Experiments With Sandbox, and Strange Results - help?

[anthony1617]

I'm learning SEO with the goal of ranking sites and simply sending traffic to offers/doing lead gen for companies, with no source of traffic or profit other than Google rankings.

My first affiliate site - appeared initially in rankings after 2 months, and finally stopped dancing after 6 months.

Building a pure SEO affiliate empire doesn't really work whatsoever if it's not possible to get rankings before 2 months.

I started looking into how to use an expired domain as a money site to hopefully bypass the sandbox - with odd results:

I take one domain that has been down for about 6 months, and set up a site on it that was totally irrelevant to the old one. I set up a page just with a title, url, and image optimized for it's main keyword, and literally within 3 days of setting up the page, with no additional links built, it was ranking on page 3 for the keyword.

Eventually I decided the keyword was too difficult link wise (operating on a budget...) and set up another page for an easier keyword, on the same site. I'm about 3 weeks in after having made the page, and it hasn't appeared anywhere in top 200.

I set up a second expired domain as a money (still an irrelevant history), and this time the site hadn't been up for several years. 3 weeks in again, still no rankings.

I know I'll rank something for the keyword eventually, but just trying to experiment with different ways of getting around the wait time.

What have your guys' experiences been with the sandbox?

 

[mickyfu]

If you can't rank your website, blame it on the mythical sandbox. It is easier to blame something else rather than yourself.

 

[anthony1617]

If you can't rank your website, blame it on the mythical sandbox. It is easier to blame something else rather than yourself.

did you even read the post...? just asking for advice and thoughts, sheesh

 

[mickyfu]

did you even read the post...? just asking for advice and thoughts, sheesh

.
I did not have to, you mentioned Sandbox in your title. Just saying, it is bollocks.

 

[anthony1617]

.
I did not have to, you mentioned Sandbox in your title. Just saying, it is bollocks.

okay - I'm guessing you just don't create sites and then they instantly appear in the top 100, though. So what is the wait time for you then, usually?

 

[ChanzGrande]

With proper niche and keyword analysis the amount of time to rank really depends on competition, and how quickly, and under the radar you can grow the backlink profile of your site. There is no direct answer to your question.

You haven't even referenced your backlinking efforts at all, which leads me to wonder if you are even engaging in a legitimate SEO campaign with these sites/keywords. If you are in competitive niches - there is absolutely no reason to think you will rank at all without a specific backlinking strategy. Based on your initial success it's likely that affiliate campaign had much less competitors than your more recent efforts.

 

[anthony1617]

With proper niche and keyword analysis the amount of time to rank really depends on competition, and how quickly, and under the radar you can grow the backlink profile of your site. There is no direct answer to your question.

You haven't even referenced your backlinking efforts at all, which leads me to wonder if you are even engaging in a legitimate SEO campaign with these sites/keywords. If you are in competitive niches - there is absolutely no reason to think you will rank at all without a specific backlinking strategy. Based on your initial success it's likely that affiliate campaign had much less competitors than your more recent efforts.

I'm using strictly PBNs, with the occasional small Fiverr gig for a bit of diversity.

I can tell you with relative certainty that ranking is not strictly based on links after numerous tests. I'm 90% sure there is some kind of sandbox period, probably about 2 months for brand new domains. Why wouldn't there be? Aged domains are far more trust worthy to Google.

I've built 3 money sites. I drip PBN links - for the first site, no ranking until 2 months in. For the second and third site, no ranking yet, 3 weeks in, and based purely on the power of my links I know with absolute certainty my backlink profile is at least as strong as the entire first page.

Building pages on domains that are already ranked, or at least have been up for a while == about two weeks max to rank. Building pages on new domains == 2 months, from my few tests so far. The only way to get past the sandbox for brand new domains is to target keywords that literally nobody else is optimized for, or by using insane link velocity.

 

[serpwatcher101]

I think it depends on how highly commercial the keyword you are trying to rank for is as im pretty sure there are transition filters in place to deter spammers from trying to rank for valuable keywords. There is a google patent on it.

