Over-Optimization Penalty Does Not Exist

[LD]

My sites’ traffic dropped. So, I used a backlinking service last week, but I was worried thinking that perhaps I shouldn’t have done that.

Now I see that it was a good idea, and I don’t need to be afraid of backlinking. The results were good, and my sites are in a better position, even though they suddenly got numerous backlinks.

I would suggest you consider re-reading this thread a little closer and also review some other threads like this one: How to build backlinks and this one Link Building 101 - The Basics before you dump all that worry and think you are in the clear.

[HTMLBasicTutor]

When Algorithm Changes Send SEOs into a Tailspin

Let’s take the soup du jour of the SEO industry, Google’s “over-optimization penalty” announced at SXSW this past March, as an example of how we can take an issue and turn it into a complete freak out. Matt Cutts mentioned an upcoming initiative to target sites that are over-optimized, and all hell broke loose.

As the story goes here in our industry, speculation followed. Posts about best practices and things you should and should not do in SEO ensued – and this is all great. The people who do White Hat SEO as a profession need to continue to reiterate what they’ve been saying for years about good SEO practices and methodologies.

But the fact is, even after all the great advice people are giving, the unknown “what ifs” of this over-optimization penalty are still there. The algorithm is still a mystery.

SEOs ♥ Drama: Why Our Industry Thrives on Gossip and How the Over-Optimization Issue - Bruce Clay Blog

Kind of long but read the whole thing.

[deepsand]

I recently received a request from someone to remove a link from one of my sites because it had triggered an overoptimisation situation. here is a copy of the mail I received....

Google has been in contact with us and asked us to remove this unnatural link as it will penalise both the "clientwebsite.co.uk" website as well as the "mywebsite.com" website.

Google have also asked us to inform them of any websites that are not cooperative in this request, and to provide them with the domains and ip addresses of sites that do not comply with the request.

so does it exist?

Unlikely that Google would either identify specific links or request feedback re. compliance, particularly given that Google has ready access to the data cited in the latter.

IMO, this missive was deliberately crafted so as to attempt to vicariously grant the writer the authority of Google, by pretending to be acting as its agent.

[claybutler]

Unlikely that Google would either identify specific links or request feedback re. compliance, particularly given that Google has ready access to the data cited in the latter.

IMO, this missive was deliberately crafted so as to attempt to vicariously grant the writer the authority of Google, by pretending to be acting as its agent.

I agree. Google posts all kinds of penalty notices in your webmasters account but the details in this make no sense. Google did not write this or request this info.

[Adrian98]

I think those people who have the mentality of saying that Over Optimization does not exist, they should get through the SEOmoz blog to check out the latest examples of the victim of the Over optimization Penalty! Thanks

[morestar]

I think those people who have the mentality of saying that Over Optimization does not exist, they should get through the SEOmoz blog to check out the latest examples of the victim of the Over optimization Penalty! Thanks

No problem. While you're there could you let me know how many Google reps came into any of the threads and posts and said "yep, we've given you a penalty for over-optimization"? Thanks.

[BrandonHeate]

I'm pretty sure we all know that over optimization penalties/algorithm changes have been in place as long as people have been SEOing sites. The issue now is to what extent will these mentioned changes truly affect us all, if at all? To reiterate this post's topic,I think it is important to remember that this was not a fully orchestrated and scripted Google press conference on upcoming algorithmic changes, but a pretty casual Q&A session. It seems only logical to me that Google might make a pretty large announcement like this a little more official, as it has done in the past. Yes, there have been a fair amount of fluctuations recently, but we really still have no concrete idea the reasoning for any of it, or if it is just some bugs being worked out. As usual all we have is speculation and guesswork. For me, one comment, unofficially made in a casual setting, does not merit the response we as SEO professionals have given to it.

[morestar]

Thanks to HTMLBasicTutor, within another thread I found a quote by Matt Cutts, in an article by Danny Sullivan who's writing today about Google launching an update targeting webspam:

“I think ‘over-optimization’ wasn’t the best description, because it blurred the distinction between white hat SEO and webspam. This change is targeted at webspam, not SEO, and we tried to make that fact more clear in the blog post,” Cutts told me.

[deepsand]

I think those people who have the mentality of saying that Over Optimization does not exist, they should get through the SEOmoz blog to check out the latest examples of the victim of the Over optimization Penalty! Thanks

Better yet would be for all those calling a reevaluation a "penalty" to learn the definitions of words before using them.

[d marks]

Not feeling good 2 nite after finding 3 of my sites bounced today, perhaps the new algo is a bit too agressive by the Google as I did not receive any penatly notifications, hoping its just the routine fluctuation when they push through changes...but not a good feeling, and I would categorize these as more down the middle white to grey hat optimized sites...anyone else noticing some big drops today?