Does Google Hate Your Website? Here's How To Find Out

January 24, 2016

You might not think it, but Google is quite selective about what sites it indexes these days. The thing is; the search giant has had to deal with the deluge of spammy websites launching in recent years. Google's aim is to provide users with relevant information.
The last thing it wants to do is be a haven for spammers that just want to deceive others online. As a result, Google tends to make adjustments to its search algorithms every so often.
Each time a major update occurs, some otherwise legitimate sites get their ranks knocked. That means people can no longer find their sites using a simple keyword search. Has your website fallen victim to one of Google's infamous algorithm updates? If you, you might feel like the search engine hates your website.
Don't worry! You can put things right again. First of all, though, you need to learn why Google hates your site. Here's how to find out:
Google doesn't trust your website
As an automated system, Google's search algorithm doesn't always get it right. If you run a legitimate website, it's likely the “Big G” doesn't trust it for some reason.
The first thing to do is review the content on your website. Is there anything about it that it doesn't like? Sometimes a server hack can mean malware runs on your Web pages without you knowing. That's a reason alone not to trust your site.
You'll usually know if you're a victim of malware because Google will tell you. And if you use the Chrome web browser, visiting your site in it might also bring up a malware warning on there too.
Another reason for the lack of trust may not be to do with your content at all. It could be due to the external websites that link to yours! Trust is a two-way thing. And the same applies to Google search engine trust too.
If hundreds of spam sites link to yours, Google will assume your site is also spammy. An SEO specialist can tell you which sites link to yours. If you discover that such sites link to you, it's possible to disavow them. In other words, you can tell Google they are shady.
You don't have a Privacy Policy or Terms and Conditions
Google believes in transparency across the Web. When someone visits a site, it should get made clear to them what that site will do with identifiable data. For instance, they believe your site's privacy policy should explain about tracking code.
And they also believe sites should have terms and conditions or terms of use. If you don't have those two simple pages, your site could end up getting penalised by the search giant.
Your content sucks
Last, but not least, here is something where many website owners get punished. As you've guessed by now, Google is an anti-spam advocate. If your page content has questionable content on it, Google will red flag your site.
Run an SEO audit on the content on your website and make sure there is nothing that shouldn't be there.

Mark Asquith

That British podcast guy, Mark is co-founder of Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast host. A Harvard, TEDx, Podcast Movement and Podfest speaker (amongst many more!), he's a wildly approachable Brit and Star Wars/DC Comics geek.

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