It is possible to violate Google policies with your website, including your Fresh Store Builder stores and WordPress blogs. In this article I am taking a look at the common ways it can happen, the misinformation in this area and how you can prevent it happening.
Some of you will know this information already and may find this knowledge basic, but I strongly recommend reading this article in full as there is a lot of misleading information in this area.
IMPORTANT – If you have no time to read then the key lesson from this article is that to avoid penalties you must create high quality websites with value and unique content, and avoid using spammy/blackhat techniques. However I strongly recommend you read this article in full.
First it is very important to know that the tool you are using to build your website (WordPress, Fresh Store Builder etc.) will not automatically make you violate a Google policy or give you a Google penalty.
It is about how you use the tool and how you build your website, which we will look more closely at here.
There are many Google products (the search engine, Google Adsense, Google Adwords etc.) and each of these has their own set of policies that you must adhere to. Here are two areas that people running affiliate websites have problems with:
Google Adsense – Webmaster Guidelines
If you add Google Adsense to your websites then you must make sure your website follows the Webmaster Guidelines. These include:
- Do not place excessive, repetitive or irrelevant keywords in the content or code of webpages.
- Avoid hidden text or hidden links.
- Avoid “doorway” pages created just for search engines or other “cookie cutter” approaches such as affiliate programs with little or no original content.
- Do not include deceptive or manipulative content or construction to improve your site’s search engine ranking (e.g., your site’s PageRank).
- Create a useful, information-rich site and write pages that clearly and accurately describe your content.
One of the key points here is “creating a useful, information rich site”. If you build a website or store with little unique content or value then Google may choose ban you from Google Adsense.
You can see more about Googles Adsense Program Policies Here
Google Search – Quality Guidelines
There are many guidelines for Google Search but the biggest area that I see my Fresh Store Builder members having issues with is “Quality Guidelines”.
In very simple terms this refers to the quality of your website e.g. How good are the articles? How well organised are your products?
This is my favourite quote from Google in this area as it describes exactly what you need to be doing:
Think about what makes your website unique, valuable, or engaging. Make your website stand out from others in your field.
Use that as your mantra and not only will you get traffic from Google but you will also get sales, commissions, engagement and happy visitors.
Check out the full Google Webmaster Guidelines here.
Conclusion
Most of the Google Policy Violations and Google Penalties are because of content or quality issues.
Create a website that you are proud of. Make sure that it is genuinely useful for your visitors and that you are doing something better than your competitors.
Remember: Fresh Store Builder, WordPress etc. is NOT to blame for that Google Penalty. It is how you use the tool that matters.
