Was John Scott right about Google Sandbox and Link Aging?

The Big Picture

Back in the year 2004, John Scott came up with his idea of links being on probation. According to his theory, the probation does not apply to new sites. It only applies to links. Older links associated with the algorithm were deployed. Once the older links are grandfathered in, they will receive partial credit and shall essentially be in probation.

How far is the claim valid if we are to take the features of Google sandbox into consideration? Before we answer that, we must know about the functionality of Google Sandbox.

Here you go!

Revisiting the Google Sandbox Effect – An Extensive Overview

Understanding the functionalities of Google Sandbox is no rocket science. However, there are few technicalities associated with the same. According to the Sandbox theory effect, there are links that can be normally gauged by Google’s ranking algorithm. However, if it is not improving the position of a webpage in Google’s index, then it can be subjected to filtering (in order to prevent the links from having a full impact).

Bill Slawski, on August 28, 2008 started analyzing the Google Sandbox patent. The Patent number 7,346,839 was granted on 18^th March, 2008. However, the patent was filed by Google on 31^st December, 2003. In an article on SEO theory by Michael Martinex, the writer shared how he came across the reference to something John Scott posted about the Sandbox Effect in 2004. He further shared his idea of how John’s claim about this entire theory of Sandbox and link age is valid.

Visiting the Spider Food forum will allow you to delve deeper into the particular context of the discussion where John Scott’s May 2004 explanations have been revisited. Here’s the quote John Scott originally came up with. Take a look.

Limitations and Counter Questions

Even though John Scott has been quoted several times ever since he came up with the theory regarding the Google Sandbox effect, there has been an acute lack of information. Verified theories are given utmost importance rather than a randomly claimed theory.

This leads us to the question how we can confirm what John Scott really said? Here are a few key areas we can work on. Take a look.

• Firstly, we should consider setting aside the issue of IP range for a while.
• Almost every reference to the IP range is said to be drawn in the Hilltop algorithm.
• Google has cleared the air that they are not tossing out sites based on the IP range.

There is a scarcity of authoritative information on the web regarding the topic. It is said that almost every virtual SEO Guru had their share of tutorial on Page ranking and the Sandbox effect. However, none of the SEO experts and their theories would serve any fruitful purpose in the discussion, as they lack string points and verified information supporting objective credibility.

The only concrete sources of information that can support such claims are of course the Google websites and the executives associated with the company.

Matt Cutts on Google Backlinks and PageRank

In order to establish a firmer relevance to this particular context of the discussion, I have figured out further references in support of the same. Here’s what Matt Cutts has to say about back linking and PageRank.

Google upgrades its index data including PageRank and backlinks by maintaining a continuous flow of operations. Only new backlinks, PageRank and directory data are exported every three months. Even though new backlinks and page ranks are somewhat fun to see, but it is far from an update. Rather, it is more of an assignment that involves an already factored-in exported visibly.

Does the Sandbox effect bring an impact on the entire site?

This is yet another crucial question that has been asked many times in the past. The answer is No! The effect is only related to the keyword you would use in the site. For example, if everything about the site is primarily based on writing service, but the name of the website is www.askmeanything.com, then the chances are that you will rank well for using the term “askmeanything”.

Ask me why? This name is not competitive in nature. You are not coming up with the real deal for Google to analyze and rank. Interestingly, you will be in the sandbox for using the keyword “assignment.”

Can the Sandbox effect be avoided?

Even though there is a narrow scope for implementing strategies that can help us avoid the Sandbox effect, we can consider embracing one particular theory. The trick is to target non-competitive keywords. By doing this, you can jump up in the Google page ranks easily. But what about driving traffic per search? A drab and inappropriate search query won’t bring in much traffic.
Before signing off…

I would like to revisit what John Scott talked about in the year 2004.

“The probation does not apply to new sites. It applies to links. When the algorithm was deployed certain older links were grandfathered in. After that, links will be (are being) given partial credit, and be essentially on “probation.”

Scott had clearly stated “I want to reiterate that I am totally ignorant in this matter. It’s just something I heard from a “guy who knows a guy.“

This is a reiteration of the fact that John Scott didn’t confirm his theory as a verified piece of information. It is all about the way Google determines at what point a link should be fully acknowledged.

You can also read: Simple ways to gather backlinks and improve SEO

Author Bio: Gracie Anderson is an experienced SEO executive associated with a leading digital agency in Perth, Australia. Apart from that, she is a seasoned academic experts working on behalf of the brand MyAssignmenthelp over the last five years. During her days of leisure, you may find her gardening and sipping her favorite cup of brewed coffee.

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