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Even for the most ad-crappified site, I think the objection to a mysterious and opaque system is still valid, especially when it's arguably a monopoly or close
by Terr_ 2y ago
Even for the most ad-crappified site, I think the objection to a mysterious and opaque system is still valid, especially when it's arguably a monopoly or close enough not to matter.
In other words, I'm not saying their site deserves to be shown, but in general people do deserve a way to see why their site is in a weird status and have some documented path to redemption.
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Quoting the relevant bits for convenience:
> Undeterred, we then asked the only question that mattered: Why has Google shadowbanned our sites? [...] He insisted it is only done at the page level.
> Many of the shadowbanned site owners attempted to politely push back and point out that the reason all 20 of us were there was specifically because our entire site was deranked from Google in a single night. [...]
> When asked what was wrong with our sites, as if we were jilted lovers in an abusive relationship being kicked to the curb, one Googler actually said “it’s not you it’s me”.
> Finally, someone bluntly asked, since nothing is wrong with our sites, how do we recover?
> Google’s elderly Chief Search Scientist answered, without an ounce of pity or concern, that there would be updates but he didn’t know when they’d happen or what they’d do. Further questions on the subject were met with indifference as if he didn’t understand why we cared.
- ytoawwhra92 2y ago> deserve a way to see why their site is in a weird status Like this? https://developers.google.com/search/updates/core-updates https://developers.google.com/search/updates/core-updates > have some documented path to redemption Like this? https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creat...
- Terr_ 2y agoAs it says, they were desperate enough to travel in-person to Google headquarters to attend an event during weekday work-hours. That kind of effort usually means other avenues have been explored and exhausted. Are you saying site-owner is just incredibly dumb, and never noticed/tried those online resources despite being highly motivated to do so? Or is it that you think they found a useful answer they didn't like, and are lying?
- ytoawwhra92 2y agoI think if the site owner did an honest self-assessment of their content (as suggested on the "Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content" page I linked) the problems with their content would be as obvious to them as they are to me. I won't speculate about why they attended this event despite running a site filled with content that's at odds with Google's published recommendations for ranking well.