Looks Like Google Used Analytics to Impose Penalties

[kneukm03]

Just as a warning for fellow webmasters - I've been doing SEO on a number of sites for about five years. The only thing I do on any of them that violates Google's guidelines is that many of them have paid backlinks - no black hat, etc.

Recently the vast majority of my sites appear to have been manually penalized so that they don't show up for any search but the domain name.

That's Google's right to do that, but I wanted to warn everyone about something I consider scummy in the extreme: someone from Google used the private data from my Analytics account to find all my sites and visit each one to impose penalties on them.

How do I know this? Most of them are registered privately, so my name's not on them. A lot of them have the same copyright text on them, so you could find them by searching for that. But there are several that are registered privately and don't have that text or much content - one doesn't even have any links to it and was just a test domain with a paragraph and an affiliate link (no Adsense, no way to find it).

But right before the penalty was imposed, someone from Mountain View visited each and every one of my domains that have Analytics.

The only thing all these domains have in common is that they were on Analytics. I can't complain if Google wants to penalize me - that's their site. But the traffic data they collect from MY sites is supposed to be something private - something they claim they only use in the aggregate. Now they're apparently accessing that private data without my consent and using it to review my sites.

If you're a Webmaster, this is important to know - if you're doing anything at all that could result in an SEO penalty, Google can and apparently will review your Analytics account to find other domains you own. They could well be using your data for whatever other purposes they want to - and they don't appear to have any scruples about your own rights to the traffic data or your own privacy considerations.

[randle]

Google has been pretty clear on how they feel about paid links, so the FUD and occasional caning they hand out to those that get caught is all pretty much well known; nothing new there.

However, getting back to the OP's statement:

someone from Google used the private data from my Analytics account to find all my sites and visit each one to impose penalties on them.

I think we all can agree, that Google has come up with their very own definition of what the word "privacy" means and how that comes into play with the massive amounts of data mining they conduct.

However, rifling through a specific persons Analytics account, for a specific reason, I would consider to be intrusive by anyones standard.

My guess would be the penalty applied to the OP was not found through this method, but was more likely a simple matter of connecting the dots, or a competitor filed a spam report. However, i'm very interested to hear what others think.

Does Google look into your Analytics data if they have concerns about your web site?

[jeffposaka]

Why not use a unique Google Analytics account (and GWT) for each site?

[Reno]

Why not use a unique Google Analytics account (and GWT) for each site?

I considered this for myself at one point, but maybe I'm overly paranoid because I think they'd detect that in any number of ways, and then with their love of penalties would hit you even harder for trying to pull an end run. So for myself, I abandoned the idea and clustered all my sites into one account.

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[freejung]

Yeah, Reno, that's probably the best idea. Basic principle: never act paranoid around a cop. Even if you're not doing something wrong, they might bust you anyway just because you're _acting_ guilty.

Regarding the use of analytics data, from the analytics TOS linked above: "Confidential Information will not include any information that is or becomes known to the general public"

Well, when you put analytics code on a publicly available site, that's pretty much making it known to the general public that those sites are using the same analytics account. I mean, your account number is right there in the public-facing source code.

You explicitly, knowingly violated their guidelines while using their free tool and getting their free traffic, and now they've taken that free traffic away by utilizing information that you made publicly available to anyone on the web. So yeah, I'm not sure how that could reasonably be regarded as unfair.

[scottsonline]

@freejung, if the ten sites that replaced his in the SERPS are all buying links - and I bet they are, it is unfair. There isn't a search I've done that is keyword heavy where I can't use yahoo to find a bunch of bought links.

Google IMO devalues links pretty quickly on paid sites.

The only way to handle it is devalue the sites selling links and the links themselves.

[mhansen]

I saw a number of sites I was associated with ALL affected at the same time before as well. In my opinion, it was strictly due to some combination of the following:

- Same Analytics parent account
- Same Webmaster Tools
- Same Registrar
- Same Computer browsers accessed all sites (Same home IP anyway)

The only real common ground I could find was ME... even with different domain ownership info, I was listed as the tech contact on a couple that were affected.

I had started using Chrome (the browser) a few weeks prior... I LOVED the browser, but unfortunately, it was one of those common factors I will never use again!

Tin-foil hat aside (not too far though) I think Google has openly stated they would use Registrar information as a tool to increase the quality of their search index.

There is a LOT of noise surrounding Google and privacy lately, I think privacy will be the boon that drives people away from Google in hoardes...

[freejung]

if the ten sites that replaced his in the SERPS are all buying links - and I bet they are, it is unfair

Perhaps, but what is unfair about it is that they are _not_ being penalized.

[RP_Joe]

kneukm03, what about WMT? Could that play a roll in this?

BTW I have seen Google penalize ugly sites.

[scottsonline]

Just curious, did you post to this forum or others like it from the same ip as your analytics/WMT accounts?

[mhansen]

Just curious, did you post to this forum or others like it from the same ip as your analytics/WMT accounts?

