doughayman - 3:13 pm on Sep 26, 2008 (gmt 0)

sunroof,

I share your pain. My site is over 10 years old, and most of my Top 10 terms are now in the top 30-40 range, similar to you. I've made many mods similar to you, and things are just worse not better. I've done the following:

- Rectified WMT errors/warnings
- Fixed a possible domain.com and www.domain.com issue canonical
issue at the server (they were yielding different IP addresses).
- Removed all references to possible unscrupulous external links,
even if they were 2 generations out.

I have not attempted a reinclusion request, as I hate using my last bullet, and am still hoping that my rankings will one day magically reappear. This "lotto" mentality is probably a shot in the dark, but I am still hoping for the best.

I also make periodic and normal content changes.

After many, many years of strong organic traffic, this algo change/penalty has been tough to accept.