[Web4lib] Huge increase of Google database

[Isidro F. Aguillo]

Google no longer provides in its homepage hints about the size of its 
database. I read that even when they publish a figure over 8 billion the 
number of webpages covered exceeded the 11 billion mark. In the last 
months they appear to have changed their databases (something called Big 
Daddy??) and now the results are significantly higher than before. I 
noticed an increase of both "dead links" as well of "invisible web" 
(records from databases) results.

 From previous estimates, the global size of the Web was around 20-24 
billion webpages, but after making some experiments, our best estimate 
for the current size of Google web database alone is close to 40 
billion. Even considering "invisible" records I am wondering if Google 
is really covering more than half or two thirds of the Web.

I would like to know about recent comments about the coverage ratio of 
Google and other search engines and also any references to geographical 
or language biases in the coverage of the engines.

Thanks in advance,

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Isidro F. Aguillo
isidro at cindoc.csic.es
Ph:(+34) 91-5635482 ext. 313

InternetLab. CINDOC-CSIC
Joaquin Costa, 22
28002 Madrid. SPAIN

http://www.webometrics.info
http://www.cindoc.csic.es/cybermetrics
http://internetlab.cindoc.csic.es
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