Hi all... I have a question regarding huge positional swings in Google organic search results. Last week, I was overjoyed to see that my website, www.worldofwebkinz.net, was listed on the first page of several search terms related to the Webkinz niche. However, after yesterday's crawl, the site plummeted to almost invisible levels...
For example, up until yesterday, the site was on page 1, position 4 for the keyword "webkinz news" while today, the site is no where to be found (stopped looking at page 20).
I've check webmaster tools for a message saying if the site was penalized, but no messages were sent. I don't necessarily see why it would be penalized as the whole front end and the majority of my traffic goes to the blog style front page which is updated several times a week with very relevant content...
Any suggestions / explanations would be appreciated?
A meta description would help your visibility, but I'm wondering if you are being penalised for the "sponsored links" text above your AdSense. Google is very clear that nothing should be done to draw attention to AdSense, so even if that isn't what causing the current problem, I would remove it.
> Hi all... > I have a question regarding huge positional swings in Google organic > search results. Last week, I was overjoyed to see that my website,www.worldofwebkinz.net, was listed on the first page of several search > terms related to the Webkinz niche. However, after yesterday's crawl, > the site plummeted to almost invisible levels...
> For example, up until yesterday, the site was on page 1, position 4 > for the keyword "webkinz news" while today, the site is no where to be > found (stopped looking at page 20).
> I've check webmaster tools for a message saying if the site was > penalized, but no messages were sent. I don't necessarily see why it > would be penalized as the whole front end and the majority of my > traffic goes to the blog style front page which is updated several > times a week with very relevant content...
> Any suggestions / explanations would be appreciated?
You have invisible text on your page. Google does not it when you show something that only the search engines can see and the searcher can not. Use this site to determine your hidden text.
> Hi all... > I have a question regarding huge positional swings in Google organic > search results. Last week, I was overjoyed to see that my website,www.worldofwebkinz.net, was listed on the first page of several search > terms related to the Webkinz niche. However, after yesterday's crawl, > the site plummeted to almost invisible levels...
> For example, up until yesterday, the site was on page 1, position 4 > for the keyword "webkinz news" while today, the site is no where to be > found (stopped looking at page 20).
> I've check webmaster tools for a message saying if the site was > penalized, but no messages were sent. I don't necessarily see why it > would be penalized as the whole front end and the majority of my > traffic goes to the blog style front page which is updated several > times a week with very relevant content...
> Any suggestions / explanations would be appreciated?
That's easy enough to change and I'll get right on that -- but, just playing devil's advocate, why would they penalize me now as this description has been on the page since day one? It's funny, because yesterday I got the most traffic the site has ever seen (261 visits, 490 pageviews -- 207 from organic google searches) and now the site is essentially banished from visibility... talk about ups and downs...
> A meta description would help your visibility, but I'm wondering if > you are being penalised for the "sponsored links" text above your > AdSense. Google is very clear that nothing should be done to draw > attention to AdSense, so even if that isn't what causing the current > problem, I would remove it.
> On Aug 24, 7:22 pm, richjg wrote:
> > Hi all... > > I have a question regarding huge positional swings in Google organic > > search results. Last week, I was overjoyed to see that my website,www.worldofwebkinz.net, was listed on the first page of several search > > terms related to the Webkinz niche. However, after yesterday's crawl, > > the site plummeted to almost invisible levels...
> > For example, up until yesterday, the site was on page 1, position 4 > > for the keyword "webkinz news" while today, the site is no where to be > > found (stopped looking at page 20).
> > I've check webmaster tools for a message saying if the site was > > penalized, but no messages were sent. I don't necessarily see why it > > would be penalized as the whole front end and the majority of my > > traffic goes to the blog style front page which is updated several > > times a week with very relevant content...
> > Any suggestions / explanations would be appreciated?
The CSS was built by wordpress (and nothing I have is invisible, at least nothing that I have done) --- that would penalize most WP blogs no? I'll go through and change it though as this could be something. Thanks for the input. Also, is this drop temporary as I have not received any word from google about penalties -- do they even contact you with issues like this? I couldn't find a way to contact them --- seems big brother-ish to me...
> You have invisible text on your page. Google does not it when you > show something that only the search engines can see and the searcher > can not. Use this site to determine your hidden text.
> > Hi all... > > I have a question regarding huge positional swings in Google organic > > search results. Last week, I was overjoyed to see that my website,www.worldofwebkinz.net, was listed on the first page of several search > > terms related to the Webkinz niche. However, after yesterday's crawl, > > the site plummeted to almost invisible levels...
> > For example, up until yesterday, the site was on page 1, position 4 > > for the keyword "webkinz news" while today, the site is no where to be > > found (stopped looking at page 20).
> > I've check webmaster tools for a message saying if the site was > > penalized, but no messages were sent. I don't necessarily see why it > > would be penalized as the whole front end and the majority of my > > traffic goes to the blog style front page which is updated several > > times a week with very relevant content...
> > Any suggestions / explanations would be appreciated?
I don't have any explanations, but if what you are doing is contrary to AdSense guidelines it makes sense to fix it. Perhaps one of your competitors reported it or Google just did a manual check?
> That's easy enough to change and I'll get right on that -- but, just > playing devil's advocate, why would they penalize me now as this > description has been on the page since day one? It's funny, because > yesterday I got the most traffic the site has ever seen (261 visits, > 490 pageviews -- 207 from organic google searches) and now the site is > essentially banished from visibility... talk about ups and downs...
> On Aug 24, 2:31 pm, beckysharpe wrote:
> > A meta description would help your visibility, but I'm wondering if > > you are being penalised for the "sponsored links" text above your > > AdSense. Google is very clear that nothing should be done to draw > > attention to AdSense, so even if that isn't what causing the current > > problem, I would remove it.
> > On Aug 24, 7:22 pm, richjg wrote:
> > > Hi all... > > > I have a question regarding huge positional swings in Google organic > > > search results. Last week, I was overjoyed to see that my website,www.worldofwebkinz.net, was listed on the first page of several search > > > terms related to the Webkinz niche. However, after yesterday's crawl, > > > the site plummeted to almost invisible levels...
