Get Off Google’s Naughty List

Santa isn’t the only one making a list and checking it twice. Like old Saint Nick, Google’s job is to help people get what they want or need, whether it is the answer to a question or a link to a site that offers the product or service you need. But, unlike him, Google works around the clock.

Google’s Naughty List

Instead of elves, Google has bots that work in quality control, ensuring that the results you find underneath your search bar are exactly what you asked for.

Sometimes, people try to cheat these bots to get a better ranking, and those caught doing it are given a Google Penalty, which is essentially a sentence to Google’s Naughty list. And people on Google’s Naughty list don’t get the exposure they asked for.

A Google Penalty is a negative ranking or removal from their search engine results page due to violating Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.

How you end up on Google’s Naughty List

Sometimes people do wrong things on purpose, and sometimes by accident, ignorance or negligence. There are several reasons why a website may be penalized. 

There is cheating, like using duplicate content, keyword stuffing, link schemes, cloaking, and hidden text to boost your ranks artificially. 

But sometimes, it’s simply a mistake or accident, like if a site has too many low-quality or broken backlinks or has been hacked and is hosting malicious content.

Likewise, there are two types of penalties: Manual and Algorithmic. A manual penalty is issued by a Google employee who has identified a violation of the guidelines. An automated system issues an algorithmic penalty when it detects a violation. 

Depending on the severity of the violation, the penalty can last anywhere between a day and a year, depending on Google’s evaluation of the issue. In some cases, you may not be able to lift the penalty at all.

How do I know I’m on the Naughty List?

Well, if  the fact that you’ve been given a hat with donkey ears and were told to sit in the corner doesn’t convince you, here are a few ways to know for sure:

Check your website’s ranking in the SERP

The first step in identifying if your website has been penalized is to check its ranking in the SERP. If your website has dropped significantly in the rankings, it may be a sign that you have been penalized.

Analyze your website’s backlinks

Another way to identify if your website has been penalized is to analyze your website’s backlinks. If you have a lot of low-quality backlinks, it may be a sign that you have been penalized.

Check your website’s organic traffic

Finally, you can check your website’s organic traffic to see if it has decreased. If your organic traffic has decreased significantly, it may be a sign that you have been penalized.

So, how do you get back on the Nice List?

You can wait out your punishment in the dark corner with the angry cat and that kid that looks at you funny, but there’s no point in a time-out if you don’t reflect on your actions and learn from them.  

Find and remove any low-quality backlinks

The first step in removing a Google penalty is to find and remove any low-quality backlinks pointing to your website. This can be done using a tool such as Google Search Console.

Disavow any remaining low-quality backlinks

Once you have identified and removed any low-quality backlinks, you should then disavow any remaining backlinks. This can be done using the Google Disavow Tool.

Submit a reconsideration request to Google

Finally, you should submit a reconsideration request to Google. This request should include an explanation of why you think your website was penalized and what steps you have taken to fix the issue.

Learn from your Mistakes

Now that you’ve worked hard to get back on Google’s good side, let’s consider what you have to do to keep it that way:

Monitor your website’s backlinks

One of the best ways to avoid penalties in the future is to monitor your website’s backlinks. This can be done using a tool such as Google Search Console.

Avoid using black-hat SEO tactics

It is also important to avoid using black-hat SEO tactics such as keyword stuffing, link schemes, and cloaking. These tactics can result in a Google penalty.

Keep your content up-to-date

Finally, it is important to keep your content up-to-date. This will help ensure that your content is relevant and high-quality, which will help avoid any penalties.

Digital marketing efforts can be a great way to grow, but they require time, patience and commitment. A Google penalty or a suboptimal website can cost you a lot of time and money. 

If you want to grow your business, hiring a  google ad company to take care of your digital marketing efforts can help you do that.

Mrkt360 is a digital marketing agency in Toronto, Canada, specializing in Google Advertisement. Our team offers google ads and penalty removal services to help keep your website on Google’s nice list so you don’t miss out on exposure and conversions

Schedule a meeting with us, and we’ll work on helping your business grow with the gift of commitment and engagement.