Link profile devalued - ranking and PR gone

[johnnie]

For one of my sites, my complete link profile has been devalued by google. My rankings are gone and so is my TBPR. How to recuperate form this? I know you're inclined to say 'get some uality links', but the crux here is that most (not all! the penalty in that sense is justified) links are already of good quality.

With these links devalued, am I now back at square one? Or will fixing up the bad links, getting some new quality ones and resubmitting a reconsideration request cause these old links to regain their power?

[tedster]

All is not necessarily lost. If you clean up the bad backlinks as best you can and then submit a reconsideration request, the ranking penalty can sometimes be lifted, restoring the value of the good quality backlinks.

However, before you make that request, also make sure your site is a clean as you can make it in every way. The penalty may include other factors in addition to the funky backlinks - and at any rate, the request will mean someone looks at the situation. So fix everything you can and consciesly explain what you fixed in your request.

[fom2001uk]

How can you be sure your link profile has been devalued? Google won't tell you much about your backlinks, so how can you come to that conclusion?

I'm interested because I've been thinking something similar has happened with one of my sites. The rankings have taken a hit, although the TBPR hasn't moved.

Could it be that Google is reducing the influence of links and/or increasing the influence of other factors (visitor behaviour, onsite content, etc) ?

[johnnie]

I think this because of the drop in TBPR (4->0) in one update *coupled with* a systematic drop for my site for *all* queries (including its own domain without .tld). THe lack in TBPR clearly signals a sudden lack in link worth.

[dazzlindonna]

Or it clearly signals a penalty, whether link related or not. Any chance it looks like you sold links? Any chance you've done anything else that goes against TOS?

[johnnie]

Yes, it is a penalty. The mechanism of the penalty being a (possibly manual?) indiscriminatory devaluation of my inbound links. This would explain my site's complete lack of ability to rank for anything.

I haven't sold links, although I do keep a directory in which I list industry-related suppliers (free of charge). The penalty most likely stems from a link exchange campaign I have been running; I've removed my links page and have submitted a reconsideration request three weeks ago. In adittion, I fixed some (minor) on-site duplicate content issues.

Mind you, I *do* have many quality one-way inbound links, but I think the reciprocals just caused G to devaluate my entire link profile as a way to penalize. What I wanted to know, is whether I'm back at square one when my site gets reinstated.

[SEOPTI]

With a link devaluation the TBPR usually only moves at the time PR is exported NOT at the time the links are devalued.

[johnnie]

With a link devaluation the TBPR usually only moves at the time PR is exported NOT at the time the links are devalued.

My TBPR dropped during last TBPR update.

[SEOPTI]

I think they devalue the links because they simply don't like a site, it's not because the links are bad or you have control over the links, it's simply because the site does not meet the quality guidelines.

[johnnie]

Which I would find extremely odd, given that my site is full of high quality content, including a regularly updated news section. I see unaffected site in my niche which offer significantly less value.

[SEOPTI]

Some of my sites have also been hit, so maybe it's time to follow Googles how to of the day "how to become a bounty hunter" ;)

[johnnie]

Googlebot is going mental on my site now. Maybe I've been reinstated. Let's see how this develops...

[Shaddows]

My bet is that you are being re-profiled. Possibly your good-to-bad link ratio has altered such as to warrant a new look, or some googler is running their profiling tools to aid their 'manual' review.