> > > For example, up until yesterday, the site was on page 1, position 4 > > > for the keyword "webkinz news" while today, the site is no where to be > > > found (stopped looking at page 20).
> > > I've check webmaster tools for a message saying if the site was > > > penalized, but no messages were sent. I don't necessarily see why it > > > would be penalized as the whole front end and the majority of my > > > traffic goes to the blog style front page which is updated several > > > times a week with very relevant content...
> > > Any suggestions / explanations would be appreciated?
> I don't have any explanations, but if what you are doing is contrary > to AdSense guidelines it makes sense to fix it. Perhaps one of your > competitors reported it or Google just did a manual check?
> On Aug 24, 7:36 pm, richjg wrote:
> > That's easy enough to change and I'll get right on that -- but, just > > playing devil's advocate, why would they penalize me now as this > > description has been on the page since day one? It's funny, because > > yesterday I got the most traffic the site has ever seen (261 visits, > > 490 pageviews -- 207 from organic google searches) and now the site is > > essentially banished from visibility... talk about ups and downs...
> > On Aug 24, 2:31 pm, beckysharpe wrote:
> > > A meta description would help your visibility, but I'm wondering if > > > you are being penalised for the "sponsored links" text above your > > > AdSense. Google is very clear that nothing should be done to draw > > > attention to AdSense, so even if that isn't what causing the current > > > problem, I would remove it.
> > > On Aug 24, 7:22 pm, richjg wrote:
> > > > Hi all... > > > > I have a question regarding huge positional swings in Google organic > > > > search results. Last week, I was overjoyed to see that my website,www.worldofwebkinz.net, was listed on the first page of several search > > > > terms related to the Webkinz niche. However, after yesterday's crawl, > > > > the site plummeted to almost invisible levels...
> > > > For example, up until yesterday, the site was on page 1, position 4 > > > > for the keyword "webkinz news" while today, the site is no where to be > > > > found (stopped looking at page 20).
> > > > I've check webmaster tools for a message saying if the site was > > > > penalized, but no messages were sent. I don't necessarily see why it > > > > would be penalized as the whole front end and the majority of my > > > > traffic goes to the blog style front page which is updated several > > > > times a week with very relevant content...
> > > > Any suggestions / explanations would be appreciated?
burchman519 wrote: > You have invisible text on your page. Google does not it when you > show something that only the search engines can see and the searcher > can not. Use this site to determine your hidden text.
LOL, the piece of code that is generating this "invisible text" message (specifically display:none;) is coming from the Goggle sponsored AdSense Search Box I just incorporated into the sidebar... this can't be detrimental, can it?
> > Hi all... > > I have a question regarding huge positional swings in Google organic > > search results. Last week, I was overjoyed to see that my website,www.worldofwebkinz.net, was listed on the first page of several search > > terms related to the Webkinz niche. However, after yesterday's crawl, > > the site plummeted to almost invisible levels...
> > For example, up until yesterday, the site was on page 1, position 4 > > for the keyword "webkinz news" while today, the site is no where to be > > found (stopped looking at page 20).
> > I've check webmaster tools for a message saying if the site was > > penalized, but no messages were sent. I don't necessarily see why it > > would be penalized as the whole front end and the majority of my > > traffic goes to the blog style front page which is updated several > > times a week with very relevant content...
> > Any suggestions / explanations would be appreciated?
> That's easy enough to change and I'll get right on that -- but, just > playing devil's advocate, why would they penalize me now as this > description has been on the page since day one? It's funny, because > yesterday I got the most traffic the site has ever seen (261 visits, > 490 pageviews -- 207 from organic google searches) and now the site is > essentially banished from visibility... talk about ups and downs...
> On Aug 24, 2:31 pm, beckysharpe wrote:
> > A meta description would help your visibility, but I'm wondering if > > you are being penalised for the "sponsored links" text above your > > AdSense. Google is very clear that nothing should be done to draw > > attention to AdSense, so even if that isn't what causing the current > > problem, I would remove it.
> > On Aug 24, 7:22 pm, richjg wrote:
> > > Hi all... > > > I have a question regarding huge positional swings in Google organic > > > search results. Last week, I was overjoyed to see that my website,www.worldofwebkinz.net, was listed on the first page of several search > > > terms related to the Webkinz niche. However, after yesterday's crawl, > > > the site plummeted to almost invisible levels...
> > > For example, up until yesterday, the site was on page 1, position 4 > > > for the keyword "webkinz news" while today, the site is no where to be > > > found (stopped looking at page 20).
> > > I've check webmaster tools for a message saying if the site was > > > penalized, but no messages were sent. I don't necessarily see why it > > > would be penalized as the whole front end and the majority of my > > > traffic goes to the blog style front page which is updated several > > > times a week with very relevant content...
> > > Any suggestions / explanations would be appreciated?- Hide quoted text -
> The CSS was built by wordpress (and nothing I have is invisible, at > least nothing that I have done) --- that would penalize most WP blogs > no? I'll go through and change it though as this could be something. > Thanks for the input. Also, is this drop temporary as I have not > received any word from google about penalties -- do they even contact > you with issues like this? I couldn't find a way to contact them --- > seems big brother-ish to me...
> On Aug 24, 2:35 pm, burchman519 wrote:
> > You have invisible text on your page. Google does not it when you > > show something that only the search engines can see and the searcher > > can not. Use this site to determine your hidden text.
> > > Hi all... > > > I have a question regarding huge positional swings in Google organic > > > search results. Last week, I was overjoyed to see that my website,www.worldofwebkinz.net, was listed on the first page of several search > > > terms related to the Webkinz niche. However, after yesterday's crawl, > > > the site plummeted to almost invisible levels...
> > > For example, up until yesterday, the site was on page 1, position 4 > > > for the keyword "webkinz news" while today, the site is no where to be > > > found (stopped looking at page 20).
> > > I've check webmaster tools for a message saying if the site was > > > penalized, but no messages were sent. I don't necessarily see why it > > > would be penalized as the whole front end and the majority of my > > > traffic goes to the blog style front page which is updated several > > > times a week with very relevant content...
