Can Google and Stopbadware.org ruin your web site? Please help.

[brucec]

Does Google and StopBadware.org really have the right to label your site as a badware site? I am at my wit's end

This is really frustrating. I received an email from a member of my web site that there was a Google Warning. When I searched for my web sites, Google conveniently placed a This Site May Harm Your Computer link on my web site with an explanation page that the web site placed badware on it or is linking to one that does. I never did.

Now, these idiots at StopBadware.org are have reported my web site to Google that I have badware on my web site. I have read all over the web how these idiots make mistakes, but in the process, they ruin your web site’s reputation. Now Google has decided to support them and that makes Google look really bad and unprofessional in my opinion. Now, when people search for my web site on Google, do they really want to do business with me? All because of the mistakes that StopBadWare.org constantly makes and Googles bad decision to support them, my web site’s reputation that I am trying to build up, currently with a membership of 140 podcasters, will ruin my any chance of my web site growing now.

This is really annoying. I filled out the request form on StopBadware.org to have them review my web site, but they said my site is in a queue since they are reviewing other web sites that they unfairly labeled as badware sites too. So, now, I have to wait for them to move their carcasses to review my web site while it just sits there in Google labeled as a site that can harm your computer. I understand that StopBadware.org has GOOD intentions, but their process for reviewing and reporting web sites is horrible and good professional, legitimate web sites get a bad name in the process.

This is not fair especially because my web site does not have badware on it. I am trying to build a reputation and now Google and Stopbadware.org will singlehandedly ruin any chances of my site gaining in reputation, and now with blogging, who knows how many people in the podcasting/blogging community will spread the damage that Google and Stopbadware.org are causing my web site?

I am so perturbed by this. Doesn’t Stopbadware.org have any business morals? Don’t you think they should try contacting the webmaster with a warning of 10, 15, or even 30 days to rectify the situation before they unprofessionally report your web site?

Has this happened to anybody else here?

[jtara]

I think it's odd that both Google and then stopbadware made the same "mistake".

In any case, I doubt calling them idiots is going to help.

Here's something from the stopbadware site that may help, though:

For sites that have been added the most recently, the Clearinghouse listing includes examples of URLs within the website that lead to badware. We'll be adding more information for older listings in the Clearinghouse in the coming weeks.

Maybe this will help you identify just what on your site they are making a "mistake" about.

[webdesignbilling]

Stopbadware.org also did this to my web site and after emailing them 4 times, they finally removed it in 2 weeks, but you have to constantly bug stopbadware.org, or they will never fix the problem. I can see how they have made a mistake. They are known for that. Like you said, they should give you a warning and a grace period to fix the problem and they have ruined the reputation of many good web sites. Keep hounding them. You will get an answer from them.