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I Have Been Banned! What Can I Do?

If you rely on search engines for traffic, having your domain name banned is one of the worst things that can happen. Being banned means that your domain name has been completely removed from search engine databases. Even worse, it is a permanent removal; search engines will refuse to revisit and reindex your website.

Sometimes, its obvious what may have caused the ban. Perhaps you were using some questionable tactics to improve your ranking. Or perhaps, you enlisted the services of a Black Hat SEO company. (Black Hat refers to devious practices used to increase page rank and keyword density. On the other hand, White Hat SEO refers to the recommended methods for optimization.)

However, for the average website owner, it is not often apparent why a site has been banned. In this article we list a few indicators that will help you to know if your website has been banned. Additionally, we'll list potential reasons for the ban, and ways to remedy the situation and get back into search engines.

Sometimes, it is difficult to determine whether or not your website has been banned. But there are some telltale signs:

• Your website was once in search engines but can no longer be found.
• You track your site statistics and find that no search engines are visiting.
• Your domain name was owned by someone else before you registered it. And although you've submitted your website to search engines, it has yet to be indexed.

There are several different ways to get banned, here are a few:

• Engaging in link schemes
• Using hidden text of links
• Having duplicate content on multiple pages
• Use of irrelevant keywords
• Lacking substantial or unique content

To see all of Google's guidelines, click here.

Unfortunately, getting back into search engines is a bit harder than getting dropped. To get back in, you cannot simply use a search engine submission form.

First, you will need to correct any problems which caused your website to be dropped. And when you are ready to get your site reindexed, you need to ask for reconsideration, usually in the form of a brief letter explaining the status of your website. To see the steps required to get back into Google, click here.

Fortunately, most search engines are fair. And while it may take a bit of time, most quality sites are reindexed.

And there you have it. It might be troubling to find that your website is banned. But if you know what to do, you can reverse this temporary setback and get your site reindexed.