> > > Any suggestions / explanations would be appreciated?
> The CSS was built by wordpress (and nothing I have is invisible, at > least nothing that I have done) --- that would penalize most WP blogs > no? I'll go through and change it though as this could be something. > Thanks for the input. Also, is this drop temporary as I have not > received any word from google about penalties -- do they even contact > you with issues like this? I couldn't find a way to contact them --- > seems big brother-ish to me...
> On Aug 24, 2:35 pm, burchman519 wrote:
> > You have invisible text on your page. Google does not it when you > > show something that only the search engines can see and the searcher > > can not. Use this site to determine your hidden text.
> > > Hi all... > > > I have a question regarding huge positional swings in Google organic > > > search results. Last week, I was overjoyed to see that my website,www.worldofwebkinz.net, was listed on the first page of several search > > > terms related to the Webkinz niche. However, after yesterday's crawl, > > > the site plummeted to almost invisible levels...
> > > For example, up until yesterday, the site was on page 1, position 4 > > > for the keyword "webkinz news" while today, the site is no where to be > > > found (stopped looking at page 20).
> > > I've check webmaster tools for a message saying if the site was > > > penalized, but no messages were sent. I don't necessarily see why it > > > would be penalized as the whole front end and the majority of my > > > traffic goes to the blog style front page which is updated several > > > times a week with very relevant content...
> > > Any suggestions / explanations would be appreciated?- Hide quoted text -
I had the same effect on a website with 6000 visitor a day last week.
Today, it hit another 4 websites.
There is something very strange going on.
All sites are full of good quality unique content and have more than 2 years.
No black hat SEO or nothing.
Hope it´s a glitch that will soon be fixed.
If it´s not I´ll just do what everyone is doing: Stop writing good content and making millions of keyword based sites with no useful content int it to get MSN and yahoo users.
> Most themes were not built by wordpress but by 3rd parties, wordpress > is the architecture on which they run.
> On Aug 24, 1:42 pm, richjg wrote:
> > The CSS was built by wordpress (and nothing I have is invisible, at > > least nothing that I have done) --- that would penalize most WP blogs > > no? I'll go through and change it though as this could be something. > > Thanks for the input. Also, is this drop temporary as I have not > > received any word from google about penalties -- do they even contact > > you with issues like this? I couldn't find a way to contact them --- > > seems big brother-ish to me...
> > On Aug 24, 2:35 pm, burchman519 wrote:
> > > You have invisible text on your page. Google does not it when you > > > show something that only the search engines can see and the searcher > > > can not. Use this site to determine your hidden text.
> > > > Hi all... > > > > I have a question regarding huge positional swings in Google organic > > > > search results. Last week, I was overjoyed to see that my website,www.worldofwebkinz.net, was listed on the first page of several search > > > > terms related to the Webkinz niche. However, after yesterday's crawl, > > > > the site plummeted to almost invisible levels...
> > > > For example, up until yesterday, the site was on page 1, position 4 > > > > for the keyword "webkinz news" while today, the site is no where to be > > > > found (stopped looking at page 20).
> > > > I've check webmaster tools for a message saying if the site was > > > > penalized, but no messages were sent. I don't necessarily see why it > > > > would be penalized as the whole front end and the majority of my > > > > traffic goes to the blog style front page which is updated several > > > > times a week with very relevant content...
> > > > Any suggestions / explanations would be appreciated?- Ocultar texto entre aspas -
I'm not defending invisible text via CSS styles -- I'm just pointing out that the source of the "invisible text" warning reported by the spam detector site was from the Google search box I added to the site last night -- code snippet obtained from Google. It'd be ridiculous if a google sanctioned code snipped caused this -- not saying it didn't though...
> > That's easy enough to change and I'll get right on that -- but, just > > playing devil's advocate, why would they penalize me now as this > > description has been on the page since day one? It's funny, because > > yesterday I got the most traffic the site has ever seen (261 visits, > > 490 pageviews -- 207 from organic google searches) and now the site is > > essentially banished from visibility... talk about ups and downs...
> > On Aug 24, 2:31 pm, beckysharpe wrote:
> > > A meta description would help your visibility, but I'm wondering if > > > you are being penalised for the "sponsored links" text above your > > > AdSense. Google is very clear that nothing should be done to draw > > > attention to AdSense, so even if that isn't what causing the current > > > problem, I would remove it.
> > > On Aug 24, 7:22 pm, richjg wrote:
> > > > Hi all... > > > > I have a question regarding huge positional swings in Google organic > > > > search results. Last week, I was overjoyed to see that my website,www.worldofwebkinz.net, was listed on the first page of several search > > > > terms related to the Webkinz niche. However, after yesterday's crawl, > > > > the site plummeted to almost invisible levels...
> > > > For example, up until yesterday, the site was on page 1, position 4 > > > > for the keyword "webkinz news" while today, the site is no where to be > > > > found (stopped looking at page 20).
> > > > I've check webmaster tools for a message saying if the site was > > > > penalized, but no messages were sent. I don't necessarily see why it > > > > would be penalized as the whole front end and the majority of my > > > > traffic goes to the blog style front page which is updated several > > > > times a week with very relevant content...
> > > > Any suggestions / explanations would be appreciated?- Hide quoted text -
I agree -- the only SEO I've done since publishing is to change my title and incorporate H1 tags at proper locations -- both of which don't seem sneaky to me... Keyword density is fine too... I hope there was a glitch too -- losing a few spots on the SE results is acceptable, but going from page 1 to 20+ is just plain wrong -- especially with no apparent reason...
Is there anyone from Google that reads these boards and can comment?
> I had the same effect on a website with 6000 visitor a day last week.
> Today, it hit another 4 websites.
> There is something very strange going on.
> All sites are full of good quality unique content and have more than 2 > years.
> No black hat SEO or nothing.
> Hope it´s a glitch that will soon be fixed.
> If it´s not I´ll just do what everyone is doing: Stop writing good > content and making millions of keyword based sites with no useful > content int it to get MSN and yahoo users.
> On 24 ago, 16:06, JLH wrote:
> > Most themes were not built by wordpress but by 3rd parties, wordpress > > is the architecture on which they run.
