Welcome to the Q&A Forum

Hi Marc,

The fact that you did not receive an unnatural links warning does not mean that you don't have a manual penalty.

Despite comments from Matt Cutts and John Mueller that suggest otherwise, I have personally dealt with almost 100 site owners through rmoov support who never received any communication from Google until we suggested they lodge a reconsideration request because the effect in the SERPS looked like more than algorithmic adjustment to us - sure enough, in each case back came notification of a manual penalty.

I would do as Mark suggested: proceed as though you are dealing with a manual penalty and continue to document all of your link removal activities meticulously, then lodge a reconsideration request. After all, that is the only way you will know for sure whether there is a manual action in effect or not.

Sha

Hi Peter,

I don't really see how this can be related to images as I have always had outlook set up not to download images.

After your response that it was related to images I edited the settings to ensure that there is absolutely no way outlook will ever try to download images, but emails from the blogs and Q&A still freeze Outlook for between 1 and 2 minutes before they resolve to show the actual text of the message...it is as if the actual text of the post itself is being called and queued.

As mentioned by Christopher above the problem does not occur with ranking reports, new crawl notifications, the Moz Top 10, Monthly Newsletter or general email from Mozzers.

At this point I can do nothing but avoid allowing those emails to open and can't even delete them without the same issue unless I am lucky enough to have them sandwiched between two other emails that I want to delete

I know it probably seems like a trivial issue if it isn't happening to everyone, but honestly, for those of us who are fairly active on the blogs and in Q&A, 1 - 2 minutes of having your mail program disabled for every email that comes from there gets out of control very quickly!

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say, Please HELP!

Sha

P.S. A heartfelt apology to all of you who just had your mailbox freeze up again because I added this post   hugs

Hi Eric,

A quick look in Majestic SEO shows nearly 34,895 external backlinks from 260 linking root domains with large numbers of links being added during March and April.

As mentioned by Bradley and Chris, there is a lot of suspect anchor text (including cialis, adipex, tramadol etc) in there and many of the referring sites are not places would really want to be getting your links from regardless of the anchors.

It seems your site has attracted some unwanted attention which has dramatically lowered Google's trust. While the obvious conclusion is that Penguin might be responsible, it is clear from the screenshot you provided that the dropoff actually happened around 5/6 May (Dr Pete has talked about "something" happening with the algorithm around 5 May and that would seem to correlate with your problems). Of course, it is possible that this was a test rollout of Penguin and your site was captured as a result, or it may be something completely different (which Google has given no information about).

Either way, it is easy to see that the linking behavior is harming your site's trustworthiness and unfortunately, this is likely to also affect your visibility in Bing and other Search engines as well.

Dealing with the backlink problem is the most critical place to start ... site updates will come later I'm afraid.

Hope that helps,

Sha

Hi Christopher,

Yes, I'm having the same issue with emailed comments from the blog.

Three guesses as to what might be causing it:

1. Images
2. javascript objects
3. the email tracking software being used

The best thing to do is go to the Help hub and lodge a ticket with as much explanatory detail as you can give. I know Mozzers are already working on it, but the more specific information they have, the easier it will be to fix it.

In the meantime, I hope it helps to know you're definitely not alone

Sha

Those rich snippets abuse penalties are already here.

Sha

Hi Sean,

It really depends what type of service you are looking for.

The two you mentioned are quite different services.

Remove'em uses algorithmic analysis to highlight links it thinks should be removed if you use the Self Service option. They also provide a full service option which would mean that the analysts at Virante (the company that builds the tool) would manage every element of the campaign for you. As far as I am aware there is no trial available, but there is a video tutorial which shows you how the Self Service version works - Starts with Self Service at $249 per domain.

To be honest, Link Delete doesn't seem to actually give any details as to how or what they do apart from generally helping to clean up your backlinks. Starts at $97 per month for 1 domain with a max of 400 linking URLs (3 different Plans)

Another service which provides algorithmic analysis as part of their service is Link Detox, which is part of the Link Research Tools suite. You can get started with an initial report by paying with a tweet, get Daypass access (72 hours) for 30 euros, or 2 Link Detox credits that last for a month at a cost of 50 euros.

rmoov is a link removal outreach tool which does NOT provide algorithmic analysis (because we believe good analysis = eyes on sites), but helps to automate much of the outreach process that Marie described once you have a list of the URLs you want links removed from. It has been specifically built to help those dealing with a manual spam action to manage link removal outreach at scale and to provide a level of reporting detail that will meet the Webspam team's expectations when considering a reconsideration request. rmoov allows the user to choose the level of automation or manual work they wish to do, so analysts like myself and Marie can run it as an aid to a predominantly manual process, while those who prefer can make use of automated link checking etc.
rmoov has a free Basic account which allows 1 campaign at a time with a max of 25 linking root domains and/or 250 linking URLs. This free account does not provide automated link checking or pulling of domain contact info, but does not expire. Paid subscriptions start at $49 per month for 5 active campaigns at a time with a max of 100 linking root domains and 1000 linking URLs. (4 different subscription plans). In the interest of full disclosure: I work for the company that develops rmoov

There is another service called Delete Backlinks which provides a pay per link service. This appears to be offered by a company that owns, controls or has agreements with a large number of directory sites. With this service you enter your domain and they provide a list of the links they have access to which will be removed. Pricing starts from 99 cents per link for the first 5 links with the cost per link reducing on a sliding scale according to the number of links you want removed.

