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just to update everyone... just like last time, we're "mysteriously" back in the rankings one week to the day after submitting a reconsideration request... we know it wasn't a manual action, so maybe the reconsideration request pings someone that can fix the algorithmic mistake? not sure... but it's definitely interesting that both times, we're "back" one week after sending in the request...

(rolling eyes) I need a big "I heart google" shirt... so we filed a reconsideration request the week that this happened, then got a reply that it wasn't a manual penalty and that we should look at the content. so we filed another one, with a very in-depth explanation that we hadn't changed much content, we weren't violating any Google guidelines, and we hadn't done anything to trigger an algorithmic penalty... since this started, we didn't do anything on his site - zero changes to content (wanted to wait until we heard back from the 2nd request) - we added a single link from a car dealer directory site (that you have to call to be listed in) the day we realized he had dropped from the SERPs, but nothing since then... the ONLY thing we did was finally sort out his + Local listing - the address was displaying as 916 but is really 915 - but since he didn't know who registered his Places page, we had to re-verify... so there were 2 verified google accounts with access to the Places dashboard, which apparently causes issues and problems... we got that sorted out so that we're the only account with access... and we updated the address... then we got a reply Monday from our 2nd reconsideration request that was word-for-word the same as the first one - no manual penalty, check your content, blah blah blah... and as of Tuesday of this week, BAM - he's back in the SERPs... he's around page 3 or 4 for most of his targeted terms, so the little bit of initial optimization we did has him ranking higher than he was before he signed up with us... so - don't know if the Places/+ Local address being off by a few numbers was the problem (probably not, cause that problem was there before we started) or if the second reconsideration request got someone to look and fix something... or if it was just a really random algorithmic hiccup...

Hi Annie, Reports from my guys who deal with such things are that life is harder on myblogguest now.  With all the low quality link peddlars looking around for alternative strategies, guest blogging is high on their list. This means that lots of them have moved to the likes of MBG - making publishers more wary.