 

[anthony1617]

I think it depends on how highly commercial the keyword you are trying to rank for is as im pretty sure there are transition filters in place to deter spammers from trying to rank for valuable keywords. There is a google patent on it.

Good point. Probably varies from keyword to keyword.

 

[accelerator_dd]

Next time, first set up something in the same niche as it previously was. Let it index and sit like that for a week, then make an additional post with your KW, see where that lands you.

 

[serpwatcher101]

Good point. Probably varies from keyword to keyword.

Yes I think this as well, also applies to brand terms and 3 barreled keywords, these are usually rank how you want them to i.e build good quality links for the keywords and wait for G to crawl and credit juice, for the big keywords (usually one or 2 kws) there is definitely a waiting period, for the ultra niche stuff im thinking 6 months. You just have to stick to your plan and keep building quality while you are in this period and then Google should release your site if you are ticking all the boxes quality wise.

 

[mickyfu]

Matt Cutts himself even said there is no Sandbox.

 

[Kralj187]

Matt Cutts himself even said there is no Sandbox.

That should make you even more suspicious lol

 

[danno]

I can't say that any of my sites have been what people would term 'sandboxed' but I do see drastic improvements in rankings after a certain period of time (6 weeks - 3 months) with some of my sites. I don't know if that means I was sandboxed though.

My last few sites have been on very low competition keywords (targeting new products to the market) and they've ranked almost immediately and started making sales within the first week, so no sandbox there.

 

[antonjones]

There is some kind of 90 day holding period for supicious link building and it says that in the google patents

 

[fiestaPLO]

I dont think sandbox exists, but certain niches could take time to break into results.

 

[mickyfu]

That should make you even more suspicious lol

Not at all. If there was a sandbox why would he deny it? It is more beneficial to him to say it exists. It would practically be saying you can't spam rank a site.

Despite what Matt does or does not say either way. I like many know the sandbox myth is just a poor excuse from the "SEO GURUS" Who are not as guru as they make out on their silly little blogs.

 

[T0NYS]

Matt Cutts himself even said there is no Sandbox.

of course there is lol , It all depends whether you can mimic the natural link-building process

whoever is saying there is no Sandbox either :

- never tested shit

- claims so because he/she reads the same thing on those crappy seo blogs

I might be wrong , but from my experience SANDBOX it's there waiting to crush each new site about to blast links straight away after getting the domain registered

P.S @mickyfu there is no SandBox for ya bud coz you a SEO Guru xD

 

[mickyfu]

of course there is lol , It all depends whether you can mimic the natural link-building process

whoever is saying there is no Sandbox either :

- never tested shit

- claims so because he/she reads the same thing on those crappy seo blogs

I might be wrong , but from my experience SANDBOX it's there waiting to crush each new site about to blast links straight away after getting the domain registered

P.S @mickyfu there is no SandBox for ya bud coz you a SEO Guru xD

No there is no sandbox because websites rank at different periods of time.

Like I said, it is just easier to blame your inability on the mythical sand box.

ie haven't ranked my website in six month, now equals six month sandbox. Pretty sad really.

Started getting thrown around when every kid playing on mummy's laptop thought they we're business man / internet genius / the next big thing / internet marketing extraordinaire.

The fact that you can 301 a domain to a new domain and rank within days disproves this childish bullshit. Buy hey, fuck facts let's listen to the kids who are probably still doing a paper round.

 

[Comrade Luigi]

Interesting discussion here. Conflicting data as well. Plan on doing my own experiment on this matter.

Micky, how do you address the OP's information here. It appears you have data that suggests that there is no sandbox. How do you deal with with this contradictory data that indicates a sandbox? :

I've built 3 money sites. I drip PBN links - for the first site, no ranking until 2 months in. For the second and third site, no ranking yet, 3 weeks in, and based purely on the power of my links I know with absolute certainty my backlink profile is at least as strong as the entire first page.

Building pages on domains that are already ranked, or at least have been up for a while == about two weeks max to rank. Building pages on new domains == 2 months, from my few tests so far. The only way to get past the sandbox for brand new domains is to target keywords that literally nobody else is optimized for, or by using insane link velocity.