How do I know if Google has banned my site?

[Simonr]

Hi
I run a business offering our villa to disabled holiday makers. I am disabled myself and built our site, through which 70 odd percent of bookinfgs come via google searches. We used to rank on page 1 for our keywords. Now the new algorithm seems to have kicked us off completely, or have we been banned? We rely on this as our income!
Thanks for any help.
Simon

[AndrewX]

If you install the Google toolbar, and see a grey bar while on your website that is a very bad sign indeed.

If you type this into Google and get nothing back, it's not a good sign either...

site:mysite.net

[Simonr]

I've done
site:ouricodomar.com
and it lists all the pages of the site, so why are we not ranking, the new algorithm?

[daretodream]

Can't this white bar be for new sites?

[greeneagle]

Simon,

Please note. I have picked up your post and carried here: http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=41259 .

I believe you will get more results that way.

Best Regards,

Ken

[greeneagle]

Maybe it would be better to discuss, marketing and promotion technique specifics here and website change suggestions and "Built in SEO" over there.

Ken

[David16]

If this will help with marketing please add your details to my site free of charge. I run a Spanish property site where people add their properties in Spain who want to rent them out or sell. If you go to www.spanishpropertyportal.com and add your property details you can upload as many photos as you want. I will see when you have added your property and I will send it "live" straight away at no charge. This may help you in the short term whilst others look at how they can help with the site

[greeneagle]

Thanks David16

This is a very worthy cause. I personally have not seen another resort outfitted like this one where handicapped of any degree can escape their normal "confines" and vacation in that style with every special amenity taylored to their needs.

Jason Tor has volunteered his Arizona Web Design Company Time to help revise the Site.

I'll be working on the Marketing Side, primarily initially on Press Releases and article submission and syndication.

What we still need:

1) Volunteer Directory Research Time - We need to find every place we can list in appropriate categories. Local, Regional, vacation, real estate rentals, handicapped resources, country tourism boards.

2) We could use at least 2 or three people that had a little time to spare submitting to these directories.

3) If anyone wants to contribute to 2 high level Press Releases at PRWeb over the next month or 2 PM me and we'll work out details.

4) We need 1 or 2 bloggers with some degree of acumen that can spend a little time there. Do we have any Blog-Masters here?

5) More suggestions on the Marketing Side.

Ken

[David16]

I have added the site to my links here http://www.spanishpropertyportal.com...-portugal.html
If we all added the site to our links it could give the site a boost perhaps ?

[greeneagle]

Thanx David!

I appreciate that.

Anyone else that owns Directories, especially containing real-estate, vacation or any other related catagories?

again, thanks David,

Ken

[greeneagle]

It's a GO with the Site Owners!

Jason,

Simon feels very comfortable in your hands for Site redesign, you guys will need to work together, keep me in the loop!, understandably Simon wants to be involved through the entire process. Communication is key. Let's get you guys communicating directly! See my PM. Let's talk about where we want to head!

All suggestions are welcome!

Simon says:

"Ken
You do have my buy in. Lets see where we go!
Simon"

Let's do it!

Ken

[greeneagle]

Just a quick note:

John (webnauts) has volunteered his time too. John is very knowledgeable at Web Accessibity Standards.

The usability aspect that John can bring to the team is an important aspect for this Site's future!

Looks like a team to me. Look for my PM or e-mail, hooking everyone up.

Let's have some fun and learn from each other in the process!

Thanks,
Ken

[wednesday]

Originally Posted by greeneagle

All suggestions are welcome!

Any dmoz editors that can speed up the the inclusion?

Martin

[freehits]

Smart thought brainwash...

Ken I am duping this thread to

akamarketing.com:

http://www.akamarketing.com/webmaste...ead.php?t=1466

and seo1.net:

http://www.seo1.net/msg4700.html#4700

forums to get a few more people with resources to see this thread.

Using Portugal>>>Accomidations as category, and the descriptions provided in the meta tags, have submitted the site to the following categories under the proper category.

- Abacho.co.uk
- Accoona.com
- AdmCity.com
- Alexa.com
- Amfibi.com
- Ay-Up.com
- BigFinder.com
- Blue.lu
- Burf.com
- ClickAndSearch.com
- EntireWeb.com
- ExactSeek.com
- Exalead.com
- Exploitit.com
- FindOnce.co.uk
- FoundYa.co.uk
- FreshLinks.net
- FyberSearch.com
- Gasta.co.uk
- Gasta.ie
- Google.ca
- Google.co.in
- Google.co.uk
- Google.com.au
- Google.ie
- HotLaunch.com
- HyeGuide.com
- InfoTiger.com
- Insitor.com
- IntelSeek.com
- JBA
- JBlue
- JDGO.com
- Josh.nu
- KillerInfo.com
- Mabuhey
- MetaWebSearch.com
- Mirago.co.uk
- Moshix2.net
- NetSearch.org
- NewWebListings.com
- Nokodo.com
- ObjectsSearch.com
- OfficialSearch.com
- OneKey.com
- PleaseRetrieve.com
- ScrubTheWeb.com
- Search4More.com
- SearchEngine.com DE
- SearchEngine.com FR
- SearchEngine.com NL
- SearchEngine.com UK
- SearchEngine.com US
- SearchIt.com
- SearchUK.com
- SearchWho.com
- Sensis.com.au
- Snap.com
- Soprano.com
- SparkSearch.com
- SplatSearch.com
- StopDog.com
- SurfGopher.com
- SusySearch.com
- TheBest-Sites.com
- TopSearchNet.com
- VeryGoodSearch.com
- WalHello.com
- WhatUSeek.com
- Yusearch.com
- ZenSearch.com

Respects,
Mike

[James Trotta]

I am getting caught up in the enthusiasm here but while I was registering for this board so I could talk about all the ways I can help I started wondering why this business deserves so much charity.

