What would happen if suddenly you no longer appeared in Google? Unfortunately, for some businesses and websites this is a reality - usually in the wake of a Google update. This slide deck is designed to help those penalised or experiencing lost visibility, to identify potential problems hindering their search rankings and fixes. For the rest of us it is a handy guide to stay IN Google's good books!

1. 11 Ways to p*ss off (or…)
Things to check if your website suddenly tanks.
Adapted From: www.rickeliason.com/why-does-google-hate-me

2. The Problem
For several reasons, Google may not be able to find or crawl your
website. If it can’t crawl it and index the data it won’t appear in the search
results. If it doesn’t appear in search results you won’t be getting traffic.
The Solution
Type site:www.yourwebsite.com into Google which will bring up every
page of your site it has indexed. If this seems low (or is zero) you may
have problems. We’ll cover some of the reasons this may be in upcoming
slides.
Further Reading: https://goo.gl/rZ00qz
1. Is Google Seeing Your Site?

3. 2. Has Google Given You A Penalty?
The Problem
Google is hot on identifying websites that use malicious or “black hat”
tactics to get an advantage over other sites. If they think your site has
broken Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, you’ll get a penalty which means
partial or full removal of your site from the search engine.
The Solution
Go to your Webmaster Tools profile (Don’t have one? You Should) and
click Search Traffic > Manual Actions. If you have a penalty it will be listed
here. You’ll need to fix the issue and submit a reconsideration request.
Further Reading: https://goo.gl/GmKFhu

4. 3. Has Google Got Restrictive Access?
The Problem
Sometimes people accidentally block the search engines from crawling
their site - either through an incorrectly configured robots.txt file or
through their CMS/website settings which are often easily fixed.
The Solution
Go to www.yoursite.com/robots.txt to see what commands are contained
within and fix if necessary. If you don’t know what you’re looking for,
have a look at the link below or consult a developer.
Further Reading: https://goo.gl/lX4r7Y

5. 4. Are Your WordPress Settings Incorrect?
The Problem
As mentioned in the previous slide, sometimes your content management
system or platform running your site could have a specific setting that is
blocking the crawl spiders. If your site is on Wordpress, a common
example is when the site developer excluded the site being indexed
during a build and forgot to switch it back.
The Solution
Log into your dashboard and under Settings > Reading ensure the box
marked “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is unticked.

6. 5. Has Google Indexed TOO MANY Pages?
The Problem
A tell-tale sign of your site being hacked is too many pages being indexed
in Google. While this is bad in itself, Google only allocates a certain
amount of resources to a given website and if your “budget” is used up
on surplus pages, your “money” pages may not get the right attention.
The Solution
Run a site:www.yourdomain.com search and see what Google is currently
indexing. If you spot some suspicious or irrelevant pages take steps to
remove and redirect (hacked sites may require extra steps).
Further Reading: http://goo.gl/2lVzXm

7. 6. Do You Have Duplicate Content?
The Problem
As far as Google is concerned, duplicate content serves no purpose on
the web and will look to de-index anything that gives no extra value to the
web. Sites consistently breaking this rule could also be penalised.
The Solution
Use Copyscape and Siteliner to identify multiple versions of the same
page or where 3rd party sites have copied your content (or indeed where
you have copied a 3rd party site).

8. 7. Has Google De-indexed Lots of Pages?
The Problem
Sometimes you’ll choose to de-index a bunch of pages (such as duplicate
pages - see previous slide, or irrelevant out-of-date pages that no longer
serve your offering). But sometimes Google will choose to de-index a
bunch of your pages for no apparent reason, leading to a drop in traffic.
The Solution
First you need to identify IF pages have been dropped, and then find out
WHICH ones. This can be done in Webmaster Tools > Google Index >
Index Status. By figuring out which pages have been dropped, and
analysing those pages you can usually figure out the cause. It may simply
be a case of thin content in which case the solution is to build them up to
be more useful to users.

9. 8. Has Google Launched An Algorithm Change?
The Problem
Google is constantly refining its ranking algorithm to return the best
results and an algorithm update is one of the most common reasons for
pages and sites to lose visibility.
The Solution
If you think your site may have been affected, you can check to see if any
dips in traffic coincide with an update using Moz’s Algorithm Change
History or Barracuda’s Panguin Tool. Dig into what the change affected to
see how to get back into Google’s good books.

10. 9. Do You Unnatural Backlinks?
The Problem
In order to get better rankings, some webmasters and SEOs employ
unnatural link building tactics which are against Google’s Webmaster
Guidelines. If Google catches you, prepare to be punished.
The Solution
If Google detects unnatural backlinks you’ll likely get a notification in
Webmaster Tools. You’ll need to identify the harmful links and get them
removed, and if not, disavowed. For more indepth advice, download
Koozai’s free whitepaper: The Complete Backlinks Guide
Further Reading: https://goo.gl/HfhRJg

11. 10. Is Your Website Too Slow?
The Problem
Since 2010, page load speed has been a ranking factor. If your site is slow
compared to competitors, you’ll likely have problems competing with
them in terms of search rankings.
The Solution
Google offers a helpful tool called Page Speed Insights which not only
scores your site based on industry benchmarks, but also helps you out
by listing all the slowing elements of your site.
Further Reading: http://goo.gl/uN6F3W

12. 11. Is Your Website Un-Mobile-Friendly?
The Problem
From 21st April 2015, Google is ranking non-mobile-friendly websites
down for searches conducted on a mobile device. If you rely on mobile
traffic (e.g. if you are a restaurant) you may have noticed traffic dip and
continue to fall following this update.
The Solution
The only solution to this is building a mobile-specific site or making your
existing site responsive. Google has a helpful tool which shows you how
your site renders on a mobile phone and whether it is deemed “Mobile
Friendly”.
Further Reading: http://goo.gl/m8Ls9G

13. WANT TO KNOW MORE?
This slide deck is an overview of the information and tools covered in this
article by @SEOPlusMore for rickeliason.com.
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