Forum Moderators: Robert Charlton & goodroi
But it is absolutely non-existent in Google. I don't mean it has the new-site filter or places poorly. I mean, "site:sitename.com" returns:
"Your search - site:sitename.com - did not match any documents."
Specific quotes from the site return exactly... zero results.
What could be causing this?
[edited by: tedster at 9:33 pm (utc) on Oct. 6, 2006]
1. It's a new site - search for sandbox and read up.
2. You have no links to your site - start looking at quality directories.
3. You have a penalty - read Google's guidelines and fix the problem.
4. You have navigation problems within your site that have upset google, and your site cannot be spidered properly - Xenu is your friend.
There are other possible problems, but I'd start by eliminating these.
1. It's a new site - search for sandbox and read up.2. You have no links to your site - start looking at quality directories.
3. You have a penalty - read Google's guidelines and fix the problem.
4. You have navigation problems within your site that have upset google, and your site cannot be spidered properly - Xenu is your friend.
Thanks for the suggestions, but I addressed most of those in my first post.
1. The "sandbox" holds pages back in serps, but the site should still show up in site:www.sitename.com.
2. It has links from several major sites in the "industry".
3. That's what I'm trying to do.
4. Google spiders the site just fine. Just to be safe, I uploaded a sitemap to google webmaster tools - no errors.
Regarding #3 - The reason I posted this forum was because I've analyzed the site and can find nothing wrong. So I posted it here.
[edited by: tedster at 5:26 pm (utc) on Oct. 7, 2006]
Since you already have an account with WebmasterTools, a reinclusion request would be in order if you find any evidence of past monkey business.
Without a full site review - which is against WebmasterWorld policy - it's impossible to know what kind of penalty you have.
But if you have failed to pinpoint a problem, the chances are that it's a linking problem.
You need to review all your outgoing links, especially any reciprocal links.
Look even more closely at any linking schemes you've joined - otherwise known as 'suicide societies' - and any links you've reciprocated that are not related to your niche (otherwise known as 'suicide swaps').
Once you've looked closely, remove them from your site. :)
1. Yes, 4 months is very likely not to have established enough trust -- in other words, the sandbox effect.
2. Yes, even with the sandbox effect, you would expect to see at least the index page in a [site:] search.
3. All the googlebot spidering is a positive sign - probably the effect of those solid links you reported.
I suggest you check the logs to make sure your server is actually giving a "200 OK" response header and sending back full files to Google. You could be in a situation where the server is not configured properly, and no matter how often googlebot asks, it isn't getting a real answer.
What you describe sounds like to the domain could be not just penalized but banned. Have you looked into the past history of the domain name, to see if it was in use previously and possibly part of some serious spamming? Try checking the Wayback Machine at archive.org
I did look at the wayback machine, and the domain was owned in 2001 - but it's a very innocent looking non-spammy site (did they even HAVE spam in 2001)? :)
My incoming links are all high-ranking, old sites - for the most part. "Authority" sites. I have no reciporical links (maybe a couple of incidentals, but nothing "unnatural"). I've taken part in no linking schemes, or done anything even slightly questionable.
I recently created 2 more websites, and both were indexed within a few days. Interestingly, both of those sites were discovered by google through the site in question.
Banned but still being crawed... with at least some minimal amount of trust?
Sigh.
I did go ahead and send in a reinclusion request.
Thanks.
Perhaps googlebot decided that you were spamming from that site and nuked it. There is a recent thread about a pr8 site that tried to expand rapidly and aggresively into monetizing keywords and was knocked down. I experienced the same in at least 3 ocassions with established domains that acted as springboards and in all cases the rug was pulled under my feet. When I backed down the domains came back, except in the most recent mishap indicating maybe a more punitive style.
In this case, however, site #1 has been up for 4 months, and was never indexed. Sites #2 and #3, which both logically deserve their own site (as they are related to, but depart from) the theme of site #1 - have only been up for 1 and 2 weeks.
Ad revenue isn't a major motivation at all at the moment, to be honest, as keywords in my themes tend to be 5 cent-ers. :)
It's also good practice - and a wise precaution - to use 'nofollow' in forums, or stop signatures. Or at least monitor them.
Links should never, ever be taken for granted, specially if offered up unasked by visitors. As I said above,
Look even more closely at any linking schemes you've joined - otherwise known as 'suicide societies' - and any links you've reciprocated that are not related to your niche (otherwise known as 'suicide swaps').
That means the whole site - not just the bits you wrote yourself. And for 'joined', include 'created'
Of course, it is entirely possible I am looking at the wrong site - in which case I unreservedly apologise. :)
Just sit back and relax your see the site appear within the next few weeks without doing anything at all.
That's what I've been doing... for a few weeks. :) If it was a matter of POOR placement, I'd be relaxed. But it's not - it's a matter of comlete absense from the index.
Jane_Doe
Did you use an expired domain?
Yes, the domain expired in 2001. It was a very simple 5-page brochure site for a local business... no links in or out. Very innocent looking...
Quadrille
Do one further check in Google, for "a unique phrase from the site" .... But if you have failed to pinpoint a problem, the chances are that it's a linking problem.
Sorry I missed this earlier. Phrase searches turn up completely empty. And all my links are absolutely clean ("good neighborhoods), in and out. Most of my incoming links are from top-rankers.
Personally, I'd recheck those links. Some of them look pretty tenuous to me. Article farms are really no different to link farms where Google is concerned. And they attract the same kind of webmasters, too.
It doesn't sound like you're looking at the same site! I don't have any outgoing links to articles at all. I have developed ALL the content on the site, except for about 15 articles I paid for, which are also on the site, and unique.
I'm pretty sure I don't have anything going to link farms or article farms...
I guess at this point I've about covered all the bases. See how that reinclusion request fares...
I contacted Google and explained the issue and they did reallow the site to be included.
Thanks again everyone! Now I can actually start working on my position.
