Warning from Google Webmaster Tools on Artificial Links

by 61 replies
74
Ok,

I know Google has a lot to deal with, and I know they TRY to improve their pages BUT this is not only idiot, but also total ignorance.

This is what I've received in my G Webmasters Tools:

What is stupid is they sent this to 4 of my sites of which:

* One was never promoted anywhere except here in my sig.
* Other was dead for 1-2 years and the only backlinks it has are from MY related sites (old links).
* Other one was never EVER promoted anywhere - and that includes social media, or directories, so NO backlinks I created, not ONE.
* And the last one was promoted using everything you can think of: blogrol from my other related sites, directories, social media, Youtube, etc etc BUT NEVER with automated tools.

So, let me recap: I get these warnings, they tell me to FIX MY BACKLINKS (huh, how the **** do I do that?) and then to ask for reconsideration.

They Hit 4 of my cleanest sites EVER. And they expect me to FIX MY BACKLINKS. Are they that ignorant? Does GOOGLE realize every competitor is now going to push 2K backlinks per day to ruin clean sites?

Do Google understands what the **** are they doing? Honestly? How the hell am I supposed to "fix my backlinks" so I can "ask for reconsideration"??



WHY Should I ask for reconsideration from something that is NOT wrong? Arrrgggg!!!!! Is Google web spam team THAT ignorant? Take a look to one of my warned sites: Site Explorer - Search Results Just backlinks from my personal site and from here, WF.

Please, someone independent tell me how this is a backlink profile from someone using, and I quote: .

? Unless promoting a site in NOW forbidden by Google, all the links are promotion. Mine and in my sig here. But maybe thats it: NOW IT'S FORBIDDEN TO PROMOTE A SITE.

Man, I am telling you: Google is pushing this crap attitude for so long, only to create more bluefarters. I swear to God, this is pushing more and more people into "artificial or unnatural links to manipulate PageRank" cause Google is IGNORANT. A couple weeks ago it was PANDA killing honest and GOOD UNIQUE sites. Now it's this trash?

So let me check, Google tells you to promote your sites so more people can know you're alive. But if you promote your sites, you get "warned" and asked to "fix the backlinks".

Oh my God...

I have to get away from this PC, otherwise I'll hit my desk so hard it breaks in two.

Google, one work for your web spam team: IGNORANTS.

Fernando
#search engine optimization #artificial #google #links #tools #warning #webmaster
  • Forgot to add owners of automated tools will love this approach from Google... Now THEY CAN destroy their competition using tools or Fiverr gigs.

    How cool is that Google?
    • [1] reply
    • That's true, once Google finally decides the creteria at which sites will be punished at, then everyone will do that to their competitors.
  • Did they do anything to your websites? Did your rankings get affected?
    • [2] replies
    • Nop. Nada.
      • [1] reply
    • Fernando, you know I never believe much in google knowing "artificial"
      or "natural." They can't. But here's what I think they are doing. And
      it's something the could do very easily. Don't know it this affects you.

      They are looking for anchor text. Specific anchor text that may signal
      spam. Any link with a get-rich-quick-scheme attached to it may
      get flagged. Also other spammy words, most of which I will not go into
      as to offend people. But if you make 1,000 links in crappy places, and
      they all have the anchor text, "Easy Online Money." That would, in
      effect, be "unnatural." It's not the number of links, but what the links
      are. I also suspect that similar links posted in non-moderated places,
      like blog comments, is also being looked at. I mentioned that when
      google said don't place your adsense on a comment page because
      all comments are spam no matter what people say.

      Bottom line if you are doing forum profiles and blog comments with
      the same old spammy anchor text, that is a tip off.

      Mix up the anchor text so as not so spammy, and post links in YOUR
      created content only. How many zillions have we seen for "nike shoes"?

      I've preached the "build your own link empire," but this is the first
      I've got pretty good proof that it's just what the doctor ordered.

      Notice my throw-away link in my sig?

      Hey, I live, I learn. Change my mind.

      Again, not saying this is what happened to your links.

