Common reasons your website can get penalized by Google
If you experience a sudden steep in your website ranking and traffic, there is a good possibility that Google has detected a transgression and penalized your website. Being aware of the common reasons for a penalty can help you avoid them, so that your online visibility and traffic does not suffer. After all, prevention is better than cure.
The following actions can result into a Google penalty -
• Having duplicate or stolen content on your website
• Engaging in shady link acquiring practices such as link exchange programs or buying bad links
• Hiding links or content through cloaking
• Too many broken links or 404 errors
• Using too many advertisements
• Using private blog networks for backlinks
• Outbound links to suspicious sites
• Poor mobile-friendliness
There are many other causes for a Google penalty. A digital marketing company can help you with a complete website audit to make it compliant with Google guidelines and user-friendly.