Comments on: Twelve Step Plan That Should Help You Get a Reconsideration (or Out of the Sandbox) From Google https://www.sempdx.org/blog/google/twelve-step-plan-that-should-help-you-get-a-reconsideration-or-out-of-the-sandbox-from-google/ Wed, 11 May 2011 20:35:16 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 By: Ken Whiteman https://www.sempdx.org/blog/google/twelve-step-plan-that-should-help-you-get-a-reconsideration-or-out-of-the-sandbox-from-google/#comment-2598 Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:15:38 +0000 http://sempdx-v2.local/?p=389#comment-2598 I’m the client that Lisa refers to in the article. I’m happy to say that it appears that Google has finished their reconsideration process. See https://www.hitchsource.com. WE’RE BACK!!!!

Aside from the 12 steps that Lisa mentioned above, I can tell you with confidence that without #9 (seek advice from a professional) this would not have happened. Lisa (Media Forte Marketing), Rand Fishkin (SEOMOZ), and the rest of the SEOPDX board have been simply amazing! They are the most selfless, professional, and creative people I’ve worked with in a long time. They have a strong, clear vision of what SEO should be and are working hard to turn it into reality. If they’re successful and Google takes note, we’ll all be better off because of it.

What did I learn out of the process? Before you go with pure do-it-yourself SEO, do yourself a favor and consult with someone like Lisa first! Even if you want to save some money, having an SEO put together a detailed strategy for you is money well spent. It is far cheaper than hiring them to clean up your mess… And finally, “learn from your mistakes”… I guarantee that this won’t happen to us again.

Thanks again to all the people who helped out with this.

]]> By: Doug Heil https://www.sempdx.org/blog/google/twelve-step-plan-that-should-help-you-get-a-reconsideration-or-out-of-the-sandbox-from-google/#comment-2597 Sun, 27 Jul 2008 21:36:45 +0000 http://sempdx-v2.local/?p=389#comment-2597 Hi Lisa; Some good advice in there. Just a few problems as I see them. In #2 you say to go to the conferences, etc. Why? Don’t they teach blackhat at those? Yep. I don’t believe a site owner who doesn’t really know about SEO should be attending those at all. It’s the same type stuff the client listened to in the first place.

#10 Get advice from leaders? How does an owner know who the leaders are and what makes these leaders anyway? I’ve read lots of bad advice from leaders out there, or who some might call them that. My suggestion would be to listen to MANY different opinions and then research what they hear. The very best advice are from the people in the industry you rarely hear about. They don’t need to attend conferences and they don’t need to boast about themselves either, to please other industry people. In fact; the very best ones are not liked by the people who you think are leaders.

My two cents. 🙂

]]> By: Save the Date Magnets https://www.sempdx.org/blog/google/twelve-step-plan-that-should-help-you-get-a-reconsideration-or-out-of-the-sandbox-from-google/#comment-2595 Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:15:12 +0000 http://sempdx-v2.local/?p=389#comment-2595 Thanks Scott. You made my weekend. I could not find myself at all for the last 2 weeks and my Google webmaster panel said I was #247… so my ranking must have literally changed over night!

I guess this blog is my new lucky charm. Thanks again for checking. I appreciate it!

]]> By: Scott Hendison https://www.sempdx.org/blog/google/twelve-step-plan-that-should-help-you-get-a-reconsideration-or-out-of-the-sandbox-from-google/#comment-2594 Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:08:46 +0000 http://sempdx-v2.local/?p=389#comment-2594 If you’ve got nothing to confess, then I’d definitely recommend not putting in a request, since it will only bring unwanted attention to your site.

Besides, I don’t think you have a problem… I just did a search, and found you at #10, while not signed in to personal search – See?

Thisshows you pretty solidly entrenched for that phrase on page one at all the data centers

]]> By: Save the Date Magnets https://www.sempdx.org/blog/google/twelve-step-plan-that-should-help-you-get-a-reconsideration-or-out-of-the-sandbox-from-google/#comment-2593 Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:40:35 +0000 http://sempdx-v2.local/?p=389#comment-2593 Thanks Scott.

