Note: The content of this missive has been edited for web appropriateness. The letter sent via fax and US Mail is the letter of record.
Normally I would go through the proper channels and submit my questions. However, as my web property is adult in nature, I have not been able to find an on-line resource sponsored by Google that allows discussions of mature web sites.
Yesterday I noticed my site http://www.cheap-phone-sex.net/ dropped from the top position to …no where …within the search results.
I am writing as I am very concerned about the following:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=related:www.cheap-phone-sex.net/
Heretofore Google never displayed any results when this query was made. Now there are seven (7) sites listed. Some of which are VERY spammy.
For the last 18 months or so Cheap Phone Sex has enjoyed a top position for the search term – cheap phone sex. Unfortunately having that top spot has made the site a target. Recently I noticed within Yahoo a deceptive practice where a webmaster generated 2000 or more links across at least a dozen third-level domains targeting the Cheap Phone Sex index page. The webmaster linked innocuous words e.g. “the”, including phrases that appeared to suggest child pornography. I am not entirely certain if that had anything to do with Cheap Phone Sex losing the top position in Yahoo but it does make one wonder.
I fear that something similar is happening here too.
I have been advised that a competing web site can not do anything to another site’s results. However, my industry is very competitive and not high on ethics. I have seen quite a bit online and off.
Recently by identifying potential discourteous sites I have witnessed extremely aggressive tactics. For example, I have seen spammy websites target my unique telephone number, 1-888-669-6389, or the web address itself, cheap-phone-sex.net. By the time the unfriendly site hits Google’s index only the cached page leaves any evidence of the tactic.
Normally when my phone sex site drops in position I wait it out with a ‘pendulum swings back’ mentality. However, I believe the game has changed. There are professional webmasters who have deliberately targeted my site, Cheap Phone Sex. Although I am unfamiliar with the jargon the result is an attempt to confuse the search engines thereby confusing my customers who by and large are not web savvy. For example I had a regular customer who when Cheap Phone Sex dropped from the index in April 2002 believed I had gone out of business. Why? He couldn’t find my site within the first two pages. Previously it had been ranked number 1 for 18 months. Imagine his surprise when around 2005 the site popped up again.
To Summarize – (topic) cheap-phone-sex.net
1. How do I get out of a “bad” neighborhood? The related links involve spammy sites.
2. Can an aggressive competitor harm my site’s position by creating 1000s of off-topic links, submitting my site to 100s of spammy directories or ‘scraping’ dozens of old posts (dating back two-years or more) and using the content on non-adult sites?
Again thank you for taking the time to review my concerns.
Sincerely,
Cheryl
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Tomorrow ladies and gentlemen I will have a few goodies for you. In the meantime call me at 1-888-669-6389. You know the price: 15-minutes for ONLY 12 BUCKS.