I have been working on the web for 3 years now, building 6 web sites,
mostly shopping, auto repair, game cheats etc. (no porn or pop's) . I
linked the sites together in a link pack. All sites were on google and
doing fairly well. In April of 2003 all my sites were removed manually
from google. I wrote google answers when I first noticed the removal.
Google told me to clean up the urls and resubmit and they might be let
back in the index, I removed the links and resubmitted....so far
nothing. My question: is it fair for google to flush my work without
some kind of warning telling me google is unhappy and is getting ready
to remove me?.... How can anyone depend on the internet when they can
be removed without warning?...  shouldn't google say something before
the removal process so the problem can be rectified?...   Its not
fair... what should I do now?

Hi Strailer:

Please remember that Google Answers Researchers are independent
contractors and are not privy to the inner workings of Google. We do
not have access to their search algorithms. We are asked a lot of
questions about rankings and getting listed in Google, and the
information we offer is the same information Google publishes on its
site. And it is offered on most sites offering reliable information
and tips and suggestions on search engine rankings.

I can appreciate your frustration to discover all your sites had been
removed,  but to answer your question(s):


Q. "Is it fair for google to flush my work without some kind of
warning telling me google is unhappy and is getting ready to remove
me?"

A. Yes.

Google offers Guidelines for Webmasters, which is available from its
URL submission page and most other Google information pages.
  - ://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html

Notice the Quality Guidelines with their advice to:

  ** "Make pages for users, not for search engines."

  ** "Avoid tricks intended to improve search engine rankings."

  ** "Don't participate in link schemes designed to increase your
site's ranking or PageRank."

Google's reputation is that it delivers "relevant" material. It has
never been a secret that they won't bother listing and will delist
sites using methods to gain an unfair advantage. They even say so,
"setting up pages/links with the sole purpose of fooling search
engines may result in permanent removal from our index."
 - ://www.google.com/webmasters/2.html#B3

You admitted that you had "linked the sites together in a link pack."
Doing so certainly pushed an advantage and went against the
recommendations listed above.

Was it fair for Google to remove your sites with no warning? They
didn't remove it with no warning. They publish the warnings and have
for ages. It was your responsibility to read those guidelines and make
sure your sites were in complaince. It would be more unfair for Google
to have left them if they were contrary to their own published
guidelines.


Q. "How can anyone depend on the internet when they can be removed
without warning?"

A. There are millions of sites on the internet with good information.
Most of those follow the rules. While they may jockey for a better
placement, they still play by the rules and follow the guidelines.

Google's Search Engine service is for the users searching for the best
information. Google's algorithms are impartial and are constantly
tweaked to present best information to the searcher. That's how they
became the No. 1 search engine.

From the user's standpoint, it's a non-question. They rely on Google,
because Google delivers.

From the Webmaster's and site owner's standpoint (those who follow the
rules and guidelines), it's a non-question, too. They play by the
rules, they don't have to worry about getting pulled.


Q. "shouldn't google say something before the removal process so the
problem can be rectified?"

A. They already have said they'd pull without notice. To those who pay
attention to the guidelines and rules, it is not an issue.


While the answer above may not be what you wanted to hear, the simple
truth is that

(1) Google publishes guidelines, rules and warnings; and
(2) if you don't follow the guidelines and rules, they'll delist a
site with no notice.

They're not totally heartless, they suggest what to do if your page is
delisted, "you might try 'cleaning up' the page and sending a
re-inclusion request to help@google.com."

and then publish the proviso, "We do not make any guarantees about if
or when we will re-include your site."

Good luck, and I hope you get your pages relisted.

Serenata

=============
Search terms:
 - Google site submission
 - Webmaster Guidelines
 - Google FAQs

This is probably not what you want to hear, but Google IS a private
company and they do try to bring results in a fair manner. They are
constantly changing their algorithm to try and detect link farms/link
networks and this is what keeps results on Google reliable and useful.
Having said that, that is just my opinion. Sure it might not be fair
to you, but it is probably more fair to the surfers who want the most
useful results. Link farms shouldn't determine who is at the top,
content should.

tisme-ga

If the sites were removed in April, and you re-submitted since then, I
guess you will appear in the next index update. It usually takes 1-2
months to appear after submission.