What is the Google Sandbox and how long do I have to wait?
This is an affirmed filter that restricts new websites from ranking high in the google search engine. Google don’t really admit this but extensive research has proven this to be true.
This is like an probational period for your new website within which would limit your chances of high rankings until the period is over, no matter what you do with your site.
This metaphorical term explains why new or upcoming websites receive no rankings in Google’s search engine.
The purpose of Google’s sandbox
The most recognized postulate behind the Google sandbox is that it allows Google to sift out flash-the-pot sites from those that provide high quality and updated material.
It is the role of Google to ensure it displays relevant and updated results to its users. Practical website relevance is essential, so Google will do everything possible to ensure its quest results’ relevancy.
Sieving out new sites and watching them allows Google to give more reliable and updated search results to its users within the actual SERPs. In essence, Google needs time to trust your site.
Identifying the sandbox
How can you identify that your website is in the sandbox? It can be pretty challenging to determine that, but most new websites under recently enrolled domains are consigned to the sandbox immediately after a website is placed on the domain. 3 months? 6 months?
Google follows inbound links from other websites to determine the popularity of your website. More inbound links to your site, the more “votes” or popularity Google considers your site to have.
But, don’t get the links too quickly. That’s not natural. You could find yourself in Google’s sandbox even longer!
Once some established links have been obtained for your site, you may find your website starting to rank for your business name. The sandbox allows for this unless your domain is a rich keyword that other websites also want to rank for. However, the more unique your business name or domain is, the easier it will be to rank for that keyword.
Whilst in the sandbox, forget about the rich keywords you want to rank for. That just wont happen until Google trusts your site more and credibility is established.
How long a website tarries in the sandbox?
It is pretty challenging to determine the exact time a web page/site will remain in the Google sandbox. The duration a website takes depends on several factors, which means the period will differ from one site to another.
The primary determinant is the kinds of keywords it will be competing for in Google. Averagely, the period can range between 3 to 8 months; the solitary way out of this is to be patient and wait.
This seems to kill most people’s morale, but if a site has quality relevant and up-to-date content, it will find its way out of the sandbox and receive the placements it merits in the Google SERPS.
Although this sandbox period may seem to be an awful moment, we can utilise this period wisely to improve rankings. Build more relevant content for your site.
Make sure its unique. And post about it on your Social Media channels.
What Google says about the existence of the sandbox
SEOs firmly believe that google utilizes this filter to put restrictions on new website rankings. Although Google has never denied the sandbox does not exist, many search engine experts believe it does..
History of the Google sandbox
The sandbox was first recognized in 2004 when SEOs discovered that their brand new websites were not getting any rankings in Google during the first few months. This was happening despite their efforts to boost the rankings with relevant content creation and link building.
Even though the home page was being indexed in Google, they were unable to rank for even weak rival(s) keywords. On the flip side, these web pages ranked better on other search engines like Bing and Yahoo.
This effect continued for many months and immensely differed for each website. This scheme makes sense since Google intended to render only top-quality material to its users with trusted websites it found credible over the long term.
Why do new websites do not rank top on Google?
Google experts say that they require adequate information to rank a website. New websites should show have expertise, trustworthiness, and authority to Google.
The website should also have an excellent backlink portfolio. It is unlikely for a newly launched website to win Google’s trust in a short time.
Some of the reason’s why a website might not rank top include:
Limited Social Media Signals
Google takes time to examine the Social Media signals that a website has. New websites lack these signals in its infancy and hence, struggles to convince Google of its legitimacy.
In conclusion, it is widely regarded that Google has specific algorithms for new sites called the Google sandbox. SEOs should not be aggressive, start moderately, and not to be disheartened once a website has been newly developed.
Inadequate content
For Google to understand what a website is about, it requires to crawl its pages, so if the content is limited, it might not fully comprehend what the site is about. More content the better. 🙂
Low on inbound links
Incoming or inbound links are essential factors in web ranking. Low backlinks mean low ranking.
Continuing to add unique relevant content to your site, whilst building your backlinks profile, and obtaining Social Media signals will, in the long term, sway the Big G your way.
