What is Sandbox? How long this Sandbox effect will be there?

[IMKing]

Hi,

Can anyone clearly explain these things regarding the Sandbox.

1. What is the exact meaning of sandbox and its effect?

2. How will be knowing our site is sandbox for particular keywords?

3. After beating the Sandbox effect, is there any chance again this effect occurring for the same keywords?

Along with these queries, if you provide more information regarding this Sandbox effect it would be great helpful...

Thank you
IMKing

[jazbo]

Google is your friend for this sort of stuff really?

Google

[bgmacaw]

Originally Posted by IMKing

1. What is the exact meaning of sandbox and its effect?

It only exists in the minds of people who've either picked a niche/keywords that are too competitive, like SEO, mortgages or weight loss, and/or aren't willing or able to build enough links and quality links to their site.

What confuses people is that Google will give new content a temporary boost in rankings which will put a site in the first few pages, maybe even the first page, in many niches. After that initial boost, the site will drop down to its natural level. People think this is the 'sandbox' but this is simply the 'Query Deserves Freshness' algorithm in action.

If you've built quality links to your site, you won't see much, if any, drop off once the new content bonus is removed. But, if you've built your link portfolio on sand, well, you'll sink like a rock when the bonus is removed unless the niche/keywords have little competition.

Originally Posted by IMKing

2. How will be knowing our site is sandbox for particular keywords?

3. After beating the Sandbox effect, is there any chance again this effect occurring for the same keywords?

Only try to realize the truth...

YouTube - The Matrix - Spoon (cro sub)

...there is no sandbox.

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by bgmacaw

It only exists in the minds of people who've either picked a niche/keywords that are too competitive, like SEO, mortgages or weight loss, and/or aren't willing or able to build enough links and quality links to their site.


...there is no sandbox.

Solid post bgmacaw I have come to much of the same kind of conclusions particularly as relates to quality in SEO. In addition to those points I haven't come to a firm conclusion but it seems that alot of people are reporting problems who have depended a bit too much and too quick on mass low quality link blasts. The combination with new sites that don't have other links to steady them may fall under some link spam guideline Google uses.

[shaktimaan]

I also do not believe in sandbox.

[bgmacaw]

Originally Posted by Mike Anthony

The combination with new sites that don't have other links to steady them may fall under some link spam guideline Google uses.

I don't think it's so much 'link spam' guideline but just links that don't count for much anyway and/or aren't stable.

Let's say you get 100 social bookmarking links, 100 profile links and 100 dofollow blog comment links. On some sites, they will soon be buried under new content coming in and it's unlikely that Googlebot will see them again. Their score gets subtracted from your total link score. A forum webmaster starts blocking the 'bot from profile pages or deletes spammy profiles, score subtracted. Blogs get 100's of comments from male enhancement spammers, score subtracted or greatly discounted. Eventually your original score of 300 links gets reduced down to 50 or so links that actually count and most of them have low value.

Now, you think your site is 'sandboxed' but actually what has happened is only a few of your original links still count for your ranking score. Contrast that scenario with building stable authority links along with ongoing lower value links. What happens then is your site ranks and stays ranked unless the competition is intense.

[paulgl]

Originally Posted by bgmacaw

Let's say you get 100 social bookmarking links, 100 profile links and 100 dofollow blog comment links. On some sites, they will soon be buried under new content coming in and it's unlikely that Googlebot will see them again. Their score gets subtracted from your total link score. A forum webmaster starts blocking the 'bot from profile pages or deletes spammy profiles, score subtracted. Blogs get 100's of comments from male enhancement spammers, score subtracted or greatly discounted. Eventually your original score of 300 links gets reduced down to 50 or so links that actually count and most of them have low value.

The problem is there is an epidemic of people coming to forums, like this one,
publishing lists and telling people to do just that or even automate them.

Will people ever learn? No. Because it sounds so easy.

Then they say it must be google's fault.

Paul

[GSX Enterprises]

I've had experience with the sandbox even after the initial bump. I was promoting too quickly and building links too quickly, and while the site was still indexed, none of the articles were showing, even with the titles in quotes. So yes it exist. Keep link building in hopes that when it does come out it flies onto the first page =)

-Safe Travels

[bgmacaw]

Originally Posted by GSX Enterprises

I've had experience with the sandbox even after the initial bump. I was promoting too quickly and building links too quickly, and while the site was still indexed, none of the articles were showing, even with the titles in quotes. So yes it exist. Keep link building in hopes that when it does come out it flies onto the first page =)

Did you even bother to read the thread entirely before you responded?

