Google's Giant Sandbox

flyguy: its only an opinion but I would have to say that is the opinion most hold to. I have read of sites that gone huge links and when back into the sandbox.

 

I have said it before but will say it again: a great way to never be in the sandbox is to have your site discovered thru DMOZ, Yahoo! Directory or any high powered site such as the USA Today hot sites section.

 

Ok, let's suppose you get into one of these directories after you are sandboxed. Will you then be pulled out?

 

Not likely right away even though it might shorten your wait. The key is not to be over anxious to get indexed quickly when having a new site go live.

 

But in reality, who isn't over-anxious when starting a new site?

 

Here is some info I can lend to the Sandbox discussion based on a site I own.

• Domain bought: January 2004
• Site live: Early July 2004
• Site first touched by Google: First week of August 2004
• Google stats to date:
  • site: 4,830
  • link: 269

And the site does not rank for the kw phrase I'm targeting
However, with the tool that bobmutch mentioned the site comes in #19. I'm not 100% convinced that by adding a load of irrelevant words to the query it will actually return results w/o the sandbox effect, but who knows. Anyways, if this is the Sandbox, then it can last a long time

 

That makes me sad.

 

Google does talk about a penalty for new sites which acquire links quickly in their patent application, but a penalty lasting 9 months seems very impractical to me. Are you sure that there is not something else causing such trouble? Perhaps linkage to a good neighborhood that turned bad? It only takes one.

 

I have 2 sites under the grip of Google's "sandbox" or "new site filter" or whatever you want to call it. Both sites rank reasonably well in all non-Google search engines, but only rank for obscure keywords in Google.

One site was first spidered by G in July, the other in September.

There is no roadmap to get out, either. Most seem to be released en masse (I think Randfish said that) with no common element that would indicate the webmaster has any influence. Inbound links from bad neighborhoods should not be able to cause problems since you cannot control who links to you.

 

It took Lingerie Dreams about five months to get out of the sandbox...but it was really worth the wait as my Google traffic is five times my Yahoo...

 

how can we determine if a site was really out of the box?

 

http://roberttaft.com/no_filter.htm

Tells you what you will rank without being sandboxed, compare the 2 SERPs.

http://www.socengine.com/seo/tools/sandbox-tool.php

Takes about an hour and then gives you a report on your sandbox status.

 

thanks! nice tool...

 

In Google's Patent Application recently submitted, they state specifically that if a site is included by the Yahoo directory, that it will not have to wait or the waiting time will be decreased significantly. Their formula is H=L/log(F+2), which basically means the older the document the higher the ranking. When the site is placed in a reputable directory such as DMOZ or Yahoo then the formula is lifted or decreased in severity.

 

What about msn directory? http://sbd.bcentral.com/
Any other directories other than yahoo or dmoz ?

 

how do these "unsandbag-ed" search engines work their magic? Anyone know if they work?

 

Google specifically mentions the Yahoo Directory and describes the others as "important directories."

 

site just listed on dmoz and yahoo directory last month, how long will i wait to appear my listing on G directory? also, they haven't an update yet on their directory. with regards to sandox, appearing on Y and ODP directory, does this mean that my sooner my site will be out of the box?

 

If google is following their recent patent application, then I believe so.

 

Hello
First, thank you to Bobmutch and Stin. I have yet to try the robertaft tool, but I did try the algotech one: what a trip to find oneself #4 behind the SEC and Smartmoney on one of my important key phrases - pity it is not real!

My (first and only so far) site was built in February, and indexed by Google last week. Absolutely nothing yet on MSN or Yahoo, though frequently Slurped.

I woefully lack back-links (really don't have any), and as a newbie am getting confused now as to how many I should aim for, and how quickly. I certainly don't want to be penalized twice: once, for being new; and secondly, for being too eager or indiscriminate in making link connections.


What I object to the most is Google's abuse of its quasi-monopoly power, and restraint of trade. If you are going to have essentially one arbiter that makes or breaks a new site - then set some open, detailed, and specific standards, reveal them completely, and have some human intervention involved in their implementation. Even if a PR6 or 7 site would think my pages were excellent and relevant to them, how presently are they ever going to link to me, if they cannot easily find that I exist?