When starting a new SEO project, there are a few factors to consider in order to avoid issues such as Google penalties. Sometimes the goal to reach higher rankings and better organic conversions without following a strategy can lead to this kind of mistake. You should carefully research when choosing SEO companies and strategies in order to avoid this problem.
What Is a Google Penalty?
A Google penalty is one of the most feared online actions in the business world and can be compared to a sports penalty. Just as a referee watches for violations of the rules, Google crawls and indexes a website to detect a violation of its policies. If it finds any, it can penalize the offending website by removing it from search results or ranking it lower.
These violations are detected by both humans and robots using Artificial Intelligence. This penalty can have a very negative impact because it will be more difficult or even impossible for people to find your website using the world’s most used search engine.
Why Could a Website Get Penalties From Google?
Why would a website get a Google penalty? There are a few things that trigger or contribute to receiving a penalty. Google’s aim is to avoid the use of black hat SEO tactics, even when they are well-intentioned. Black hat SEO is the deliberate manipulation of indexes to rank the site higher. If Google finds hidden links or text, pages overloaded with irrelevant keywords (called keyword stuffing), or substantial amounts of duplicate content, then they could issue a penalty.
What Can You Do About Google Penalties?
Although a Google penalty sounds scary, there is nothing to worry about when you choose a reputable SEO company and strategy. The best thing is to avoid a penalty in the first place. A professional will be aware of the rules and consequences of a penalty and will avoid any actions that might bring one about.
If you suspect your website has been impacted by a penalty or if you have confirmed it there are some steps to take that can get your site back in Google’s search results. You may have to hire an SEO penalty audit service to take an objective look at the situation. They can help see why Google may have imposed the penalty, and let you know what you can do to fix your site so that it can be included in search results again.
