In an age of rapid development of information technology, entrepreneurs of any level cannot afford to stay on the sidelines of progress. Modern marketing, which is the engine of the most important business mechanisms, is inextricably linked with digital platforms on the Web. And the Google search engine is the most popular and authoritative among them. By indexing web pages and determining ratings in search results, it can determine how effective the representation of a company in a network space will be.
Among corporate sites, there is a fierce struggle for a leading position in search engine rankings, which has contributed to the emergence of such a thing as “Google fines”. FE International founder Thomas Smale talks about the essence of this phenomenon and how businessmen who want to maintain high rankings in search results should relate to it.
Google principles and search engine optimization
Initially, the American search engine was loyal to its consumers, introducing clear and natural algorithms for generating results in search results. The situation changed with the advent of fashion for SEO-optimization, which was explained by the desire of companies, in fact, to artificially increase the traffic of their sites. This problem was solved by filling web pages with content with specific keywords that were supposed to attract an audience through the search engine. As the practice of SEO optimization has spread, Google experts have decided to develop new rules for the operation of algorithms.
Search Engine Updates
At the moment, it is impossible to point out specific changes in the operation of the search system, since the rules are constantly improving due to the introduction of more or less significant adjustments. But we can talk about the principles and directions that the Google team adheres to.
First of all, the updates affected the content requirements to which the search engine redirects its users. Already, a lot of algorithms are working that automatically fix "inanimate" links, errors in the text and other tricks used by SEO-optimizers to increase website traffic.
Disadvantages of updates
It would seem that the changes introduced are absolutely fair and logical. They give an advantage to respectable business representatives with useful content and cut off companies that try to act by fraudulent means towards customers. But this is where the problem arises of using “Google fines” as a mechanism for downgrading search results. Since the system mainly works automatically according to the given algorithms, it is not immune from erroneous decisions. As a result, even a trustworthy website may fall under such a “fine”, which should be remembered by business representatives.
The mechanism of "fine"
In essence, we are talking about the effect of the action of new algorithms for indexing web pages by the Google search engine, in which their ranking in SERPs decreases. The problem is that one specific parameter of the negative assessment of the resource does not exist. There is a whole range of criteria by which the system determines the site and its pages as unreliable. At a basic level, owners should be prepared to reconfigure their resources under the updated conditions for their indexation, including empirically.
In addition, there is a practice of manual "fines" when Google employees check sites personally. They make a verdict on whether the content meets the established requirements.
The positive point is that the conditional “penalty” will be reflected in the report recorded in the Google Search Console account. By installing this service, you can check the existing “fines” and in the future build a strategy for solving the problem.
The mechanism of removal of the "fine"
If the sanction was entered manually, then the process of its cancellation can be initiated directly through the search console. However, to start this procedure should only be after the changes made, aimed at eliminating the problems that led to the imposition of the “fine”. Having fulfilled these conditions, it will be possible to turn to Google with a statement on the new indexing of the site. The most difficult thing is to determine the specific reason for the downgrade.
Common Causes of a “Fine”
Again, it is worth noting that the approach should be comprehensive, since the system works with a wide array of site evaluation parameters. The most common reasons for applying a “fine” include the following:
- Free hosting. Although business owners are increasingly striving to improve the quality of their representation in the Internet environment, there is still a practice of using free hosts. Obviously, the load of advertising on such platforms reduces the level of trust on the part of the search engine.
- "Blank" pages. For the sake of increasing traffic, many companies create sites with a large number of pages, a significant part of which does not carry significant information content. Such pages should be discarded - this will be the effect of useful optimization.
- Overloaded with keywords. Even if the web page has content in the form of meaningful content, it can raise suspicions due to the high percentage of keywords present in the text. Similar words and phrases are perceived by the system as unnatural and not worthy of the user's attention.
- Copied content. Filling the Internet space with the same information is also negatively perceived by the search engine. It is advisable to avoid duplication of content that is already presented on the Web.
- Malicious programs and viruses. If the site is recorded as distributing spyware or potentially dangerous programs, this will be a direct cause for a “fine”. It is important to remember that Google, in principle, has a strict policy in the field of ensuring the security of its users, which must also be reckoned with.
- Invalid links. The practice of redirecting traffic from other pages to attract additional traffic is also not welcome if such links are illogical.
Other reasons for downgrading
The main motive for a businessman to pay attention to the system of imposing “Google fines” is their negative effect on the site’s position in search results. The concern is directly lowering the rating and, as a result, the lack of traffic from the target audience. However, a “fine” may not be the only reason for the deterioration of a resource’s situation in search results. This is important because work to change site management tactics may need to be done in a different direction.
The decrease in the rating may be due, for example, to more effective optimization of competitive sites. This is a normal and natural situation when the same work on content in compliance with Google’s rules allows you to increase your results in SERPs. At the same time, sites of lagging competitors may continue to meet the same requirements for the quality of content on web pages.
Conclusion
The regularly changing conditions for checking sites by the Google search engine make business owners justifiably introduce new analytical tools to track their activities on the Web.Of course, toughening the requirements for content leads to additional costs, but it should also be understood that the loser in this fight loses a lot for the business, since it is a risk of losing the target client.