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A few questions about pengin, panda, and recovering

by CutPasteProfits
9 replies
  • SEO
    • |
Hey guys,

I know some people are probably tired of seeing me hang around here but I really am having a tough time dealing with my lost income. I would like to recover my rankings from the recent penguin 3 update, but I have some questions first. I really appreciate any help, even though some of these might still seem pretty basic to most of you.

1. I know I've built some pretty bad links due to not knowing better while still learning SEO. This included blog posts on relevant websites, paying for 2nd tier social blasts, articles, link directories, etc.

However, my question is -- if I use the "disavow" tool, will that tell Google I've been deliberately trying to play with my rankings?

2. Once all bad links are removed, will the penalty remain? (e.g. will any new link building activities have any positive effect, or is the site permanently damaged?)

3. What are the metrics I should look for when choosing links to remove?

4. Are there any reputable services which can analyze and remove links at a reasonable fee?

Help on any of the questions is appreciated, I'm sure others may benefit from this too.

Kind regards
#panda #pengin #questions #recovering
  • Profile picture of the author MarcusFenix
    You won't be recovering any time soon. It's impossible to recover from Penguin until it is next refreshed and if history is anything to go by, that won't be for some time. However, Google has hinted on more frequent updates following this latest release.

    If your sites have tanked you now stand at a crossroads - do you spend your time and money removing links, or do you start a fresh? There's no guarantee of seeing improvements by removing links. In fact, it's very unlikely because you're removing former link juice. The best you can hope for when removing links is that your site regains some lower rankings when the Penguin algorithm next refreshes, allowing you to then build on that.

    For that majority of sites, I would just start over; it's easier and probably quicker. This time, learn from your mistakes and don't create low quality links. Take your time and get it right first time.
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    • Profile picture of the author CutPasteProfits
      Thanks Marcus,

      I have been considering creating a new site for some time to diversify, but I've just invested so much time into that site its hard to let go. Kind of like a break up lol... but I know what you're saying.

      I'll be building a new site shortly and putting up a WSO to make some extra cash in the mean time. Once thats done I'll work on removing links from the site so it might have a chance again soon.
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  • Profile picture of the author online only
    Originally Posted by CutPasteProfits View Post

    Hey guys,

    I know some people are probably tired of seeing me hang around here but I really am having a tough time dealing with my lost income. I would like to recover my rankings from the recent penguin 3 update, but I have some questions first. I really appreciate any help, even though some of these might still seem pretty basic to most of you.

    1. I know I've built some pretty bad links due to not knowing better while still learning SEO. This included blog posts on relevant websites, paying for 2nd tier social blasts, articles, link directories, etc.

    However, my question is -- if I use the "disavow" tool, will that tell Google I've been deliberately trying to play with my rankings?

    Disavow could work. I used it before Penguin3 (I got lot of spammy links due to negative SEO) and so far my rankings are stable. Make sure you scrape together a full list of links you have received/built via Ahrefs, Majestic SEO and GWT and disavow all the bad ones on a domain level. Eventually you want to get those removed, but if you are unable to do so, you need to disavow.

    2. Once all bad links are removed, will the penalty remain? (e.g. will any new link building activities have any positive effect, or is the site permanently damaged?)

    I don't think Penguin can permanently damage a site. If you have managed to remove/disavow all the bad links and you also have bunch of legit links then there's a possibility that you penalty will get revoked.

    3. What are the metrics I should look for when choosing links to remove?

    Blog comments, social bookmarks, articles, profile links, GSA, Senuke etc...

    4. Are there any reputable services which can analyze and remove links at a reasonable fee?

    What is reasonable fee for you? Be aware, 90% of link removal/disavow services are scam. They basically disavow every single link and your penalty might get revoked, but there's no links to be left. So you will be sitting on 1000+ spot on Google.

    HisWebMarketing.com seems reputable, but they ask $10-$15 per one link removal.

    Help on any of the questions is appreciated, I'm sure others may benefit from this too.

