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Official Google answers to common SEO questions

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Question:

If it appears that your site has been penalized in SERP position, but you have done nothing wrong and cannot diagnose what the problem is, how do you proceed? Do you file a reconsideration, without being able to say what was wrong and what was fixed?

Google's Matt Cutts answers:

Summary of the answer:

Although it can't hurt to file a reconsideration test there are some basics that it is advisable to do first.

Ensure your site isn't hacked - view the page source and make sure that there isn't hidden text. This is a common reason why a site may drop in rankings.

If you have tried these basics, go to http://www.google.com/webmasters and look for help by posting your issue.

Answered: 28 October 2009. Views: 910.

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