      I also have never set up google analytics. Heeded the warning years
      ago.

      Paul
  • If they have not provided any data on WHICH links are the problem... I doubt you as a webmaster can do anything. They're doing this to weed out backlink buyers... but it won't work unless they give specific link data.
    • [1] reply
    • Problem is: Imagine a competitor of mine buys 5K links using Senuk or whatever. How in the world am I supposed to be WARNED and possibly PENALIZED for his actions?
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  • They will WARN you with this sort of email... but how in the world are you expected to collect data on ALL the links pointing to your website and send it to them for reconsideration?
    Even if you can collect all that data, how are you going to differentiate from the good links and the "unnatural links" ..
    This seems totally weird from Google.
  • Paul, take the example above from my Press Release site. It has a link to sitexplorer with backlink profile. Please check it, takes 15 seconds.

    Do you really see any backlinks from profiles, blog comments, or anything similar? NO. You'll see backlinks from my personal site and from my sig in here.

    I tell you: Google Web Spam Team just lost it, completely.

    Will YOUR COMPETITORS be able hurt your rankings using this FLAW?

    All this lack of response to this thread is not a good signal either, cause people are NOT listening to what is going on, and this is a MAJOR shift.

    Again:

    Will YOUR COMPETITORS be able hurt your rankings using this FLAW?

    This is the really important issue here. My sites are fine, thank you, but if one of them drops suddenly next days/weeks, I'll know this is the cause. And I'll know HOW TO DESTROY my competitors.

    Fiverr is just 5$ away.
    • [1] reply
    • Well, Fernando, how many times have I said fiverr is junk and just for
      spammers? I detest fiverr. Just promotes the myth of lousy things to
      do. But who cares, right? I've got better things to do with 5 bucks.

      And there's nothing on any of my sites, link wise, that would be worth
      a lousy 5 bucks.

      The lack of responses is due to a lot of reasons. I would not read
      much into that.

      People here are more interested in junk science, and not a decent
      conversation about links.

      I would probably stop link building with anchor text using:
      free, money, reviews, and any other spammy words.

      Paul
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
      • [1] reply
  • Did you guys noticed I mentioned the 4 sites I got warned are completly CLEAN? Heck, I even included a link to the backlink profile of one of them in OP...

    Sheshhh... This is not a "oh I got caught doing bad things" - instead is a "Google, what did I do wrong to get warning that can possibly kill my sites?"

    And again, most people aren't realizing the implications of this. But in the end, what was I thinking? Posting this in WF is like posting a serious question about Cars in a weight loss forum...

    lol
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • If your theory is correct and now Google will penalize seriously for a bunch of links that seems bad, the best thing to do is to actually hit your competition now. Dishonest? Perhaps, but then again that is how Google would want it according to your theory.

      I did read all your comments here, and yes it seems like a very weird case, and I don't think you are doing any blasts or whatever most do here. I think Google screwed up real bad, or maybe someone is scrapping your content. I dunno.

      I don't think you are lying, but I have found that most of the s**t that happens to my sites has a reasonable explanation, perhaps it's something that it is way beyond our sight, but there should be. Once we have no other theories I would assume yours is right and now Google is doing really weird things.
  • Your sites may have been identified circling around a common network (your network of sites), especially when you said "blogrol from my other related sites". Google suspects the sidebar corner since it's a common area for link buying/selling schemes, which they believe manipulating their PR and SERP. You might want to start getting contextual links, more of it, from now on and see where this stupid thing (you said it) goes.
    • [2] replies
    • It's all mind control...

      I'm joking, but I have seen quite a few posts like this around on forums.

      Is it possible Google is taking no action against these websites (I haven't heard of any losing rankings), but they are just trying to scare webmasters into doing what they want and spreading panic among others so they fall in line too?

      Just a thought.
    • Do you even realize what you're saying? If the sites are mine (same analytics code) HOW THE HELL would I be selling links to myself?

      Wake the **** up!

