Swollen Pickles biatch slapped by Google

15 Oct 9 comments

It looks like I've just come in on the receiving end of a giant Google bitch slap. Recently I'd noticed a massive drop off in Google search engine traffic. At first I put it down to a weird traffic fluctuation. Today I decided it was time to do some research, and I've uncovered some disturbing stuff. First I read this post about the impending PR update by Bush Mackel, that's what go me started.

Secondly, I did the standard back link check: http://www.google.com/search?q=link:www.swollenpickles.com

When I used to do that, links from www.swollenpickles.com used to dominate the top of the list. Unfortunately, they don't anymore.

Thirdly, I did a standard search for "Swollen Pickles", a term I had proudly ranked as number 1 for, for quite some time. Now, this site is no where to be seen.

And then fourth... I cried into my cocoa pops for 30mins or so.

Why have I been bitch slapped? I'm not so sure, and I'm not sure Google will give me any answers either. I'm guessing it's to do with selling links (via Text-Link-Ads), but I can't be sure. There is something about "Why I should report paid links" here. Seems pretty harsh that I should cop a Google ban for selling one link don't you think?

Does this mean paid reviews are a no no now too?

If I remove Text-Link-Ads, will that redeem me in the eyes of the Google monster? If Google buy out Text-Link-Ads will it then be ok to sell links again? Grrr... I'm angry.

If you've been bitch slapped by Google, when did it happen? How long before you appeared in Google search results again? Did it kill your site?

Edit: I've decided that I'll pull the Text-Link-Ads plugin from swollenpickles.com and file for a "reinclusion request".

Edit no.2 (16 Oct): I've emailed Google, to try and get some more information on what has happened. I've also removed the Text-Link-Ad as this is the only thing I can think of that would have angered the Google monster.

Some people have also asked me what my organic traffic coming from Google was like leading up to the slapping. So I thought I'd post the stats here. Each grouping spans a month, beginning on the 15th of each month (if that makes sense?).

Number of visitors sent from Google (Organic):
Sept - Oct = 318
Aug - Sept = 3,034
Jul - Aug = 4,616
Jun - Jul = 2,366
May - Jun = 1,558
Apr - May = 2,866
Mar - Apr = 2,945
Feb - Mar = 1,547

As you can see from that, the past month has been significantly lower than any of those previously. Very sad.
:(

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9 Responses to “Swollen Pickles biatch slapped by Google”

  1. AvatarBush Mackel
    Posted: Oct 15th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
    1

    UGH. Sorry to hear that Google got you. I guess I should be happy that my site doesn’t have a real PR yet…Otherwise I would’ve had TLAs on my site too and would’ve undoubtedly been abused by the big G as well.

    GL with the reinclusion, you gotta tell me how that goes for you.
  2. AvatarUros
    Posted: Oct 16th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
    2

    Don’t worry it happens time to time. I bet your site will get as much organic traffic as you used to get. Just wait few days.
  3. AvatarOpal Tribble
    Posted: Oct 17th, 2007 at 2:37 am
    3

    I received a drop in PR most likely due to the sponsor I have on my website. I don’t like Text Link Ads I much prefer to contact the advertiser on my own. The one I do have I received myself so naturally I received all the money.

    They paid me a lot of money to sit on my website for six months. There is no way I’m yanking that or making it nofollow to make the Big G happy. I happen to like the company.

    I write original content on all my websites and a few of them get scraped several times a week. That gets annoying. I also see they don’t get penalized regardless of the reports I or others have sent. Talk about ridiculous! Most likely that is due to the fact that those spam sites are making Google money from the adsense ads.

    The good news is my traffic wasn’t affected. It keeps going up. I don’t depend on search engines for the majority of my traffic and I did that purposely. I do a lot of networking via social networks, forums, blogs, etc.,

    If you are dependent on them for online monetization on them well you sort of have to do what they say even if you don’t agree with it.

    The majority of the money I make is through affiliate marketing. I make a lot that way with adsense I average about $70 monthly.

    Some people have been successful with their reinclusion. I know David Airey was. He even talks about what he did to make that happen on his website.
  4. AvatarTerry F
    Posted: Oct 17th, 2007 at 3:33 am
    4

    Yep, I had one of mine get slapped. I dropped from front page down to page 4. I saw my traffic drop from the 250 a day down to 40-50. I am not selling links or anything though. Traffic seems to be picking back up now, but it is nowhere near where it was.
  5. pingback pingback:
    Posted: Oct 17th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
    5
    Follow up to my search engine saga | Swollen Pickles

    [...] hours have passed since I emailed the Big ‘G’. As yet I have not received a reply. It’s a little bizarre though. Right now, traffic to this [...]
  6. pingback pingback:
    Posted: Oct 18th, 2007 at 1:38 am
    6
    Vegan Momma Receives A Drop In Google Page Rank

    [...] to add… Swollen Pickles experienced a spanking and posted about it on Swollen Pickles Biatch Slapped By Google  it was first you can read the follow up on Follow Up To My Search Engine Saga. I meant to include [...]
  7. pingback pingback:
    Posted: Oct 19th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
    7
    Friday collection of miscellaneous stuff | Swollen Pickles

    [...] Andy Beard airs his beef with the Google Monster and presents it far more eloquently than I did! [...]
  8. pingback pingback:
    Posted: Oct 19th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
    8
    Fortnightly Update for 18th October | Dipping into the Blogpond

    [...] Also to SwollenPickles, whose blog generally brightens my day (even when he’s been “biatch slapped by Google“). [...]
  9. pingback pingback:
    Posted: Nov 29th, 2007 at 10:45 am
    9
    How I got out of the Google dog house | Swollen Pickles

    [...] looks like SwollenPickles.com could finally be out of the Google dog house. You can read up on the beginning of the saga here. In summary, up until earlier this week, you had to filter through around five pages of search [...]
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