Nerve Endings Firing Away

As any webmaster will attest, referrals from Google’s organic search can be a source of immense traffic to your site. Like any other site on the web, this blog also attracted droves of Google searchers in pursuit of knowledge of varying interests; ranging from Sanjaya Malakar to streaming online movies. But sometime early this month, Google decided to frown on all that traffic and spanked my blog so much that referrals from Google search have dropped to 50 or less per day when in fact they came in hundreds before that. Surprisingly just before the spanking happened, I had removed Text Link Ads from my site forging nearly $60 per month in revenue because it violated Google’s terms and conditions.

Earlier Google had penalized my PageRank by dropping it from 5 to 3 and by reading up similar accounts on the Web, I learned that the text link ads were to blame. Google’s justification that paid links corrupt the authenticity and relevancy of its search engine as link sellers attempt to boost their site’s rankings by buying Google juice from higher-ranked sites. I agree with Google in principle although I’m sure they could have handled this problem by devising a technological fix instead of penalizing site owners; after all Google Adsense often shows ads from Text Link Ads, Inc.

After I got back from India and I finally found time to do some spring cleaning on my blog, I dumped Text Link Ads and informed Google through a reconsideration request [found in Webmaster Tools]. My PageRank was instantly restored to its previous level of 5 but strangely after a day or two, the Google referrals dried up. It is almost as if Google penalized me for owning up. I have a simple blog and I have not indulged in anything more than basic SEO. Keyword stuffing, buying links, creating hidden links, making search-friendly content are some tactics that I have always refrained from. Anyway, I have a personal blog where I make a conscious attempt of masking my real identity and doing all blackhat SEO things wouldn’t have any significant benefits; monetary or otherwise. Strangely other blogs that I operate still have text link ads and none of them have lost any Google referral traffic. So in a way it is strange to see this blog being singled out for harsh treatment in spite of playing by the rules.

The traffic has drastically dropped but apart from disappointing my stats-whore inner being, nothing much has changed. But I would definitely appreciate if Google at least informs me as to what else do they find amiss on my little cyber home. I have looked hard and cannot find any serious problems. Other web accounts of similar problems involve a fix only if you happen to know Matt Cutts, a senior Googler in charge of handling link spam, personally. Anywho, blogging will continue as usual.

If anyone of you are SEO-aware and regularly dabble in the intricacies of web design trying to make it Google-friendly, then feel free to point out any other shortcomings of my blog that Google might be finding objectionable.