      So, let me recap AGAIN. I own 4 sites with a CLEAN backlink profile:

      NO profile links
      NO comment links
      NO high PR links
      etc etc etc

      My sites get targeted and you tell to do stop promoting my sites with internal linking and my internal promotion?

      Ok, guess you have to read AGAIN my OP, where I clearly stated one Press Release site of mine (only one in Portugal, for that matter, used by major companies) with ONLY 2 backlink sources:

      1 - My personal site
      2 - WF

      This site was targeted as "artificial links bla bla bla".

      So please, unless you read the damn thread properly, stop posting irrelevant content.

      As I said before, this is definitely NOT the best place to have a proper discussion about this issue. Most of you folks simply don't understand what was written and what COULD be happening to YOUR sites.

      I'll personally ask a MOD to delete this entire thread.

      Fernando
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    • [2] replies
    • Pretty bizarre if you ask me. It's odd that they're targeting 4 clean sites. What's even more weird is that they haven't done anything regarding your rankings.

      In fact, the message talks about page rank, not search engine rank, so who knows. Maybe they'll take away your page rank.
    • yeah I covered this a few days back here

      http://www.warriorforum.com/adsense-...after-all.html

      I even asked if anyone had received one of the notices. Sorry its now hit closer to home

      But guys lets hold of on claiming to know what Google is aiming at on fernando's sites. this is relatively new and reports of this kind of notice only started surfacing a month ago. Way too early to see what is happening with any amount of certainty.
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
      • [1] reply
  • I'm 99% sure it's a scam. Google wouldn't send an automated message with so many grammar mistakes. Plus, didn't you say your rankings remained unchanged?


  • More often than not, when this happens it is as a result of paid links.

    Paid links are extremely evident, so take a look around and see if any of your blogroll links exist between things like "Buy viagra" or "Casinos Online"

    Take a look at your backlinks and check for those types of links, Google hates anything that could appear to look like paid links!
    • [1] reply
    • AGAIN

      people need to stop acting like they know what is happening with site owners receiving this notice. If you do a search for a sentence from the notice you will see that people have received it who bought links AND by people who had other kinds of links. On other forums some have even reported just having done a link blast. some have reported merely linking to their own other sites

      We CANNOT say "when this happens" this or that. This is a new notice that Google never sent out before until the last few weeks. There is at this point ZERO indication that only certain niches are targeted.

      On something so new we should be in information gathering mode not drawing conclusions mode.
  • This is sort of odd. Their email as usual is vague but it almost seems like they admit that people build links to their own site by saying you can somehow fix it.
  • Banned
    Lol, why are people so paranoid about Google Analytics?

    Anyone running Adsense, you do realize they track every single thing on your pages, right? I'm sure Adsense tracks a lot more than what Google allows us to see inside our Analytics accounts.

    I don't think Fernando is running Adsense, just saying...
    • [2] replies
    • I assume that adsense and analytics are looking at different things.
      Adsense would be zeroing in on only certain things.

      I'm not afraid of anylitics. But why give them more tracking than
      they need?

      Since the message was about google webmaster tools, what conclusion
      about tracking can one take from that? It's "detecting" unnatural links.
      I'll politely pass on that.

      Paul
    • I wouldn' t know. I don't touch adsense with a ten foot pole. There are much better ways of monetizing your sites
  • As I said earlier, there must be a reason, but it may just be out of sight. If you ask me SEO is not exactly a science, it is more like an luck game with Google.

    Until we have very detailed info (which almost never happens) we are just filling this with ideas... nothing said can make sense without actual data. My suggestion would be, let us find what happens but not worry until we have precise information about this new problem...
  • google better fix this junk soon or else everyone else will just buy links and trash sites into oblivion
  • Thanks for the topic, it has been useful for me at least.
    Looking tat he Yahoo Site explorer link above, there are many inbound links from your WF sig, is it possible that, in it's own right has raised red flags, many inbound links form one forum, and a forum that Google must despise at that, as it is an area of people getting together to disguise how to beat Google.

    Note, I don't know much, just a newbies suggestion looking form a different angle.

