Links wiped from Google

[v9designbuild]

After just four days following a new website launch it got to #1. Its five associated sites naturally had links to it. I assume that is the reason why it got there so quickly. Now, after a month, Google has seen fit to totally wipe these links out. What gives?

 

[Rob_TID]

What do you mean "wipe the links out"?

 

[djbaxter]

It's not that uncommon for new sites (i.e., brand new content) to get an initial rank boost in Google search results, and then to fall back to more organic levels within a day or three. You may have simply been seeing this in action.

There was also a recent Google update and/or algorithm change that seems to have had some impact on the way Google evaluates the relative value of incoming links (e.g., some people are reporting another devaluation of links from directories). This may also have had an impact on your ranking.

 

[v9designbuild]

Google

Thanks for the info. I thought maybe there was something they did on this level, but there are no directory links, only real estate company websites with links to all their branches.

 

[djbaxter]

Thanks for the info. I thought maybe there was something they did on this level, but there are no directory links, only real estate company websites with links to all their branches.

There you go... Google took action a couple of years back against this common practice in the online real estate industry, viewing it as excessive interlinking and therefore an example of "artifical link manipulation". My guess is that you initially ranked well because of those backlinks but that within a day or two the filters in Google's algorithms picked up the sources and discounted or devalued them.

 

[v9designbuild]

Artificial linking

Point taken but then why not remove all links from say the Marriott hotel chain? Also, the other four sites remain unaffected. Anyway, I'll have to wait and see on this one.

In your first reply you mentioned devaluation of directory linking. Is it worthwhile spending any time at all on them now?

 

[v9designbuild]

Wait...they've all come back

Google's indexes do play games with the mind, sometimes. For the last week the site was nowhere and the links had been removed. Now they are back and it is at #1 again. Eh?

An apology, perhaps, John, for wasting people's time.

 

[djbaxter]

I think Google is tweaking algorithms again, actually...

 

[Rob_TID]

A few days and even a few weeks is insufficient time to assume an actual penalty.