Not that I don't like charity - I volunteer and donate money to everal different causes - I just want to be told that someone here knows this is legit. I don't mean to be a jerk, but if I helped every email I got about people with sick kids and people needing money to get out of war-torn countries...

Anyway if you take the time to convice me I think I can help a lot. My travel blog gets around 700 uniques daily and I could offer a free blog entry with up to 5 links to differnt parts of a site. The CTR on these is usually good and the links are strong - plus they are permanent. Needless to say I usually charge for this form of advertising...

If I knew where this villa was I would put this in http://www.jtrotta.com/Travel/Accommodations (in the appropriate region of course). The directory is new (no PR yet except for the homepage) but pages like this one are already showing up in Google searches: http://www.jtrotta.com/Travel/Accomm.../Asia/Thailand

Anyway, I can help but want to be sure I'm doing more than helping some business make money.

[greeneagle]

Thanks Mike,

That should help quite a bit.
Ken

[greeneagle]

James,
Welcome to WPW...

They didn't, haven't and wouldn't ask for "free" help, it was volunteered toward what was deemed a useful cause.

Show me different!

I have learned quite a bit about the issues surrounding a "handicapped" life since starting this project. That also naturally leads into "accessibility and usibility" issues in web design and development, which certainly doesn't hurt anyone to learn.

This endeavor can't reasonably be compared with a "Nigerian Scam" at any point in anyone's imagination.

Ken

[Simonr]

Hi James

The fact that we're legit has never been questioned before! All I can say, as Ken pointed out, is that I didn't ask for the help I merely posted a question about google and this has resulted. Its still a bit bemusing even now.

Not sure how I can convince you we're legit. I am in a w/chair, have been for 22 years, typing this with a stick in my mouth. We moved to the Algarve, Portugal in July 2001 and started this mammoth project to gut the place and make it wheelchair accessible. We took clients 9 months later, our clients love it, I can email you many testimonials if you like?

Simon

[greeneagle]

Simonr:

"typing this with a stick in my mouth.."

I was wondering how you went about the keyboard matriculation, but didn't want to ask..

Sorry we have been a little slow getting out of the gate, but Jason took on a full time job and I have been bound up a bit catching after extreme family issues in the last 6 weeks.

I believe we are making good progress altogether though. Progress always runs slower in the beginning with any project, when approached with forethought and planning.

Ken

[Simonr]

Ken
I use a mac (I hear the groans now!). The OS has always had Universal Access within it which contains something called Sticky Keys. This allows me to press the Shift, Control, Option (Alt) and Apple (command) keys and they stay pressed until I type another key, then it cancels. If I want any of them or all of them to remain 'held' I meerly press them twice instead and then cancel afterwards.
Universal accss also has a section for
'Seeing' allowing magnification, switch white on black, contrast enhancement
'Hearing' allowing text to speech
'Mouse keys' allowing the number section of a keyboard (on the right) to control the cursor.
I'm sure someone will suggest I try voice rec. I have, its gettig better but it means I am 'tied' to the keyboard by the headset.
Hope this helps.
Simon

[James Trotta]

I apologize. The fact that you didn't ask for help is something I overlooked. I think my understanding of the context was thrown a bit by the thread on the other message baord:

A worthy Project for any webmasters with directories or other link resources to offer. Check this out and do your part if you so choose.

As for being "legit", I didn't mean to imply that there was any dishonesty involved and shouldn't have mentioned the spam about children needing operations and the like; that was stupid of me.

What I really meant was "Does this business legitamately need my help?" For all I know this business might be making much much more money than mine. Anyway I'll offer my help (which I should have done at the beginning but I began thinking selfishly). Here's what I can offer:

1. A free listing in my new directory. Go to http://www.jtrotta.com/Travel/Accomm...urope/Portugal and click "submit new link". Then fill in the information. A long description will be helpful here to help search engines see the link on a page with lots of relevant text.

2. A blog entry on www.travel-plan-idea.com - Write an objective description of the villa which can include a link on the homepage and 4 deep links spread throughout the text. PM it to me.

3. A blog entry on www.seo-search-engine-ranking.com - Write a description of this project and what the people reading my SEO blog can do to help. PM it to me.

I hope this helps and do apologize if I caused any offense (especially with my hungry children comments).

Originally Posted by Simonr

Hi James

The fact that we're legit has never been questioned before! All I can say, as Ken pointed out, is that I didn't ask for the help I merely posted a question about google and this has resulted. Its still a bit bemusing even now.

Not sure how I can convince you we're legit. I am in a w/chair, have been for 22 years, typing this with a stick in my mouth. We moved to the Algarve, Portugal in July 2001 and started this mammoth project to gut the place and make it wheelchair accessible. We took clients 9 months later, our clients love it, I can email you many testimonials if you like?

Simon

[Simonr]

Hi James
Thank you for your offers. I wasn't offended by your question, I was just wondering how I would prove we were legit!
Simon

[greeneagle]

Thanks James,

Your offers would be a great help. I have even posted in the Moderator Board for some "BlogMaster" help. Your are the first blogger to offer.

Thanks again,

The listings and bloggings will have more positive effect in the short run!

Ken