> > On Aug 24, 1:42 pm, richjg wrote:
> > > The CSS was built by wordpress (and nothing I have is invisible, at > > > least nothing that I have done) --- that would penalize most WP blogs > > > no? I'll go through and change it though as this could be something. > > > Thanks for the input. Also, is this drop temporary as I have not > > > received any word from google about penalties -- do they even contact > > > you with issues like this? I couldn't find a way to contact them --- > > > seems big brother-ish to me...
> > > On Aug 24, 2:35 pm, burchman519 wrote:
> > > > You have invisible text on your page. Google does not it when you > > > > show something that only the search engines can see and the searcher > > > > can not. Use this site to determine your hidden text.
> > > > > Hi all... > > > > > I have a question regarding huge positional swings in Google organic > > > > > search results. Last week, I was overjoyed to see that my website,www.worldofwebkinz.net, was listed on the first page of several search > > > > > terms related to the Webkinz niche. However, after yesterday's crawl, > > > > > the site plummeted to almost invisible levels...
> > > > > For example, up until yesterday, the site was on page 1, position 4 > > > > > for the keyword "webkinz news" while today, the site is no where to be > > > > > found (stopped looking at page 20).
> > > > > I've check webmaster tools for a message saying if the site was > > > > > penalized, but no messages were sent. I don't necessarily see why it > > > > > would be penalized as the whole front end and the majority of my > > > > > traffic goes to the blog style front page which is updated several > > > > > times a week with very relevant content...
> > > > > Any suggestions / explanations would be appreciated?- Ocultar texto entre aspas -
I noticed it today on one of my sites that I have not altered for a little while. Gone from first page down to position 173 now.
No adsense on it yet. There is nothing in the webmaster tools or message centre to suggest anything is wrong.
It is clear on that spam detector.
I can only assume that something that was ok is now not ok. I just need to find out what it is and get rid of it.
If something has changed with the rules / algorithms then I am wondering if it would be possible for Google to run the changes in test and if your site moves by more than say 10 places, update a message in the message centre. So that we can do something before the change goes live or at least be aware that it will happen.
Keep and eye on the ranks throughout the week -- all of a sudden, my pages are back where they were last week. Perhaps something got crossed up with internal algorithm changes or Google's purported dropping of page rank feature from the toolbar? (Source: http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2007/08/15/google-considers-drop...)
> I noticed it today on one of my sites that I have not altered for a > little while. > Gone from first page down to position 173 now.
> No adsense on it yet. > There is nothing in the webmaster tools or message centre to suggest > anything is wrong.
> It is clear on that spam detector.
> I can only assume that something that was ok is now not ok. > I just need to find out what it is and get rid of it.
> If something has changed with the rules / algorithms then I am > wondering if it would be possible for Google to run the changes in > test and if your site moves by more than say 10 places, update a > message in the message centre. So that we can do something before the > change goes live or at least be aware that it will happen.
I have had the same problem that hit one of my websites yesterday. It has been ranked 1 and 2 for months and also about 20 pages in the top 20 and now the top page has gone down to 30 and the other pages have dropped out of site. Has anyone from Google said about a 'problem'? (as if they would) Is there any way of contacting Google about this type of problem?
> Keep and eye on the ranks throughout the week -- all of a sudden, my > pages are back where they were last week. Perhaps something got > crossed up with internal algorithm changes or Google's purported > dropping of page rank feature from the toolbar? (Source:http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2007/08/15/google-considers-drop...)
> On Aug 25, 8:35 pm, dzs wrote:
> > I noticed it today on one of my sites that I have not altered for a > > little while. > > Gone from first page down to position 173 now.
> > No adsense on it yet. > > There is nothing in the webmaster tools or message centre to suggest > > anything is wrong.
> > It is clear on that spam detector.
> > I can only assume that something that was ok is now not ok. > > I just need to find out what it is and get rid of it.
> > If something has changed with the rules / algorithms then I am > > wondering if it would be possible for Google to run the changes in > > test and if your site moves by more than say 10 places, update a > > message in the message centre. So that we can do something before the > > change goes live or at least be aware that it will happen.- Hide quoted text -
Just an update -- my site, www.worldofwebkinz.net, dropped out of the top pages again after rebounding for two days post the first unexplained drop... hopefully it'll make its way back to where it belongs...
> I have had the same problem that hit one of my websites yesterday. It > has been ranked 1 and 2 for months and also about 20 pages in the top > 20 and now the top page has gone down to 30 and the other pages have > dropped out of site. Has anyone from Google said about a 'problem'? > (as if they would) Is there any way of contacting Google about this > type of problem?
> a pain in the neck!!!
> On Aug 26, 2:50 am, richjg wrote:
> > Keep and eye on the ranks throughout the week -- all of a sudden, my > > pages are back where they were last week. Perhaps something got > > crossed up with internal algorithm changes or Google's purported > > dropping of page rank feature from the toolbar? (Source:http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2007/08/15/google-considers-drop...)
> > On Aug 25, 8:35 pm, dzs wrote:
> > > I noticed it today on one of my sites that I have not altered for a > > > little while. > > > Gone from first page down to position 173 now.
> > > No adsense on it yet. > > > There is nothing in the webmaster tools or message centre to suggest > > > anything is wrong.
> > > It is clear on that spam detector.
> > > I can only assume that something that was ok is now not ok. > > > I just need to find out what it is and get rid of it.
> > > If something has changed with the rules / algorithms then I am > > > wondering if it would be possible for Google to run the changes in > > > test and if your site moves by more than say 10 places, update a > > > message in the message centre. So that we can do something before the > > > change goes live or at least be aware that it will happen.- Hide quoted text -
> Just an update -- my site,www.worldofwebkinz.net, dropped out of the > top pages again after rebounding for two days post the first > unexplained drop... hopefully it'll make its way back to where it > belongs...
> Hello? Google? Ya there?
> On Aug 27, 7:10 am, Gemini wrote:
> > Hi,
> > I have had the same problem that hit one of my websites yesterday. It > > has been ranked 1 and 2 for months and also about 20 pages in the top > > 20 and now the top page has gone down to 30 and the other pages have > > dropped out of site. Has anyone from Google said about a 'problem'? > > (as if they would) Is there any way of contacting Google about this > > type of problem?