I do.

And fully believe big brother watches everything I do... Maybe not the keystrokes, but definitely enough to build a profile about me. A darn good one at that!

[tedster]

Google has powerful internal tools for this purpose. I remember a Pubcon site review session many years back when a webmaster asked Matt Cutts about one site - and stood there dumbfounded as Matt almost immediately starting talking about 46 other sites he also ran.

[mhansen]

@ Tedster...

Thanks for confirming, I just added another deadbolt to my house doors! LOL

I guess I need to find a thorough guide to making sure Google can no longer track me. I realize the obvious things like:

- Stop using gmail
- Stop using WMT
- Stop using adsense
- Stop using Analytics
- Stop using Chrome
- Stop using ANY Google services.
- Stop using DOC's
- Block all cookies

So the question becomes.... is it worth blocking big brother, or just toting the creep line? If you don't have anything to hide... blah blah...

[tedster]

I just assume they can and do know every site that I work on - including any client who gives me access to their Analytics and/or WebmasterTools. I had to make my peace with that years ago or else go out back to retail ;(

Google knows more about my online activity than the IRS - because the IRS is pretty danged poor with data.

[scottsonline]

I don't have a WMT account just for this reason. The company owner keeps it. The site no longer uses google analytics, we never used gmail and bing is the default search engine on all company computers. I piggyback Internet connections whenever I can. What the other person wrote about google snooping wouldn't concern me if it weren't for all the stories about them being investigated for privacy breaches.

I think a lot of it - do you really think they're a charity? Data is worth money.

Anyway whatever they did to Ohno, my companys site is as slow as molasses this afternoon.

[Reno]

Google knows more about my online activity than the IRS

I expect it's just a matter of time before the IRS, other gov agencies, credit score firms, insurance companies & etc will come to Google to buy the data, because G does it so well. For all we know, they may be buying it now ~ we'd never find out if they did...

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[tedster]

If I had a huge pile of data, Google is someone I would turn to for advice on how to mine it. I wouldn't share it with them, not on your life. But I'd be happy to leverage their expertise on how to work it.

[jeffposaka]

@ mhansen

I don't you think you want to stop using all those services but I don't think you should add all your sites to one WMT or Adsense account.

Here is a good read (Google it):

Google Torpedoes Navy: You Sunk my Battleship!

[mhansen]

I expect it's just a matter of time before the IRS, other gov agencies, credit score firms, insurance companies & etc will come to Google to buy the data, because G does it so well

I expect that time passed LONG ago. We just haven't heard about it yet, and may never.

@ Jeff - I am fairly well diversified... but hate that I have to be! I try to play within the context of the rules, but like ANY Webmaster, I push myself right up to the line sometimes also! If I didn't, I wouldn't be doing my job right!

[jimbeetle]

Google has powerful internal tools for this purpose. I remember a Pubcon site review session many years back when a webmaster asked Matt Cutts about one site - and stood there dumbfounded as Matt almost immediately starting talking about 46 other sites he also ran.

Ah yes, that was a bit of a Wow! moment, made even Wower! when Matt started talking about the linking patterns.

[Reno]

I expect that time passed LONG ago. We just haven't heard about it yet, and may never.

When I posted I had not seen the thread that engine started over in G Finance: Google Sued Over Search Query Sharing [webmasterworld.com]

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[CainIV]

How do I know this? Most of them are registered privately, so my name's not on them

Does Google have access to the information even though the public does not?

A lot of them have the same copyright text on them

There's a footprint.

Additionally, if websites have received backlinks which are thought by Google to be paid, and if there is a union in backlink profile between those websites, this would likely be enough to pass judgement on all of them in my opinion.

[CainIV]

I guess I need to find a thorough guide to making sure Google can no longer track me. I realize the obvious things like:

- Stop using gmail
- Stop using WMT
- Stop using adsense
- Stop using Analytics
- Stop using Chrome
- Stop using ANY Google services.
- Stop using DOC's
- Block all cookies

Another valid option would be to stay away from paid links for the most part, and develop a diverse link profile that involves high quality links from a large number of sources.

[mhansen]

Another valid option would be to stay away from paid links for the most part, and develop a diverse link profile that involves high quality links from a large number of sources.

You may have confused what I mentioned, with the OP. I actually do very little for link building and prefer to let the public dictate the value of my content, by linking to it on their own.

I walk right up to the gray line... but avoid crossing it! :-)

[chrislloyd515]

Using the Analytics code is already used within google to determine who a domain is associated with, if you set up webmaster tools on a site with analytics you can verify by checking that the analytics code already on the site is associated with the same account.

It's not exactly a giant leap if webmaster tools has access to analytics to match an analytics ID with a G Account... that the search algorithm could also have the same associatiation.

I was amazing when google managed to match together 20 of our sites within google places "related sites" section by noticing 1 line of duplicated text on pages that were blocked though robots.txt