[I am promoting a product review aggressively and I have gone down in the SERPS.? Why?]
Nothing in your post suggests the existence of a sandbox. Without having any specific details I could only guess why your rankings are dropping.
My first guess would be your original rankings are from the temporary boost of QDF. Now that the QDF boost is wearing off, your page is sinking to it’s currently earned ranking.
My second guess would be that your “aggressive” promoting is low-quality webspam and you are beginning to see it devalued.
Of course, if it makes you feel better to think of your webpage in a sandbox, go ahead, just realize it is a figment of your imagination.
Wouldn’t you say that if no evidence of a sandbox is found that it suggests it doesn’t exist?
Matt Cutts of Google has stated there is no sandbox, only that some webmasters may experience swings in rankings, due to QDF, that they might perceive as a sandbox. The important thing to note is that it is a “perception” not based on an actual real-world sandbox.
Apparently you think anyone who says that the sandbox doesn’t exist, even when it’s a Google spokesperson they must be a liar. Well, where’s your proof that it actually exists? Everything you can point to has a well-known factor (not the sandbox) to explain it.
If there is no evidence of its existence, what do you base your belief on? To me, this just seems like the kind of argument we typically see from conspiracy theory collectors.
Google isn’t the Internet police, they aren’t out to judge the quality of your writing, they aren’t in the business of issuing penalties to websites. They are just trying to give their users what they are looking for, useful and relevant search results.
I have admired Rand’s link baiting tactics for years. To me, he is one of the most skillful link baiters I’ve ever had the pleasure to read.
These guys are famous because they are masters of publicity, link baiting is just one of the tools in their bag of tricks.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Rand is a bright fellow. He knows what he’s talking about, but it doesn’t work as link bait unless he can twist things into a controversy. Rand systematically studies what webmasters are focused on and then he finds a way to stir up a controversy. That’s what made him famous and that is where his mojo is. And I am a long time admirer of his publicity skills.
There is no credible evidence of a sandbox. What more need I say?
Famous people aren’t right simply because they are famous. None of the folks you are pointing out have ever offered a shred of evidence of the existence of a sandbox. A belief based on other people’s beliefs is not evidence, nor is it credible. One’s fame does not improve one’s accuracy or judgment.
If you so desperately want to believe in the existence of a sandbox go ahead. But if you want to be taken seriously bring some evidence. The absence of evidence suggests that it doesn’t exist.
It could also be gremlins.
