Can You Get Banned From Google

When people say “I was banned by Google,” they usually picture a big red warning that says “Your site is blacklisted.” But in reality, that’s rarely how it goes down.

In most cases, you would never see an obvious notification. Instead, you might end up with a situation where your site effectively drops out of Google’s search results without any clear message.

In this post, I will explain what shadow banning means (and why it commonly happens if your site is hijacked), list the top 10 important Google Terms of Service points to follow, and share three real-life examples of websites that got banned or heavily penalized by Google.

I also reference the sources of those case studies, without linking to the penalized domains.

What is Shadow Banning?

Imagine you search for your own site on Google but it is nowhere to be found. That is basically what people mean by “shadow banning.” You do not get an email from Google saying “You’re banned.” Instead, your pages simply disappear from search results, or they drop so low in the rankings that hardly anyone can find them.

Important to note:

• “Shadow banning” is not an official Google term.
• Google usually issues manual action notices or applies algorithmic demotions. From a user perspective, it just seems like your site has been quietly ignored.

Occasionally, site owners get really surprised because they never received any warning, yet their site has dropped out of the search results. Whether that drop was triggered by a major policy violation or by someone else hijacking their site, the outcome is much the same: reduced traffic, fewer leads, and lower revenue.

Why Do Sites Get Shadowbanned?

One frustrating scenario happens when your site is hijacked or misused by someone else.

For example, a hacker might inject spammy pages, harmful code, or unsafe links into your site. Google’s systems detect the suspicious content, treat it as a serious policy violation, and remove your site from search results.

Your site may also suffer if Google’s algorithm decides:

• There is a consistent violation of guidelines (even if it is not due to a hack).
• Black-hat SEO tactics are in use (such as cloaking or spamming).
• Keywords are overstuffed or duplicated content is hosted.
• An unusual link profile or an unnatural link-building strategy is discovered.

In these cases, you do not see any clear warning. Instead, your pages simply drop in the rankings. This is how Google’s behind-the-scenes penalties work.

10 Key Google TOS Points & Best Practices

The Google Terms of Service and related Webmaster Guidelines cover a great number of details. From my experience, they can be summarized in 10 main areas. Following the best practices in these areas can greatly reduce the chance of problems.

Here they are:

Original, Quality Content

Creating original, high-quality content is crucial for maintaining a strong online presence. By publishing fresh, unique material crafted by real people for real readers, you can significantly enhance your site's credibility and authority.

• Meaning: Publish fresh, unique content written by real people for readers.
• Problem: Low-quality or rehashed content can lead to ranking drops or penalties.
• Tip: Provide information that is truly useful. Rely on your expertise and avoid unnecessary filler.

No Scraping or Duplicate Content

Avoiding scraping or duplicating content is essential to maintaining the integrity of your site. By adding a unique viewpoint to referenced material, you can differentiate your content and avoid penalties.

• Meaning: Do not copy text from other sites without adding a unique viewpoint.
• Problem: Mirror sites or aggregator blogs are more likely to be penalized.
• Tip: If you need to reference or quote content, do so sparingly and link back to the original source while offering your own view.

No Cloaking or Misleading Redirects

Ensuring transparency in how content is presented to both users and search engines is vital. Avoid cloaking and misleading redirects to maintain trust and avoid penalties.

• Meaning: Cloaking occurs when your site shows one version to Google’s bot and a different version to visitors.
• Problem: If Googlebot sees content about “healthy recipes,” but users see something else entirely, it will be problematic.
• Tip: Ensure pages are identical for both users and search engines. If you require a redirect, use the appropriate method (for example, a 301 redirect for a changed URL).

Properly Secured & Maintained Website

Maintaining a secure and well-maintained website is crucial for protecting your site from hacks and malicious activities. Regular security checks can prevent your site from being flagged.

• Meaning: Regularly check your site’s security to stop hacks or malicious script injections.
• Problem: Sites that are hijacked with injected spam or phishing content are automatically flagged.
• Tip: Use strong admin credentials, update plugins and themes, enable HTTPS, and perform frequent malware scans.

No Unnatural Link Schemes

Building genuine, organic links is essential for maintaining a trustworthy online presence. Avoid engaging in unnatural link schemes to influence PageRank.

• Meaning: Do not buy or exchange links to influence PageRank. Avoid hiding links purely for SEO purposes.
• Problem: Google’s algorithms can easily detect paid link networks.
• Tip: Aim for genuine, organic links from relevant sources. If you sponsor content or include PR links, make sure to use the proper disclosures with attributes like nofollow or sponsored.

No Automated “Thin” Content

Ensuring that your content provides value is key to maintaining a strong online presence. Avoid using automated tools to generate thin content that offers little value.

• Meaning: Automatically generated text with little value violates the guidelines.
• Problem: Machine-generated or spun articles that add nothing new can trigger penalties.
• Tip: Even when using automated tools for help, always edit manually to ensure quality and clarity.

