So, you got a big surprise last night, didn't you? You went to
search for your Website and it wasn't there anymore! Where did it
go? Did you have to use double quotes just to find it? Not a
pleasant feeling, I bet!

Let's face it: having your website de-listed or sent all the way
back to the start of the line isn't a joking matter! All those
months of hard work just gone down the drain! Poof !!
Is there a way out of this seemingly mortal blow to your website;
can you repair your Search Engine listing? Yes there is!

If your mistake was one of the dumb mistakes we all make on
account of lack of experience, there is a solution. Don't think
the Search Engines are stone monoliths; you can talk to them!

However, the first thing you have to do is be calm and deliberate
your next moves as you repair the damage to your Search Engine
listing.

Here are some pointers to look for the source of your Search
Engine troubles:

(a) Go back to the nearest specific date your website was doing
well with the Search Engines.

(b) Think of any changes you've done to your Website since then
and make a list.

(c) Have you created any other websites/blogs/message boards with
a very close or identical name?

(d) Have you done any tweaking to your Meta tags or website
content?

(e) Have you used any artificial web page or content enhancement
technology?

Once you revise your list and eliminate any obvious reasons for
trouble, keep on going looking for any others sources of
problems. By all means, do a thorough inspection and don't leave
a stone unturned. Repair and revise is the thing!

Go back to the basics and do your homework; don't put too much
stake on much of the (mis)information you find floating around
the Web.

You also have to consider that Search Engine technology is an
evolving thing and what worked two years ago, won't necessarily
work today. Make sure your sources of information are fresh and
relevant.

Here are published guidelines on what some of the big Search
Engines take into consideration for a good listing:

Yahoo:
http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/ysearch/deletions/deletions-05.html  

With their resent Natural language initiative, it's clear Yahoo
wants web pages that are very readable. Be careful not to let
"keyword loading" affect the easy readability of your website.

MSN:
http://beta.search.msn.co.in/docs/siteowner.aspx  

Google:
http://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html  

Once you've done all that you can think of to clean-up your
Website, contact the Search Engines and offer them an explanation
while asking for a review of your Website.

Keep it short and businesslike and ask any pertinent questions.
Consider the SE staff is composed of people just like you. We all
make mistakes! Believe me, they have many years of experience
dealing with Newbies; they can also spot a slick operator.

You might have to wait some time depending on their schedule for
crawling your neck of the Web. Look at your server logs to see an
average time between SE crawling.

A note of caution:
I don't see why in the world a Newbie would deal with technology
that artificially enhances web pages. There are plenty in the
market extolling their virtues. I've done research on many of
them and consider them only useful in the hands of an experienced

Webmaster.
If you MUST use any of them, build a dummy website to test all
your ideas before you build your dream website. I've heard of
folks with much more experience getting their site banned for
using some of the artificial enhancement technologies.

If you follow the above guides, you will repair your Search
Engine listing. Your Website will return to its former Search
Engine friendly ranking.

Keep your eyes open for the next time and do your best not to
make any more mistakes. Take a deep breath and move on, that much
wiser for the experience.

C)2005 Francisco Aloy

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Francisco Aloy is the Author of "Yes, I Want to Start My Internet
Business Without Being SCAMMED!" He has an online business
catering to Web Business Newbies. To see more of Mr. Aloy's
articles and to discover the marketing punch of original content, visit his
site: http://www.newbie-business-guide.com