Paris Hilton does it, Kanye does it, and I bet money that the Duchess Kate does, too. If you are a business, with or without an online presence, then you certainly should be doing it.
You know what I’m talking about.
Googling yourself.
Content writers can attest to the power of good Google rankings. The most frequently sourced websites are the ones that show up on the first, second and, it’s a stretch but, third page of search results. If you find yourself regularly within the first couple of Google pages you are golden. However, if one day you are shunned like a pregnant unwed Amish teenager from Google’s graces it’s time to become concerned, very concerned.
Why Google Will Demote Your Webpage
A great fear of any business with a webpage is that your page will be scorned by Google and banished to its blacklist. According to Forbes, Google puts about 10,000 websites in Google style quarantine due to suspicious activity. You can find out if you are operating an outlaw site by checking your website status via Google’s Webmaster Tools. Visitors to a blacklisted site are warned, “This site may harm your computer,” causing the paramount commotion for businesses. Reasons you may end up ostracized by Google include:
- Your site is swarming with malicious software, which means your online security hasn’t been strong enough to manhandle an incoming hacker attack
- Your host provider’s site is in jeopardy, creating havoc for your site as well
- Google’s robots are finding it difficult to crawl your content
- You have a backend issue that’s littering your site with broken pages
Solving Your Google Downgrade Dilemma
First things first. Look at the Webmaster Tools via Google to see if you are legitimately being shut out of the Internet. Seriously banned? Time to move to the next step. You need to find out what is causing this catastrophe, and you can do this via a Google Analytics audit. Following an audit of your website it’s time to fix those errors leaving your site in the lurch.
Saving Face via Social Media
Next it’s time to alert the presses. Don’t go full-on press release for this, but you should make a note of the issue on all applicable social media channels. Post a comment on your business’s Facebook page, tweet information about the problem being solved, and publish a short and sweet post on your business blog.
What you want to do is point out that there was an issue with your site, but it has been completely resolved. Apologize for any inconvenience the banning may have caused your customers, visitors and potential clients. You are simply addressing the issue and noting that it is no longer a problem that should worry your site visitors. Keep it short and sweet; you don’t want to be overly dramatic now that the problem is solved. Finally, do not, I repeat, do not blast Google’s name with a barrage of complaints. Otherwise you may just find your site back in the back alley.
Miranda B tries to keep up with all things Google, which involves animal-named algorithms and the latest twists in SEO.
