[Catalyst]

My thoughts on this is all you have to do now is Blast you competitor with links ie Blog Network, Comments etc.

Google after a month or two will detect unnatural links, if there signed up in GWT they will get the message:


We've detected that some of your site's pages may be using techniques that are outside Google's Webmaster Guidelines.
Specifically, look for possibly artificial or unnatural links pointing to your site that could be intended to manipulate PageRank. Examples of unnatural linking could include buying links to pass PageRank or participating in link schemes.
We encourage you to make changes to your site so that it meets our quality guidelines. Once you've made these changes, please submit your site for reconsideration in Google's search results.
If you find unnatural links to your site that you are unable to control or remove, please provide the details in your reconsideration request.
If you have any questions about how to resolve this issue, please see our Webmaster Help Forum for support.
Sincerely,
Google Search Quality Team

To get out of this penalty the site owner will have to remove the links or be able to explain what happened, and in most cases the verdict will not side with the site owner.

These are just my thoughts based on what I have personally seen.

Also read this article http://searchengineland.com/google-sent-over-700000-messages-via-webmaster-tools-in-past-two-months-113807 we have been seeing a lot of posts regarding penalty's for links showing up in GWT, and I have gotten 2 of these this month myself on old established sites.

Edited by Catalyst, 18 March 2012 - 09:04.

[Jammy]

Let's all scrapebox/ALN/Linkwheel/Bookmark Matt Cutts blog.

I'm not joking or being funny BTW.

He'd probably be protected.

But we should pick a 'big boy' and do it don't you think? For experiment sake of course.

[Richar Green]

....and that is ridiculous on part of Google, because there are some real bad boys out there, willing to do anything to smack their competitors.

[Jammy]

....and that is ridiculous on part of Google, because there are some real bad boys out there, willing to do anything to smack their competitors.

That is a danger.

But we'd make the papers if we got CNN/Ebay/Facebook.

Anyway, I'm 100% up for this if anyone else is. No targetting anyone/thing with an income. I would rather target Matt Cutts blog or any other google employee to see if we can remove their page from the serps.

Edited by Jammy, 18 March 2012 - 09:20.

[_Richard]

The main problem is you reallly do not know exactly what types of links trigger the letter. The only way to know would be to test each type of link against a clean site and see what happens. One type of link against its own site.


I seriously doubt you can affect sites like facebook and Ebay.

[Jammy]

The main problem is you reallly do not know exactly what types of links trigger the letter. The only way to know would be to test each type of link against a clean site and see what happens. One type of link against its own site.


I seriously doubt you can affect sites like facebook and Ebay.

The letter that so many are receiving just says 'unnatural links'. If matt cutts blog suddenly receives a million blog comments tomorrow (which I can do) plus whatever else anyone else is prepared to do, that would 100% be unnatural links compared to whatever other links he usually gets in a day.

[_Richard]

The letter that so many are receiving just says 'unnatural links'. If matt cutts blog suddenly receives a million blog comments tomorrow (which I can do) plus whatever else anyone else is prepared to do, that would 100% be unnatural links compared to whatever other links he usually gets in a day.

The letter is vague on purpose so the people getting it have no idea what caused the problem and start removing any link that could possibly be an issue. We have no way of knowing without some serious testing what it is that actually causes the letter to be sent out.

We have no idea the number, the type or anything other than the site has some links that Google thinks are unatural.

If you think you can take MC's blog off the first page go for it, I doubt it can be done but it would not be the first time in my life I was wrong if I am mistaken.

[Catalyst]

ALN posts are causing this issue, I just got another message today on another one of my OLD very established sites. So this makes three in a row these 3 sites were doing good for YEARS before I very lightly blasted them with ALN.

I have not added links to any of these sites in over a year other than ALN, I have other sites in GWT that I have never hit with ALN and so far no messages.

I am not saying only ALN links are causing this exclusively because I am seeing posts that blog comments, web 2.0 etc are causing the issues as well , but Google has apparently setup a filter/trip wire to send these messages off.

If these three sites go down I have lost many thousands of dollars so not real happy at this very moment. So far it looks like the first site that got the message went back to its original position before the ALN links I am hoping this is all that happens. The other two seem to be doing the same thing already, moved back to there lower original positions.

Not sure if all these sites will be blown out of the SERP's there could be a delay for the death drop.

I think we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg here boy's and girls, been doing this a long time this is getting ugly pretty quickly.

I can send thousands of ALN links per day, any one wanna 5k blast to there money site for FREE for testing purpose? From what I am seeing it very well could be the kiss of death. I am not one to use negative SEO but if it is so easy now why not setup a service?

I agree this will not work on Facebook but your average site seems like an easy target.

Edited by Catalyst, 18 March 2012 - 10:23.

