Thinking about removing everything Google from my blog (adsense, analytics, +1)

[gearmonkey]

Because my blog was hit hard during the Farmer update, despite having high-quality unique content, and can't find the reason why Google hates my blog.... especially when it viewed my blog a leader in the industry before Farmer, I am thinking about removing everything Google from my website.

I already removed Adsense, I am searching for an alternative to analytics (plenty of great options out there, +1 seems useless anyhow. Webmaster tools has been useful, but I am just getting sick of Google able to spy on my websites activity and not ranking my site accordingly.

My site produces higher-quality content than my competitors, my content gets used in many important wikis, answers, forums, blogs, and even eHow has stole some of my work (though the author provided a link back to my website, so I was cool with that).

I've been reading every possibility that might be holding my site back in G, micro analyzing every aspect, and comparing it to my competitors, and my site seems to be head and shoulders above competitors in my niche.

Amazing how I can go from top 3 for any given keyword, and now my site is buried, takes forever to index a new page (despite social bookmarking it to over 100 bookmarks), and is no longer caching.

I removed ALL my ads, deleted a bunch of useless tags (wordpress), made everything uniportant nofollow, noindex with SEO plugins (per suggested on SEO blogs)...

I am at witts end. Sick of getting outranked by amazon scraper sites and autoblogs with 15 adsense/affiliate ads on every page!!!

Maybe removing all the Google tags I coded in my theme so I can't be tracked will have a positive effect....

[Oranges]

These are the side effects, signs and symptoms of Google controlling your life.

[RustyF]

I watched a site in my niche that was ranked number one for years. Being in the top three doesn't mean you belong there. (Not saying you didn't just saying it is not an indicator of a great site). This guy was even using spelling errors to bolster his keywords. You know that old early 90's trick where one would include several correct spellings for a word. It had almost no original content and was as ugly as an early geocities site. Yet for three years, it sat at number one.

It recently was pushed back to pay 60.

Statcounter is very good but I use both. They provide different kind of information but doesn't hold your data for long unless you pay. I'm in at $10 which only covers my main site for 6 days to 7 days.

You seem to have an idea of what went wrong, you don't want to contact Google and now you're worried about being spied on.

You do realize if you make changes to your site, it will take a long time for Google to respond? I know you know that but you're not talking that way.

I know many people wont put anything Google on their site. I have a doubt that you can go backwards though, once they have you they will remain to have you. Removing your site from Webmaster tools wont stop them from doing whatever it is they are doing now. Except linking your accounts easier. They have other ways, the same statcounter or quantcast ID will also tell them you're linked. Trying to hide from death might be easier than trying to hide from Google. I know I ain't ever gonna die. ha ha

I do wish you all the best.

[gearmonkey]

Originally Posted by Oranges

These are the side effects, signs and symptoms of Google controlling your life.

Indeed. My wife and I are talking about selling our car, using the cash to buy a $1,000 junker, and use the left over cash to put food in the fridge and payoff some past-due utility bills.

Google is controlling our lives...

[Evil Sniper XV]

Sometimes they have a few errors and misplace your site. How many UV do you have daily?

[paulgl]

Originally Posted by gearmonkey

Indeed. My wife and I are talking about selling our car, using the cash to buy a $1,000 junker, and use the left over cash to put food in the fridge and payoff some past-due utility bills.

Google is controlling our lives...

If you are serious about that, man I wish you well and hope things work
out.

But can't you still use a few bucks from adsense?

Paul

[Joshua Hawk]

You could change things, wait awhile, and see how it goes. My guess is that google probably doesn't like changes that much overall though. For example, if every week you switched links from dofollow to nofollow, that would probably look suspicious to them.

[gearmonkey]

Originally Posted by RustyF

I watched a site in my niche that was ranked number one for years. Being in the top three doesn't mean you belong there. (Not saying you didn't just saying it is not an indicator of a great site). This guy was even using spelling errors to bolster his keywords. You know that old early 90's trick where one would include several correct spellings for a word. It had almost no original content and was as ugly as an early geocities site. Yet for three years, it sat at number one.

