In an effort to improve search engine results and reduce the impact of search engine spammers, Google tweaked their algorithms. These changes, although secret, were soon detected by web masters the world over and became known as the Google sandbox. In summary, the Google sandbox is a probationary period that new sites are subjected to for 3 to 6 months. While on probation, it is highly unlikely that a new site will be included in Google's search results even for the most relevant terms.
A new site I worked on, Every Day with Rachael Ray, has been subject to the Google sandbox for the last 4 months now. There were times throughout this period where results would include this site, but they were short-lived. However, it seems that Google is slowly accepting the site as legitimate. The site is now showing in the top ten results at Google for some very relevant search terms.
If things proceed as expected, the next month or two should see a gradual increase in rankings assuming the only thing holding the site back is the Google sandbox. Note that, at this time, Yahoo and MSN don't implement a sandbox nearly as stringent as Google.
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- Google Sandbox: Myth or Reality?
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- Rank Checking Lives On
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