Google Sandbox

Or I should rather say Google's "Sandbox Effect". Because there may not be a "sandbox" per se, but due to the various variables in Google ranking algorithm it may produce an effect that feels like a "real sandbox".

Think of the "sandbox" as a place where "baby websites" are relegated to before they are let out to play in the real playground. The effect is that new websites will not rank as well in the search results as other "older" websites given all other things (such as number of incoming links, etc) being equal.

You know that from the previous lesson that the PR is based on the number of incoming links. In addition, the Google takes into account also the length of time in which those links have been in existence. This is known as the "aging effect". So new links are not counted in the PR calculation.

Whether you call it the "sandbox effect" or the "aging effect", Google's intention is good. Its primary purpose is to not let spam websites get to the top of their search listing. So that sites that are authoritative, that has been around for a while, and that has good long-lasting incoming links will come up tops in the results. So to get out of the sandbox, that is what you have to do. Wait until you site becomes established and authoritative. In the meantime, to get out of the sandbox faster, continue to build link relationships with high-quality sites.

In the next lesson, we look at what kinds of link relationships you want to have.

I leave you with some links to various articles to let you decide whether Google Sandbox exist or not...

Google's Sandbox
Matt Cutts Confirms Google Sandbox Exists
Sandbox and TrustRank
How To Play in Google's Sandbox

If you are into legal and technical jargon, you can read Google's patent application to determine for yourself.

Next

Learn about Trust Rank in the next lesson.