It recently was pushed back to pay 60.

Statcounter is very good but I use both. They provide different kind of information but doesn't hold your data for long unless you pay. I'm in at $10 which only covers my main site for 6 days to 7 days.

You seem to have an idea of what went wrong, you don't want to contact Google and now you're worried about being spied on.

You do realize if you make changes to your site, it will take a long time for Google to respond? I know you know that but you're not talking that way.

I know many people wont put anything Google on their site. I have a doubt that you can go backwards though, once they have you they will remain to have you. Removing your site from Webmaster tools wont stop them from doing whatever it is they are doing now. Except linking your accounts easier. They have other ways, the same statcounter or quantcast ID will also tell them you're linked. Trying to hide from death might be easier than trying to hide from Google. I know I ain't ever gonna die. ha ha

I do wish you all the best.

It didn't take long for them to sink it, I was hoping I'd see some fluctuation within 72 hours... just something to show I am somewhat on the right direction. If anything, my site sunk more the past 72 hours.

I did contact Google to ask them to reconsider my site.

I know my posts may imply that I have a sense of entitlement for my position, but really, it's more about looking at the sites who are outranking me. they are exactly the sites Google says won't be successful. I mean, what they say and what they do is two different things.

I see it like this, if I am getting outranked by better websites, I'll analyze those sites and use creative thinking on what I can do to better my blog. Instead, I am analyzing "this-is-the-long-tail-keyword-i-am-ranking-for.com" autoblogs, or amazon affiliate sites.

Also, there are branded websites that outrank me. The page that outranks me is a 200 word blurb basically spun from the manufacuters website. I understand why they outrank me, because they are PR8, 17 year old domain, give out illegal/copyright guitar tabs (because they can afford top lawyers), and are top 900 in alexa... and are a household name. I get that.

[gearmonkey]

Originally Posted by Evil Sniper XV

Sometimes they have a few errors and misplace your site. How many UV do you have daily?

before farmer 5,000+ on a good day

now, 1,400 on a good day. On pace for 1,200 today (1,230 yesterday).

[Cosmit]

Google can easily link your new sites to the old ones as well as lower your current sites. Best is to look for alternatives if you're doing SEO IMO.

[Fraggler]

Originally Posted by gearmonkey

before farmer 5,000+ on a good day

now, 1,400 on a good day. On pace for 1,200 today (1,230 yesterday).

Maybe try and start turning those uniques into return visitors to start stacking your traffic. Your energy would be better spent there than trying to work out what you've done wrong with Google. 1000+ visitors should be enough to make something happen. Get that traffic sharing your great articles on Facebook and Twitter. Or turn that traffic in regular readers of a newsletter so you can send them back to your site time and time again.

[yukon]

Originally Posted by Fraggler

Maybe try and start turning those uniques into return visitors to start stacking your traffic. Your energy would be better spent there than trying to work out what you've done wrong with Google. 1000+ visitors should be enough to make something happen. Get that traffic sharing your great articles on Facebook and Twitter. Or turn that traffic in regular readers of a newsletter so you can send them back to your site time and time again.

Exactly!

This can be done 100% without Google Search.

1) Find the highest traffic related niche forum

2) Give away something FREE via optin form, include something with links to sales page (pdf)

3) Repeat...

[Rsberg]

I realize what I am about to say doesn’t help much but...

This is exactly why I have said for some time now that it’s best to keep Google out of your business. There are certainly other options that don't involve opening all your doors to Googles prying eyes.

I own some of those autoblogs that people like yourself often complain about that out rank them and one of the reasons I think my sites rank so well (besides the fact I build quality added autobogs) is that I keep Google out of my sites. Does that mean I won’t get their traffic...of course not and I feel safer for it as well!

Good luck, I hope you get your rankings and traffic back.
Robert