What is the Google Sandbox?
The Google Sandbox is an unconfirmed theory about how the top search engine indexes web sites which were recently created. If it truly exists, the Sandbox puts new web site operators at a disadvantage in Google search results. Here are some more details on what the Google Sandbox is, and how webmasters can respond to it.
The concept of the Sandbox theory is that Google lists new web sites in the Sandbox for a substantial period of time, causing them to receive a lower priority in search results than other sites. According to wikipedia.org and other sources, Google also does this when sites are transferred to different owners. However, this has not been verified, and it is unclear what criteria is used to confirm such changes.
What can webmasters do about the Sandbox? First, buying an established domain name with a Google PageRank of one or higher may help counteract this effect. Even if the Google Sandbox does penalize ownership changes, it is unlikely to face removal from the top results for as long as most new web sites remain excluded. Some “used” domain names sell for little more than the cost of a new registration. However, care should be taken to avoid names which have been given a poor reputation by their previous owners.
Regardless of whether an existing site is purchased or a new domain name registered, it is best to begin promotional efforts as soon as the web site is ready to use; directly submit the site to Google and start working to obtain links on other sites. For example, a content-based site can start advertising itself after only a few pages are completed, then add more pages as they are finished.
New web site operators and marketers can also focus on optimizing a site for other search engines (Yahoo, MSN, Ask) to increase traffic without waiting for removal from the Google Sandbox. Another option is to concentrate on different forms of online promotion, including such methods as pay-per-click listings, web directory links, or submitting links to social bookmarking systems.
Despite disagreement over whether or not a Sandbox specifically exists, what matters is that new web sites usually have to wait a significant period of time before they start to receive substantial traffic from Google search results. Applying the above-mentioned techniques can help mitigate the detrimental effects to new web site owners.
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