How to Determine a Site Ban

[turnip]

First post, so here goes.

I've done a search and I can't see if this as been discussed before so here goes.

I run a widget site, as one would do when posting on here, I've always wanted to own a widget site, and it disappeared from google on Jun 13th at 9am, my question is.

I can still be found for the brand name, I can still see my site when I do site:widgets.com, backlinks haven't gone but for all major phrases I'm in the 40 or 50's after being No1 for most widget phrases.

I've got a webmaster tools account for the site so if I was banned would google leave me a message, is there any reason why they wouldn't leave a message?

I'm trying to determine if I have been banned and I think I haven't but I'm basing that on the fact that google never sent me a message saying I had been banned.

[Tomson]

You ranked high at he very beginning because your site was given a "Fresh Site Bonus". It usually last 2-3 weeks and then your pages go where they should (depending how well you've been linked).

[turnip]

The site is 5 years old, the last 4 years it was number one for the market it was in.

[tedster]

Welcome to the forums, turnip.

A ban would mean that your site doesn't show up in any search - so that extreme is something you can rule out. But it sure does sounds like a heavy penalty if it affected all your major searches.

Have you been agressive in getting backlinks, without attracting any of those natural, editorial backlinks that Google loves so well? Often widespread drops like your report are from what Google feels are linking violations, rather than violations on your site.

Google does not always send a message when there's a penalty, and I've never heard of one when there's a ban. The messages seem to go out more often when Google is pretty certain the sites violations were created innocently.

[turnip]

The site as got a lot of natural linking, it is 5 years old, but we did need to be found on the front page of google.com for a widget event which was annunced only a few weeks before it went ahead, we did pile on the links to a certian section of the site to acheive the results.

I did see a thread elsewhere on this forum from somebody who piled on the links and I think that is what the problem might be.

I have already started removing links which we set up to be found.

If thats the problem and we resolve is it best just to wait, I dont need to fill out a re include form do I.

Thanks for the help, Ive been reading this site for about three years, I never wanted to start a thread though!

[turnip]

Also I have noticed somebody from google comes onto the site three or four times a day and views the section I mentioned, they dont stay for more then 20 - 30 seconds at a time but every day since the site was dropped down the rankings they come and visit.

Its not a spider, I dont think because they dont look at other parts of the site.

Could they be looking for something whihc needs to be removed?

[Tomson]

Are you sure withdrawing links will help after the penalty was set? I would rather get more links, not that strong and not that many at once. Just a few weak links daily and monitor SERP's. Once thing considers me tke most, there are more and more penalties that seem to be manual.

[tedster]

No, from what we can discuss on a public forum, I can't be sure that the links are the problem. I'm just saying that's the first place I suspect. And if you can easily withdraw the links then Google probably knows they are not true and freely given editorial links.

[turnip]

Thanks for the help guys, I might just add a few normal links and wait for a month and see how it goes, we are only missing 4,000 - 6,000 hits a day at the moment, I've got almost year until our next big window when the traffic hits 150,000 unqiues a day. I can't miss that.

Also our websites branding is widget a, the domain name though is widget b, at some point in the future we were going to do a 301 redirect within the windows server from the widget b domain to the widget a domain.

Because traffic is low now I almost want to pree the button now and get it all sorted but with a rankings dip would I be crazy to do this now, if I had a penalty would gogle think Im trying to escape from it.

I need to move it but is it worth the risk doing it this week?

[hercules]

build a new website on the site with different optimisation density's and different system for getting on the site. Be as "natural"as you can and as careful as you can.

(had the same problem with many sites (first page on page 1 for years then 50, 60) The sites never came back. You probably have some kind of ban. I think the algo doesn't like affiliate link, adult entertainment and gambling. especially when these three are mixed.

[turnip]

Im not sure they are the reasons, in the wigdet field we cover we are only site that covers the wigdets in full, offering news, articles, stats etc etc other sites cover the wigdets but their coverage is part of a general wigdet site.

We pride ourselves on being the only dedicated wigdet website for the wigdets we cover.

We have lots of natural links for established trust worthy websites, we mix in paid links from over wigdet websites to cement th etop posistions.

I feel we might have gone over board in out attempts to rank number one for a phrase which I mentioned above.