Google, over the weekend, doled out massive penalties for websites with unnatural links, specifically outbound links that are in violation of the Google Webmaster Guidelines. The warnings said ‘Unnatural outbound links from http://www.example.com violate Google Webmaster Guidelines.’ Outbound link penalties can greatly hinder your online visibility.
Typically, this has been reserved for websites displaying a pattern of links from a website that Google detects to be irrelevant, unnatural or deceptive. Many webmasters utilized shady tactics like this in an effort to skew PageRank by manipulating or purchasing links, which is a violation of the Google Webmaster Guidelines.
Outbound Link Penalties
Google many times will apply a manual spam action to portions of the site that are in violation. If there are recommended actions that apply to the entire site, Google will list those under the Site-wide matches, and for actions that only affect portions of the website, those links will be listed under a section titled ‘Partial Matches’.
The messages Google have been issuing basically state that the pattern of links that have been detected indicate an attempt to artificially boost Google Search Rank results. Outbound Link Penalties are definitely something you want to avoid at all costs. And Google’s mantra has always been to display the best possible results for it’s users, and that by using these tactics to skew results, it could show results that are not totally relevant to the user’s original inquiry. They are reiterating that the tactics detected violate the Google Webmaster Guidelines and that no trust will be given to the unnatural links on our website. They are asking that the unnatural links be removed from your site and ask that each webmaster file a reconsideration request.
It doesn’t appear at the moment that widespread changes in ranking results have occurred just yet. But history has shown that major shifts in the Google ranking algorithm sometimes take a little time to settle in. For the time being, Google is making it clear that affected sites are not passing PageRank or ranking benefits until the manual actions are lifted by the webmasters.
Check for Messages from Google in Search Console
It is recommended that webmasters check to see if any notifications have been issued from Google through your Search Console. Google has been issuing instructions to help aide in fixing the issues. Instructions include:
- Identifying unnatrual links on the website. These include paid links or links that were exchanged for some other type of service or benefit.
- Removal of the links or the addition of a <nofollow> tag to these links. This indicates that Google should not crawl a specific link.
- Submission of a formal reconsideration request. This should include details about the reconsideration request. This could include details or documentation to help Google understand the request and the circumstances.
Our recommendation is to make sure links are naturally occurring and organic. It is the responsibility of every website owner to understand fully where your inbound links are coming from, and just as important, where your links are pointed to. Having links on your website that appear to Google as if they were obtained in an unnatural way can have devastating long term affects on where your website ranks for the searches that bring you inbound traffic.
Green Arrow Marketing is a Delray Beach SEO company specializing in helping businesses connect with fresh, inbound clients by making sure your website ranks at the top of search engines for target keywords that connect you with people searching for exactly what you offer, at the exact moment they are searching. We offer budget based SEO services to help you achieve and surpass your goals within your budget. We pride ourselves in helping our clients achieve long term growth with increased internet exposure and targeted marketing efforts. By connecting your business with your target demographic, you’re able to build and grow your business with fresh inbound business leads.
If you own a business and would like more customers to contact you about your services, or if you have questions about Outbound Link Penalties, call the team at Green Arrow Marketing today, at 561-450-9288. We can put together a custom marketing plan specifically catered to your exact needs.
