The blog section of Dayfoxx Resources is less than a month old. In that time, I have written 17 unique, SEO-rich, quality blog articles. I frequently review data from AdSense, Site Kite, and Google Console to determine if my site traffic is picking up. Well, it’s not. My strategy is Google search and social media to attract attention to my blog content and the rest of the site.
I used to to be a blogger about 8-10 years ago on Google’s Blogger platform. Not sure if I really paid much attention to keyword ranking and traffic back then as I do now.
So, in the mid-2010s, my primary blog that I put my heart and soul into, received little attention. My other blog that I casually managed part-time received 50x the traffic and all the affiliate earnings. Eventually, life got in the way of creating new content, managing comments, and marketing the sites. Eventually, they both closed down.
It’s a lot of commitment to run a blog!
But, I’m back… and I appear immersed in the Google’s SandBox… which is frustrating and requires a lot of patience!
Let’s explore what Google SandBox is.. and if it is a mythological occurrence or a harsh reality for new bloggers.
Let’s Start Off With Some Definitions:
Crawling: Sometimes referred to as spider or searchbot, it is Google’s program of scouring the web for new content. There are two different versions of being “crawled”, one is for desktop version, the other is for smartphones.
Crawling is sometime used interchangeably with Indexing, but it is different.
Indexing: It is the role of search engines like Google and Bing to render the most reliable and informed content to a search user.
After your site is crawled, Google will classify your content into how will it appear in search. Even if it is successfully indexed, your site must comply with Google’s Webmaster Policies, now called Google Search Essentials.
Ranking: Is the sequence range that a phrase or keywords will appear in Google’s (or Bing’s) search results.
When the search results generate, it’s likely that Sponsored Results appear first before you see the organic results.
The phrase or single keyword (sometimes used in a Boolean method with quotes”) will appears to the user. The websites offering similar content to yours may appear first. Your goal is to rank higher (meaning appear within the first 3-7 results after the sponsored ad results) for the keywords that represent your site purposes and identity.
As an example, I’d like to rank for Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS), HR Technology, Ceridian Dayforce, Ceridian Dayforce Consultants, Contingent Workforce, SAP Fieldglass, etc.
Sponsored Results: An advertiser will leverage Google Ads to determine the bid price for a particular phrase or keyword. The more common the phrase or keyword (some are geo-based results by city or state) will mean competitor’s are more frequent and are willing to pay more to hopefully drive conversions to their site.
What is Google SandBox from a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) perspective?
Google SandBox is a probationary period of up to six months by Google for newly registered websites and blogs. During this SandBox phase, your blog articles may take weeks and months to be crawled — creating little-to-no visitors on your site!
Yet, even if it’s crawled, it may not be indexed. And if it is crawled and indexed, it may be very low in search results.
How long does the Google SandBox effect last?
The duration of Google SandBox appears to vary for different websites, but it can last up to six months.
How do I get rid of Google SandBox?
By being patient. I have researched this and I do not see a clear method. Some blog owner will undoubtedly say they started driving traffic after a few weeks and others will claim it took months.
The only advice advice I see is to:
- Post regularly. I’m averaging about 4x articles a week.
- Leverage social media. I use Twitter about 97% of the time, Facebook maybe 2%, and LinkedIn on rare occasions.
- Appear on other websites so that the high quality backlinks direct Google back to your site. Obviously, you’ll want the links back to pages and posts on your site to be from high-traffic reputable sites. I’m still researching this. I presume this may be referring to forums and the comment sections of other more reputable sites.
I spoke to someone on Fiverr who said that a lot of people are buying older, existing sites to avoid the “SandBox effect”.
Fiverr, if you haven’t heard of them, is a site where you can locate someone to help you build your website, fix design and technical errors, or provide SEO help.
Personally, I’m not comfortable with someone else’s blog content on my site, nor do I feel like the cost of acquiring a new site outweighs simply building your site slowly and independently.
In Closing: Is Google SandBox real or just a myth?
While there is no official product in Google’s repertoire, it’s a real phenomenon.
It boils down to Google not wanting to extending too much credence to spammy, suspicious sites or sites “scraping” existing content by monitoring their these characteristics over time. Unfortunately, this affects all of us!
Do not compromise your site’s reputation. The results could keep you in the SandBox even longer than you intended.
Recommended Reading
The Essential Habits Of 6-Figure Bloggers: Secrets of 17 Successful Bloggers You Can Use to Build a Six-Figure Online Business by Sally Miller
The 20-Minute Blogger: How to build you blog and build your business just 20 minutes at a time by Kathy Widenhouse
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