> > a pain in the neck!!!
> > On Aug 26, 2:50 am, richjg wrote:
> > > Keep and eye on the ranks throughout the week -- all of a sudden, my > > > pages are back where they were last week. Perhaps something got > > > crossed up with internal algorithm changes or Google's purported > > > dropping of page rank feature from the toolbar? (Source:http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2007/08/15/google-considers-drop...)
> > > On Aug 25, 8:35 pm, dzs wrote:
> > > > I noticed it today on one of my sites that I have not altered for a > > > > little while. > > > > Gone from first page down to position 173 now.
> > > > No adsense on it yet. > > > > There is nothing in the webmaster tools or message centre to suggest > > > > anything is wrong.
> > > > It is clear on that spam detector.
> > > > I can only assume that something that was ok is now not ok. > > > > I just need to find out what it is and get rid of it.
> > > > If something has changed with the rules / algorithms then I am > > > > wondering if it would be possible for Google to run the changes in > > > > test and if your site moves by more than say 10 places, update a > > > > message in the message centre. So that we can do something before the > > > > change goes live or at least be aware that it will happen.- Hide quoted text -
No -- the site all of a sudden gained a lot of traffic last week and I saw that my pages were ranked on the top page of google's results for various keywords... then 2 days ago, traffic dropped and pages were no longer anywhere near visibility on google (page 20+)... then yesterday, pages were back in the top 10 results... and today, pages are back into obscurity... The only difference is that I did a huge site overhaul last night. I updated the sitemap this morning to compensate. Hopefully, this most recent drop is due to major site update performed last night.
> Did you update your sitemap and then have your site come back within > 48 hours?
> On Aug 27, 11:39 pm, richjg wrote:
> > Just an update -- my site,www.worldofwebkinz.net, dropped out of the > > top pages again after rebounding for two days post the first > > unexplained drop... hopefully it'll make its way back to where it > > belongs...
> > Hello? Google? Ya there?
> > On Aug 27, 7:10 am, Gemini wrote:
> > > Hi,
> > > I have had the same problem that hit one of my websites yesterday. It > > > has been ranked 1 and 2 for months and also about 20 pages in the top > > > 20 and now the top page has gone down to 30 and the other pages have > > > dropped out of site. Has anyone from Google said about a 'problem'? > > > (as if they would) Is there any way of contacting Google about this > > > type of problem?
> > > a pain in the neck!!!
> > > On Aug 26, 2:50 am, richjg wrote:
> > > > Keep and eye on the ranks throughout the week -- all of a sudden, my > > > > pages are back where they were last week. Perhaps something got > > > > crossed up with internal algorithm changes or Google's purported > > > > dropping of page rank feature from the toolbar? (Source:http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2007/08/15/google-considers-drop...)
> > > > On Aug 25, 8:35 pm, dzs wrote:
> > > > > I noticed it today on one of my sites that I have not altered for a > > > > > little while. > > > > > Gone from first page down to position 173 now.
> > > > > No adsense on it yet. > > > > > There is nothing in the webmaster tools or message centre to suggest > > > > > anything is wrong.
> > > > > It is clear on that spam detector.
> > > > > I can only assume that something that was ok is now not ok. > > > > > I just need to find out what it is and get rid of it.
> > > > > If something has changed with the rules / algorithms then I am > > > > > wondering if it would be possible for Google to run the changes in > > > > > test and if your site moves by more than say 10 places, update a > > > > > message in the message centre. So that we can do something before the > > > > > change goes live or at least be aware that it will happen.- Hide quoted text -
I did not update my sitemap yesterday and my site dropped this morning I added a couple of pages and within 12 hours I am back being listed i wonder is it the sitemap or the page uploads?
> No -- the site all of a sudden gained a lot of traffic last week and I > saw that my pages were ranked on the top page of google's results for > various keywords... then 2 days ago, traffic dropped and pages were no > longer anywhere near visibility on google (page 20+)... then > yesterday, pages were back in the top 10 results... and today, pages > are back into obscurity... The only difference is that I did a huge > site overhaul last night. I updated the sitemap this morning to > compensate. Hopefully, this most recent drop is due to major site > update performed last night.
> On Aug 27, 5:38 pm, EcoSea wrote:
> > Did you update your sitemap and then have your site come back within > > 48 hours?
> > On Aug 27, 11:39 pm, richjg wrote:
> > > Just an update -- my site,www.worldofwebkinz.net, dropped out of the > > > top pages again after rebounding for two days post the first > > > unexplained drop... hopefully it'll make its way back to where it > > > belongs...
> > > Hello? Google? Ya there?
> > > On Aug 27, 7:10 am, Gemini wrote:
> > > > Hi,
> > > > I have had the same problem that hit one of my websites yesterday. It > > > > has been ranked 1 and 2 for months and also about 20 pages in the top > > > > 20 and now the top page has gone down to 30 and the other pages have > > > > dropped out of site. Has anyone from Google said about a 'problem'? > > > > (as if they would) Is there any way of contacting Google about this > > > > type of problem?
> > > > a pain in the neck!!!
> > > > On Aug 26, 2:50 am, richjg wrote:
> > > > > Keep and eye on the ranks throughout the week -- all of a sudden, my > > > > > pages are back where they were last week. Perhaps something got > > > > > crossed up with internal algorithm changes or Google's purported > > > > > dropping of page rank feature from the toolbar? (Source:http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2007/08/15/google-considers-drop...)
> > > > > On Aug 25, 8:35 pm, dzs wrote:
> > > > > > I noticed it today on one of my sites that I have not altered for a > > > > > > little while. > > > > > > Gone from first page down to position 173 now.
> > > > > > No adsense on it yet. > > > > > > There is nothing in the webmaster tools or message centre to suggest > > > > > > anything is wrong.
> > > > > > It is clear on that spam detector.
> > > > > > I can only assume that something that was ok is now not ok. > > > > > > I just need to find out what it is and get rid of it.
