specific pages got dropped - ripple effect

a change we made inadvertantly caused a penalty

[websitegal]

Our site had a number of holiday specific pages, and the file names reflected the holiday. After the holiday passed, the pages were changed to be more non-specific. We kept them because of a high page rank they had acquired.

In making the changes, those pages inadvertantly became very similar to other pages on our site. Now much of our site is being penalized. What to do? Should the holiday specific pages be removed completely? Can or should we use those files for other content, even though the file names refer to the holiday?

[martinibuster]

Why not leave them as they were, ready for the holidays next year?

[BigDave]

Have they lost their PageRank? If they are simply not showing up, in the searches, they are simply being filtered out, not penalized.

How is the rest of your site being penalized? You refer to a ripple effect, but you don't explain.

[kaled]

As a programmer, when I stuff up, I'll often take a backstep before trying again.

Unless you have good reasons not to, undo the changes, watch what happens and learn from the results.

Kaled.

[websitegal]

Hi ..

the site has dropped out of site during a search.. on Google. it used to be on the top for searching the terms many people put in.. but now it's nearly impossible to find..

What's or how is a "filter" used by google and how is it different from being penalized.

btw.. I am taking steps to undo any major changes that might have unknowingly tripped things up. Still not sure what's happening. just..down down..down..

[ogletree]

Put them back and see what happens. If that works then take off the holiday and add some content that makes them different to the rest of your site.