Link Audit and Removal

1. Link Audit andRemoval EverythingyouneedtoknowaboutGooglelink penalties–andhowtorecoverlostrankings. Includes: guide 6-step toauditing yourlink profile.

2. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com INTRODUCTION LINKREPUTATION MANAGEMENT:THEFACTS Thinkyoumayhavesufferedasaresultof aGooglepenalty?Worriedyoursitemight bepenalisedinfuture?You’renotalone. youhavealreadysufferedapenalty,you needtodoeverythingyoucantobringyour customersback. INTHISWHITEPAPER, YOU’LLLEARN Over the last few years, Google has gotten tough on low-quality links.In 2012, it created the Penguin algorithm to penalise sites that have poor-quality links pointing to them. And it has consistently made changes to itsWebmaster Guidelines that have made previously widespread SEO tactics non- compliant – or worse, harmful. • The crucial difference between algorithmic penalties and manual actions. • How to tell if you’ve been hit with a penalty or action. • The non-compliant linking practices and manual actions that might be hurting your site. Countless companies suffered as a result of Google’s penalties.If you suspect you’ve been hit with a penalty, you’ll know how tough the consequences can be. Lost rankings.Lost traffic.Lost revenue. The good news is that your site canclimb up the rankings again.You can resuscitate your revenue and defend your business from further penalties by carrying out a comprehensive audit of your link profile – and by taking steps to become compliant with Google’s guidelines. Butit’swisetoactfast.Ifyouknowyour sitehaslow-qualitylinkspointingtoit,you riskbeingpenalisedatanypoint.Andif 2

3. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com DON’TMESSWITHGOOGLE Many firms have lost valuable rankings online thanks to Google penalties.However, some have seen more column inches than others. Youmaybesurprisedtodiscoverthekindof thingsGooglenowconsidersnon-compliant withitsguidelines.Thingslikeplacing advertsinnewspaperswithlinkspointing backtoyourbusiness,andreachingoutto bloggersforlinks. Here are two high-profile companies that famously fell afoul of the search engine’s webspam filters for these exact reasons: COMPANY:INTERFLORA Description:One of the world’s most recognised brands, specialising in flower delivery. The crime:Interflora paid for links to be placed and advertorials on newspaper sites, as well as sending free products to bloggers in exchange for links. The consequences:Google slapped Interflora with a link penalty in 2013, resulting in an instant search blackout on numerous crucial keywords.The affected queries included [flowers], [florist], [flowers online] and [flower delivery], as well as its own brand name. COMPANY:RAPGENIUS Description:A popular lyrics site that allows users to annotate specific lyrics with interesting or explanatory information. The crime:Rap Genius was quite openly asking bloggers to link to them in return for promotional tweets – in essence, they were paying for links. The consequences:In December 2013, Rap Genius received the worst possible Christmas gift from Google – complete removal from its search results.The site has since recovered, but only after swift link management work had been carried out. 3

4. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com UNDERSTANDINGLINK PENALTIES GOOGLEPENALTIES:THEFACTS PerhapsthemostfamousGooglepenalties arethosedishedoutbyPenguinand Panda.Thesearealgorithmsbuilttotackle badcontentandlinkspamrespectively. However, though Penguin and Panda have had the most coverage in SEO journals, Google penalties are nothing new.In fact, Googlehasprovidedsystemsforwebmasters to request penalty removal since 2005. If you have received an algorithmic penalty because of bad links, it’s most likely a result of Penguin.But it’s important to be aware that there are a wide range of algorithmic penalties, for example:the‘Minus 950 penalty’and the Payday LoanAlgorithm. Some of these penalties are publicly announced and discussed by Google, and some are not. automatically to sites that violate Google’s guidelines.You won’t be notified if an algorithmic penalty is applied to or removed from your site. ALGORITHMICPENALTIES ANDMANUALACTIONS Googledishesouttwotypesofpenalties– algorithmicpenaltiesandmanualactions.Make sureyouknowwhichyou’vebeenaffectedby, otherwiseyoucouldendupspendinghours workingonaprojectthatleadstoadeadend. Manual actions are penalties applied manually by Google’s webspam team.The only way to remove these penalties is to apply to Google directly.You will be notified throughWebmasterTools if a manual penalty is applied or removed. Penguin and Panda are examples of algorithmic penalties.These are applied 4

5. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com WHOISTHIS‘PENGUIN’ GUYANYWAY? Penguin is Google’s webspam algorithm that focusses on low-quality links.It was introduced in 2012. Ranking software UserankingsoftwaresuchasMoztocheckfor adropinrankingsthatcorrelatestothetimeof aPenguinupdate.Beaware,though,thatyou musthavethissoftwareinplacebefore,during andafterthepenaltyhits.Youcan’tsimplysign upafterthefactandexpecttoseehistoric rankings,asthedatawon’tbeavailable. If Penguin detects that a site uses link techniques that are non-compliant with Google’s guidelines, it will penalise a specific URL, a set of URLs, or an entire site. Penalties take the form of ranking decreases, or even complete removal from Google’s search results. SearchMetrics SearchMetrics is an SEO software suite delivered on a subscription basis.One of its key features is an‘SEO visibility’graph – a very easy way to check if you’ve been penalised by Penguin.Another big benefit of this software is that you can view historic visibility as soon as you sign up. HOWTOCHECKIFYOURSITEHAS BEENAFFECTEDBYPENGUIN Remember,Googledoesn’tinformsiteswhen they are affected by algorithmic penalties such as Penguin. How do I know when an update has happened? Moz’s GoogleAlgorithm Change History is regularly updated with the latest algorithm updates and refreshes.You can view it here: http://moz.com/google-algorithm-change Therearethreewaystocheckifasitehas beenhitbyanalgorithmicpenaltylikePenguin: GoogleAnalytics Use GoogleAnalytics or another analytics suite to check for a drop in traffic that correlates to the time of a Penguin update. SEOvisibilitygraphin SearchMetrics,showingthe effectsof a possiblePenguinpenalty. 5

6. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com How to check if your site has a manual action To see if a manual action is in place on a website, you need to have access to a verified GoogleWebmasterTools account. TheManualActionssectionislocatedunder‘SearchTraffic’inthe WebmasterToolssidebar. Googlesays:“[Penalties]cangopretty far.[…]Fortotalhorribleness, thepenalty canstayuntilthedomainexpires.” 6

7. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com MAKING SENSE OF MANUAL ACTIONS There are two main categories of manual action,‘site-wide matches’and‘partial matches.’A site-wide match means the manual action impacts the entire site.A partial match means the manual action impacts a URL, a set of URLs or a section of a website. In addition, there are ten or more common messages that explain more about the type of manual action you’ve received.If you’ve used link building techniques that are now in violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, you are most likely to receive one of the first two manual actions below. Source:https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/2604824 Manual action messages ‘Unnatural links to your site’ This is the most serious of the unnatural link actions.If you see this message, it means Google has“detected a pattern of unnatural artificial, deceptive or manipulative links pointing to your site,”and as a result has applied a penalty to your entire site. This means rankings for all pages on your site will be affected. ‘Unnatural links to your site – impacts links’ This is the‘lesser’of the unnatural links penalties.This message only taken action on a particular set of links, meaning only certain URLs on your site will be affected. means Google has detected a pattern of unnatural links, but has ‘Unnatural links from your site’ This action is similar to the above, but means Google has detected that your site has been unnaturally linking to other sites.This could happen if you have accepted payment or other incentives in return for a link. ‘Hacked site’ This means Google has detected that pages on your site appear to have been hacked.This could mean your site is labelled as such in search results, and may not rank as highly. ‘Thin content with little or no added value’ This is Google’s general warning for poor-quality content.It could duplicate content, or any number of other problems. mean Google has discovered auto-generated‘spun’content, ‘Pure spam’ Google applies this action to sites that use“aggressive spam techniques”.You will receive this message if you use‘black hat’ techniques on page, or as Google describes it:“repeated or egregious violations of Google’s quality guidelines.” ‘User-generated spam’ This message means Google has detected webspam generated by users.This could include unnatural links in forum posts, comments or user profiles. ‘Cloaking and/or sneaky redirects’ Google uses the term‘cloaking and sneaky redirects’to refer to the Google search results.This practice is against Google’sWebmaster Guidelines. practice of sending users to a different URL to the one displayed in ‘Hidden text and/or keyword stuffing’ Both of these techniques are considered spammy, as they attempt keywords on page. to influence Google ranking by including an unnatural volume of ‘Spammy freehosts’ Insomecases,Googlemaytakeactionagainstallthesites hostedonaparticularhostingservice.Thisonlyhappenswhen a“significantfractionofthepagesonsiteshostedonareservice arespammy”. 7

8. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com AUDITING YOUR LINK PROFILE WHATISA‘LINKAUDIT’? Carrying out a link audit means reviewing your site’s backlink profile, and making changes to ensure it is compliant with Google’sWebmaster Guidelines. Most commonly, a link audit involves creating a list of links pointing to your site, categorising these links as‘compliant’or ‘non-compliant,’and making changes to the non-compliant links to bring them in line with best practice. ‘disavowing’the link with Google’s Disavow LinksTool.For more information on the disavow process, see page 12. LINKSCHEMES Google uses the term‘link schemes’to describe linking methods that violate its webmaster guidelines.Algorithms like Penguin are designed to detect links that fall under the definition of link schemes. UnderstandingGoogle’sdefinitionof‘link schemes’iskeytoauditingyourown linkprofile. These changes could involve modifying a link in some way, asking for it to be removed, or 8

9. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com Sid Type GoogleWebmaster Guidelines Description Is keyword rich anchor text a factor? 1 Paid Links “Buying or selling links that pass PageRank. This includes exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links;exchanging goods or services for links;or sending someone a‘free’ product in exchange for them writing about it and including a link.” 2 Article Marketing “Large-scale article marketing or guest posting campaigns with keyword-rich anchor text links.” ✔ 3 Guest Posts “Large-scale article marketing or guest posting campaigns with keyword-rich anchor text links.” ✔ 4 Directories “Low-quality directory or bookmark site links.” 5 Bookmarks “Low-quality directory or bookmark site links.” 6 Press Releases “Links with optimized anchor text in articles or press releases distributed on other sites.” ✔ 7 Forum Comments “Forum comments with optimized links in the post or signature.” ✔ 8 Link Exchanges “Excessive link exchanges (‘Link to me and I’ll link to you’) or partner pages exclusively for the sake of cross-linking.” 9 Automated Links “Using automated programs or services to create links to your site.” 10 Adverts “Text advertisements that pass PageRank.” 11 Advertorials “Advertorials or native advertising where payment is received for articles that include links that pass PageRank.” 12 Widget Spam “Keyword-rich, hidden or low-quality links embedded in widgets that are distributed across various sites.” ✔ 13 Template Spam “Widely distributed links in the footers or templates of various sites.” 14 Sitewide “Widely distributed links in the footers or templates of various sites.” 9

10. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com LINKSCHEMEFAQS What is‘keyword rich anchor text’? You’ll notice some of the link schemes on the previous page make specific mention of‘keyword-rich anchor text.’It’s important to understand the distinction between a keyword-rich link, and a standard link. For context, using keyword-rich anchor text in links used to be a widespread SEO technique, before certain keyword-rich links from certain sources were‘outlawed’in Google’sWebmaster Guidelines.By using a keyword in anchor text – in an article, for example – and pointing that link to a relevant URL, it is possible to gain better rankings for that keyword. generating keyword within its anchor text. In other words, if the ranking boost you get from a link’s anchor text is likely to help your business make money, it is considered ‘keyword rich.’ It is also generally agreed that using your brand name as anchor text, or linking on a ‘naked URL’(e.g.http://www.example.com/) does not constitute‘keyword-rich anchor text.’ As is often the case, Google does not provide a detailed explanation of what constitutes ‘keyword rich anchor text.’But it’s generally agreed that a keyword-rich anchor text link is a link that features a high-value, revenue- This detail is important, and ignoring it could mean you end up getting rid of links that would otherwise be acceptable to Google.For example, Google’sWebmaster Guidelines never state that article marketing is inherently bad, and only advises against “large-scale article marketing […] with keyword-rich anchor text links”. What does Google mean by‘low-quality sites and‘low-quality backlinks’? Google doesn’t explain what it means by ‘low-quality’sites or backlinks.However, a good indicator is whether the site or link itself follows Google’sWebmaster Guidelines. 10

11. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com You can read the full guidelines here: https://support.google.com/webmasters/ answer/35769 How often does Google update Penguin? Google‘updates’Penguin in two ways – sometimes it genuinely updates the algorithm, but most of the time its updates are actually‘refreshes.’ Whenanalgorithmupdateoccurs,itmeans Googlehassubstantiallyrewrittenthe algorithmtofundamentallychangethewayit works.Updateshappeninfrequently–in2014, therewasonlyoneconfirmedPenguinupdate. don’tknowexactlyhowoftentheyhappen, asGooglehasn’talwaysannouncedthem. In2013,Google’sJohnMuellersaid:“We re-run[Penguin]regularly-it’snotquite weeklyordaily” When an algorithm is‘refreshed’it means Google has‘re-run’the algorithm to evaluate which sites should be penalised, and which sites that have previously been hit should have their penalty removed. When an algorithm is updated, it is also refreshed.So you can recover from a Penguin penalty in either instance. Refreshes,historically,havehappenedmore frequentlythangenuineupdates,butwe If youwanttostop spam,themoststraight forwardwaytodoitis todenypeoplemoney, becausetheycareabout themoneyandthat shouldbetheirendgoal. But ifyoureallywantto stopspam,itisalittle bitmean,butwhatyou wanttodo,issortof breaktheirspirits.” MattCutts 11

12. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com 3 STEPBYSTEPGUIDE Step three:Classify links Manually classify your links as‘compliant’or ’non-compliant,’based on the link schemes table on page 9. 4 Step four:Contact webmasters For every non-compliant link, make every effort to obtain the webmaster’s details for the offending site.Reach out to the webmaster and ask for the link to be removed or modified.You should always do this before considering disavowing a link. 5 Step five:Disavow links If you don’t hear back from a webmaster, or receive a negative response, add that link to a disavow list.At the end of the link auditing process, you should upload this disavow list in GoogleWebmasterTools. When a link is disavowed, it means that Google no longer recognises the link as passing Pagerank. 1 6 Step one:Identify penalties Step six:Repeat! Identify whether your site has suffered an algorithmic penalty or manual action (or both).See page 4 for details. Carry out this process for every link. Obviously if you have thousands upon thousands of links, this can be a time- consuming process! 2 Step two:Download links You will need a list of links to your site that is as up-to-date and complete as possible. Links can be downloaded through Google WebmasterTools, but we recommend using specialist SEO software to supplement this list.Otherwise, you may end up with an incomplete picture of your link profile, and risk wasting time auditing links that won’t make a difference. 12

13. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com NEXTSTEPS WHENWILLIRECOVER FROMMYPENALTY? Algorithmic penalties If your link auditing, management and removal processes have been extensive enough, you should regain rankings in due course.This will happen automatically, and requires no further action from you. Manual actions If you have a manual action applied to your site, you will have to apply to Google directly to have it removed.You do this by submitting a reconsideration request through WebmasterTools. a100%success rateforreconsideration requestsandmanualactionremoval. Google demands extensive documentation, detailing the links you’ve found and the links you’ve modified, removed or disavowed.It also requires assurance that you understand the severity of your actions, and will not use similar link building tactics in future. We’ve built our Link Reputation Management service on decades of SEO experience. That’s why we’re a trusted SEO partner for some of the UK’s biggest brands. Thiscanbedifficult.Evenwithextensive documentation,Googlehasstillbeenknownto rejectapplicationsformanualactionremoval. Need help removing a penalty or protecting your site from future updates? Call one of our experts now for an easy, cost-effective solution – 0800 088 7486. ISTHEREANALTERNATIVE? ClickThroughMarketinghashelpedmany householdnamesand growingbrandsrecover rankingsafterGooglepenalties.OurLink ReputationManagementservicehasseen 13

14. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com ABOUT CLICKTHROUGH ; ClickThroughis a digital marketing agency,providing web development, search engine optimisation,pay per click management,conversion optimisation and content marketing services. Proventrackrecordfrom our work with clientsincluding Peugeot, Dunelm, Biffa and HalfordsAutocentres Our peopleall receiveour industry- leading,DigitalAcademytraining Activemembersof the IAB, eConsultancy andSEMPO Thought leaders,givingclients the insidetrackon what matters in search,socialmediaandthe digital marketplace...beforeit happens! ; Since 2004, ClickThroughhas helped several companiesfrom bigbrandsto small start-upsgrowGooglerankings, boostconversions,increasereturn on digitalmarketinginvestment, andstretch Internet marketingbudgetsto getvalue for money. ; ; Weprideourselves on givinghonest advicebasedon the latest digital marketingbestpractices. Our RITEcore values of Results,Innovation, Trustand Excellencedriveeverythingwe do. Whetheryou are thinkingof changing your searchor digitalmarketingagency, or just lookingto improveyour online conversionrate, our team of search conversionexpertscanhelp. ; Find out what we candoto growyour business.Call us on 0800 088 7486 or visit www.clickthrough-marketing.com A provenandtrusted agencysince2004 Creators of BidCops. com- Europe’sleadingfree AdWordsAuditingTool Weare a Top100 Agencyon RecommendedAgencyRegister Wehave publishedseveral bookson digitalmarketing, soldon Amazon ; ; ; 14