The most effective method to Check Your Website For *Algorithmic* Penalty

I would like to write about something close to ever SEO's heart...

Algorithmic penalties and filters

More specifically...

How to check if your website has one.

DISCLAIMER: Nothing is 100% proof and it applies to this method but it's a pretty strong indication.

The method is very simple, you are going to check if your domain name itself is performing well in the SERPs.

If you want to do this on the page level, I suggest you work with <title> instead.

If the domain cannot rank for its own name, which is the easiest "keyword" in the world for it, then it's a strong indication of trouble.

Process

1. Insert your domain name into the search
2. Insert `space` instead of a dot between the domain name and extension. For example: nullpk.com >>> nullpk com
3. Hit search

Example: https://www.google.com/search?q=nullpk+com

Conclusions

1. Domain is #1 - perfect
2. Domain is on the 1st page - very good (most likely nothing is going on)
3. Domain is on 2-3 page - this is still good but I would check technical issues like load speed time and link profile, you are probably lacking branded anchor texts and are running towards over-optimization.
4. Domain is on 3+ page - this is bad and it can mean anything from triggered a simple filter to serious penalty

Exceptions

EMD and PMD (exact and partial match domain) - If your domain is keyword rich, then it's OK to rank low because there is no "brand" and your keyword can be competitive.

Popular brand - if your domain name contains very popular, already existing brand then it's also OK to be ranked low because the main brand website, social properties, etc will dominate first pages

"Search instead for..." results. Sometimes your domain name is similar to existing. the more popular one. In this case, search engines might show suggested results.

Very new sites - pretty self-explanatory. Pages need to be indexed for a little while for this test to work.

FAQ

Q: What if my domain extension contains 2 dots, do I replace both?
A: Yes, you will replace both with `space`. Like: domain co UK

Q: Should I perform this check in .com search engine?
A: You should always do it in the one you want to rank for in. If it's UK do it in .co.uk if it's Brasil do it in .com.br etc.

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