    Paul, what is the actual warnings? maybe telling G they are all your sites?
    • [1] reply
    • Right now that guess is as good as any in this thread
  • And you aren't doing your credibility here any good would that daft attacking analysis.

    A) it is VERY common for European sites (you do know where Portugal is right?) to host out of the UK

    B) If Google is bitching about a site owner linking to its other sites then we can wait for Adobe.com to drop out of the ranking for linking to it's adobelabs and adobe.tvsites . Microsoft should soon tank for linking to Silverlight.net and MSN.com and on and on.

    So you can get yourself off the floor with your ROFL because staying down there just looks silly

    Are they best on different IPs? yes but it is hardly uncommon for sites to link to other of their sister sites and it would be stupid to have to tag them with a nofollow link.
    • [1] reply
    • Ok .. sorry about that. As you are an SEO guy though, are you advising your clients that is perfectly acceptable under the Google webmaster guidelines for Fernando Verloso to register one site through Namecheap, another site through WebHS, host them on the same server then provide a do follow link to a site that has commercial intent? And do you openly recommend that they then set up a link circle by providing a signature link on a forum to those sites and then linking back to that forum on the blog site?
      • [1] reply
  • Google Webmaster Tools like any automated software will have some bugs once in a while
  • I think you used the Black Hat SEO that why Google showing errors in your webmaster tool
  • Banned
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  • This email is true - Google’s Sending Webmaster Notifications About Bad Links Pointing At Their Sites

    I guess we'll be seeing a ton of these messages from WF members this month.

    OP: Send a reconsideration request with a link to this thread.


    So they want you to remove backlinks, right?
    Then what's the sense of this -> "we encourage you to make changes to your site so that it meets our quality guidelines."
  • Fascinating thread.

    Does signing up for Google Webmaster Tools change the risk factor on whether or not you'll get an email like this?
    • [1] reply
    • I read of people getting sites deindexed that were in webmaster tools and their other sites (not in webmaster tools) were untouched so this is problematic for sure

      on the other hand

      lets say a site is slapped and the owner is not in Google webmaster tools. Then the owner would be totally clueless as to why. But if the site is in webmaster tools and the owner gets an email, explaining the reasons or at least indicating something is wrong ...doesn't this merit a reason why webmaster tools may be a good thing?
      • [1] reply
  • Awwww...Yeah! Time to start bombing some competitors, baby. Let me put on my mask, it's about to get ugly.

    We're about to retool all of these massive backlinking tools...
  • This is really important news.

    I was told by an acquaintance who knows Matt Cutts personally that one way that Google looks for unusual linking patterns is whether you have got a "natural progression of PR links" e.g.

    A site with a natural progression of links should look like this e.g. 1 PR5 links, 4 PR4 links, 10 PR3 links, 24 PR2 links, 60 PR1 links, and 100 PR0 links.

    Wheres as site that is involved in unnatural linking practice may just have 4 PR6 links to the site.
    • [1] reply
  • Might be Google Team Thinks Differently?

    Crappy Links = Clean Links in Eyes of Google?

    As you have never done these crappy links before:confused:...So, why not give it a try?

    By the way, i suspect about internal backlinks your site have (Because that's only thing you can fix - that's what they want?)
  • Ahh, I hate it when google plays with our heads. I personally think that google de-indexing sites that get a lot of ANY kind of backlinks (again) would be like police giving away free fire guns to delinquency. I really don't think they'll go that route.

    Besides, I also think that google has ways of knowing whatever information they need about any site weather they are in or out of google webmaster tools or google analytics. Using their tools will just give them "premission" to tell you... "AHA!! I know you're doing this and that because I can legally spy on all your website actions!!".

    I know people who heavily use automation proggies like Senuke and EVO2, have their sites on both google tools and doing just fine.

    I really think that the problem might begin if you're unlucky enough to get your site(s) personally inspected by any google employee.

    What do you guys think?
  • Unless there is something isn't being said, it does sound strange the Google would do that. How are your serp's in GWT? Have you responded back to Google to asked them if the really did sent the information? Very strange.
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