Dubious links, Google Penguin filters over-optimization

While the subject is making the SEO blogosphere talk, my friend and partner Jean Boucher sends me the link to a discussion on Hight rankings whose subject is the concern caused by an alert sent by Google… This is actually the consequence of the Penguin update.

This highly personal message is posted directly via the webmaster tool account of the sites concerned, it says in essence:

It seems that a number of manipulated or unnatural links are pointing to your site with the intention of manipulating its page rank. These links may be the result of purchases, strategies, agreements or practices that are in violation of the recommendations provided by Google. »

We recommend that you make the appropriate changes and then resubmit your site to Google for re-evaluation*.

Gulps!

An impact felt on the positioning of the targeted sites

Several forum participants reacted, recounting the reception of the message and the perceived consequences on their positioning and PR.

It is difficult, even for the people affected, to pinpoint exactly the category of inappropriate links identified. Too early to say in any case, but it seems of course that major abuses are punished. This is the filter for the fight against denial by the fight against over-optimization

• Mass of links from the same site
• Exchange of links in footer, or side bar
• Cross-links from hugeEU blog networks
• Link farm links

Several workers who received the message reported their case and the immediate consequences felt

• Abrupt retreat of their position (minus 5 to 7 pages)
• Pure and simple disappearance of the SERPs
• Fall of the PR

Identify the links involved

Of course, the people affected are of two kinds

Those who knowingly participated in these more or less black hat practices:

• Purchase of links (the super-plans 1000 links for $20, 15 PR5 links for $300… etc)
• Use of automated link building tools
• Use of false identity generators, creation of profiles,
• To the spam referer
• Blog spam

and others

I’m not here to promote them, and my culture in this area is limited

And those whose SEO “experts” have done it for them

… And this is where it gets bad, because if the former will know how to get out of it, the cheated customer will be unable to identify the extent of the quagmire in which he is stuffed.

Because if it only takes one click to launch a spamboots, the time it will take to clean up the mess is likely to be daunting, to the point of considering a transfer of the site to a new domain name and a fresh start from scratch. By playing with fire, we end up burning ourselves.

What about cleaning?

As Jill, an administrator of the site, aptly says, “Who are you going to ask to clean? Are you going to trust the guy who did this to you for this job? … You’d better sue him in court/justice! »

I’m not going to play here by rewriting the whole discussion, read it in its original version, it’s worth an article in its own right.
I just wanted to remind my client friends of the merits of proper referencing and point out to them that about forty links on well-worked text anchors do not risk any sanction and ensure a sustainability that Google will not question.

The rules don’t change, they’re known… It is the means of detection that are improving.

Have you hired a black hat provider?

Do you consult your webmaster tool ?

Are you in Europe?…

And if you started cleaning before the filter was applied in your home, at least you have the chance to be warned.

The comments for this article are following, they are welcome and wide open to human connections !

Here is the original text received by the sites concerned.

“Dear site owner or webmaster of http://www.yoursite.com/, We’ve detected that some of your site’s pages may be using techniques that are outside Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.

Specifically, look for possibly artificial or unnatural links pointing to your site that could be intended to manipulate PageRank. Examples of unnatural linking could include buying links to pass PageRank or participating in link schemes.

We encourage you to make changes to your site so that it meets our quality guidelines. Once you’ve made these changes, please submit your site for reconsideration in Google’s search results.

If you find unnatural links to your site that you are unable to control or remove, please provide the details in your reconsideration request.

If you have any questions about how to resolve this issue, please see our Webmaster Help Forum for support.

Sincerely,

 

Read also about Backlinking

• The easy ones
• Publications on “press release and promo site”
• publication of article after penguin 1,
• The link profile
• All articles about backlinking.

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