Swebbie - 5:12 am on Jun 28, 2005 (gmt 0)

The sandbox is the best indicator that Google's core philosophy is no longer viable. Savvy webmasters long ago learned how to game the results because of G's heavy emphasis on links. Google simply added insult to injury (injury they caused to begin with) by introducing this ridiculous sandbox idea. Examine the logic...

Google doesn't want to "reward" any site that gets "too many" links "too quickly." Um, what if I choose to get a bunch of links because I want the TRAFFIC from those links on related sites? DUH! That Google would penalize a new site for actually trying to get visitors from related sites should tell us all how out of whack things are.

Yes yes, I know, Google owes none of us anything. How they rank sites is purely their own purview. I'm merely pointing out the sandbox was borne out of a flaw in their own underlying philosophy of ranking sites. They chose to overemphasize linking and underemphasize actual on-page content. Sticking new sites that actually try to get the word out about themselves and bring in visitors through links on related sites is an idiotic way to rectify a problem they created for themselves.

Ignore Google and their schizophrenic ways. Get lots of links on related sites and do basic optimization around good keywords. You'll get the traffic and sleep better at night not worrying so much about where you rank on the Insane Search Engine.