Google Rejected Me Again... Going Nuclear (Google Spam Update) - Building in Public Day 156

In this episode, the creator discusses their ongoing struggle with Google's manual penalty for their website, detailing the steps taken to resolve the issue. After removing over 2,000 AI-generated posts and submitting reconsideration requests, they received a response indicating the penalty still stands. In a 'go nuclear' move, they decided to remove all blog posts from the site and requested a review, curious to see if the penalty would be lifted without any content to penalize. The creator also shares their thoughts on the future of their community and addresses viewer questions on various topics.

Takeaways

• 📉 The speaker's website experienced a drop in revenue, with a total of $3.7k, which is $300 less than the previous day.
• 🚫 The website received a manual penalty from Google for scaled content and aggressive spam techniques, affecting a subdirectory.
• 🗑️ In response to the penalty, over 2,000 AI-generated content pieces were removed, leaving only human-written posts.
• ✅ Despite the removal, Google still flagged issues, leading to further action where all but four human-written posts about ceramics were removed.
• 🔄 The speaker resubmitted the site for reconsideration after each content removal, but the penalty persisted.
• 💥 As a last resort, the speaker decided to 'go nuclear' by removing all blog posts from the site and requested a review to revoke the manual action.
• 🤔 The speaker is curious to see if Google will lift the penalty with no content on the site and invites speculation from the audience on the outcome.
• 📈 The speaker discusses the potential impact on rankings and normal operations if the penalty is removed.
• 🙏 The speaker asks the audience to comment 'Google spam update' for the YouTube algorithm if they appreciate the updates.
• ✈️ The script includes a personal anecdote about the preference for business class flights, especially for longer journeys.
• 🤝 The speaker addresses audience questions, including one about boosting a website's traffic and another about comment deletion on Reddit.
• 🔓 The speaker shares optimism about 'Rank and Rent' as a promising strategy, following the potential saturation of other methods.

Q & A

What was the main issue with the manual penalty the speaker received from Google?

The main issue with the manual penalty was that Google flagged the speaker's website for aggressive spam techniques and scaled content.

How many AI-generated content pieces did the speaker remove from their website?

The speaker removed over 2,000 AI-generated content pieces from their website.

What was the total order revenue on the day the speaker recorded the video?

The total order revenue on that day was $29.6k.

Which specific types of content did the speaker decide to keep on their website after removing the rest?

The speaker decided to keep only the content related to ceramics, as they were experts in that area.

What was the speaker's strategy in response to Google's persistent penalty issue?

The speaker's strategy was to remove all blog posts from the website and then request a review to see if the manual penalty would be revoked without any content on the site.

What was the outcome of the speaker's first reconsideration request to Google?

The first reconsideration request resulted in Google revoking some manual actions but stating that the issue still persisted.

What type of content did the speaker believe would be safe to boost with a Fiverr gig?

The speaker suggested that a link farm kind of situation might be safe to boost with a Fiverr gig.

What did the speaker say about their future plans regarding the advised community?

The speaker indicated that the advised community would not be shut down when they retire, but they would step back from aggressive monetization and focus more on running experiments.

What advice did the speaker give about posting on Reddit?

The speaker suggested that the method of posting on Reddit might be 'cooked' due to overuse, and they would need to find a way to evade deletion.

What is the speaker's opinion on the current state of rank and rent strategies?

The speaker is bullish on rank and rent strategies, as they believe they are currently very effective.

What was the speaker's reaction to the potential removal of the manual penalty after removing all blog posts?

The speaker was curious to see if Google would revoke the penalty without any content on the site and how they would approach this situation.

Outlines

00:00

📈 Website Penalty and Revenue Update

The speaker discusses a recent manual penalty on their website, detailing the progress and updates regarding the issue. They mention the removal of AI-generated content and the subsequent resubmission of their site for reconsideration. The speaker also shares the financial figures, including a $3.7k revenue on the previous day, which was a decrease from the day before. They delve into the specifics of the revenue from different sources like Amazon and OnlyFans. The speaker expresses their frustration with the penalty still persisting despite their efforts and shares their plan to remove all remaining blog posts to see if the penalty is lifted.

05:00

🚫 Dealing with Google Penalty

The speaker continues to address the Google penalty, describing their strategy to resolve the issue by removing all content from their website. They recount the steps taken, including the removal of AI content and human-written posts, and the subsequent communications with Google. The speaker plans to conduct a live session to demonstrate the removal of the remaining four blog posts and to request a review of the manual penalty. They express curiosity about how Google will respond to a site with no content and whether the penalty will be revoked. The speaker also engages with their audience, asking for their opinions on the potential outcomes.

