Google Filters and Avoiding their Screens - Potential Multiple Cause Filters
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The so-called over optimization filter appears to be more the result of a number of triggers than from simply one cause. No one is certain if there ever was an over optimization filter, but strong evidence of it occurring was seen during the infamous Florida update and the later Austin update. The main culprits appear to have been the now isolated anchor text filter, various on page problems caused by overuse of h1 and h2 tags, and some keyword stuffing concerns.
The over optimization filter appears to have been most active in the most competitive and therefore most spam-laden keywords and phrases. Website owners in the more competitive keyword areas should consider using only the most reasonable levels of keywords in their content; certainly not more than 3%. Writing naturally will work best for the search engines and for conversions to sales. Overuse of keywords may even trigger a filter all by itself. Be careful of overusing h1 and h2 tags. Make certain each page has a unique title tag related to that page's actual content.
It is thought by some people that there is a damper placed on new incoming links. Those freshly created links allegedly don't give the same bang for the buck as older more established links. This theory is usually discussed in conjunction with the famous sandbox filter.
The sandbox filter allegedly works this way. A new site will receive a fresh site bonus from Google and rank highly. Following that initial blush with fame and fortune, the site will drop in the search rankings, and drop, and then drop some more. That is where the alleged sandbox occurs.
Once in the sandbox, the site will be anywhere from two to four months rising in the SERPs to a respectable position. During that sandbox period, regardless of the number and quality of inbound links and the PageRank, that site will not rank well at all. It is thought that gaining too many links too quickly might be part of the reason for the sandbox. On the other hand, building up a domain with incoming links prior to site launch may help avoid the sandbox entirely.
Some observers believe only certain search terms are filtered through the sandbox. If that is true, then the sandbox is tied in with the alleged most competitive search term filter as well. In any case, it's wise to take the ranking time into consideration when launching a new site. Perhaps setting the site up live, slightly earlier than planned for business, will allow time for any damper placed on the site to be removed.
Duplicate content may not only trigger a filter, but sites that contain a large number of pages that are similar in content might be targeted. If that is indeed the case, then webmasters must be careful to differentiate their pages more completely. Of course, that is a great idea from an SEO point of view. More different pages, each with individual titles and main keywords, means more potentially high ranking pages in the search engines.
Many of the larger sites, which may be experiencing a possible large site and duplicate content filter, are thought to be affiliate sites. If that's true, then there may even be a bias filter against affiliate sites by means of clamping down more tightly on duplicate or very similar content.
As always, the best way to avoid the possibility of duplicating web page content, is to make certain all pages contain unique and differentiated copy. By continually updating and adding different pages, you will also benefit from the search engine algorithm preference for fresh content.
Conclusion
As stated from the outset, many of these alleged filters are based on partial observation. The filters and dampers are not definitely in place. On the other hand, where there is smoke, fire might be close at hand.
The best way to avoid any filters or dampers is to employ common sense search engine optimization practices. Mix up your link anchor text. Write natural sounding unique content for each web page without keyword stuffing. Avoid duplicate content. Don't employ any questionable practices designed only to fool the search engines.
Following best SEO practices will work best for you in the long run, and you will avoid any filters, real or imagined.
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