What is the Google Sandbox?

If earning money online is one of your goals and you expect to be successful via natural search engine traffic you might want to read this article.

If you’ve been following previous articles about SEO you’d probably realize that the topic is so vast you could continue to explore different facets of the subject until it’s raining cats and dogs.

Page rank is a very important issue when you are trying to establish credibility and get Google to start indexing and associating certain keyword phrases with your content. However if your site is brand new there is a possibility that its not gaining page rank and moving up in the SERP’s because it’s in the Google Sandbox…

History of the Google Sandbox

Although there is no solid evidence that the Google Sandbox actually exists, for the sake of this article please humor me and assume that it does…

People have been talking about the Google Sandbox all the way back to 2004.

The topic really became an interest for Internet Marketers and Bloggers around February of 2005 when Google decided to do a major update to their index.

The result of this update was staggering! People that ranked high for their target keyword ranked much lower, others that ranked low were moved towards the top. Up was down, down was up and it was a very confusing time.

The Theory Behind the Google Sandbox


The Google Sandbox theory refers to a method in which Google restrains and limits a website’s search engine ranking and keyword dominance for a certain amount of time.

After March of 2004, many sites experienced what many refer to as the Google Sandbox..

How Do I Get Out of the Google Sandbox?

It is unclear whether the Google Sandbox actually exists but assuming it does and assuming your site is in it, there’s no way it could be considered a boon for your natural search engine traffic.

It is assumed that the following factors that could affect your site could be :


1.) Time – Age of your Website

This is definitely a possibility and also a factor you can’t do much about except wait. After careful review this wouldn’t make much sense for a search engine like Google to penalize a site because of age when their ultimate goal is making sure you find what you are looking for.

2.) Quantity of Links Theory

This would make a lot of sense… Think about it, if a link from a relevant site has
a text anchor with your keyword, this would mean a lot in regard to credibility. The site is referring to you as the expert in that particular niche. Either way you will want a huge number of links so get to it!

3.) The Age of Inbound Links

This seems to be a valid possibility. Research has shown that if you don’t have enough quality inbound links within a year you may never make it out of the Google Sandbox.

I believe the third factor would have the most importance in regard to getting out of the sandbox. Try to create as much niche related fresh content as possible every week. Start building links everyday to strengthen your target keywords. Before you know it Google will not be able to deny your authority on a subject.

As long as you are in the sandbox you will never truly enjoy the benefits that come with a high search engine ranking. Also, don’t forget to have some fun while you’re playing in the sandbox!