    Kind regards
    Furthermore, I think you should really evaluate your backlink profile. If it's full of garbage links then it's better to start all over again. Relevant, editorial links from reputable sites is the main key in ranking sites. This can be done via outreach and great content.
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  • Profile picture of the author CutPasteProfits
    Thanks for the advice, online only -- I have been seeing some conflicting information specifically about the disavow tool. Some say its a dead giveaway that you engaged in "spammy" activities", while others say it doesn't have negative effects.

    I am considering using a tool called "link detox", which is quite expensive but I got a scan from someone off fiverr which should be here tomorrow. I'll check it out but I'm still not sure using the disavow is a good idea. It might be, considering I'm still seeing some fluctuations and disavows might be getting processed.
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    • Profile picture of the author online only
      Originally Posted by CutPasteProfits View Post

      Thanks for the advice, online only -- I have been seeing some conflicting information specifically about the disavow tool. Some say its a dead giveaway that you engaged in "spammy" activities", while others say it doesn't have negative effects.

      I am considering using a tool called "link detox", which is quite expensive but I got a scan from someone off fiverr which should be here tomorrow. I'll check it out but I'm still not sure using the disavow is a good idea. It might be, considering I'm still seeing some fluctuations and disavows might be getting processed.
      Disavow tool is definitely not worthless nor dead. In some case you just don't have nothing else to use. I couldn't remove those links so I had to get them disavowed. Not sure if it worked, but better than nothing.

      I also checked on Twitter whether or not the disavow tool worked. In some cases, people had only disavowed bad links (without removing) and they got their rankings back after a year (last penguin update was year ago).

      In your case, you have nothing to lose, so I suggest you to use disavow tool. It's not giving away your spammy linkbuilding tactics, you just let Google know that you want those links to get nofollowed. Thousands of people are using it and it's being processed automatically, which means there's no "manual review" involved.

      If you truly have legit links then try to get the bad ones removed and the ones that you cannot removed disavowed.
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      • Profile picture of the author CutPasteProfits
        Originally Posted by online only View Post

        Disavow tool is definitely not worthless nor dead. In some case you just don't have nothing else to use. I couldn't remove those links so I had to get them disavowed. Not sure if it worked, but better than nothing.

        I also checked on Twitter whether or not the disavow tool worked. In some cases, people had only disavowed bad links (without removing) and they got their rankings back after a year (last penguin update was year ago).

        In your case, you have nothing to lose, so I suggest you to use disavow tool. It's not giving away your spammy linkbuilding tactics, you just let Google know that you want those links to get nofollowed. Thousands of people are using it and it's being processed automatically, which means there's no "manual review" involved.

        If you truly have legit links then try to get the bad ones removed and the ones that you cannot removed disavowed.
        Thanks again.

        I recieved my link report with over 2000 crappy links. As I went through it, I realized there are also a lot of good links in there too (such as nofollow links from a related niche forum). And also expensive directory links which are moderated. I'm not so sure removing those is a good idea, but I'm about to upload the disavow now and see what happens in the next week.
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  • Profile picture of the author CutPasteProfits
    I've been seeing quite a few fluctuations the last few days, in particular some of my keywords are jumping up and down 4 spots since the disavow. I doubt this has anything to do with the disavow, more likely the penguin update still adjusting.

    Anyway, I do have another question -- is the site penalized on a domain or page level?

    As in, if I create a new page and try to rank it with good inner backlinks, will my site still be slower to reach spots in Google?

    Thanks for help in advance
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  • Profile picture of the author wAvision
    I am in the same position. I have too much money and time into my site that got hit just to scrap it.

    I have found a service that seems very good and through a few emails back and forth, I can tell they are very thorough. The service is decently priced as well.

    The service I will be using in about two weeks once the update is completely over is linkdelete.com.
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  • Profile picture of the author CutPasteProfits
    wAvision that looks like a good service to get the links removed. I do however have my doubts about them contacting hundreds or thousands of webmasters to remove the links.

    There is a service called "linkdetox" -- you can get guys on fiverr to do it for $5 which I used to create my disavow file.
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