> > > > > > If something has changed with the rules / algorithms then I am > > > > > > wondering if it would be possible for Google to run the changes in > > > > > > test and if your site moves by more than say 10 places, update a > > > > > > message in the message centre. So that we can do something before the > > > > > > change goes live or at least be aware that it will happen.- Hide quoted text -
> > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
Yes, I updated the sidebar extensively... and some of the introductory content on the main page... perhaps updating the index.html knocks a site out of the results for awhile until it is re-evaluated? Do you think this is common for newer type sites like mine? I understand that this method wouldn't fly for larger commercial sites, but perhaps they have the backlinks necessary to maintain the site at a high ranking... your guess is as good as mine...
> I did not update my sitemap yesterday and my site dropped this morning > I added a couple of pages and within 12 hours I am back being listed i > wonder is it the sitemap or the page uploads?
> Did you update your index/home.htm ?
> On Aug 28, 5:44 am, richjg wrote:
> > No -- the site all of a sudden gained a lot of traffic last week and I > > saw that my pages were ranked on the top page of google's results for > > various keywords... then 2 days ago, traffic dropped and pages were no > > longer anywhere near visibility on google (page 20+)... then > > yesterday, pages were back in the top 10 results... and today, pages > > are back into obscurity... The only difference is that I did a huge > > site overhaul last night. I updated the sitemap this morning to > > compensate. Hopefully, this most recent drop is due to major site > > update performed last night.
> > On Aug 27, 5:38 pm, EcoSea wrote:
> > > Did you update your sitemap and then have your site come back within > > > 48 hours?
> > > On Aug 27, 11:39 pm, richjg wrote:
> > > > Just an update -- my site,www.worldofwebkinz.net, dropped out of the > > > > top pages again after rebounding for two days post the first > > > > unexplained drop... hopefully it'll make its way back to where it > > > > belongs...
> > > > Hello? Google? Ya there?
> > > > On Aug 27, 7:10 am, Gemini wrote:
> > > > > Hi,
> > > > > I have had the same problem that hit one of my websites yesterday. It > > > > > has been ranked 1 and 2 for months and also about 20 pages in the top > > > > > 20 and now the top page has gone down to 30 and the other pages have > > > > > dropped out of site. Has anyone from Google said about a 'problem'? > > > > > (as if they would) Is there any way of contacting Google about this > > > > > type of problem?
> > > > > a pain in the neck!!!
> > > > > On Aug 26, 2:50 am, richjg wrote:
> > > > > > Keep and eye on the ranks throughout the week -- all of a sudden, my > > > > > > pages are back where they were last week. Perhaps something got > > > > > > crossed up with internal algorithm changes or Google's purported > > > > > > dropping of page rank feature from the toolbar? (Source:http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2007/08/15/google-considers-drop...)
> > > > > > On Aug 25, 8:35 pm, dzs wrote:
> > > > > > > I noticed it today on one of my sites that I have not altered for a > > > > > > > little while. > > > > > > > Gone from first page down to position 173 now.
> > > > > > > No adsense on it yet. > > > > > > > There is nothing in the webmaster tools or message centre to suggest > > > > > > > anything is wrong.
> > > > > > > It is clear on that spam detector.
> > > > > > > I can only assume that something that was ok is now not ok. > > > > > > > I just need to find out what it is and get rid of it.
> > > > > > > If something has changed with the rules / algorithms then I am > > > > > > > wondering if it would be possible for Google to run the changes in > > > > > > > test and if your site moves by more than say 10 places, update a > > > > > > > message in the message centre. So that we can do something before the > > > > > > > change goes live or at least be aware that it will happen.- Hide quoted text -
> > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
To know if a given update possibly had some effect, you would have to check to see if Google crawled the page or not. Changes made "today" are unlikely to have any effect this soon unless the page in question that was updated was also crawled.
Submitting a sitemap or updating it won't have much of an effect either until Google actually goes about crawling the pages contained in the sitemap. Submitting a sitemap basically just informs Google of existing pages that it can then decide to crawl when it feels like it.
So, unless Google crawled any effected/changed pages, it is unlikely that anything you did caused any change. Even if Google did crawl a page you changed, it is just as likely as not that whatever you changed had little to no effect anyway and that the change in Google was due to some other, unknown to us but known to Google, factor.
About the only real way to tell if something had an effect or not is to change it back to the way it was before and see if the results revert to what they were previous but with all the factors that are changing over time anyway, even that becomes difficult.
The best thing to do though is to keep an eye on things and see how they go over time.
> Yes, I updated the sidebar extensively... and some of the introductory > content on the main page... perhaps updating the index.html knocks a > site out of the results for awhile until it is re-evaluated? Do you > think this is common for newer type sites like mine? I understand that > this method wouldn't fly for larger commercial sites, but perhaps they > have the backlinks necessary to maintain the site at a high ranking... > your guess is as good as mine...
> On Aug 27, 9:41 pm, EcoSea wrote:
> > I did not update my sitemap yesterday and my site dropped this morning > > I added a couple of pages and within 12 hours I am back being listed i > > wonder is it the sitemap or the page uploads?
> > Did you update your index/home.htm ?
> > On Aug 28, 5:44 am, richjg wrote:
> > > No -- the site all of a sudden gained a lot of traffic last week and I > > > saw that my pages were ranked on the top page of google's results for > > > various keywords... then 2 days ago, traffic dropped and pages were no > > > longer anywhere near visibility on google (page 20+)... then > > > yesterday, pages were back in the top 10 results... and today, pages > > > are back into obscurity... The only difference is that I did a huge > > > site overhaul last night. I updated the sitemap this morning to > > > compensate. Hopefully, this most recent drop is due to major site > > > update performed last night.
> > > On Aug 27, 5:38 pm, EcoSea wrote:
> > > > Did you update your sitemap and then have your site come back within > > > > 48 hours?
> > > > On Aug 27, 11:39 pm, richjg wrote:
> > > > > Just an update -- my site,www.worldofwebkinz.net, dropped out of the > > > > > top pages again after rebounding for two days post the first > > > > > unexplained drop... hopefully it'll make its way back to where it > > > > > belongs...
