Google Hell: How the supplemental index can kill a company

Google Hell is a term being used to describe a sudden, far drop in a website’s ranking on Google. The ranking is usually for an important – or many different important – keyword terms.

I’m pleased an article on Google Hell being covered in the mainstream press. It’s a phenomenon known to main online businesses, tied heavily to changes in the Google algorthym. Some of the excellent points in the article:

  • The criteria for Google’s Supplemental Index can be vague.
  • “Grey-area” techniques are sometime necessary to compete on the internet with larger stores.
  • Duplicate content penalties exist!
  • Newly created sites are especially vulnerable to falling into the supplemental index.
  • Buying links may now be a deciding factor in whether your site ends up in the supplemental results.

The article quotes Jim Boykin and Micheal Gray. Besides the great sources, it is refreshing that businesses are starting to see the importance of search engine marketing to the bottom line.

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