10:02

🤔 Future Plans and Community Updates

In the final paragraph, the speaker shares their future plans, including a potential live session to address the Google penalty. They also discuss their retirement plans, explaining that they will not be as aggressive with monetization and will focus more on running experiments. The speaker addresses a question about the future of their advised community, mentioning that they will stop accepting new applications soon and that the community will not be shut down. They also touch upon the topic of red commenting and the challenges of comment deletion on platforms like Reddit, suggesting that the method might no longer be effective.

Keywords

Google Spam Update

The term 'Google Spam Update' refers to changes made by Google in its search algorithm to combat spam and low-quality content. In the context of the video, the speaker is dealing with the consequences of such an update on their website, which resulted in a manual penalty for spam techniques. The video discusses their efforts to comply with Google's guidelines and the impact on their site's performance.

Manual Penalty

A 'manual penalty' is a punitive action taken by Google when a website is found to be violating Google's Webmaster Guidelines. In the video, the speaker's website received a manual penalty due to the use of spammy content, which negatively affected its search engine rankings. The speaker discusses their efforts to address the penalty by modifying the site's content and submitting requests for reconsideration.

AI Content

AI Content refers to written material that is generated by artificial intelligence algorithms rather than human authors. In the video, the speaker mentions that their site previously featured a significant amount of AI-generated content, which was identified as part of the problem in Google's spam update. The removal of this content was a key step in their efforts to resolve the manual penalty imposed by Google.

Reconsideration Request

A 'reconsideration request' is a formal appeal made to Google by website owners when they believe their site has been unfairly penalized or when they have addressed the issues that led to the penalty. In the video, the speaker describes multiple reconsideration requests they submitted to Google after making changes to their site's content in an attempt to lift the manual penalty.

Content Removal

Content removal involves the act of deleting or depublishing content from a website. In the context of the video, the speaker had to remove certain types of content, specifically AI-generated articles and later all blog posts, in response to Google's manual penalty. This drastic measure was taken to attempt to resolve the penalty and restore the site's search engine rankings.

Search Engine Rankings

Search engine rankings refer to the position or order in which a website appears on search engine results pages (SERPs) for a specific query. Higher rankings typically lead to more visibility and traffic. In the video, the speaker is concerned about the impact of Google's manual penalty on their site's rankings, and their efforts to improve them by addressing the penalty.

YouTube Algorithm

The YouTube algorithm is the set of rules and processes that YouTube uses to determine which videos to recommend to users, either in search results or on the home page. In the video, the speaker encourages viewers to comment 'Google spam update' for the YouTube algorithm, likely to increase the visibility of their video and engage the community.

Revenue

Revenue refers to the income that a business, in this case, the speaker's website, generates from its operations. The speaker discusses their site's revenue in the context of the impact of Google's manual penalty and the changes they've made to address it.

Dinnerware

Dinnerware refers to the plates, bowls, and other utensils used for serving and eating meals. In the video, the speaker mentions that they are a dinnerware company and have expertise in ceramics, which is the material used to make dinnerware. They discuss the remaining human-written content on their site, which includes topics related to different types of ceramics and dinnerware materials.

Community

In the context of the video, 'community' refers to the group of people who follow and engage with the speaker's content. The speaker discusses their plans for the community and how they will continue to interact with them, even after their planned retirement from aggressive monetization.

Highlights

The speaker discusses a recent manual penalty update from Google and their next steps to address it.

Yesterday's total revenue was $3.7k, which is $300 less than the day before.

Amazon revenue was at $600, Medi Vine at $957, and OnlyFans at $1150.

The speaker mentions the removal of over 2,000 AI-generated content to comply with Google's guidelines.

After the content removal, the manual penalty still persisted, leading to further action.

The speaker's strategy includes removing all blog posts to see if Google will revoke the manual penalty.

The speaker is curious to see how Google will react to a site with no content after the penalty.

The speaker plans to document the entire process and keep the audience updated on the outcome.

The speaker shares their thoughts on the potential impact of removing all blog posts on the site's ranking and Google penalty.

The speaker discusses the future of their advised community and their plans for retirement.

The speaker talks about the challenges of maintaining engagement on Reddit and the potential for new strategies.

The speaker expresses optimism about the potential of Rank and Rent as a profitable strategy.

The speaker invites audience questions and plans to address them in future episodes.

The speaker mentions the limit of 350 for their community and the upcoming closure of new applications.

The speaker concludes the episode and encourages the audience to stay tuned for updates.