these problems as well, and understand your frustration. We are working as fast as we can to get this issue resolved, and do thank you for your patience.

[RyanKent]

The OSE results are based upon the Linkscape crawl of the web. They are updated about once a month.

The last update was Sept 13th. The next update is Oct 18th. The update schedule can be seen here: http://apiwiki.seomoz.org/w/page/25141119/Linkscape%20Schedule

We all want the tool to work better. The tool worked great for a long time, but it only captures a limited portion of the internet. Requests were made to adjust the crawl to go deeper. When the changes were made, the issues you refer to appeared. The problem is when the issue was discovered, the next crawl was already in progress.

The bottom line is with a 4-5 week period between updates, it will take a lot longer to resolve any issues then any of us will be happy with. We all hate this problem but even with it, OSE is still an outstanding tool.