Google Sandbox Controversy

I got a new gig, to be a blogger on another blog - MixCat Interactive, a web hosting company, http://www.Mixcat.com/blog.

My associate Mike had provided the fodder for my frist blog there, about the fact that Google has now extended the timeframe that new websites will stay in their sandbox. We got a number of comments about this from blog readers who disagreed, agreed, etc. Eight in fact, with some questions about search engine optimization (SEO), meta tags, etc. For those of you who don't know what this is -- here ya go.

We all played in the sand box as kids, and now as adults there is a chance we will be at it again. If you have a new website, the latest news is that it may take you about a year to get out of what is known as the “Google Sandbox” or “Sandbox Effect,” as seen in Wikipedia. Until recently the wait was for 5-6 months. With newly-registered domains, Google puts them in this holding area before rankings can begin in the indexes of Google. A site must first be 1) proven, or deemed by Google as appropriate for ranking; 2) legitimate; and 3) have some action taking place. Frequent ownership or nameserver changes also put sites at risk. All the more important to make sure that your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tactics are in place, so that Google notices action happening on your site. This includes inbound links to your site, the proper meta-tagging of pages, and more.

I also made a joke that perhaps this is Google’s way of getting more folks to sign up for those Google Ad words to kick start it all. Comments came in that disagreed with the 5-6 months wait...and OK, my bad, it used to be as little as 2 to 5 months. This is very dependant and unique per website and the content on it.

Google sandbox does exist. It is now taking up to a year for new sites to appear in search results on Google. For those of us with suspicious minds, we might think this a result of Google greed--obviously if you launch a new site you want traffic and if Google shuts you out for a year your alternative is to buy Pay Per Click (PPC). It is a controversial issue isn't it?

Ron Angels added, "It is also very important to get in as many other search engines as possible. Google appears to pick up these listings in its equation as well. People do use them to find things sometimes…"

Here's what Steve Phillips said, "Don’t worry about the “Sandbox”…just do all of the necessary SEO things you need to do:* write good content rich with keywords.* write strong page titles for each of your pages.* write fresh content.* write a blog* get strong links pointing to your site."

Thanks guys. Well put.