Google Phishing or Flushing?

Recently Google sent out messages to millions of webmasters, Is it phishing for the bad or flushing the poison out of the system?

If you are a SEO or webmaster who handle a good number of sites using Google webmaster tools, you probably have got this message from Google.


"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 "


Google is believed to have sent (sending) this message to millions of SEO companies and webmasters on a daily basis. Like any other you must be wondering what NEXT? Chances are that you may have bought a link here depending on the age of your website.

Nothing to be blamed as at one point of time links were the juice of SEO no matter paid or not paid. Then came contextual linking, blog reviews, articles and 100 other sources where you can get those links. The very same links which gave your website the required boost in SERP's has become a potential threat now. Google's business policies are very unpredictable as they change it from time to time to suit their business goals.

Once upon a time sites like ezinearticles.com, goarticles.com were seen on the top of SERP's for any informative keyword query. They stood right next to Wiki but Google felt Digital Media as a threat and then ignored them in their first page results for most of the terms. As a SEO company or webmaster we have no clue on what will happen next until it had happened.

So what does Google mean by "Un Natural" links

- Text Links bought from sites like ***brokers.com, ***ads.com
The links are un-ntural because most of the time these guys get you links from irrelevant sites and in some cases other language sites as well.

- Links bought through ***reviews.com, ***me.com in the form of blog reviews
Why this is not natural because these blogs review from Viagra to Samsung galaxy tabs. Google can easily detect the pattern.

- Links obtained by spun Content
Some smart SEO company must have fooled you into publishing spun content to 1000's of sites and blogs. The sad part is unlike the above two this links cannot be taken back as you will never know how it went there, who the owner of the site and how to remove the link. There is an interesting discussion at Google webmaster Forum where a webmaster had agreed to pay such sites to get their link removed while these sites demand more and more money to remove the links.

- Links from Blog Networks, Paid Directory Networks
  A number of Indian SEO companies publicly offer paid directory links and boast that they have networks with 100's of blogs and directories. Google have clearly mentioned in their webmaster guidelines  that they will ban networks of any sort which are developed solely for SEO purposes. One must be out of mind or totally ignorant to buy those links.


So what NOW? Is Google phishing for webmasters who bought the links?
Chances are that Google will know for sure that which sites have bought links and from where as soon as you remove the links and apply for reconsideration. It is a win win situation for Google as they not only can kick the websites out of their SERP"s but also blacklist the sites which have sold the links. So if your site is doing fairly good with Google my advice is to remove the un natural links gradually and build relevant, quality links. If your sites have dropped positions significantly then you have to remove the un-natural links as soon as you can before you apply for reconsideration.

Google may flush the poison out of the system, knocking the business of selling links or reviews and thus making the search results clean. Either Phishing or Flushing it is better to stay away from paid links or paid reviews. Most importantly never pay to remove your links or there will be 1000's of crappy sites which will link to you every day and demand money to get rid of the links. Google has an option to report such sites and make use of it.

Before signing off.. Here is a video in which Matt announces another major update by the mid of 2012 which will take down the over optimized sites.