How To Play With An 800 Pound Gorilla…And Not Get Hurt: 5 Things You Should Know About Keeping Your Website Out of Google Hell

 

 

If your website depends on search engine rankings in any way for lead generation or sales, keep reading. If not, stop reading now.

 

Notice I didn’t say anything about actually being interested in search engine rankings; I just said “If your website depends on it…” Why? Because whether you’re personally interested in this topic or not, it’s an important one that could affect your online success.

 

Of course, knowing you probably aren’t a super geek (neither am I) I’ll keep these tips short, simple and to the point. Here we go…

 

1. Why do I call Google an “800 Pound Gorilla?”

 

Because it is the king of the online jungle. And like all great beasts, deserves a certain amount of respect—if for no other reason that its ability to intentionally or inadvertently squish those who tread carelessly on its figurative toes.

 

2. What is Google Hell?

 

The place where “low quality” web pages, by Google’s assessment, go to wither and die. When a page lands in Google Hell, you are officially off your prospects radar because the page(s) no longer appear in standard search engine results.

 

I’m not faulting Google of course. In fact, they have good reason for creating this “supplemental index” also known as Google Hell. Namely for use as a “holding pen” for pages Google decides are of low quality or were designed to gain artificially high search results. (You know, the ones that find a loophole in Google’s algorithms and manage to dupe you into clicking on them when they offer no relevant information whatsoever?) The supplemental index puts a stop to that, but on occassion it does throw the baby out with the bathwater.

 

3. Why should you give a whit about Google Hell?

 

Because getting in is easy. Getting out, however, is another matter altogether. Originally created to lighten Google’s workload when scanning and searching the web’s billions of pages, as well as to protect innocent web users like you and me from scam artists, Google Hell is a double-edged sword. Meaning, that while it makes your search experience better, your site’s pages can end up there without you even knowing what you’ve done to deserve it.

 

And once they’re locked in Google Hell, it can take up to a year for Google to rescan and release them...as happened with Paul Sanar of Skyfacet.com (who lost over $500,000 in sales in 3 months) and Amit Jhalani of MySolitaire.com (who lost over $250,000 in sales over 6 months) according to a recent Forbes article by Andy Greenberg.

 

4. Why is it so easy to mistakenly land in Google Hell?

 

Because Google’s a little bit like David trying to tackle Goliath. After all, we’re talking about one entity responsible for “reading” and “re-reading” an endless number of web pages then ranking and re-ranking them every few seconds. It’s not unlike trying to sort the entire Earth’s population by height from shortest to tallest every few minutes. A daunting feat to be sure.

 

And while this is going on, you have spammers and other scammers trying to dupe the system…further justifying its existence.

 

5. How do you stay out of Google Hell?

 

Unfortunately, there aren’t any clear-cut rules. If there were, the spammers and scammers would be able to easily circumvent them, but there are a few things you can do to minimize your risk like:

 

1. Do NOT create duplicate versions of your content on your site or other sites.
   
   
2. Do NOT exchange links with unrelated sites. For example, if you are a chiropractor, thinking carefully before exchanging links with a seemingly unrelated business like an auto repair mechanic.
   
   
3. Do NOT exchange TOO many links with other websites, even if they are relevant. It’s more important to have outgoing links than incoming ones.
   
   
4. If you do a website overhaul, don’t immediately chuck your old domain name. New domain names are more vulnerable than old ones.
   
   
5. To find out if any of your pages are in Google Hell, also known as the “supplemental index,” just enter the address listed below into your Google search engine. Be sure to replace the words “yoursite” with the name of your website. www.yoursite.com *** -view
   
   
6. If you find several of your pages are in Google Hell and you want to get them out, Matt Cutt, Google’s main spokesperson, recommends hiring a reputable search engine specialist to assist in raising the ranking for those pages.

 

 

Until next time…taste the inspiration,

Lina Penalosa

 

The Write Solution

Phn: 757-377-1244

Fax: 757-299-8355

lina@thewritesolutionllc.com

www.thewritesolutionllc.com

 

 

P.S.  To sign up for “Copy Champ,” a FREE bi-weekly e-zine for business owners who want simple, easy-to-follow tips for creating marketing copy using the Gary Halbert, Dan Kennedy copywriting formula, please go to www.thewritesolutionllc.com and sign up on the home page.

 

P.P.S. What others are saying about Lina Penalosa and The Write Solution…

 

 

 

“I’ve used Lina on several occasions to create my own revenue-producing sales letters and couldn’t be happier. She takes care of all the grunt-work, works quickly, produces fantastic copy that sells my products and requires very little from me in the process. I can’t begin to imagine how much time and money her services have saved me!”

 

--Lee Milteer, International Business Coach and Speaker

 

 

 

 

“If you want someone who gets the Dan Kennedy-style of copywriting and creating long sales letter, Lina is the writer you want. She does more than take care of the interviewing, testimonial gathering, layout, color scheme, photo placement and of course the writing. She’ll save you a small fortune…not to mention your sanity. Her prices are more than reasonable and when I add up the cost of doing it myself---well, let’s just say I’ve saved thousands of dollars on each project!”

 

--Stephen Oliver, Martial Arts Marketing Expert and Owner of Mile High Karate Schools                Denver, Colorado

 

 

 

 

“Lina is one of the best creative talents I've worked with. She has a no-nonsense attitude and never makes excuses. She just gets the work done and quickly. There’s no hand-holding or baby-sitting required. I ask for something. I pay for it. I get it. Her approach is thoughtful and organized and once I’ve assigned something to her, I can forget about it and move on to the next item on my to-do list.”

--Ernesto Fernandez, Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture Physician, Licensed Mental Health Counselor