Hope that helps,

Sha

Hi Bian,

The domain is indexed (it appears in the Google search results), but since the domain is expired and parked, there is nothing else to see...just a parked page.

Sha

Hi Niners52,

Rather than rely on an external tool to have found all of the URLs in a crawl and report them accurately, I would run a direct crawl using Screaming Frog.

There is a post on their blog which provides step by step instructions on how to use the tool to crawl a specific list of URLs.

You can only do this with the licensed version of Screaming Frog, but if you are not already using it, the cost is only 99 British pounds per year, and it is crazy useful for a thousand other things. A little more value for money than just subscribing to a more specific tool for just one month.

This way you will actually have a crawl result, not just a read from another tool.

Hope that helps,

Sha

Hey Dr Pete,

The Googledocs reference comes out of Matt Cutts' specific advice not to provide external links to the Webspam Team as they have security protocols which mean they will be unlikely to look at them.

It is included in the Webmaster video embedded on this page: http://www.rmoov.com/google-reconsideration-request-checklist.php

Unfortunately, the little advice that comes from Googlers varies wildly, so in the end, site owners need to apply a good measure of careful thought and common sense.

See you at Mozcon

Sha

Hi BeytzNet,

The answer to that question really depends on another question:

Are you looking for a short-term solution that may or may not get your current penalty lifted, or are you genuinely interested in dealing with links that really shouldn't be there?

If you're after the band-aid solution then you can try going with the arrogant suggestion from some Googlers that only links which offend Google at this point in time need to be dealt with. (Given Google's current propensity for adding to its list of what is "unnatural", their attitude borders on sadistic.)

If you really want to get some control over your backlink profile and future proof your site in the face of changing spam targets, impending Penguin updates and whatever else may be coming down the line, you might find it useful to try this little exercise:

Download backlink data from as many of the following as possible (free download limits for the tools you don't subscribe to will give you enough of a sample)

• Google Webmaster Tools
• Bing Webmaster Tools
• Open Site Explorer
• Majestic SEO
• ahrefs
• Raven Tools (pulls in data from Open Site Explorer & Majestic SEO)

Open each csv, select all and change text color so that the data for each list is a different color.

Copy and paste the content of each into one Excel spreadsheet so that all of the URLs are in one list.

Deduplicate the list.

Check out the different colored URLs left in your list...the takeaway is that every tool will bring you different link data. If you want a true picture of your backlink profile, you are now much closer to having it.

Incidentally, Google is not the only search engine to apply manual penalties. Others just don't talk about it as much as Google does. You might also find it helpful to read this post from Ryan Kent about identifying the source of your link penalty.

Hope that helps,

Sha

Hi,

I'm not referring to the type of data, but whether or not you have a complete view of your backlink profile. If you check the quite lengthy answer I left on your other thread you should see what I mean 

Sha

Hi Matthew,

As Mark suggested, create a spreadsheet in Google Drive and list all of the domains/URLs in the spreadsheet.

Add a single URL in the first field of the Spam Report form (the required field), then in the third field, provide a link to the spreadsheet (300 character max)

Something like: "I believe the sites listed in the googledoc at URL are using manipulative linking practices to influence search engine rankings"

Do be confident though, as Mark warned, that your client's site is able to withstand any scrutiny that might come with a review of sites in the niche.

Hope that helps,

Sha

Hi lucidsoftech,

The site is definitely indexed, but without knowing the specific URLs you are waiting on, it is a little difficult.

I ran a quick crawl with Screaming Frog and there are actually quite a few pages on the site which have the noindex meta tag in place - have you checked that the pages you are wanting indexed are not excluded with a tag?

Just a thought,

Sha

Hi sbrault,

I think your problem is more about whether you started with sufficient data.

Check my response on your other thread ... short answer is that the best tool is your brain (in conjunction with your eyes).

Be aware when using algorithmic assessment tools that it is quite common to get both false positives and false negatives!

Sha

Hi sbrault74,

No, links that have been disavowed will not disappear from your GWMT most recent links list.

Google has made it clear that a disavow instruction is treated as a suggestion only and since the links have not actually been removed from the web, they will remain visible in the list.

Googler John Mueller made this clear in a public Hangout a few months ago.

While it is difficult to make judgements about your process, whether you have provided sufficient detail in your reconsideration request etc, there is one area to consider that jumps out at me from your post.