[matchoo77]

ALN posts are causing this issue, I just got another message today on another one of my OLD very established sites. So this makes three in a row these 3 sites were doing good for YEARS before I very lightly blasted them with ALN.

I have not added links to any of these sites in over a year other than ALN, I have other sites in GWT that I have never hit with ALN and so far no messages.

I am not saying only ALN links are causing this exclusively because I am seeing posts that blog comments, web 2.0 etc are causing the issues as well , but Google has apparently setup a filter/trip wire to send these messages off.

If these three sites go down I have lost many thousands of dollars so not real happy at this very moment. So far it looks like the first site that got the message went back to its original position before the ALN links I am hoping this is all that happens. The other two seem to be doing the same thing already, moved back to there lower original positions.

Not sure if all these sites will be blown out of the SERP's there could be a delay for the death drop.

I think we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg here boy's and girls, been doing this a long time this is getting ugly pretty quickly.

I can send thousands of ALN links per day, any one wanna 5k blast to there money site for FREE for testing purpose? From what I am seeing it very well could be the kiss of death. I am not one to use negative SEO but if it is so easy now why not setup a service?

I agree this will not work on Facebook but your average site seems like an easy target.

I think ol' Matty is gonna have to take his foot off the "blog-squishing" gas pedal here soon. Google is going to face an onslaught of panicked webmasters who are the victims of negative SEO. Especially if this turns into an episode of bad PR for Google. This has the potential to blow up in G's face.

[trakker]

Their main goal is to "scare us straight" and has already worked to some degree.

It is quite likely Google will stop applying this penalty/filter, or modify it so is not so easy to trip on.

They are well aware of the huge problem negative seo would cause, and will tweak things if it looks to be too easy.

So, although it probably would have worked LAST month, it is much less likely to work NEXT month.

[sparkplug]

Don't people blast hundreds of thousands of links to articles on EZA? How come they don't tank?
I agree though, if G is going to aggressively take down sites with so called "unnatural link building", then everyone should start blasting away and let's see what happens.

[flx89]

it's to early to speak now. There will always be methods to cheat

[yougotmymoney]

you know you would have to try this on websites that do not have any kind of aggressive link building velocity to test your results.

Because like I've mentioned before I believe they are quite a few spam websites in insurance niche and I'm sure if we blast the hell out of them it is only going to help them

[Fishingman1]

This conversation could potentially change search forever.
If correct ?
Surely G would be aware, that what they appear to have done is INSANE.
I just get the feeling there is something we are missing.
They just would not open up themselves to such abuse and possible legal action.
But hey if true I'm in , I have picked out a competitor already !

[Catalyst]

This conversation could potentially change search forever.
If correct ?
Surely G would be aware, that what they appear to have done is INSANE.
I just get the feeling there is something we are missing.
They just would not open up themselves to such abuse and possible legal action.
But hey if true I'm in , I have picked out a competitor already !

I think they figure it will not happen often enough to be a big deal.

Also big corp sites etc you could never effect with this, but the majority of normal joe blow sites could easily take a hit.

[matchoo77]

Blast away guys...but I stand by my belief that if this turns into a negative PR issue for Google....they will change their algo faster than my chihuahua scarfs down a bite size dog treat. I can see it now....CNN.com picking up a story of a lowly dog kennel owner in some obscure midwestern suburb.....who had their business cut by 50% in a month because people can't find their site on Google anymore....

[Fishingman1]

Blast away guys...but I stand by my belief that if this turns into a negative PR issue for Google....they will change their algo faster than my chihuahua scarfs down a bite size dog treat. I can see it now....CNN.com picking up a story of a lowly dog kennel owner in some obscure midwestern suburb.....who had their business cut by 50% in a month because people can't find their site on Google anymore....

For sure if true they would change tack quickly, however what would they do about the action already taken.
Regardless of how much they think they know about people on the internet , they can not prove that a site owner bought links.

[Catalyst]

Blast away guys...but I stand by my belief that if this turns into a negative PR issue for Google....they will change their algo faster than my chihuahua scarfs down a bite size dog treat. I can see it now....CNN.com picking up a story of a lowly dog kennel owner in some obscure midwestern suburb.....who had their business cut by 50% in a month because people can't find their site on Google anymore....

This has been going on since Panda started Feb of last year mom and pop have been getting the shaft, no news, no one cares in the media.

[matchoo77]

This has been going on since Panda started Feb of last year mom and pop have been getting the shaft, no news, no one cares in the media.

All it would take is one reporter to craftily report on a story like the one I mentioned...and then for the story to go viral. Bad PR is the only way to bring powerful companies to their knees. IE the story about crappy working conditions for NIke employees in 3rd world countries in the 80's or 90's (can't remember when exactly) leading to a public statements from Nike and a change in the way they treat overseas help.

[Fishingman1]

Just a thought , how many sites affected by this action have PPC campaigns ?
Can't help but think G's motivation has always been about income !