Google indexed pages Vs. Google API index

[AfterHim.com]

Why is there such a vast difference? Can someone explain the differences to me please?

I have 2000 pages in the api, but around 20,000 using the site: command.

Thanks,

Brandon

[chachi]

There is a thread about this in here somewhere from last year. I don't think anyone knows why for sure, but it seems that using the site: operator outside of the API shows you some kind of estimate of the number of pages in a site. If you were to try and make it to the last pages (20,000 in your case), you would most likely come up way short. I suspect you would not make it much past 2,000 pages. G will also not show "Supplemental Results" in the API pages returned using the site: operator.

[AfterHim.com]

Interesting...

So would changing some footer text every few days make google think that the pages are changing...

For example,

Day 1 google views 1000 pages with the footer text "Example site"

Day 2 google views 3000 different pages with the footer text "site about automobiles"

Day 3 google views 2000 different pages with the footer text "information about sports"

Since you have been changing the footer text every day, google has essentially seen 6000 pages that are normally very similar, but are now different every day.

Would that help get more pages indexed?

[chachi]

heh. Well, getting more pages on your site has nothing to do with the API or the site: operator. There are two things you can do to help improve the number of pages that Google indexes in my experience. One, get quality, related links pointing to your website. Two, work on the link structure of your site. Seems like the most effective designs are "top down." Where there are not too many links on each page and the top pages (index page, etc) link to the main sections of the site and then they link to more detailed pages or other sections from there. There was a great web page on this that I think Danny Sullivan had something to do with. I will have to try and find that.

[crew]

One, get quality, related links pointing to your website.

I'll second this. Getting good, high PR links pulled my pages out of the supplemental index. I think there's alot of confusion because google uses the words 'too similar to the pages already shown', when what they really mean is 'your site isn't important enough to show that many unique pages'.

[AfterHim.com]

Yes, I realize these things..pr...links, etc

My site have over 30,000 pages, but google has record of about half of them.

My site is a PR5 and has been around for about 18 months.

Come on, isn't there an easy fix?