Why my rankings took a dive

WagerPod

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Hi guys,

Been checking out my site recently and thought I was hit with a Google penalty (and I think I have been), I've been browsing tools for about 3 days now and think I have found out what the source of the problem was, maybe a good idea to share it.

I run a news site, just Google my username as I cannot add my websites yet, and looking for monetization I came accross a site called Content Click (you will of seen some of their links, they always appear on news sites like "Sites around the web" they offer crappy deals like iPads for £0.99 and send you to Mad Bid).

So I've found out the code they sent over has ALL FOLLOW links, including to their site. This was adding about 10 outbound links to all my content pages, which would have been really damaging.

I think big G have taken some kind of action against these banners as they all tend to be really low quality and obviously compete with AdSense. I can understand why as all the adverts were like "All the Chinese doctors hate this guy for loosing 100 pounds in a day".

Just a heads up - if you use a third party monetization PPC tool (other than the main ones, as I'm sure you most wont) it could land you in deep water with your rankings.
 

AussieDave

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You seem to have a fairly decent site, so I'm bewilded as to why you'd even bother running PPC ads. I was met with an above fold Ad for Subaru.
Being a seasoned player and also gaming affiliate, as soon as I spot PPC Ads like this on a site, I hit the back button, because (imho) it looks tacky ;)
 

WagerPod

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I know CPC ads are not the best way to go but we run gambling affiliate banners on our slot review pages, unfortunately Google can be a bit touchy running affiliate banners next to Google News content but somehow allow us to run AdSense, maybe biased as its their product.
 

AussieDave

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I dare say you've hit the nail on the head. I'd say bias is at play here.
Though I'm still not clear on why you'd even bother with these Ads on a gaming portal. I'd be more inclined to contact a casino and try for an exclusive no-deposit-bonus, then push those on site. Anything has to be better than a site peppered with these type of Ads. Again just my 2 cents worth.
 

Frank

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Just modify the code to no follow how much did traffic frop and for how long? sure it wasn't a blip?
 

WagerPod

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Thanks Slot Player for the click, every little helps, ha. And in regards to the code it referenced their page for resources and due to the agreement we cannot amend code. My monthly hits dropped by about 300,000 in three months, there was another factor for this but mainly the ads.
 

CasinoKev

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First off, appreciate the headsup! Quite an interesting and frustrating story you're dealing with. But I agree with others that it doesn't make much sense to mess with PPC ads. Though I'm sure you know your business better than anyone else.

What changes have you decided to make? Hope you rebound soon!
 

Frank

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This thread was from a few weeks ago, it would be interesting to have an uodate, to see if this really was the problem? in the past I have always though I found a solution only to find out its something else., trial and error. The last time my traffic dropped I thought it was a penalty and modified 500 pages by hand, turned out to be a minor tech error "hidden"
 

bobby sand

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Google recently announced a "quality" update but have been very shady about what exactly it is. Its not part of Panda so its not a refresh. They have said that they're targeting a lot of "how to" or informational guides which I guess are purely for SEO benefit. I find it more and more difficult these days to understand what Google sees as quality under their eyes.
 

peterhanneman

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Yes always put no-follow tag to outgoing link to avoid negative impact on your site and SERPs and you might see improvement in traffic.
 

NDG

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You should just promote the online casinos on a gambling news site. I know that Google News doesn't
want gambling ads plastered all over a gambling news site, but you just need to be creative and advertise
the casinos without making it look like you are. Don't use banners, but make a list of casino offers in
the sidebar, or some other creative way to promote the online casinos while delivering the news.
 

bobby sand

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It could have been a filter, the panda algorithm is rolling out now, although extremely slow, if you've been working on your site's content, fingers crossed you see a boost! The panda algorithm doesn't roll out as frequently as I'd like..
 
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