Panda and Reconsideration Requests - my rankings dropped further

[Pjman]

My site got Panadlized. Once I realized where all the thin content was, 50% of the site was thin user generated content, I NOINDEX it and began to review all pages and remove bad pages one by one.

At the same time a few people were pushing for reconsideration request. So I filed one when I realized the whole extent of the problem and corrected it.

It took about 5 weeks, but the reconsideration was just processed. Since Feb 24 all the SERP for my main words were set in cement, no change what so ever. Today, a day after the reconsideration request being processed, a lot my SERPs have dropped even further and are starting to bounce around.

Should I take this as a good sign or a bad sign?

[tedster]

What you're reporting sounds something like this new thread: Sporadic Move from #1 to #101 in SERPS [webmasterworld.com]

Is it a good or bad sign? If my current guess is right, the previous evaluation of your site is now being tested by Google's machine-learning system. If your ranking doesn't stabilize at some point soon, then I'd say you need to do something more to raise the site's game overall.

[kd454]

MC said reconsideration requests are for Manual penalty's only... So putting one in for Panda would do you no good.

[crobb305]

Without having seen the thread that Tedster linked to, I'm inclined to think it was a shift that others are experiencing as well. I, too, was starting to bounce around, with some positive improvements in traffic since Monday. Then yesterday, a 20% drop. I have not submitted any type of requests. I am seeing pages (2 or 3 at a time) drop 200 or 300 positions, then rise, followed by another set of pages the next day and so on...

[Planet13]

Then yesterday, a 20% drop. I have not submitted any type of requests. I am seeing pages (2 or 3 at a time) drop 200 or 300 positions, then rise, followed by another set of pages the next day and so on...

for what it's worth, I have seen some movement like this lately, too. However, my site probably wasn't hit by panda, as much as it was a something of a content overhaul.

[ken_b]

MC is Matt Cutts, right? If so where and when did he say this....

MC said reconsideration requests are for Manual penalty's only

[tedster]

This is the video - from February. When are penalties lifted? [youtube.com] < link fixed >

[edited by: tedster at 4:15 am (utc) on Apr 5, 2011]

[crobb305]

Tedster, the one above goes to a robots.txt question, but I found the correct link on youtube but the system wouldn't let me post it here.

[Pjman]

@tedster

I guess you are right. It just struck me as very odd that not a single SERP for my sites or my competitors changed position since Panda. Six weeks goes by, they process my reconsideration and now there is movement almost instantly? Al be it negative position changes, but changes none the less.

[tedster]

Sorry about that incorrect link - here's the right one:

When are penalties lifted?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES01L4xjSXE [youtube.com]


< fixed link >

[edited by: Robert_Charlton at 4:06 am (utc) on Apr 5, 2011]
[edit reason] fixed link [/edit]

[zerillos]

I guess the reconsideration request was a coincidence. A lot of people are reporting further drops since april 1st/2nd. Around 15-20%

[maximillianos]

We got the same canned reconsideration request response yesterday. I think they must have just sent them out to everyone in a batch or something.

Our traffic took a slight dip as well, but I thought probably related to the masses of pages we have been cleaning up and removing more than anything else.

For anyone over hauling their sites, I would think we'll see a drop in traffic before we see an increase... seems only natural while G figures everything out with our changes/fixes.

[walkman]

Pjman, coincidence is my guess. Looks like google is tightening the screws, still based on the original Panda. That's why we see less traffic and Yahoo, other big sites and eHow seem to have taken over, even more. Those that got more traffic are getting more, we even less. And traffic is very wild, I can tell that they are many versions of SERPs, one of them even likes me but for very short time :)

[rico_suarez]

To change content right away after Panda and react in panic was a big mistake for everybody. Even bigger mistake was to subjectively decide what should be changed or even deleted. The drop is inevitable since G is most probably still tweaking algo and the poor machine can't tell right from wrong anymore.

[Shatner]

I can confirm I got the same canned response to my reconsideration request the same day.

So it sounds like Google just hit "reply all" to all the Panda reconsideration requests. Odds are they aren't even actually looking at any of them, and they're all in the trash.

[synthese]

I too got the same auto-response just a few days ago. However the only change I've noticed is a slight increase in non-US google referrals about a week or so ago.

[walkman]

Probably wrote a script due to the volume of sent requests: if no manual penalty > send response and ignore. Google has said that unless it's a manual penalty, nothing will be done. Not 100% true probably but to close to it.

[ken_b]

On another site I found the video from February where Cutts says that reconsideration requests are for manual penalties. I didn't see where he said anything about reconsideration requests being useful, or not useful, for ranking changes related to a new or updated algo.
.

[tedster]

I'm confused too. Something funky seems to be happening with the redirect.

At any rate, attempt #3 - here is the correct URL in text for you to copy and paste.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES01L4xjSXE

[Robert Charlton]

Ted - To jump in here, what's happening with the redirect is that some browsers recognize the hash character when redirected, and some don't. I'm stating it badly, but basically you can't post links to YouTube on WebmasterWorld if the urls contain hash marks.

[tedster]

Thanks, Bob - I suspected that but didn't have time to verify. So finally, for ease of browsing, here's a clickable link, and between the two of us, we fixed the earlier ones, too.

When are penalties lifted? [youtube.com]