Topics: What is Google Sandbox
Since March 20004, after Florida and Austin updates,
many (most) webmasters and Seo's have started to believe that Google's
algorythm had been enhanced with a particular filter. This filter is
commonly called "Sandbox".
Google Sandbox is merely a theory that has grown in seo
scene to explain an issue many experts observed with their websites. In
other words the sandbox, as name and concept, may not exist -and it's
irrilevant- , but the effects of a filter that many call sandbox do
exist. That's why we have dedicated the sandbox a subsection of its
own, and not just a paragraph into our glossary
Observation # 1:
A NEW website is indexed quickly (as always) and performs a good
ranking in result pages for a short period (one/two weeks). Then, even
though it doesn't disappear from index at all, it's put in a sort of
"quarantine": the website still exists in Google's database, but gets
very poor ranking results (or no results at all). This happens
regardless of its contents, optimization, inbound links.
Observation # 2:
Sandbox syndrome seems to afflict competitive keywords focused sites
rather than less competitive keywords oriented sites.
Observation # 3:
After a period, whose lenght is variable and
mostly depends on the competitivity of the keywords the website is
focused in, it is put with other estabilished websites and starts
getting properly ranked (so onpage variables and inbound links will
count!)
The three observations above created the Sandbox
theory.
One thing is sure. Whether the sandbox (intended as a
filter Google added to its algorythm) exists or not, "newest websites
quarantine" is a phenomenon that has been observed, analyzed and
debated, and it affects 99% of new websites.
Why are new websites quarantined?
Mainly to prevent spammers abusing a) Google's indexing speed
(few days) and b) well known ranking algorythm basic elements
(see chapter 6 "page building")
In the recent past spammers set up websites clearly built in full
violation of Google policy knowing that even if they got banned in a
month, 30 days of serp top position would pay the creation of the
website(s) hundreds times . When websites were erased from index, they
just have to built other websites with minor changes, with different
domains and the game started again.
The sandbox therefore seems to be a way to prevent
hit-and-run spammers method. Google indexes new websites with the usual
quickness then place them in a special area of its database. Here
(sandbox, quarantine, whatever you want to call it) some spam filters
are applied. After a variable period, quarantined websites are put in
the regular database and start ranking with the other established sites.
How to use these observations for ranking.
Since this is a Google Ranking strategy book,
describing the sandbox phenomenon is not enough for our readers. Go on
reading and you'll ind some easy tips to take great advantages from
Google's sandbox.
If your website is not new to Google (it has already been indexed
several months ago), sandbox should not be your problem anymore. Jump
to another subsection of this E-book and start optimizing.
If your website has been already online for a certain
period (it appears in serps) the sandbox should not be a problem for
you. Jump to another section and start optimizing your website.
But pay attention: looking for your site by searching its domain name
(i.e: www.yoursite.com) and seeing it in serp's does NOT mean
your website has come out of the sandbox. It simply means it has been
indexed. To verify if your website is not quarantined anymore it must
appear in results' pages after a normal search query, and not in 1000th
position.
 : It's hard to obtain good results with
single or coupled keywords in the early stages of your website's life.
If it does not appear it doesn't mean it's still sandboxed. To find
your website with a query which is not your domain name you can try
looking for it with a phrase. Grab this phrase directly from your home
page
(i.e.: "wonderful leather shoes since 1980"). Obviously there will be
many other sites that satisfy this query. Anyway, since your website
satisfy it EXACTLY it should appear in a very good position. If so,
you're not sandboxed anymore. If your website still doesn't appear,
it's still in the sandbox.
If your website is new, or you're planning to built
one, 99% of cases, sandbox will be an issue you have to face.
1. Use the sandbox period to optimize your
contents (go on reading this ebook)
2. Use the sandbox period to find some quality inbound links
3. Use the sandbox period to work on your website marketing
4. Use the sandbox period to work on traffic to your website
(excepting Google traffic, of course), by, in example, finding
partnerships, joining communities, participating blogs etc...
Intend the sandbox period as a "vacation"
Google is offering you to develop a website that simply will...ROCK!
once it goes out of the sandbox.
 White
Fly says...
There are actually two methods (studied by the large
seo community) to escape the sandbox (or not be included at all).
a. Join Ad-Words / Ad-Sense
program. Your websites is immediately spidered and
human-analyzed and, if you'r website is good, it is included into the
estabilished archive and get ranked properly (on-page variables and
pagerank always count, remember)
b. Buy a old domain from a webmaster
who doesn't want to carry it on anymore. You'll inherit its
backlinks and the presence among other estabilished sites into Google
archive.
: You can
also buy an expired domain just before Google erase it from
index (many expired domains still appear into DMOZ
directory....while
others are still waiting for an inclusion...)
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