Change hosts, get sandboxed???

[Bernard]

Sometimes, it's easier to disprove a hypothesis than to prove a theory, so...

Has anyone changed web hosts within the last 2-3 months and not seen their SERPs disappear?

See this thread (http://forums.seochat.com/t39104/s.html) for background.

[daboss]

i just did for one site last month - no changes in serps for the keywords that i track...

[Smyrl]

Bernard, I have changed hosts multiple times and never had a problem. I have not done so within last couple of months but am considering doing so this coming month when hosting comes due on an account.

Shannon

[yfs1]

I change back and forth all the time and have had no problems. I will be moving Article Depot (http://www.articledepot.co.uk) as the end of the week as part of a new feature rollout. I will post back if I notice any irregularities.

I expect my opinion to be biased however because many of the new features are SEO friendly meaning my evaluation could be flawed. (If there was a dip, the changes would more than make up for it)

[tflight]

I also frequently move websites between hosts and between servers on the same host. I've never seen any out of the ordinary SE changes.

[Roze]

I moved in February - nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe that's too long ago for you - you said 2-3 months, was there an algo change around that time?

[vectorgraphx]

could it be that someone else on your new IP block has gotten the whole IP block banned/sandboxed for bad google practises?

VG

[ResaleBroker]

A couple of months ago I moved a dozen or so domains to a new host without any change in the SERPs. ;)

[Bernard]

The SERP changes occurred around June 14-16 for sites that changed hosts within the previous months (in my case in March). I've lost about two dozen page one SERPs ranging from competitive to non-competitive. I'm still exploring possible explanations, but it looks like a sandbox effect and not a ban (which would really surprise me as I'm not aware of any possible guideline violation).

Based upon responses here, it would appear that my hypothesis is not the answer...

[T0PS3O]

I hope (http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=19774) you're wrong! Will find out over the next few weeks.

[dcristo]

The SERP changes occurred around June 14-16 for sites that changed hosts within the previous months (in my case in March). I've lost about two dozen page one SERPs ranging from competitive to non-competitive. I'm still exploring possible explanations, but it looks like a sandbox effect and not a ban (which would really surprise me as I'm not aware of any possible guideline violation).

Based upon responses here, it would appear that my hypothesis is not the answer...

Bernard, have you completely dropped out of site or only dropped a few spots?

[Smyrl]

I've lost about two dozen page one SERPs ranging from competitive to non-competitive.
I too have lost ground on an old site that went live in April 2001. Have not changed servers and no of know shady practices on my part. Perplexing.

Shannon

[smindsrt]

If Google was a hosting company that would be an evil ploy. hehehe

We moved a site that ranks well back in April. No changes at all. Somebody is trying to find an excuse for their sites dropping.

[noppid]

Somebody is trying to find an excuse for their sites dropping.

There are currently about 5 or 6 such threads going. Total waste of effort and time for the folks that get dragged in when looking for a reason as well.

[Bernard]

dcristo, completely wiped out. Google traffic flatlined.

I checked today and one SERP has somewhat recovered (#9 - used to be anywhere from 1-4). Hopefully all my SERPs will return.

smindsrt, if excuse == reason {
you are correct
}

noppid, I'm sure you would feel different if you had ever discovered something new by sharing experiences on forums before.

[smindsrt]

Bernard,

Reason == You are overlooking the obvious
<find real reason> <p> don't buy the BS <p>


lol :)

[stymiee]

I'll add myself to the bandwagon of sites that moved without any negative effects. When you think about it, why would you lose rankings for moving to a new host?

[smindsrt]

I'll add myself to the bandwagon of sites that moved without any negative effects. When you think about it, why would you lose rankings for moving to a new host?

WOW for once we agree. :) :D

I would also add I moved hosting companies back in April and it had zero effect.

[digitalpoint]

I've changed IP address blocks, as well as physically moved my servers many times in the past without any problems.

[smindsrt]

dcristo, completely wiped out. Google traffic flatlined.

I checked today and one SERP has somewhat recovered (#9 - used to be anywhere from 1-4). Hopefully all my SERPs will return.

smindsrt, if excuse == reason {
you are correct
}

noppid, I'm sure you would feel different if you had ever discovered something new by sharing experiences on forums before.
Please, Think Before Posting Rubbish! (http://www.thinkbeforepostingrubbish.com) This link made me laugh and I thought it fits here. (just for fun Bernard...... no offense:) )

[nevetS]

It could have been a result of downtime on your site associated with the move. A zero downtime move should have no affect on things. Just to be safe, I would leave the old site up on the old server for an extra month just to be able to deal with all the people out there with outdated dns caches.

[Bernard]

smindsrt, since when is posting a question considered posting rubbish? Did you read Minstrel's guide to forum etiquette? Since you believe the answer to be obvious (as you have stated twice before), I would really appreciate it if you could illuminate it for us dumb rocks. Seriously.

For all who offered constructive responses, thank you.

[stymiee]

WOW for once we agree. :) :D
The exception that proves the rule! :D :p

[smindsrt]

smindsrt, since when is posting a question considered posting rubbish? Did you read Minstrel's guide to forum etiquette? Since you believe the answer to be obvious (as you have stated twice before), I would really appreciate it if you could illuminate it for us dumb rocks. Seriously.

For all who offered constructive responses, thank you.

Bernard- I was only teasing you about the "rubbish" did you see my j/k next to it??? I meant no harm by it. :)

[Bernard]

Looks like the 301 redirect I set up on the new host for a domain that was previously DNS aliased on the old host may be causing problems in Google's DB. I'm seeing a lot of supplemental results that are months old for the secondary domain in the index. Perhaps Google is applying a dup content penalty:

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLC,GGLC:1969-53,GGLC:en&q=allinanchor%3A%22turnaround+management+software%22

I hope Google sorts it soon!

[Bernard]

Sometime between Tuesday and now, my site recovered 99% of its former SERPs. I did not make any significant changes since the site disappeared.