I wish I knew. I have never paid for a link to my site. I have definitely “exchanged” links but I really try to avoid sites that have nothing to do with weddings (which is our business).

I guess I will put in a reconsideration request but I really don’t know what guilty thing I have done to be penalized so much.

If you see anything, please let me know. My other site, ranks #2 on google for the phrase, “save the date cards” which is wonderful!

]]> By: Scott Hendison https://www.sempdx.org/blog/google/twelve-step-plan-that-should-help-you-get-a-reconsideration-or-out-of-the-sandbox-from-google/#comment-2592 Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:30:23 +0000 http://sempdx-v2.local/?p=389#comment-2592 @Save The Date – If I had to guess, it sounds like you may have purchased site-wide text links in the past with that phrase as the anchor text?

Considering you have an exact match domain name and rank so poorly for the phrase, it does sound like you’ve been slapped down, and they’re trying to prove a point to you.

I’ve seen penalties levied like this for the exact phrase purchased, but leaving ranking alone for other phrases.

If you have something to confess, (and it’s been fixed), then yes, I’d come clean through Google’s proper channels, and explain why and where you bought the links, and promise never to do it again. That might get you right back to ranking for that phrase, assuming you really are clean now.

]]> By: Save the Date Magnets https://www.sempdx.org/blog/google/twelve-step-plan-that-should-help-you-get-a-reconsideration-or-out-of-the-sandbox-from-google/#comment-2588 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:19:23 +0000 http://sempdx-v2.local/?p=389#comment-2588 Nice topic Lisa! Very informative.. but I have a question…

Is it possible to be penalized for the word “the”? My site ranks # 1 on google for “save a date magnets” AND “save this date magnets” but it ranks #247 for “save THE date magnets” which are the keywords I want. I certainly don’t expect to be #1… but #247????

Should I put in a reconsideration request?

Any ideas?

]]> By: Colleen https://www.sempdx.org/blog/google/twelve-step-plan-that-should-help-you-get-a-reconsideration-or-out-of-the-sandbox-from-google/#comment-2583 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:10:43 +0000 http://sempdx-v2.local/?p=389#comment-2583 I just checked the Webmaster Tools account today for my client with the 6 page website and the site is now indexed! That was super fast! I just started working on this two weeks ago.

The steps I took include removing the duplicate content, adding an XML sitemap and getting the xml sitemap set up in the webmaster tools for the account, placing links at the bottom of every page to all six pages of the site (he has javascript navigation) and asking for reinclusion.

I don’t know for sure if he was actually in the sandbox, but I do know he had absolutely no pages indexed in Google, but was indexed in the other search engines.

We also just started a PPC campaign in Google…hmmm…do you think that helped?

I’m not sure…

]]> By: Colleen https://www.sempdx.org/blog/google/twelve-step-plan-that-should-help-you-get-a-reconsideration-or-out-of-the-sandbox-from-google/#comment-2582 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:33:49 +0000 http://sempdx-v2.local/?p=389#comment-2582 This article could not have come at a better time! I have a new client whose six page website is not indexed anywhere in Google but is listed in the other search engines.

I followed the Google Guidelines and the only thing I could see wrong is that it had one duplicate page. I’ve removed the offending page and asked Google for the site to be reconsidered…but who knows?

Thank you for sharing this info Lisa! I sent a link to this article to my client so he could understand the difficulty of the situation as well!

Colleen Wright
Search Engine Academy of Oregon
https://www.sea-oregon.com

]]> By: added value hosting https://www.sempdx.org/blog/google/twelve-step-plan-that-should-help-you-get-a-reconsideration-or-out-of-the-sandbox-from-google/#comment-2579 Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:50:33 +0000 http://sempdx-v2.local/?p=389#comment-2579 To what extent could this be used to harm a competitor then? I note that Google say that inbound links cant hurt you only that they dont pass any link juice etc.

I’m wondering if there is some truth to the google bowling scenario?

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