Google's Caffeine Makes Search Results Fresher

Google has begun system-wide use of Caffeine, its new web indexing system. Google’s Carrie Grimes said that the new system updates continuously, indexing hundreds of thousands of web pages each second using a parallel-processing technique. If this were a pile of paper it would grow three miles taller every second, she said.

The system has been trial-marketed since August of 2009. With the previous system, pages were sorted and re-indexed completely about every two weeks, updating a layer at a time due to the tedious nature of the process. Google says Caffeine will produce 50% fresher searches as a result of its increased processing power, 'fresher' meaning more recent and more relevant.

With almost all of our computing needs now accessed on the web, from social media to newsfeeds and real-time video, search engine masters have been challenged to improve the practicality and timeliness of search results. Today’s more complex websites have also posed a challenge for the indexers.

Those using the web to market their products or services should be able to target their audiences more effectively through Google than before, and customers may find just what they were looking for when they see your ad, promotion, blog, etc. Other search engine professionals are updating their own indexing systems as well.