Is PR0 Misunderstood

why email Google?

[austtr]

The need to contact Google when a site has earned PR0 has been ticking away in the far corners of my mind (that's an oxymoron in my case) and some recent posts have caused me to put finger (singular) to keyboard..... and no, I don't have a zero'ed site so this is not personal.

If someone has been deliberately and persistently trying to subvert the system, and their site is banned, then surely the site is gone... as in no longer in the Google index.

But if a site is still in the index, albeit PR0 for whatever reason, then surely it can be reworked to remove whatever Google has a problem with, Googlebot will revisit and treat the site on its merits.

What is the purpose of emailing Google and hoping someone will reply?

[Beachboy]

I suppose a substantial number of emails to Google on the subject is to provide notification that corrections have been made. To what extent PR0 is automatic, with a specific penalty expiration date, is unknown to we mere mortals. So folks write to Google in hopes someone will look at the site and consider removing the penalty. There is lots of reason to believe some PR0 penalties are not removed, or removed quickly, or removed completely, via any automated process.

[pageoneresults]

> then surely it can be reworked to remove whatever Google has a problem with, Googlebot will revisit and treat the site on its merits.

Hehehe, good one! Actually in theory that would be correct and most of us would like to think so. Unfortunately, it doesn't work out that way. There are still sites that got hit with PR0 back in December 2001 that are still having difficulty today. Many have trashed their PR0 domain and have built a new property. Others are slowly gaining PR but not to the levels they once were and it appears to be a slow process.

Don't get me wrong, there have been a few here who have regained their status within the Google index, but for the most part PR0 is a terminal illness.