Maybe we should figure this out step by step. A major drop in visitors can only mean two things: 1) Removed pages from Google index 2) Drop in rankings 1) Removed from index can only be: a) abuse b) loss of data at Google 2) Drop in ranking can only be: a) problem with backlinks (different algo or Google problem) b) new algo There can be different reason for June 27 and July 27. By ruling out certain things, we may be able to understand the problem.
I am not sure we can ever figure out Googles problems since oogle themselves can't! I read in another forum about June 27th and they were absolute sure that it had something to do with affiliate links so maybe it is some kind of links problem/algo change? They were also darn sure that it could have something to do with using rel=nofollow! I don't remember how the spam pages were set up but isn't this kind of what they were doing? If it was, then this might explain why a lot of sites dropped in ranking/SERPs? Google implemented in the algo that if you have a lot of affiliate links (paid links) AND used rel=nofollow then you were a spammer.....
Maybe. No problems for me at June 27 and I have no affiliate links or nofollow. But a few sites were dropped major at July 27. So the affiliate links or the nofollow could be the problem in June, but July has a different reason, because I was dropped ( I have no aff links or nofollow).
I have no affiliate links or nofollow and I was dropped from Google SERP June 21. The only thing I was running was Co-op ads, which I removed. I submit an re-inclusion, now I'm back!
Something that i noticed was that all new pages seems not to take any effect by the last hit. For example if your new site got indexed yesterday. I actually have sites that isnt quality at all that ranks just fine and then i have the sites thats about a month old that won't even stay top100. Examples in both quality content and spammy content. Last time this thing happened it got sorted about after a week. This time it seems to strike much harder and much more wrong. I DO NOT think it has anything to do with nofollow nor affiliate links, since i have sites with alot nofollow that is top3.
maha, did you do any link buying or link selling? Is it was only coop links that could conflict with google TOS?
I did not buy or sell any links, the only thing I did was use Coop links (which I guess is like buying/selling links). I remove coop, emailed Google, 5 weeks later, I am back in the SERP where I was before. Is one your site banned by Google?
This is very interesting to know. I wonder if adding rel=nofollow is really enough to get us out of trouble with the coop thingy?
I like to know that myself. I think Co-op has its values as an "advertising" network. I like to see my banner and ads on other sites. But we're playing with fire if Google don't see it as an advertising network. Google obviously knows about Coop, it's page is no longer indexed by Google: http://www.google.com/search?source...http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/ad-network/ All the other Digital Point tools are indexed, except for co-op.
My concern is that Google is flagging coop sites based on the DigitalPoint webbug attached to the code.
By the way, my site droped out of SERP June 21, not June 27. So it's even more evident that my site has nothing to do with the June 27 update that everyone else reported. Also, my site recovered around July 24-25, not July 27. So I feel it was because of my re-inclusion request that got me back in.
Unfortuantly I took on an advertiser last fall that asked me to put some dyamic link code on my site (I didn't know about DP coop) and I am under obligation to keep the links on my pages for another two weeks (I have to check my records to know when I can take them down). Had I known it was a link trading scheme I wouldn't have taken the links, I simply thought people were buying "impressions" as the advertiser was most interested in my traffic patterns and seemed not to be interested in my PR, etc. I was thrilled to have someone look at my site for its traffic as opposed to PR so I didn't ask the questions I should have. In a way I got drug into this because I didn't ask the questions I should have. No I just have to bide my time until I can extract myself from this mess.
My site has fallen from page one and in many cases #1 for countless search phrases down to page six and lower overnight. Some search phrase I had been on page one for since before 1999. The only questionable links on my site were coop links and I do not participate in link exchanges.
I'd remove co-op and any other non-content related links from your home page, submit an re-inclusion.
All other links are legitimate advertisers whom I've had relationships with going back almost two years. They are also very prominent ads that are obviously set up to attract the user's attention. Google has no business complaining about those ads.
I ran coop ads for 2 years and I was never banned (until now). How do you distinguish between legitimate advertisers and co-op advertisers (other the the co-op code). I'm sure the links from co-op ads are from legitimate sites too. Have you resubmit a re-inclusion?
Have you ever looked at some of the sites that show up in the links? There are some pretty spammy sites that show up from time to time. Also look at the way the links work, I really think we are being pegged by the DigitalPoint coop web bug code. Yes I submitted the request within two days of discovering I had been banned. I originally thought the cause was something else (which I fixed) but now I'm not so sure. I've added rel=nofollow to the coop links and will remove the code just as soon as I can. I've contacted the advertiser and explained that I wanted to terminate our agreement because of the problems these links may be causing me.