How to Get Reindexed in Google…
Well, it’s been almost a month and we’re still indexed in Google (crossing our fingers). Furthermore, by the looks of things, we have no reason to believe that will change. Yes, Google has decided to come back to dance with HomeBusinessOnline.com after having been deindexed for over three years (see previous post about re-indexing).
We had a pretty good idea the de-indexing had something to do with a suggestion we had implemented a few months before from one of our supposed “SEO guru” friends. At first, we weren’t sure about his tactic. In fact, it seemed a bit spammy. Nevertheless, our SEO friend assured us it would bring in large amounts of traffic and that plenty of other legitimate sites were using his method.
Indeed, the method DID bring in large amounts of traffic, even targeted traffic. However, it was short-lived. Once we were de-indexed by Google, our traffic plummeted. We immediately removed the suggested SEO tactics and restored HomeBusinessOnline.com to its previous condition in hopes that Google would once again re-index us.
Since there were a good number of other websites that were de-indexed along with ours, there was plenty of talk on the internet at that time. We perused all the SEO reports and followed Matt Cutts‘ initial advice to use a special email address to plead to Google for re-inclusion. The response was generic and nothing came of it. So, weeks later, we emailed again explaining that we had removed the offending code.
Nothing.
Some time later, Matt said Google was getting bombarded with too many emails and that we should use an online website for to file our re-inclusion request. We did so, and received another automated email saying we should check Google’s Webmaster Guidelines for the answer. (Trust me, we had already done this numerous times with a magnifying glass.) After some weeks, I let Google know we had not received a human response. They suggested I wait for up to three months. After the three months, I reminded them again and received the same automated email response about checking the Webmaster Guidelines.
Never heard another word. FYI, before the de-indexing, we were #1 in Google’s SERPS for the coveted keyword home business, had a PR6 and an Alexa ranking of 12,000.
Now, three years later, it seems Google is once again interested in HomeBusinessOnline.com. Still no PR. That’ll probably have to wait until the next Google dance.
But…
We are currently #5 for the search term ‘home business online‘ (#3 using “”s). Beggars can’t be choosers, we’ll take it! And, it would seem Google loves our Home Business Forum. They’ve been on it non-stop since my last post about getting re-indexed in Google. Actually, it is our active forum that has kept us alive these past three years. It would seem Google likes the fresh content, too.
So, how do you get re-indexed in Google?
The answer is simple. Are you ready?
Here goes…
Wait!
No, that’s not a command. That’s what we finally had to do… Wait. After we had done all we could to make sure we were in compliance with Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and had attempted to be re-included, we simply continued as if nothing had happened and waited. We continued to put fresh content on the site and kept the forum active.
Yes, websites can get re-indexed even if Google has ignored your re-inclusion requests.
I’m very curious to see what will happen in the next Google Dance and PageRank Update (which could actually be any day).
Will HomeBusinessOnline.com be de-indexed once again?
Was this just a cruel teaser?
Or, is HomeBusinessOnline.com back in Google’s graces for good?
If so, I wonder…
- What page rank will HomeBusinessOnline.com be given?
- Will it be given PR as if starting from scratch?
- Will we move up in the SERPs for any other keywords?
- Or will things remain status quo?
I will say that if Google does keep us in the SERPs, we will have a lot of work to do. During these past three years, we’ve lost four times the inbound links we used to have. Before the de-indexing, everyone wanted to link to us. We had, in fact, 10,000+ inbound links and had an “above average presence.” (By the way, almost all of those links were natural links.) Now, our link popularity is under 2,500. A pretty pitiful drop.
After the de-indexing, the big talk was not to link to “bad neighborhoods.” Wow! We had become one of those. Websites were taking down their links right and left. We even had a member of our forum delete her forum signature saying she didn’t want to take the chance of a “bad neighborhood” linking TO her website! She continued to post and be active on the forums WITHOUT a signature.
Sheesh! Anyone who’s been in our same position knows what I’m talking about.
Oh, well. The point is that we will have to work hard to get those links back. But, that’s jumping the gun. First things first… Let’s see if Google keeps us indexed after the next update.
For now, a request…
Everyone cross your fingers that this re-indexing sticks after the upcoming Google Update. It would be a welcome relief after all the hard work that has gone into HomeBusinessOnline.com
Be sure to add your comments! We’d love to hear from you.
Heidi
Related: google pr seo serps home business