Unnatural link message, now site penalized - remove bad links or new site?

[WebChicken]

Hello All,

Well, I hired a "white hat" SEO company recommended by a very big name in the SEO business.

I had not been checking the back links until my site got hit site wide with the penalty today. I am not ranking in the top 100 FOR ANYTHING.

I signed up for WMT and there was the dreaded "unnatural links" message.

So I signed up for some tools and saw the AWFUL SPAM back links! CRAP!

Most of them are on "unmanned blogs" so I cannot see how in the world I can get 550 bad links taken away.

What should I do?

Delete the site and republish on another domain? I have a domain that is the same age. 7 years old.

Any thoughts on this?

[WebChicken]

I think there are going to be A LOT OF US in this boat!

[Pjman]

It depends on what the site had going for it, without the bad links. If there was a great deal of underlying quality I would work with it.

Otherwise, I'd move the content to a new domain and play the whitehat game.

[bhartzer]

I think there are going to be A LOT OF US in this boat!

Only if "a lot of us" hire so-called "white hat" SEO firms to build spammy links to sites.

It's NOT okay for an SEO firm to get you links like that--especially if they end up doing more harm to your site than good.

If it were me and the SEO firm I hired built spammy links then I would ask for my money back. But that's just me.

[martinibuster]

I suspect the so-called SEO company you dealt with may have direct control over those links, i.e. they directly control the websites or paid a third party for the link inventory. Contact them and ask them to pull all the links.

[n00b1]

Is the message dated at all? If this is more widespread then it sounds as if the new algorithm update places you in a sort of semi-automated penalty box which you must pass manual review to get out of. If it works like a manual penalty then there would presumably be a timeout period. That could be a long time to wait though.

[WebChicken]

I am wondering if it is a manual review. With no penalty box out?

Or if it is an automated penalty and a sandbox?

I have some really old good links. I would hate to do the manual review and then they find out all of those too - and say they are spam?

I might be new to a lot of you now. But, I was a Member here before the Log-In showing I joined in 2001.

I am just going to wait and see for a week or so.

I did talk to the SEO guy and they can pull all of the links.

I am not just into a manual review. Then you are dealing with a person. And that person could be a dick.

Plus, I am in a very competitive field - "real estate".....

[WebChicken]

Should I have the new links pulled?

Wish I knew if this penalty was manual or auto....

[martinibuster]

In light of recent events I would guess it's algorithmic.

[WebChicken]

My Bing results are the same as Google? Same pages missing or not ranking?

My other sites are still killing Bing?

[martinibuster]

Are the Bing results something you just noticed?

[WebChicken]

Yes. Just noticed the Bing results.

All my other sites are killing Bing.

Would anyone like to make a few hundred bucks helping me out on what to do?

I just paid BIG TIME to totally redo this site!

[Leosghost]

I have to ask ..if you have been here at WebmasterWorld since 2001 ( which I don't doubt )..WTH did you need to hire "outside SEO" for ?..

11 years of reading here ( even 2 or 3 years if one reads thoroughly and analyses well ) ought to mean you could do your own SEO with your eyes shut..

Dump the bad links ..sit it out for 30 days..watch for movement every 12 hours during that time ( G likes to "cycle" alternative serps on a roughly 12 hour basis ) what you see will/ should give you "pointers"..

If after that time there are no obvious "pointers" and you haven't recovered on anything that you need to stay afloat..

Launch another site .( keep the old one up as a "lab" ) ..new name , full privacy, new company if needs be, new IP block , new server(s) or hoster..and don't buy crap links for it..

You'll need to do other stuff too..

[WebChicken]

Thanks for the reply. Been busy making money in commercial real estate. Used to get all of my leads via that site. It is doing OK. But, I give leads to residential people.

I can just build a site. Get a FEW links and in a few months I am ranking well. I guess my "art" is in the structure, copy, and building a super clean site.

I honestly never had any SEO issues until now!

I hired the guy because 2 sites were taking my 2-3 spot.

Guess what? THEY ARE GONE NOW. I would be there now.

But, now I am penalized.

So, just get rid of the new spam links?

Don't respond to the Google "Letter"?

Wait 30 days and then build the new site again on an aged domain?

[Leosghost]

Respond after you dump the links..

Then begin the 30 days..watching as I said every 12 hours for how the old site doing..and noting what gets "de-penalised" and what doesn't..daily ..a pattern will show up ..of things that they "forgave" you on ..or things that have cleared up..and those that haven't, or which are apparently still being held against you..

Meanwhile if you can build sites make two more..one if you have access to an aged domain ( although if the domain in question is not very close to your subject, ie the "switching on" of the new site may "raise the algos eyebrows" if that happened, you may not get the "new domain boost" that G usually gives for 15 days..

and also build another ..different structure etc ..for a new name IP etc ...with no common factors betwen it and the old one ..OK maybe not go to the extent of making a new business name or registering a new "corp" but ..don't make it look like the old one with a cahnge of hair and lipstick ..nor like the old ones kid sister..

You may launch the second "new one" even if the "old one" recovers, and or "the refreshed one" takes off ..

Eggs and baskets..you need to fix your basket ..and make new ones so as to spread your eggs around..

HTH :)
And* even if it is obvious to say this ..double check that you don't interlink them..or have commonalities ..even in source codes..like don't yous the same template with custom tweaks that only you are likely to have..

*yes I started a sentence with "and"..oi!

[craybin]

If no access to remove unnatural link than how can we remove links.