Accurate, Honest Meta Data

Providing accurate and honest meta data is crucial for maintaining trust with both users and search engines. Ensure that your meta tags accurately reflect the content of your pages.

• Meaning: Your title tags, meta descriptions, and structured data should accurately reflect the page content.
• Problem: Misleading or exaggerated meta data can cause issues.
• Tip: Keep meta tags relevant and faithful to the page’s subject matter.

Respectful Use of User Data & Privacy

Respecting user data and privacy is essential for maintaining trust and compliance with regulations. Be transparent about your data practices to avoid penalties.

• Meaning: Do not use hidden trackers or collect personal information in dishonest ways.
• Problem: Failing to be clear about data practices can lead to penalties.
• Tip: Provide a clear privacy policy and comply with relevant data protection laws such as GDPR.

Avoid Spammy Structured Markup

Using structured markup accurately is important for maintaining credibility. Avoid using markup to falsely represent your content.

• Meaning: While schema markup can be helpful, it must accurately reflect the content.
• Problem: Using markup to falsely indicate high ratings or reviews can cause penalties.
• Tip: Only use structured data that accurately represents the information on your page.

Follow Local & International Laws

Adhering to local and international laws is crucial for maintaining a legitimate online presence. Ensure compliance with relevant regulations to avoid severe penalties.

• Meaning: Google expects sites to obey laws regarding copyrights, defamation, adult content, gambling, and more.
• Problem: Breaking laws can lead to severe penalties or removal from search results.
• Tip: Make sure you know and follow the regulations relevant to your industry and location.

Below is a quick table summary:

Three Sites That Got Banned

Below are three case studies that illustrate how some sites ended up penalized by Google. (I refer to sources for these case studies without directly linking to the penalized domains.)

1. BMW Germany

Some years ago, the German branch of a major carmaker’s site used extra doorway pages—pages hidden from visitors but filled with keywords—to manipulate search rankings. Google discovered the hidden content and imposed a penalty.

For a period, “BMW Germany” did not appear in Google’s search results. The site eventually removed the hidden pages and submitted a reinclusion request. Once changes were made, they were restored.

Key lesson: Even well-known brands risk penalties if they use manipulative SEO practices. Hidden pages or extra doorway pages can trigger a penalty.

Source: [Search Engine Land’s coverage, 2006 (news coverage only)]

2. Rap Lyrics Startup

A startup focused on music lyrics climbed rapidly in Google’s rankings.

Behind the scenes, however, they built a link exchange system that had blog owners insert unnatural anchor text. Google detected this practice, and a severe penalty wiped out their organic traffic overnight.

The site then issued a public apology, removed thousands of questionable links, and submitted a reconsideration request. Although they managed to regain some positions over time, full recovery never materialized.

Key lesson: Aggressive manipulation of links can result in a sudden collapse of traffic. Even after making corrections, recovery may be only partial.

Source: [Industry SEO Blog, 2013 (references only)]

SEO Consultancy Blog

An SEO expert noticed that her personal blog was missing from Google’s index. It turned out that a hacker had planted malicious pages in hidden subfolders, leading Google to treat the site as spam. Since there was no obvious spam visible on the homepage, the owner remained unaware for several weeks.

By the time the hack was detected, the blog had been largely removed from the index. After cleaning up the site and improving security measures, the blog was eventually re-indexed, though it suffered a significant loss in inbound leads during that period.

Key lesson: Even when unwanted content is injected by a third party, it can damage your site’s reputation and search performance. Keeping an eye on unexpected changes can help minimize the damage.

Source: [Moz community discussion, 2018 (references only)]

FAQ About Maintaining a Strong Online Presence

Here are frequently asked questions about how to maintain a secure online presence

Why is original, quality content important for SEO?

Original, quality content enhances your site's credibility and authority, helping to improve search engine rankings and user engagement. It ensures that your site provides valuable information, avoiding penalties associated with low-quality or rehashed content.

How can I avoid penalties for duplicate content?

To avoid penalties, ensure that any content you reference from other sites includes a unique viewpoint. Always link back to the original source and provide your own insights to differentiate your content.

What is cloaking, and why should it be avoided?

Cloaking involves showing different content to search engines and users, which can lead to trust issues and penalties. Ensure that the content presented to both is identical, and use appropriate redirects when necessary.

How can I secure my website against malicious activities?

Regularly check your site's security by using strong admin credentials, updating plugins and themes, enabling HTTPS, and performing frequent malware scans to prevent hacks and malicious script injections.

What are unnatural link schemes, and how can I avoid them?

Unnatural link schemes involve buying or exchanging links to manipulate PageRank. Avoid these by focusing on building genuine, organic links from relevant sources and using proper disclosures for sponsored content.