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http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/bigdaddy-on-the-move/

Matt is saying this isn't really an update but a datacenter change .. whatever that means.

Unfortunatelly, it seems my site is still sandboxed with no link:backs on Google so I don't notice much of a difference.

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Short summary and context: BigDaddy (often written “Bigdaddy”) was a multi-month Google infrastructure rollout that began in late 2005 and wrapped up in early 2006. It rebuilt parts of the crawl/index pipeline and changed how Google picks canonical URLs and treats redirects; the visible effect was more “under‑the‑hood” than a single ranking algorithm tweak. (mattcutts.com)

What people saw in the wild: many sites reported fluctuating site: counts, pages moving into the supplemental index (the so‑called “supplemental hell”), and different results at different data centers while the switchover completed. Google acknowledged those symptoms and made threshold changes that helped sites recover as BigDaddy finished rolling out. (mattcutts.com)

Practical checklist (quick, repeatable things to do now):

  • Pick one canonical form (www or non‑www) and enforce it with 301 redirects.
  • Replace long‑term 302s with 301s where appropriate.
  • Normalize internal links and URL parameters; avoid duplicate URL forms.
  • Submit an XML sitemap and monitor crawl/index status in Search Console (use logs to confirm Googlebot activity).
  • If you see copied/spammy pages or index oddities, use Google’s spam report / “Dissatisfied?” feedback as Matt Cutts recommended (include concrete examples).

These steps follow the canonicalization guidance Google published during the BigDaddy era and are the fastest way to remove canonical/redirect problems from the equation while you wait for index stability. (mattcutts.com)

Notes tied to this thread: — your “sandboxed/no linkbacks” symptom fits the BigDaddy-era index volatility; try the checklist and give the system a couple of crawl cycles. — the moderation point about avoiding site‑specific troubleshooting is sound; use Search Console and the official report forms rather than posting URLs publicly. — PageRank/toolbar refreshes are on a separate, infrequent cadence (toolbar PR exports happen only every few months) so don’t assume a PR ping is the same thing as an infrastructural rollout. (mattcutts.com)

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Member Avatar for Dani

Please, no site specific talk of any kind permitted here, even if it's not your site :) Thanks!

Whatever it is ... really is helping my site though. :)

Member Avatar for Scribbller

There is a PR update expected at the end of this month though.

Member Avatar for Dani

Is there? Blech. I hope I don't go back down to a PR6. I'm enjoying my 7 status!

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