What Happned?????

[redneck]

OK I am not very good with all this but will try to explain. I really need some help here, as I get 75% of my online business through google.

I have a website url http://www.catfishbaitsoap.com that was forwarded to this url (trying to save hosting money) http://www.whiskerkitty.com/soap/frameset.html

At that time I was on top 10 for google, than dropped about 4-5 weeks ago off the charts completely. I was told that the forwarded URL was the issue so I got a seperate host for the url www.catfishbaitsoap.com and moved everything there.

I submitted the new site and redesigned the webpage and within about a week was #2 on google for the term "catfish bait". This #2 position maintained for a period of about 3 weeks.

I checked the rank on Sunday and was still in #2 and on monday morning I checked the page on google and it was on page 2. Monday night I checked and I was back at #2 position.

Now, this morning I checked and my main url is gone again (I scrolled through the 1st 20 pages and could not find it, though some of my urls are on page 2)

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS CAUSING THIS? WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?

[cbp]

Looks to me like a duplicate content penalty. The site is still at: http://www.whiskerkitty.com/soap/frameset.html

When Google detects two sites the same --> the second one often gets dropped (why would they want two identical sites in the search results?)

BTW - there is a typo in the URL in your message.

You need a 301 redirect from the older site (if that is possible)

CBP

[redneck]

OK so what do I do???

Upload a page to the old site that redirects to the new site and then wait for the new page to come back up in ranking? Is there a way to tell how long that might take?

[cbp]

Talk to your host re a 301 redirect from the old site. More info on this here:
http://www.tamingthebeast.net/articles3/spiders-301-redirect.htm

301 is what Google recommends.

The other option is to take the site down - BUT, there are links pointing to it --> so you need to get those sites to change (bit of leg work involved)

CBP

[redneck]

Another thing odd is I was dropped from dmoz last week, and have no idea why. The only site that was listed there was www.catfishbaitsoap.com

I resubmitted the site to dmoz but last time it was weeks before it was added.

[cbp]

Rather than resubmit, its best to first go to:
http://www.resource-zone.com and ask for the reasons for being dropped (there would have been one)

Read the forum rules first.

BUT, do not hold your breath for a straight answer. Editors would rather spend there time building a category rather than respond to requests for reasons for being dropped or not listed (which I can understand). If all sites are given the reason for not being listed or dropped, then teh spammers will know how to get around it.

Good luck

CBP

[Mel]

HI Redneck

Often a new site will appear high in the rankings until the first update when google will adjust the ranking to a more permanent one.

I find two of your pages on Google at #17 and #18. You have your meta description tag and keywords tags in the body of your homepage instead of the head where it belongs.

Clean this up and see what happens do some keyword reseach at wordtracker.com and while you wait for the update find as many good anchor text links from fishing directories as you can.

Ask any questions you have here and soon your ranking will be up there where you want it.