> > > > > Hello? Google? Ya there?
> > > > > On Aug 27, 7:10 am, Gemini wrote:
> > > > > > Hi,
> > > > > > I have had the same problem that hit one of my websites yesterday. It > > > > > > has been ranked 1 and 2 for months and also about 20 pages in the top > > > > > > 20 and now the top page has gone down to 30 and the other pages have > > > > > > dropped out of site. Has anyone from Google said about a 'problem'? > > > > > > (as if they would) Is there any way of contacting Google about this > > > > > > type of problem?
> > > > > > a pain in the neck!!!
> > > > > > On Aug 26, 2:50 am, richjg wrote:
> > > > > > > Keep and eye on the ranks throughout the week -- all of a sudden, my > > > > > > > pages are back where they were last week. Perhaps something got > > > > > > > crossed up with internal algorithm changes or Google's purported > > > > > > > dropping of page rank feature from the toolbar? (Source:http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2007/08/15/google-considers-drop...)
> > > > > > > On Aug 25, 8:35 pm, dzs wrote:
> > > > > > > > I noticed it today on one of my sites that I have not altered for a > > > > > > > > little while. > > > > > > > > Gone from first page down to position 173 now.
> > > > > > > > No adsense on it yet. > > > > > > > > There is nothing in the webmaster tools or message centre to suggest > > > > > > > > anything is wrong.
> > > > > > > > It is clear on that spam detector.
> > > > > > > > I can only assume that something that was ok is now not ok. > > > > > > > > I just need to find out what it is and get rid of it.
> > > > > > > > If something has changed with the rules / algorithms then I am > > > > > > > > wondering if it would be possible for Google to run the changes in > > > > > > > > test and if your site moves by more than say 10 places, update a > > > > > > > > message in the message centre. So that we can do something before the > > > > > > > > change goes live or at least be aware that it will happen.- Hide quoted text -
> > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
> > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
The site was crawled on Aug 25 and 26 -- right amidst the changes. As of now, I'm done with the updates so hopefully Google crawls again soon and stabilizes my rankings...
> To know if a given update possibly had some effect, you would have to > check to see if Google crawled the page or not. Changes made "today" > are unlikely to have any effect this soon unless the page in question > that was updated was also crawled.
> Submitting a sitemap or updating it won't have much of an effect > either until Google actually goes about crawling the pages contained > in the sitemap. Submitting a sitemap basically just informs Google of > existing pages that it can then decide to crawl when it feels like it.
> So, unless Google crawled any effected/changed pages, it is unlikely > that anything you did caused any change. Even if Google did crawl a > page you changed, it is just as likely as not that whatever you > changed had little to no effect anyway and that the change in Google > was due to some other, unknown to us but known to Google, factor.
> About the only real way to tell if something had an effect or not is > to change it back to the way it was before and see if the results > revert to what they were previous but with all the factors that are > changing over time anyway, even that becomes difficult.
> The best thing to do though is to keep an eye on things and see how > they go over time.
> Craig
> On Aug 28, 12:03 pm, richjg wrote:
> > Yes, I updated the sidebar extensively... and some of the introductory > > content on the main page... perhaps updating the index.html knocks a > > site out of the results for awhile until it is re-evaluated? Do you > > think this is common for newer type sites like mine? I understand that > > this method wouldn't fly for larger commercial sites, but perhaps they > > have the backlinks necessary to maintain the site at a high ranking... > > your guess is as good as mine...
> > On Aug 27, 9:41 pm, EcoSea wrote:
> > > I did not update my sitemap yesterday and my site dropped this morning > > > I added a couple of pages and within 12 hours I am back being listed i > > > wonder is it the sitemap or the page uploads?
> > > Did you update your index/home.htm ?
> > > On Aug 28, 5:44 am, richjg wrote:
> > > > No -- the site all of a sudden gained a lot of traffic last week and I > > > > saw that my pages were ranked on the top page of google's results for > > > > various keywords... then 2 days ago, traffic dropped and pages were no > > > > longer anywhere near visibility on google (page 20+)... then > > > > yesterday, pages were back in the top 10 results... and today, pages > > > > are back into obscurity... The only difference is that I did a huge > > > > site overhaul last night. I updated the sitemap this morning to > > > > compensate. Hopefully, this most recent drop is due to major site > > > > update performed last night.
> > > > On Aug 27, 5:38 pm, EcoSea wrote:
> > > > > Did you update your sitemap and then have your site come back within > > > > > 48 hours?
> > > > > On Aug 27, 11:39 pm, richjg wrote:
> > > > > > Just an update -- my site,www.worldofwebkinz.net, dropped out of the > > > > > > top pages again after rebounding for two days post the first > > > > > > unexplained drop... hopefully it'll make its way back to where it > > > > > > belongs...
> > > > > > Hello? Google? Ya there?
> > > > > > On Aug 27, 7:10 am, Gemini wrote:
> > > > > > > Hi,
> > > > > > > I have had the same problem that hit one of my websites yesterday. It > > > > > > > has been ranked 1 and 2 for months and also about 20 pages in the top > > > > > > > 20 and now the top page has gone down to 30 and the other pages have > > > > > > > dropped out of site. Has anyone from Google said about a 'problem'? > > > > > > > (as if they would) Is there any way of contacting Google about this > > > > > > > type of problem?
> > > > > > > a pain in the neck!!!
> > > > > > > On Aug 26, 2:50 am, richjg wrote:
> > > > > > > > Keep and eye on the ranks throughout the week -- all of a sudden, my > > > > > > > > pages are back where they were last week. Perhaps something got > > > > > > > > crossed up with internal algorithm changes or Google's purported > > > > > > > > dropping of page rank feature from the toolbar? (Source:http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2007/08/15/google-considers-drop...)
> > > > > > > > On Aug 25, 8:35 pm, dzs wrote:
> > > > > > > > > I noticed it today on one of my sites that I have not altered for a > > > > > > > > > little while. > > > > > > > > > Gone from first page down to position 173 now.
> > > > > > > > > No adsense on it yet. > > > > > > > > > There is nothing in the webmaster tools or message centre to suggest > > > > > > > > > anything is wrong.