[Evita]

Originally Posted by bgmacaw

What confuses people is that Google will give new content a temporary boost in rankings which will put a site in the first few pages, maybe even the first page, in many niches. After that initial boost, the site will drop down to its natural level. People think this is the 'sandbox' but this is simply the 'Query Deserves Freshness' algorithm in action.

...there is no sandbox.

And the problem with this is that someone used Angela's links, or UAW posting, or
whatever else, the day before the temporary boost had "run it's course" so to speak, and
then all sorts of backlinking practices, and practices of any imaginary kind, becomes the
reason for the "sandbox." (Not to be confused with true black hat stuff that can get your site gone forever.)



Evita

[echealth]

I know the sandbox exists for heavy traffic, competitive terms. Most people that don't think it exists are not in truly competitive fields. You can get out of it by building unholy amounts of backlinks of course. I am in health insurance and had an old domain and a new domain. I did countless experiments with this that are too numerous to list here, involving 301 and moving content.
I will never buy a new domain again because of this. Most SEO experts will not even take an account for a new domain in a competitive field.


Florida Public Adjuster

[bgmacaw]

Originally Posted by echealth

I know the sandbox exists for heavy traffic, competitive terms.

Whatta surprise, heavy competition exists for heavily competitive terms.

But, if you were to kick off a brand new domain and had links from the likes of CNN, Fortune and so forth, you would not be 'sandboxed' at all. That's how the big boys do it, pump millions into promotional links, online and offline marketing campaigns and so forth that insures them a secure spot in search.

Now, if you're Joe Smuckatelly working in your home office getting a few 100 links here and there, yes, you'll think you're sandboxed. However, the truth is you've just been outspent and outclassed by the competition.

You're right though, old, established, domains with established and aged links do have an advantage. Age is a ranking factor, but not domain age alone. A deindexed 10 year old parked domain with no links is in the same spot as a never before registered domain. However, one that's established with aged links is quite a valuable asset.

[jasonmorgan]

Originally Posted by jazbo

Google is your friend for this sort of stuff really?

Google

exactly

happy searching

[WareTime]

Originally Posted by bgmacaw

.

Let's say you get 100 social bookmarking links, 100 profile links and 100 dofollow blog comment links. On some sites, they will soon be buried under new content coming in and it's unlikely that Googlebot will see them again. Their score gets subtracted from your total link score. A forum webmaster starts blocking the 'bot from profile pages or deletes spammy profiles, score subtracted. Blogs get 100's of comments from male enhancement spammers, score subtracted or greatly discounted. Eventually your original score of 300 links gets reduced down to 50 or so links that actually count and most of them have low value.

.

To me, that entire paragraph reads

Social book mark links, profile links, and links in blog comments are not worth the time it takes you to create them. The links that truly matter are those that another web site owner puts on their site. Unless you automate those three classes of links, it isn't worth the time it takes when you could be putting up decent content that will actually get a real link.

[ebiz101]

The Google Sandbox effect is an alleged restriction placed on new websites. The result is that a new site does not receive good rankings for its most important keywords and keyword phrases for few months. Even with good content, many inbound links, a new website may still adversely affected by the Sandbox effect. The Google Sandbox acts as a probation for new sites, probably to discourage spam sites from rising quickly, getting banned, and repeating the process.Thus the Google Sandbox is very similar to a new website being placed on probation whose rank is kept lower than expected in searches, prior to being given full value for its inbound links and content.

[bgmacaw]

Originally Posted by WareTime

Social book mark links, profile links, and links in blog comments are not worth the time it takes you to create them. The links that truly matter are those that another web site owner puts on their site. Unless you automate those three classes of links, it isn't worth the time it takes when you could be putting up decent content that will actually get a real link.

I wouldn't go that far. They can still be valuable in terms of indexing and ranking for long tail terms. It's just people expect these kinds of links to help them rank for moderately competitive terms and they won't do it without considerable ongoing work and considerable numbers. When these links don't help them attain long term ranking, they stop building links and cry "Sandbox! My site's been sandboxed! I built links too fast!" and give up.

[recommended]

I wasted money trying to get help with what I thought was a sandbox problem. You will soon pop up in the rankings if you continue to add quality keyword content and have some patients.

[philrogers]

Originally Posted by GSX Enterprises

I've had experience with the sandbox even after the initial bump. I was promoting too quickly and building links too quickly, and while the site was still indexed, none of the articles were showing, even with the titles in quotes. So yes it exist. Keep link building in hopes that when it does come out it flies onto the first page =)

-Safe Travels

Hi,

I just saw this post of yours regarding the Google sandbox effect. You are the first person I have come accross that has the exact same symptoms as I do, i.e site indexed but title in speech marks and returns no results..

Please tell me you recovered, and if so can you advise how you went about it please ?

Kind Regards
Phil Rogers