It seems the only data source you have used to identify troublesome links is the GWMT list. Google provides only a sample of backlinks in this list, and we know from experience that every tool which provides backlink data will return a different list. While there will be some overlap (which means you will need to deduplicate your list), there is always a number of links found by each which do not appear elsewhere.

You should also make sure that you include links from any old SEO reports and other lists that may have been provided by link builders etc.

There is information in these slide decks that will give you some tips (and there are some almost invisible links in the slides) for data mining and email outreach:

Move or Remove, The Where, Why and How of Dealing with Penguins & Penalties

10 Link Removal Mistakes You Never Want To Make

and if you haven't read this post from Ryan Kent yet, you should do that before going any further.

If you are looking for tools and resources that might be helpful, you will find a short list of both, including a reconsideration request checklist in the sidebar of rmoov.com under helpful tools and resources.

Hope that helps,

Sha

Hi Jesse,

Without a little help from a googler in the forums there is only one sure way to determine whether you have a manual penalty or not - a reconsideration request.

BUT with the knowledge that you have of some issues and the absence of an obvious effect, I would not recommend the reconsideration route, as it is likely it may actually GET you a manual penalty which at this stage I am doubtful you have.

I would continue to do good work for your site and at the same time, put some effort into eliminating the most troublesome of the links you know about. Keep a close eye out for any effect (especially when news of the next penguin refresh appears).

also...good on you for taking a proactive approach to this and having the guts to make it an issue that gets dealt with.

Sha

Hi Lee,

Some good information here from Marie.

You might find it this Reconsideration Request Checklist helpful too: http://www.rmoov.com/google-reconsideration-request-checklist.php

Hope that helps,

Sha

Hi Jesse,

Since you have Basic with rmoov, it might be worth taking a look at the level of detail in the campaign summary report for your campaign (click the Excel icon in the campaign list to download). I think that will help you to get an idea of the type of information that might be useful to include.

I really think it is imperative that you try to get an indication as to whether the messaging you received is just for information or confirmation of a penalty. Given that you are not seeing visible effects, I am leaning toward the former, but as I mentioned before, that really means it's an opportunity to get things in order before disaster strikes

Sha

Hi im rubbish,

I would generally agree with Tom on the need to be completely honest with yourself when assessing links.

It is also a good idea to make sure that you have carefully read the finer detail of Google's quality guidelines. Make sure you know what qualifies as a link scheme in Google's eyes. This page provides some specific examples that might be eye opening if you have not read them recently.

If you think that the ongoing issue is caused by the appearance of more links, then there are a couple of things you should do:

1. Make sure that you disavow entire domains as Tom suggested, so that any other links in existence at that domain will also be disavowed.
2. Carefully monitor and identify new links as they appear. If it seems that unnatural links are still accumulating without explanation, highlight the issue in a reconsideration request and make sure that you provide scrupulous detail for the Webspam team to follow up. Be very clear - "these links have not been initiated by us".

Since you're in the UK it might be useful to know there are a couple of Search conferences coming up in the next couple of weeks that include sessions and workshops on link removal and penalty recovery.

BrightonSEO in the South - 11 & 12 April. I believe individual conference tickets are all gone, but there are still places in the Link Removal workshop with Tim Grice (which comes with a full day conference ticket included)

ionSearch in the North (Leeds) - 18 & 19 April. The conference includes both an Expert Panel on Link Removal and workshop sessions. Tim Grice will also be speaking here, as well as Christoph Cemper (owner of the company that develops Link Detox) and myself (rmoov.com).

A final note on starting again with a new domain: This absolutely has to be purely a business decision. With the obvious amount of time, money and effort put into your site's branding to date, even stripping back the entire link profile and "rebooting" your domain is likely to be a better business proposition than having to recreate an entire brand.

Hope that helps,

Sha

Hi lucidsoftech,

The following is from the Crawl Diagnostics section of the SEOmoz Help Hub and might help identify the issue:

Why didn’t you crawl all my pages? I only got a one page crawl. Looks like you missed a bunch!
If you suspect you didn’t get a full crawl, or Rogerbot missed some of your pages, there could be several reasons why this happens.

• We only crawl a maximum of 400 links per page. If several pages of your site all have the same 400 links on each page, we may not discover all the pages on your site. Try optimizing your navigation to reduce the number of links.
• Does your navigation rely on JavaScript? Can visitors navigate your site with JavaScript disabled? SEOmoz doesn’t crawl JavaScript, so make sure your links work in all browsing environments.
• Does your site consist of multiple subdomains? Crawls are restricted to the subdomain you set your campaign up on. This means that in general, we don't crawl multiple subdomains. You can solve this by specifying a “Root Domain” crawl in the setup process. (This requires starting a new campaign.)

I have also run across a couple of single page crawl issues in the past which related to secured pages and an edge case. This was identified and sorted out very quickly by the SEOmoz Help Team.

If the suggestions above don't identify the issue for you, then best to go to the Help Hub and click the Contact Our Help Team button to get in touch with them direct.

Hope that helps,

Sha