Imagine this scenario - You build a website of your dreams and it is ranking high in Google. Suddenly, the next day it completely disappears from Google search results. That can be extremely distressing for the website owner!

How can you check if Google has banned your site?

Open your browser and enter the URL http://www.google.com. Enter your entire URL into Google’s search box. If Google does not have information available for this URL then this means that the URL is no longer in Google’s database. Please note if your website is brand new and has not yet been indexed by Google, then you will get the same results until the website has been indexed.

Another quick way to check if you website is banned is by installing the Google Toolbar. Once it is installed visit your website. If the Google toolbar is gray and does not show a page rank, then the website has been banned by Google.

Some of the reasons Google can ban a site are:

Duplicate Content - This is when multiple web pages on your website have the same content. Basically, the same page is repeated hundreds of times, but with a few unique lines of text and a unique title.

Cloaking - This is when web pages are created just for search engines, where it delivers one version of a page to an Internet user and a different version to a search engine.

Hidden text or hidden links - This is text or a link that is invisible to the naked eye, but is seen by search engine spiders. For example if you a have a white background, you can create text in white, therefore it is not visible to a web visitor. Some webmasters will do this so that they can add keywords throughout their web page without it interfering with what the visitors actually see. The search engines can still see this hidden text.

Keyword stuffing - Keyword Stuffing is when you load a Web page up with keywords in the Meta tags or on the Web page content.

Linking to bad websites - If Google believes you are linked to a site that has facilitated the distribution of malicious software in the past they can ban your site.

Buying links for Search engine ranking - This where a Web site owner buys links just to increase his or her ranking. This is also used to increase Page Rank.

How can you report a site to Google?

If you think a website is violating Google policy, you can report it to Google at this URL: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/spamrepor.

What can you do if you get banned from Google?

If you are in violation of Google Webmaster Guidelines then you should fix the issues that have caused your site to be banned. Once you have made the necessary corrections, log on to your Google Webmaster Tools account and select "Request Reconsideration". Google will confirm receipt of the reconsideration request and revaluate your site.