Update question - when does Google consider cross linking bad?

[rharris]

We have about 10 or so small sites, each site is about 3-7 pages big. Each site is unique in content and deals with a specific product. On the bottom of each page we list links to our other sites (about 10). These links at the bottom of each page are not for spamming, but rather for the user’s benefit, as most users we found are interested in our other products.

After working very hard, the March 2003 Google update rewarded us with a PR4 for most of these sites and first page results in the SERPS for our important key phrases, while our competition stayed about the same. In the latest April 2003 update, all of these sites have dropped to PR0, except 2 which have PR1, while our competition moved up in the SERPS. How do we know if we are banned or just penalized?

The only thing that we changed between updates was;
1.Gave each site it’s own dedicated IP address. All sites were on a shared IP address and after reading posts and getting paranoid about shared IP’s, we paid our hosting company more money to get off of the shared IP. The new IP’s are all within the same three Class C blocks. We took the IP’s our hosting company gave us and did not ask for each site to have a different class C. We are not trying to be tricky or hide anything.
2.Used a server side include to dynamically show our links at the bottom of each page. The reason we did this, is so as we add sites, we can update just one file and not every site.

All this said, the reason for posting is our main competition who does the same thing we do (using an include for links to other product sites at the bottom of each page, some of our competition have 50 plus links) have actually moved up in the SERPS from were they have been in the last three months, while their PR and inbound links have stayed about the same. So, from this I figure the dedicated IP’s and new include can not be the reason, if so our competition would be down too. Help…..

[allanp73]

Hi,

I think it's sounds like your sites will have to go through a second update in order for Google to discover the new IP addresses and properly give them pr. It might not be a penalty, but just confusion due to the change in IP.
Though I would like to hear others' opinions.

[mrguy]

Based on the latest update, as long as your main site does not link back to the other sites, you can build 50 sites and have every single page link to the main site and not get get penalized.

I am seeing many companies do this with immunity and they are adding more every month and dominating in the SERPS.

As long as the user gets what they looked for, Google appears to be looking the other way.

[netguy]

<as long as your main site does not link back to the other sites>

Based on what you posted, it would appear that there is no 'main' site, and they just link back and forth between all ten of them. While there are several here that may think this is problematic, I personally haven't seen a problem at all for the past several years.

We have dozens of news sites that link back and forth, where 'sports news' sites links to 'terrorist news' sites etc., and the important thing to consider is that it would be rediculous for Google to punish a site for providing more independent information that a visitor might also want to look at.

I'm leaning toward allanp73's comments about Google simply not seeing your IP changes yet. (so don't panic yet!)

Good luck!

Steve

[rharris]

Thanks!
You guys rip. I just got back from a ball game, which helped with the therapy of having good results last month...then bad results this month.
I do indeed have many sites all linking to each other …all connected..kinda of like one big web, and no main site. All sites are different in content. I noticed GG (Google Guy) posts a lot and would love to hear from him if linking unique sites all together from the same IP class C blocks (or 3) will hurt you? But if not new IP’s then what?
Google did something similar to this to a site of ours last August and the site never has recovered. Initially the site started with a PR 2 or 3 (I forget) two or three months after launch. Then a month later this site had a white bar (well I say it was white, never seeing a grey bar) and a PR0. Everyone claimed it was a penalty, but I LOOKED HARD, and changed everything remotely suspicious (like changing the IP’s from shared to dedicated now). I wrote to Google several times,…but no response ( I realize they are “kinda busy”) To this day this site is still PR0.
Thanks for all responses I will post again after the next update if things do not change. I just would like to know definitely, but I guess that’s why we all post here …..to speculate.