Google/Yahoo update speed

[hasen]

I'm just wondering at what rate Google and Yahoo etc update your backlinks. Say if I add a link to my site today, how long before the search engines realise that and my postition in the SERPs, number of backlinks etc all adjust accordingly?

[sonicdark]

I haven't seen my backlinks updated in Google since March

[mightyb]

Google updates your number of backlinks every blue moon just like visual PR. It does not mean that Google does not know about your backlinks though. Also you wont see all the backlinks. Only those that Google decides are worth showing. Here is a tool worth checking out http://www.google.com/webmasters/ (Check your backlinks, a bit more advanced than the backlinks you see in SERPs).

Yahoo for example is much quicker. I would expect to see a new link from a busy site within a week.

When it comes to SERPs its up to the SE to decide when they want to move you up. This is quite unpredictable. You could be jumping all over the place the day you are indexed or you could be waiting for years.

By the way... It all depends on the sites that link to you. How often they are spidered etc

[trichnosis]

yahoo updates the page rank with a better speed than the google. google updates the backlinks before the page rank update

[adarshry]

Yahoo updates are quickly reflected on the SERPs, but Google takes a while.

[jtpratt]

my Yahoo links are updated pretty quickly too, but I can remember once when my google backlinks didn't change (in SERP's) for over a year, but I know that they did behind the scenes, and my pagerank changed as well.....still no change to my backlink listings.

[Germ]

Google: 2-8 weeks to affect rankings, ~3 months to show up in BL(if the link is powerful enough)
Yahoo: 1-2 weeks to affect and show up.
This is all IMHO and greatly depends on the power of the link.
More power - less time.

[hasen]

Really? It can be as long as 8 weeks. If I alter the content on my site then Google will update within a day or so and I'll move up or down the SERPs accordingly. But with links you think its much longer for Google to register the changes?

Thanks for your replies everyone.

[mightyb]

Really? It can be as long as 8 weeks. If I alter the content on my site then Google will update within a day or so and I'll move up or down the SERPs accordingly. But with links you think its much longer for Google to register the changes?

Thanks for your replies everyone.

Iv seen people go for half a year. It just takes time and patience.

[vrintern]

thanks for all the great tips guys

[Germ]

Really? It can be as long as 8 weeks. If I alter the content on my site then Google will update within a day or so and I'll move up or down the SERPs accordingly. But with links you think its much longer for Google to register the changes?

Thanks for your replies everyone.

Exactly. Onpage changes seem to take effect much quicker than when it comes to external factors. Moreover Google doesn't like paid links so to discourage quick buyers it counts links(adds a value/power) some time after it finds it.

[empireweb]

lots of good info, I had that same question