There are several ways to avoid algorithmic penalties and maintain top rankings for your website. Some are automatic, while others are manual. In either case, you’ll need to check your keyword and brand name rankings for any signs of penalty. There are also several methods you can use to reclaim your rankings.
Anchor text
One of the most crucial elements of SEO is keyword selection. Google doesn’t take duplicate content lightly. Pages with similar content will be disindexed and will confuse searchers. This is true whether the content is posted on a firm’s own site or on other sites, such as guest blogs. Similarly, firms should avoid using ‘danger words’ in content, meta-data, and links. Keyword stuffing and the overuse of sensitive words are common ways to get penalized by Google.
Aside from keyword selection, an SEO must carefully review all the backlinks pointing to their website. Use tools such as Majestic to see which sites are linking to yours. Also, be very careful with anchor text. A reputable web page will not link to ‘car insurance’ or ‘best casinos’. Rather, it will link to ‘find out more info here’ or ‘check your eligibility’. It’s also a good idea to use synonyms when possible.
Metadata
The first step in avoiding algorithmic penalties is to make sure your site is compliant with Google’s quality guidelines. Google penalizes websites that do not adhere to these guidelines. These penalties can take months or even years to reverse. However, there are ways to mitigate these effects. Often, these penalties can be avoided by sticking to proven SEO tactics and staying ahead of the changes. Learn more about Google’s guidelines and penalties.
A common reason for Google penalties is link schemes. These practices, which are common among websites, negatively affect the ranking of a website. Such tactics include link swaps, link circles, and link spam. Google also penalizes websites with thin content. While thin content is not as damaging as spam, it can be detected by the algorithm and result in a penalty.
Reconsideration requests
If you’ve suffered from an algorithm penalty, you can get your site reinstated by requesting reconsideration. But you have to be patient, since it may take several tries to get your site approved. Generally, reconsideration requests take two to three weeks to be reviewed. Moreover, the process is not transparent. Therefore, you have to be persistent to get your site approved.
The first step in requesting reconsideration is to check whether your site is actually penalized. In case you are not sure, you should seek help from an internet marketing company. They may be able to give you advice on why your rankings have suddenly changed drastically. Alternatively, you can write to Google and ask them to reconsider your site.
Cloaking
Cloaking is a method that allows website owners to serve different content to users and Googlebots. This tactic is not an accident but rather a deliberate attempt to manipulate the search results. If it is caught, it will result in a heavy penalty. The good news is that it is not completely prohibited if the technique is used for user content or non-suspicious intent. But if the cloaking technique is reserved for spiders, it’s not recommended.
It is important to recognize the difference between algorithmic penalties and manual penalties. Manual penalties require that you interact with Google directly and will notify you via the Google Search Console. Algorithmic penalties are much harder to spot, but they can lead to huge losses of organic traffic. Understanding the difference between manual and algorithmic penalties can help you come up with a recovery plan that works for your site.