Coming to terms with the Google Penalty
When is a site likely to face a Google penalty?
The search engine as we know has been programmed to deliver honest, relevant content, so they are always alert about attempts to scam the system. The search spiders or robots keep a check on fraud by screening the real links, content and structure of each site to evaluate ranking hierarchy. However there are many black-hat techniques that can trick the spiders to consider a site as relevant. Sadly, an honest attempt to push rank may result in a site incurring a Google penalty. Whatever be the reason, the effect of a Google penalty can be destructive and you cannot expect an instant recovery either. However be on the safe side by cleaning your site of unethical SEO strategies, and build a genuine structure to fulfill search engine goals. Then get back there and regain your ranks.
How exactly do you incur a Google Penalty?
The following are certain guidelines from Google:
- Using hidden links or hidden text.
- By using sneaky redirects or cloaking.
- Sending automated queries to Google.
- Loading pages with irrelevant words.
- Creating domains, sub-domains or multiple pages, with a high concentration of duplicate content.
- While using “doorway" pages or other "cookie cutter" approaches such as affiliate programs with little or no original content.
- Buying and inter-linking too many domains, listing your keywords repeatedly, linking to a bad neighborhood, accidentally exposing parts of your site that should not be live, etc.
Can over optimization of your site lead to a Google Penalty?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization in itself is an ethical practice that should make use of natural processes to gain site rank and site visibility. But some SEO professionals practitioners use black-hat techniques that may look beneficial immediately but will incur the Google wrath in the form of penalties, in the long term. Making multiple lists of keyword sets, links, or creating content with outrageous keyword densities are some signs of over optimization.
Google's use of automated spiders have not yet evolved to the point where they can identify forms of spam like cloaking, redirects, and misapplied CSS. But taking these kinds of risk is not part of genuine SEO. You are safe only as long Google’s technology does not catch up, when it does- A Google penalty lays in store for you.
How to recognize when your site has been penalized?
Many people think that loosing your page rank suddenly means you have incurred a Google penalty. The ranking of your keywords depend on many factors like competition for the same set of keyword, Quantity of content available for the keyword set, and backlinks for your site. As we have seen recently the search engine algorithms for ranking, keep changing frequently and affects your site accordingly. So don't panic too soon about a Google penalty when your ranks are spiraling downwards.
- You can check whether your site is in Google's index by searching for the url ("yoursite.com"). If there is no information returned, the url is not indexed. You can also see all pages that have been indexed by searching for "site: yoursite.com" If you were ranking before, but show nothing for this search, you have a Google penalty.
- If you have many pages on your site, but you only see the homepage in the SERP’s – you may have incurred a Google penalty.
- It is also possible for Google to impose a manual suppression of your site that is impossible to detect, a kind of lower level Google penalty. The tipoff to the suppression is that all the other search engines show high positions for the same keywords, and the company's trade name is not found in the first page, but on page 4.
What can a webmaster do once the penalty has been imposed?
- The very first thing is for you to quickly identify the reasons for incurring the Google penalty.
- On the other hand if you realize your mistakes, start your rectification process immediately.
- Don’t contact Google immediately upon discovery of a Google penalty. You need to be sure that that the Google penalty is not re-imposed because of a slip on your part. A Google Penalty will require your focused time and energy before it finally leaves you. Be proactive in your approach to remove unethical practices and approach Google only when you are sure of a clean and ethical website in your hands. Then inform Google about your compliance with the guidelines.
- When you are ready visit: http://www.google.com/support/bin/request.py (Update 9 Nov 2007. This section is now handled from the Webmaster Tools area. You have to sign up for an account and then get your site verified to be able to use the tool. If you want to contest an innocent site wrongly penalized, you can try the contact form at the old link, but there is no real forum for reporting victimization.)
- You need to have patience to unwind from the Google Hell trap. You may well require more than one attempt to get lift the penalty and get things straight.
How to get out of Google Hell?
Spiraling page rank can have a devastating effect on the website owner and his site. Therefore we must not forget that to stay positioned on Google we need to follow rules, we can’t question their stance, coz in the virtual world they are powerful and provide unmatched service for our benefit. However many sites have been illegally hurt by Google penalties and have tried to take legal recourse, but we should better stick to the old adage; Prevention is better than Cure”