5 Times Google Penalized Itself For Breaking Its Own SEO Rules

Search Engine Land

Danny Sullivan points out that there’s actually no better poster child for how complicated and confusing Google’s rules can be than the fact that Google has had to punish itself with penalties over and over again. * Subtle Smirk *

Make no mistake. Plenty of sites — big brands included — willingly do things in an attempt to rank better on Google that go past SEO tactics that Google itself considers acceptable. However, there’s also no better poster child for how complicated and confusing Google’s rules can be than the fact that Google has had to punish itself with penalties over and over again.

Below, a look back on times when Google took action against itself. FYI, this is a companion piece to our related story on Marketing Land today: 10 Big Brands That Were Penalized By Google. Be sure to also check that out…..Read more