Since Google gets the lion’s share of search queries, it’s about the worst nightmare to have your website taken down from Google’s search results. If it happens, try not to panic. Follow these steps to determine the cause, and with any luck, you can fix it in no time.
1. Look for crawling errors
One possibility is that the search spider had some difficulty in crawling your site. This can be because your server was down or your “robots.txt” file has blocked the spider. Log on to your Webmaster Tools account to know more about these errors and how to correct them. From there, you can also check the last time your site was successfully accessed by the Googlebot so you’ll have a better idea on what might have happened.
2. Comply with the Webmaster Guidelines
Another reason why your site does not appear in the Google search results is noncompliance with Webmaster Guidelines. You can check this by looking if at the Webmaster Tool’s Message Center for any communications send by Google, or simply read the guidelines to see if you have commited any violations. If you find any, try to rectify them immediately.
3. Send in a request for reconsideration
Once you are sure your site is no longer in violation of the guidelines, submit a request for reconsideration. You can do this through your Webmaster Tools account. Just explain what happened and the corrective measures that you took. You’ll receive a confirmation that Google has received your request and it will be up for review.
If you still have some questions regarding this, you can ask for more in-depth expert advice from Google’s Webmaster Help Group. Goodluck!
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