HackingNetflix Dropped from Google Again

Update: I'm back in the Google searches for a number of topics. I fixed stuff that might hurt my rankings, and appreciate all of the help and advice. - Mike

This is the second time that HackingNetflix has been dropped from Google, and I am going crazy trying to figure out why. I don't employ any search engine optimization tricks, and I don't think I've done anything that would upset the Google gods. I just write a bunch of stories about Netflix, Blockbuster, and the DVD-by-mail business and hope that people enjoy what I write.

It's extremely frustrating since the majority of regular traffic to almost any Web site comes from Google, and there is no way to dispute being dropped or even find out what happened. I've been writing about Netflix for about a year and a half now, and about 800 stories have virtually disappeared from the most popular search engine.

The latest theory I'm hearing is that Google is hiring a bunch of people to review Web sites and that they probably penalized the site because of the name without checking out the content on the site. I was originally rejected from the Google Adsense program because of the name, and when they reviewed the site again I was accepted.

If anyone should get the meaning behind "Hacking Netflix," I would have thought it would be Google.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please let me know.

Comments

[Christian]

Try to get some help through your contact with Google Adsense?

[Aron]

I haven't done any research into this. My first theory would be typepad = bad. blogger = good.

[greg]

Drop "hacking" from your title?

[Daniel D.]

Well, http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=Hacking+Netflix&spell=1

returns your site on first spot.

[manuel]

HackingNetflix is listed under Google when searching "netflix" as link #259.

http://www.google.com/search?q=netflix&num=100&hl=en&lr=&start=200&sa=N

[me too]

gay

[BuHusky]

http://www.google.com/support/bin/request.py?contact_type=webmaster&hl=en

[Mike]

Who cares if your website was dropped? unless your making money......hmmmmmm

[Robert]

Could HackingNetflix be a victim of blackhat SEO tactics, which is essentially a way to trick search engines to remove a site by claiming it's violating copyright laws. So far, it's been documented at Yahoo!, but Google might be another matter. Still, I think the consensus is that the word "hacking" in the site name might be a possible cause.

For more: http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/43431 and http://www.platinax.co.uk/blogs/brian/archives/2005/06/dmca_the_new_bl.html

[Mike K]

I work hard on this site (20 or more posts per week) and it's frustrating to be dropped from Google without a reason. Ranking in Google is a form of recognition when you run a Web site.

Yes, the site makes money, but hardly enough to retire or quit my day job. Is it wrong to make a bit of money in return for hard work? Do you get paid on your day job?

I just wanted to vent a bit. Thanks for reading.

- Mike

[Steven Hoober]

I also have advertising on a site I run as a hobby (and adsense won't touch me with a 10 foot pole for lame reasons also, btw) so I for one don't hold that against you. Server space and bandwith costs money.

Anyway, two things to look into:
1) Make sure its not something about your software looking like an SEO-cheat. Hang on the boards for your software and ask others if the've seen the same.

2) Run a parallel site with another name but identical content. AR15.com has a total duplicate under "jobrelatedstuff.com" (which helps it trick firewalls at offices like mine). You could come up with a more innocuous site name for that other one, but ignore it otherwise, so your hacking name is even referenced in the site. Maybe. Dunno what google would think of this, but since it isn't a landing page, but a site, it should work...

[Becky]

I had nothing whatsoever to do with it. I promise.

[brian w]

I'm curious what makes you think your site has been "dropped"... it still seems indexed, as a search for the term "releases" shows. And as someone else pointed out, it's still the first hit for "hacking netflix"... Are you seeing fewer click-throughs from Google searches in your stats or something? I think a lot of us would like some more clarification :)

Change the site name, it's not effective in the way you hope it will be.

[PlungeBob]

Mike,

I for one have no problem with
the idea that this site might
make you a few dollars.

Good luck!

PB

[Pete]

Searching on 'netflix blog' puts you at the number 3 slot - not too shabby.

A stretch but is there any chance that the increase in hits yesterday via Slashdot, etc. had some kind of negative effect for google ranking? No clue here but they did occur in close proximity.

Great blog, BTW. Thanks. I vote to keep the current name.

[Mike K]

I dropped off last Friday or Saturday, long before the traffic spike.

I have written a lot of highly relevant stories about Netflix and Blockbuster, and it's hard to find any of the stories now.

- Mike

[Namaste]

Perhaps it's just symbolic of life, and telling you that you should not put your worth in a website ranking. You had 50,000 people or so that came to your website AFTER your ranking dropped, you point out. So is that so bad?

I understand that you might feel hurt or slighted, but at least you HAVE been ranked high in Google, and you will be once again. Many people work very hard on their websites, don't make money, and still aren't ranked high on Google also.

What kind of name is "Google" anyway?

Get a new title, delete spam comments about free ipods and the like.....

[sherm]

Perhaps the site is looked at skeptically because you receive money (sell advertising) to those you write about.

[hashmark]

Maybe I am nuts, but I just did a google search on "hacking netflix" in my google bar and your site came up. ?

-hashmark

Judging by how Google lists your dropped pages (pages with the same ransom note quote), my guess would be that your problem is down to the proportion of static content (i.e. content that never changes from page to page) in relation to the actual page content. In other words, you are sending signals that you are similar to types of site (affiliate templates, for example) that google does not like.

[Jake]

I would think that if the word "hacking" was the problem, your site would have been completely removed (instead of just all of the secondary pages).

(For those of whom it wasn't clear, site:hackingnetflix.com only returns 2 out of 872 pages)

I've seen similar things happen to sites who gain an unusual amount of links with identical anchor text too quickly. If a large site gave you a site-wide link, that can trigger a filter. If you got on some other system where you got alot of identical links, that'll do it too. It is too bad you can't look up the reason somewhere.

Have you done or are you aware of anything unusual involving links to your site within the past month?

[Mike]

You will get punished if you dont renew your domain for many many years at a time. If you renew it every year, you get punished. Also, if your host is having credibility issues, you will be punished

[Mike K]

Mike,

Thanks for the reminder. I read this somewhere else and just renewed for 3 more years.

Jake - I don't know of any unusual linking activity besides earlier this week (long after I was dropped).

Sherm - I do not sell ads to Netflix or Blockbuster, I just list both sites as an affiliate and if you sign up I make a few bucks. I only encourage people to sign up through my site if they are going to do it anyway.

Thanks for the feedback so far.

- Mike