This video tutorial will show you how to determine if you have been penalised by Google.
Among the tools that are useful in this sense, Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools are included. Brief instructions on how to use them in order to detect any Google penalty are featured in our video.
First thing to know is that a Google penalty may be automatic or manual.
In the latter’s case, you usually receive a notification so you can take measures to fix the issue as soon as possible. However, should the penalty be caused by a change of the algorithm, you may not always know you have been targeted.
Hence, here are some ways in which you can check whether that is the case:
– Search for your site in Google – depending on its ranking, you can assess if a penalty has been applied. If you haven’t made any changes, but your site has been dropped from page 1 to page 2 or 3 of Google search results, then this is a sign of a penalty. Also, the removal of your site from Google’s cache search results from one day to another or the lack of results when searching it indicates the application of a penalty.
– In Google Webmaster Tools, go to the ‘Search Traffic’ section and see if there is any message under ‘Manual Actions’ — the presence of a message in this area clearly beckons a penalty. If you don’t have any message, it might still be the case of an algorithmic penalty.
– In Google Analytics, check any drops in the organic traffic — any ‘descents’ registered especially a few days after an important Google update represent a strong hint that you may have been penalised.
– If you don’t have access to Google Webmaster Tools or Google Analytics, use SEMrush (www.semrush.com) to determine if there is any penalty. Although a paid tool, you get a free version as well, where you can introduce the URL of your site in the existing search engine, select the country and then run a check. If your search engine traffic or the number of keywords is decreasing every day, then you may have a penalty.
– Go to Search Metrics Essentials (www.searchmetrics.com), enter the URL of your site and select the country and see if your organic visibility has disappeared. If the answer is yes, then you are dealing with a penalty.
In conclusion, not showing up in Google search, messages in Search Traffic Section in Webmasters Tools, a decrease in your organic traffic and the disappearance of your organic visibility are signs of a Google penalty.
To find out how to remove it, check out our blog post at http://www.123-reg.co.uk/blog/seo-2/penalised-by-google-11-reasons-why-and-how-to-recover/ .
Duration: 3:13
Publisher: 123 Reg
You can watch this video also at the source.
