If you have read any one of our previous posts about “Black Hat ” SEO tactics, then you already know how using any of these tactics can negatively affect your website ranking. But one Black Hat SEO tactic we have not covered is “cookie-cutter websites.” “Cookie-cutter” websites are websites created for the purpose of ranking high as many websites to take up multiple spots on the first page.
Why Does Google Penalize Cookie Cutting?
Google’s main goal from their search engine is to help people find useful information online. If you are creating a website for the purpose of garnishing the first page of a keyword with your business, then you are disturbing the natural order of Google’s searches. A cookie-cutter website prevents people from finding what they need on Google.
What Will Google Do to My Website?
If you have submitted a website through Google, then you may receive a message through your search console stating that Google “has detected thin content on your site that provides little or no added value” and “has applied a manual spam action to your site.” This spam action will significantly affect your website’s ranking and you will see your website drop from the first page for our highest rated keyword.
How Can I Fix It?
The first thing you will need to do is back up any content that you may have on your duplicate site so that you can use it for later marketing purposes. Then you will need to take down the “cookie-cutter” website from the web. The next step you will need to do is to remove any links between your sites to prevent any future spam penalties. Next, you will need to revise any duplicate content between the sites and ensure that your main site is providing useful content to users. Once you have revised your content and taken down your “cookie-cutter”sites it is time to submit a reconsideration request. When you submit your reconsideration request make sure to be detailed in your explanation of how you fixed your site, it is helpful to give examples of your revisions. This is also the time to tell Google the truth, let them know its was your own fault and make sure to tell them the actions you have taken to prevent any further issues. If you get your site revised then you are all set and you continue ranking on Google.