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Rank: Newbie
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Joined: 12/17/2008
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Hi, I am new to this forum, but noticed it on Google while trying to find a solution for my problem.
Here we go:
About two months ago, I programmed a script which uses the Google Translate API to translate my affiliate website to like 6 or 7 languages automatically several times a week.
Now, about a month ago I suddenly dropped in my Google positions. For one of my targeted key phrases, I dropped from position #3 to position #50+.
I've always been making link building (not spam, but relevant and natural links) on blogs, articles, press releases and such. Recently about 5+ new links a day. Some though, are "hidden" links, so could this probably result in a penalty, if external sites place hidden links to my site?
Could this "automatic translate scripts" cause Google to give my site a penalty? I mean, it translates around 20 new pages to 6-7 languages several times a week, but it just seems strange to make an API one can only use with limitations. Or could it be my link building Google considers for "spam"?
If any of these (or something else), what can I do to recover from the loss in rank? I have already disabled my translation as of today, and I actually (yeah unusual) have the ability to remove many of the links to my site and make many of them "visible" again. Would this help?
I read that you should contact Google for reconsideration once you have your site in place again. So, if any of the above apply, this would mean that I have to remove some of my backlinks, disable the automatic translation and send the reconsideration request to Google, right?
I really appreciate your help, because haven't been able to figure it out myself. Thanks in advance! And yeah, I know I might have screwed up on my SEO somewhere, but well... Now I've learned my lesson and just want to be the good boy in Google's eyes again.
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Rank: Newbie
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Joined: 6/4/2009
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If the script runs on your server and bots would have no access to the script, then I would not worry about it causing any problems. If it's run on the user's end of things, then you might want to reconsider how that process is carried out. But translating your pages into different languages should not have any detrimental affect on your ranks.
The hidden links won't hurt you, they just won't help you. That said, if they were not viewed as "hidden" the first time the bots crawled them, they would temporarily help you. Then, as soon as they were discovered to be "hidden", any help they provided would be removed, and it would appear to "hurt" you, even though it is just the removal of an added benefit that never should have been there in the first place.
It sounds like the links you're focusing on are poor quality, and that you should reconsider your SEO strategy. Think more of people you would view as respectful in your industry (think from an outsider's perspective). Try and gain links from those sites. This could included product reviewers, tv news stations, newspapers, schools, government agencies.... and so on. While directories, blogs, press releases can add some value, they are not the cream of the crop.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Thanks for the quick answer. Kinda missing something though. I'll try to explain:
I begun building backlinks with like 10 times speed about the same time I launched the translation script (2 months ago), because I involved some more people in it. Problem could be that most of those links were hidden and on sites which wasn't exactly about the same subjects as my own site. I noticed one day (about a month ago) that my website went from position #40+ to #12 on a phrase, and was there for two days, whereafter it dropped to position #60+.
So... It really seems like I've been given some kind of penalty and not just a "removal of bad-linking benefits".
Assuming this is correct, will it help to slow down the link building and remove the existing bad/hidden links as far as I can? And when I'm done removing the links, request a reconsideration from Google?
It just doesn't make sense to me that I've had so huge drops on many of my phrases, when it's positions have been quite solidly increasing, just until I launched the translation script and drastically increased the speed of my link building.
Thanks for the answer, it was really helpful!
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Rank: Newbie
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Joined: 5/26/2009
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To put it in perspective, if that was a penalty, why not just switch those links to every single one of your competitors, and remove the links to your site? Automatic #1, right?
Wrong. If that was the case, then you could negatively affect your competitors' ranks by setting up these links to their sites.
Most likely - you either dropped off on something that was truly beneficial when you began to focus on these worthless links, or the worthless links you had prior to this campaign that you didn't (and may still not) know about were dropped also. Hence, while you used to be at #40, you shouldn't have even been there.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Okay thanks.
Based on your comments: I will probably need to rethink my website, SEO strategy and linking network.
Just one last thing: How would Google react if I remade my site? Would it hurt it in the short term only, so I can have a fair position later, or will it kinda make the final knock-out?
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Rank: Newbie
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just the normal 'new' site serp churn IMHO...give it time and they'll wave back up too...
;-)
Jim
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Rank: Advanced Member
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This forum is great! Thanks for all the answers. They definitely pushed me in the right direction.
Well, I wrote "Just one last thing" in my last post... ehm, I am going to have to do that again.
Just one last thing: Let's say your site had a Google penalty, you fixed it and asked Google for reconsideration - Would Google (upon accept) then put your site back to "new site state" as with the Sandbox and all of that again? Or simply remove the penalty? Thanks.
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Rank: Newbie
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I have suffered from the -50 penalty (and yes it does exist) a couple of times now. It takes about 3-6 months depending on the type of filter you have tripped but my cases were mainly over excessive internal linking and optimization. Go through your website with a fine tooth comb and weed out any potential causes. The reason it is only the one keyword that you have dropped for is because you have over optimized INTERNALLY for that keyword and tripped an algorithm filter.
I also have proof of a -100 penalty which effects websites which are ranking for the same term and are owned by the same person/company. 3 of our websites in one language have suffered.
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It will just remove the filter which has moved you down from your correct position.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Hmm... I know you say it may not be a penalty, but yesterday my site dropped from position #1 on "MySiteName.com" to #40+. If a site drops that much on its own name, won't that indicate (99 % certainty) a penalty?
If "Yes", best thing to do is to fix everything I can which could cause a penalty, and then ask Google for reconsideration, right?
Also, about the "bad links don't count bad" thing: Doesn't Google have some spam factors which could damage your website's rank, if Google thinks you have spammed links on various sites?
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Sorry, not "MySiteName.com" just "MySiteName".
A few weeks ago I added 4 pages, which all have the exactly same title, but different content (language difference). Could this perhaps trigger a penalty as Google doesn't allow duplicated content (identical titles) on the same website? thanks
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Rank: Member
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google just indexes the <title> tag and doesnt' care if they're the "same" -- BUT you should!!!! they should all be different and target keywords for each page...
search here on that tag...and learn as this is 'low-hanging-fruit' and an easy one to aid your rise in the serps!
:-)
Jim
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Rank: Advanced Member
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He, yeah well... I meant to make each title tag unique, just didn't realize it would be translated into the same one in many languages.
Oh, just remembered: In April I switched server, could this affect anything? New IP and such. Would Google probably "reindex" it as a "new site"? Which means I am in the sandbox... once again...
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Rank: Advanced Member
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No one?
Just need to know if an IP/server change could affect a website's rankings. My own guess would be that Google throws a website, which has changed its IP address, into the Sandbox again for a couple of months or so.
Anyone knows of this? I am kinda feeling stuck here.
Thanks in advance.
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Rank: Member
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I agree:why not just switch those links to every single one of your competitors, and remove the links to your site?
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Rank: Newbie
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Changing servers on your site would not "sandbox" your site (in my experience at least). I had to switch servers at one point last year, and my ranks changed none whatsoever because of it.
btw: sandbox is a term used to refer to a practice that applied to heavier competition terms, but the effect has been eliminated by Google's addition of new technology (within the last couple years).
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Yeah I know. Just got out of the penalty and everything is fine. All I had to do was remove the links and ask Google for reconsideration, which means they do give penalties to websites who use bad quality links.
However, as you "icopocket" suggests, it seems quite illegal to do so. Of what I know, Google can also punish your website manually, should they receive information of you doing something against the rules.
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What's the consensus view on this? I thought that penalties for over-optimization were shot down quite a while ago as a fantasy? Has something changed?
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