If your business has an online presence, you understand the essence of your content ranking on search engine results. Google is the most popular search engine, and if your content shows there, it means there is a high chance of getting organic traffic.
This improves your site’s visibility and may lead to a high conversion rate to sales. Sometimes, the unexpected happens whereby Google removes your content from search results. No matter which page of the search engine you go to, your content is not available.
This is quite frustrating as it means your marketing strategies are going down the drain. Before making the next move, you need to know why Google does this.
Reasons for Google Removing Content from Search Results
There are several reasons for the search engine doing away with content. Highlighted below are some of the possible pointers
1. Illegal Content
Google holds itself in high esteem when it comes to its legal obligations. It does its best to abide by the set rules of different territories. As such, if you have content that seems to go contrary to laws, it might remove them.
Most of the time, it gets this information from other users or legal bodies. Google’s team will act on the reports, and if it determines that the material seems offensive or illegal, it will do away with it. Some of the things that Google algorithms detect include spam, viruses, or having hidden links and texts.
2. User Protection
The other reason for this search engine removing your material from its search results is to protect its users. Your content might not be illegal but can go against some ethics. If it reaches this conclusion, you may fail to see anything linked to your website on the search engine results.
An example is where you publish sensitive information, like personal details, including identification numbers or bank details.
3. Use of Duplicated Material
Plagiarism is taboo in many areas, and Google does not condone it. When you use material from another site without giving due credits, it is like stealing from that website. Once the company’s algorithms detect duplication, it acts immediately.
One of the penalties of plagiarism is the removal of the content from search results.
4. Using Insights to Solve Issues at Scale
If your site has a lot of complaints from users, you may see less of its content on the search engine. It is a move meant to shield users from potential harmful results and for the company to maintain a decent reputation.
Other times, your content may be missing from search results due to the action of your site’s admins. You should check with them first to ensure that they did not make such a move. A thing to know is that you can request the removal of content from search engine ranks. It is a move most websites do if they have sensitive content.
What to Do To Prevent the Penalties
Having your content removed is a major setback and can affect your search engine optimization strategies. To be on the safe side, you should look at preventive measures. The following are some of the measures to bank on.
1. Know What Google Penalizes
Start by knowing the rules set by Google. Check on the penalties you may receive if you don’t follow the rules. You can easily access this information in the Search Central section. Once you know what can get you on Google’s receiving end, you avoid them.
Other platforms lay down the regulations for easy understanding.
2.Keep Off Illegal Content
A major reason for not having your content in search results is that it may be illegal. It calls for avoiding such content if you want your site and associated material to be visible. Ensure that whatever you have on your site meets the set standards. In worst-case scenarios, it may lead to attention from security authorities.
3. Avoid Using Duplicated Material
Plagiarism is a serious offense and can hurt your ranking and overall website authority. In this case, you should craft original material for your site. Always countercheck it with plagiarism checking tools to be on the safe side.
If you are not a pro in content creation, you can hire the services of companies or individuals that can do it on your behalf. There are many individuals who are excellent in SEO strategies and will provide pertinent information for your website.
In case another site uses your data and presents them as theirs, you should immediately report it. Google will check on your complaints and act accordingly. This will prevent your URL from getting delisted.
4. Cloaking is a No-Go Zone
Cloaking is one of those things that Google tries to fight. It refers to showing different web pages to the search engine and users. The penalties are quite harsh as it goes against the search tool’s regulations.
There are two penalties that you may receive, depending on the nature of the offense. If not that severe, you get a ‘partial match’ that will affect some sections of your site. These sections won’t reflect on Google.
If the offense is serious, you get a ‘site-wide match’. This is a penalty that affects the whole website, and Google may delist it.
In the same vein as cloaking, there is the issue of sneaky redirects or click baits. These are the links that direct users to another site that they had no interest in.
5. Delisting Requests
You can delist your material from Google search results. A reason to perform such a move is if you have sensitive or confidential information on your website. Additionally, you can make such a move if you have outdated content.
It is a simple move to perform if you are the administrator of the website.
Getting your content removed from Google search results can be frustrating. It may downgrade your online marketing strategies and affect your visibility.
Something that you should know is that Google is a reputable company. As such, it will do everything in its might to ensure that its platform is safe to use and meets legal standards. If it deems your material to go against its guidelines, it removes it from its results.
To prevent such a scenario, be sure to read Google’s guidelines. This helps you navigate avoidable issues. Furthermore, avoid copyright issues that inform of plagiarism. Besides getting you on the wrong side of Google algorithms, it may also lower your credibility.
Keep off malicious content and spam, and you won’t face delisting from this search engine.
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