Why Did Google Penalize My Site?

Google wants to make sure its users can find quality content that is accurate, unique, and that is as close as possible to the search terms they use. To ensure this happens, they are constantly working to improve their algorithms, so they can shine a light on the right pages for viewers.

You want to do everything you can to “play nice” with Google and abide by the rules of their algorithms. If not, you will find that Google could penalize your site, which means you don’t show up as high on the page rankings. Maybe you don’t show up at all because your site was penalized.

How can you make sure this doesn’t happen? How can you make changes to your site to correct these penalties? It starts with understanding what some of the biggest reasons for penalties are in the first place. Let’s look at some of the most common below.

Duplicate or Low-Quality Content

If you use duplicate content from other sites, even if it is a product description, it can read as duplicate content, which Google doesn’t like. Having duplicate content on your site across multiple pages, even if it is unique, can cause similar problems. Each page needs to have unique content. It could be similar, but it shouldn’t be the same.

Along the same lines, you need to be sure you have quality content. Don’t make the mistake of putting up low-quality content just to fill out your pages.

Keyword Stuffing

In the past, jamming as many keywords as possible into content, regardless of how the piece read afterward, could improve your ranking on the search engines. Today, Google looks for this and will penalize your site for it. Keywords are still important, but they need to be used naturally.

Content Theft

Sometimes, people might steal content that you have created and put it up on their site, claiming it as theirs. This could lead to Google believing that you took the content and duplicated it on your site. Issues like this can be hard to handle, and it may require you to file multiple DMCA takedown notices with the site that stole your content. It could even mean going to court in some cases.

These are just some of the biggest potential issues that can cause Google to penalize your site. You want to make sure you avoid these problems and others that could cause issues with your ranking. Keeping on top of your SEO and your site on your own can be hard. Sometimes, you may find that getting some help from the professionals at Search SEO Chicago will make things easier.