In recent columns, I’ve cautioned readers that tricking or attempting to game the search engines is a very risky proposition with only short term results. A few weeks ago, we encountered an auto dealership who didn’t understand why their universal search results were, to say the least, anemic. It only took a few minutes to determine that the issue with the URL was that the major search engines did not recognize the dealership in their respective indices. While the story, in this particular case, had a somewhat happy ending, others are not so fortunate. The incident prompted me to conduct a bit of research to determine what can happen when websites become delisted by search engines.
Most of what can be found is on message boards and forums. That is not surprising, given that the search engines are very secretive in their methods and do not feel an obligation to educate the world in proper search engine behavior. They don’t even inform a URL that they are being removed from their index. Usually, websites who have found themselves delisted did just that—they found themselves delisted. They wondered why traffic was off, or why their website wasn’t coming up in search engine results and deduced that something was amiss. There were no warnings, no emails, and no phone calls. It just happened. There are programs that can determine how many pages are being indexed by the major search engines. If the results of the scan determine that zero pages are in the search index, it is never a good thing. No. It is, in fact, a very bad thing.
My advice for people who find themselves in such a predicament is to be prepared for a long and arduous process. There is a reason that being delisted on search engines is affectionately referred to as being in Google hell. As I reviewed the different posts from the various delistees, I could not help but pity them. Their pleas to the search engines were pretty much being ignored; some had no idea why they had become delisted. I even found sample letters of apology one could send to the search engines, begging and pleading for a second chance with a confession of misdeed and a vow to never sin again. Being in Google hell is an apt description. It is the roach motel of the web world. It’s easy to get in, but you’ll have a devil of a time getting out. One colleague said that, in his experience, the only way out Google hell is to get a new URL.
I could opine on possible ways to get out of Google hell, but I’d much rather give examples of how sites get into Google hell, and in so doing, help sites avoid calamity. I do not know of a definitive list of all the reasons a site can get delisted-nor is there likely to be one, since the search engines are constantly trying to be one step ahead of the next new tactic; but suffice it to say, not playing by the rules is the over-arching theme. By understanding some of the offending acts of others, perhaps it will save someone the extreme frustration that comes with being delisted.
Are your keywords on the “up and up?” A separate dealership I encountered not long ago determined that a good way to grow traffic is to put the names of competing dealerships and models of competing auto lines in their keyword string. I quickly advised that they were playing a dangerous game. It isn’t as though someone can’t see the code for the keywords of the site. After all, I could view them without any tools other than a web browser. I don’t think the dealership was aware just how obvious their actions were. One complaint to Google and Yahoo! from one of the competing dealerships who were in the dealer’s keyword list and that dealership would have their torch extinguished and be kicked off the island. The search engines want to provide searchers with valid search results. Any site should want the same thing.
In another recent incident, I found a dealership had multiple sites with the exact same content. This is different than a redirect where multiple URLs are redirected to a central site. These were distinct sites with replication—clones. The message boards are full of people who were not aware that having duplicate sites is a major no-no. The search engines look upon that as an attempt to have search results that are returned be for many sites that are actually the same site. Sites that have had that keen notion might want to be prepared for a really rude awakening. In Google hell.
A particularly unfair, in my opinion, way that a site can find themselves in Google hell is by linking to other sites that are delisted. I guess the moral is to choose your partners very carefully. Remember, when you link with a site, you’re linking with everyone that site has linked with. Before accepting or exchanging a link with another site, find out how their pages rank. If you don’t know how, find someone who knows how. It may save you a lot of pain in the long run. Besides, it really doesn’t help your search engine ranking much to accept back links from sites that have a lower page rank than you.
One other big, obvious offense is to provide black text on a black background, or white text on a white background. While the search engines will see the text, they will recognize it for what it is: an attempt to gain search traffic undeservedly. Try that one and you’re pretty likely to burn—in Google hell.
What might seem like a clever idea may actually result in a site’s undoing. Be careful and do not ever believe that the search engines will not have a way of sorting and ferreting out those who want to raise their search rankings using less than acceptable methods. If it seems clever or innovative on the surface, it’s probably wrong. You may get your just reward. Play by the rules and when in question, ask someone who knows.
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