The other day, Google got the entire blogosphere all worked up into a tizz when they conducted a thorough review of the PageRanks of many websites and blogs. Many webmasters and bloggers ended the day celebrating an increase in their domain’s PageRank (I was one of them) but some others were left gasping in disbelief as their PageRanks were slashed. Some went down only by one but some others, including a friend of mine, went down by two or even three.

Now if you spend a serious amount of time each day on your site, this is a big deal indeed. This is Google basically telling you that your site doesn’t matter to them, that it is worthless from a search point of view. So to the webmaster / blogger, it is a real slap in the face. A PageRank reduction of two or three can have ramifications from an advertising revenue perspective, it can also affect the number of visitors sent your way from a search engine, but it is also worth remembering that things like this have happened to many of the top websites and they have bounced back from it. So Google sticking the knife into your PageRank is not the kiss of death. Far from it.

In fact, it is possible to ask Google for a reconsideration, an appeal if you like. You can ask them to consider reversing their decision and take a second look at your site. Obviously there are no guarantees but if your PageRank has been gutted, you may figure you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

But as with any appeal, you first have to examine your case and work out why this has happened to you. Google just hasn’t randomly done this to you for kicks. This has to be a reason why they have kicked the virtual crap out of you. So begin by looking at the main page of your site and cast a critical eye over it. What is it that Google disapproved of? Come on, be honest now. Have you been buying and selling links? Have you forgotten to put “no follow” tags on your page links? Find out what the problems are and fix them immediately otherwise your appeal is surely going to fail. Now is not the time to indulge in denial if you want to restore your PageRank to its former glory.

Then when you are convinced all the problems are fixed, log into your account at Google Webmaster Tools (if you don’t have an account, then make one!). On the dashboard, to the right, there is a link which says “request reconsideration” :

By clicking on that link, you will be taken to a page where you have to fill out a report. You should explain - in detail - what steps you have taken to remedy the situation (such as removing the paid links, adding the no follow tags and so on) and then submit the report and wait.

I don’t know the average turnaround time and I am also not sure the success rate for a reconsideration request. Perhaps anyone reading this who has done a reconsideration request can tell us in the comments about their experiences?