Top 13 Google Penalties and How to Avoid Them

Google’s algorithms can be equally as fascinating as they are frustrating; one day, your website can rank highly in the search engine and then drop the next with seemingly no cause, leaving you scratching your head. While Google largely keeps their algorithm a secret, it does clarify what it penalizes websites for.

According to HubSpot, a Google penalties are “a punishment against a website whose content conflicts with the marketing practices enforced by Google. This penalty can result from an update to Google's ranking algorithm or a manual review that suggests a web page has utilized ‘black hat’ SEO tactics."

Google has recently cracked down on copyrighted material, giving any unauthorized use of images, videos, and articles a black mark. Unfortunately, many marketers do not know their published material is copyrighted until it’s too late. If you do use copyrighted content, don’t forget to credit it, or obtain permission.

One of the most common black hat SEO tactics, keyword stuffing is when a website overuses keywords, or search terms, on its pages. Not only is keyword stuffing quickly penalized by Google, but it’s also off-putting for users to read.

While link building is essential for SEO, the links must be relevant, reputable, and spam-free. Google can detect spam links, both outgoing and ingoing, and penalize your website if you use too many.

Businesses looking to unnaturally boost their content can use sneaky redirects to send users to a different page than what is shown in the Search Engine Results Page, or SERP. The SERP is the “front page” of Google results. This goes against Google’s guidelines and can result in a penalty.

Over a decade ago, purchased links (also known as spammy links) built artificial credibility for websites within the search engine. As technology has advanced, Google can now determine which links are real and which are purchased and will penalize your website if you use purchased links.

Cloaking happens when you distort content accessed by search engines by developing layered content. This can cause a search engine to believe your website has various content pieces through misleading links. Cloaked images and distorted content are meant to trick the search engine and could result in your website being pulled from the Search Engine Results Page, or SERP, altogether.

Businesses could hide links and content on their website by making the text the same color as the background, for example. That way, users can read one content piece while Google scans more. This allows businesses to stuff more keywords into a page and will result in a penalty.

Unfortunately, Google will penalize you if your website loads slowly. No one has the time or patience to sit and wait for a website to load for minutes. Instead, users will leave your website for a competitor that loads more quickly.

Factors that could slow down a site’s load time include unoptimized image files, poor server performance, and outdated code or content management system (CMS) software.

Many Google users perform searches on their phone instead of their computer. So, optimizing your website to be mobile-friendly is crucial. Since 2020, Google has switched to mobile-first indexing, which means they index websites based on their mobile and desktop versions. Moreover, Google rewards mobile-friendly websites and penalizes those that are not mobile-friendly, which results in less traffic.

Anchor text contains hyperlinks, which users click on to be redirected to another page or a different website. Google wants websites with a natural amount of anchor text that redirects users to relevant websites and pages. So, both overusing anchor text and not using enough are subject to a penalty from Google.

This happens when a business favors quantity over quality regarding SEO content. In an attempt to quickly get SEO-optimized content onto their website, they could improperly use content-generating tools, publish haphazard short-form blogs, or reuse content from other sources. They could also utilize doorway pages, which are pages with a certain URL or domain name designed to rank for a specific search query while directing users to a different page that is not as useful as the one intended.

You must ensure your website is virus-free and protected from hackers, phishers, and data breaches. Google values the security of its users’ information and will penalize websites that could put it at risk.

The best way to resolve Google penalties are to prevent them from happening in the first place by avoiding black hat SEO practices. However, not all businesses intend to violate Google’s guidelines, which is why there are some ways to fix a penalty when it happens. However, those unfamiliar with Google’s ever-changing algorithms may put their website health at risk if they approach it alone. Plus, developing and adding the highest quality content to your website could be a lengthy process of trial and error.

In addition, you must approach your content development carefully, which includes investing in a reputable marketing partner you trust. Too often, digital marketers take shortcuts through black hat SEO that may yield temporary results but only hurt your website and business in the long run.

When you turn to a dedicated marketing team, you can rest assured that your website is in good hands and will dominate the search engine ranks. At Legal Communications Group, we know that SEO is complex and requires consistent, hands-on attention. We also have seen the damage that black hat SEO tactics can do for a business, and we will never let that happen to you. That’s why we offer digital services that will reveal your highest-ranking website and most prominent digital presence while you focus on running your business.