Google has gotten pretty aggressive about enforcing its Terms of Use, and more and more webmasters and online business owners are becoming casualties of the great Google purge. If you have ever published low-quality content, paid for questionable links, or engaged in any online behaviors that might be interpreted as spamming, your site may already be on the chopping block. Perhaps you’re here because you’ve already seen your Google organic traffic plummet to 0, and you have become a victim of the dreaded Manual Spam Action. As the founder of a leading Los Angeles SEO agency, I hear this tragic ballad on a daily basis, and I understand the sting. But there’s good news. You can still be resurrected from the Google graveyard. It’s just going to take a bit of work.
What is Manual Spam Action?
Manual spam action is like Google’s own brand of WMD. The company has made use of this tactic for years, but only recently have we begun to understand it. It works like this: Google employs a massive team of manual auditors whose sole job is to comb through the deepest reaches of the Internet in search of websites that wantonly violate the company’s Terms of Use. When an auditor encounters such a website, he or she flags it as an offender, thereby pressing the nuclear button of search engine annihilation. Say goodbye to your organic traffic and revenue, because you have just been eliminated from Google’s index.
How Do I Know if I Have Fallen Victim?
It’s very easy to determine if your diminishing traffic is the result of Manual Spam Action. Your Google Analytics profile can provide a powerful clue, particularly if you see you organic traffic suddenly crash and burn. More definitively, though, you’ll want to check your Google’s Webmaster Tools. There’s a Manual Spam Action field, and if your site has been flagged, you’ll see a precise—albeit annoyingly vague—description of the reason(s) for which your site has been unceremoniously dumped from the Google radar.
What Do I Do Now?
Before you panic, please understand that Manual Spam Action is not a permanent death sentence. It’s more like a form of purgatory. If you absolve yourself of your digital sins, you can still rise from the ashes of online obscurity and reclaim your place in Paradise, but it’s not going to happen by itself. First, you need to address and repair the issues for which you have been penalized in the first place. Most often, Manual Spam Action comes as a result of bad inbound links. So you’ll want to eliminate those links and make any other necessary amends. Then you’ll need to submit a Reconsideration Request to Google, indicating that you have taken the necessary actions and would like to be readmitted into the great cyber amusement park that is Google.
Coalition Technologies Can Help
I need to point out that while it’s entirely possible to overcome a Manual Spam Action, it is by no means guaranteed. Finding and eliminating toxic links can be extraordinarily difficult, and your Reconsideration Request needs to be persuasive and thorough. Coalition Technologies can help, because we’ve helped countless businesses in your precise predicament. Call us at (877) 989-7187 for a free quote, and find out how we can help you to restore your good name in CyberSpace. Everyone deserves a second chance, and we want to help you get yours.