> > > > > > > > > It is clear on that spam detector.
> > > > > > > > > I can only assume that something that was ok is now not ok. > > > > > > > > > I just need to find out what it is and get rid of it.
> > > > > > > > > If something has changed with the rules / algorithms then I am > > > > > > > > > wondering if it would be possible for Google to run the changes in > > > > > > > > > test and if your site moves by more than say 10 places, update a > > > > > > > > > message in the message centre. So that we can do something before the > > > > > > > > > change goes live or at least be aware that it will happen.- Hide quoted text -
> > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
> > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
Just an update: Pages are still no where near visibility in the google results... even when typing in "World of Webkinz" in quotes (my domain), my site doesn't show up until page 21... I have since validated all my pages via W3C, posted several times, and resubmitted an up to date site map, but it still seems that I am penalized. My question: should I submit the site for reconsideration? My only reservations are that (1) the site is not out of the index, per say and (2) when I submit the form I acknowledge that "I believe this site has violated Google's quality guidelines in the past" -- which I don't agree with... am I just being a stickler here?
> The site was crawled on Aug 25 and 26 -- right amidst the changes. As > of now, I'm done with the updates so hopefully Google crawls again > soon and stabilizes my rankings...
> On Aug 27, 11:49 pm, cass-hacks wrote:
> > To know if a given update possibly had some effect, you would have to > > check to see if Google crawled the page or not. Changes made "today" > > are unlikely to have any effect this soon unless the page in question > > that was updated was also crawled.
> > Submitting a sitemap or updating it won't have much of an effect > > either until Google actually goes about crawling the pages contained > > in the sitemap. Submitting a sitemap basically just informs Google of > > existing pages that it can then decide to crawl when it feels like it.
> > So, unless Google crawled any effected/changed pages, it is unlikely > > that anything you did caused any change. Even if Google did crawl a > > page you changed, it is just as likely as not that whatever you > > changed had little to no effect anyway and that the change in Google > > was due to some other, unknown to us but known to Google, factor.
> > About the only real way to tell if something had an effect or not is > > to change it back to the way it was before and see if the results > > revert to what they were previous but with all the factors that are > > changing over time anyway, even that becomes difficult.
> > The best thing to do though is to keep an eye on things and see how > > they go over time.
> > Craig
> > On Aug 28, 12:03 pm, richjg wrote:
> > > Yes, I updated the sidebar extensively... and some of the introductory > > > content on the main page... perhaps updating the index.html knocks a > > > site out of the results for awhile until it is re-evaluated? Do you > > > think this is common for newer type sites like mine? I understand that > > > this method wouldn't fly for larger commercial sites, but perhaps they > > > have the backlinks necessary to maintain the site at a high ranking... > > > your guess is as good as mine...
> > > On Aug 27, 9:41 pm, EcoSea wrote:
> > > > I did not update my sitemap yesterday and my site dropped this morning > > > > I added a couple of pages and within 12 hours I am back being listed i > > > > wonder is it the sitemap or the page uploads?
> > > > Did you update your index/home.htm ?
> > > > On Aug 28, 5:44 am, richjg wrote:
> > > > > No -- the site all of a sudden gained a lot of traffic last week and I > > > > > saw that my pages were ranked on the top page of google's results for > > > > > various keywords... then 2 days ago, traffic dropped and pages were no > > > > > longer anywhere near visibility on google (page 20+)... then > > > > > yesterday, pages were back in the top 10 results... and today, pages > > > > > are back into obscurity... The only difference is that I did a huge > > > > > site overhaul last night. I updated the sitemap this morning to > > > > > compensate. Hopefully, this most recent drop is due to major site > > > > > update performed last night.
> > > > > On Aug 27, 5:38 pm, EcoSea wrote:
> > > > > > Did you update your sitemap and then have your site come back within > > > > > > 48 hours?
> > > > > > On Aug 27, 11:39 pm, richjg wrote:
> > > > > > > Just an update -- my site,www.worldofwebkinz.net, dropped out of the > > > > > > > top pages again after rebounding for two days post the first > > > > > > > unexplained drop... hopefully it'll make its way back to where it > > > > > > > belongs...
> > > > > > > Hello? Google? Ya there?
> > > > > > > On Aug 27, 7:10 am, Gemini wrote:
> > > > > > > > Hi,
> > > > > > > > I have had the same problem that hit one of my websites yesterday. It > > > > > > > > has been ranked 1 and 2 for months and also about 20 pages in the top > > > > > > > > 20 and now the top page has gone down to 30 and the other pages have > > > > > > > > dropped out of site. Has anyone from Google said about a 'problem'? > > > > > > > > (as if they would) Is there any way of contacting Google about this > > > > > > > > type of problem?
> > > > > > > > a pain in the neck!!!
> > > > > > > > On Aug 26, 2:50 am, richjg wrote:
> > > > > > > > > Keep and eye on the ranks throughout the week -- all of a sudden, my > > > > > > > > > pages are back where they were last week. Perhaps something got > > > > > > > > > crossed up with internal algorithm changes or Google's purported > > > > > > > > > dropping of page rank feature from the toolbar? (Source:http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2007/08/15/google-considers-drop...)
> > > > > > > > > On Aug 25, 8:35 pm, dzs wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > I noticed it today on one of my sites that I have not altered for a > > > > > > > > > > little while. > > > > > > > > > > Gone from first page down to position 173 now.
> > > > > > > > > > No adsense on it yet. > > > > > > > > > > There is nothing in the webmaster tools or message centre to suggest > > > > > > > > > > anything is wrong.
> > > > > > > > > > It is clear on that spam detector.
> > > > > > > > > > I can only assume that something that was ok is now not ok. > > > > > > > > > > I just need to find out what it is and get rid of it.
> > > > > > > > > > If something has changed with the rules / algorithms then I am > > > > > > > > > > wondering if it would be possible for Google to run the changes in > > > > > > > > > > test and if your site moves by more than say 10 places, update a > > > > > > > > > > message in the message centre. So that we can do something before the > > > > > > > > > > change goes live or at least be aware that it will happen.- Hide quoted text -
> > > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
> > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
