Search engine optimisers developed the Sandbox theory to answer different ranking behaviours for new websites observed with Google. The theory states that "...new websites are placed in a "Sandbox", like young children are, before they can play with the older kids, or in the case of the Web, more established websites".

What Is The Google Sandbox?
The sandbox is dampening filter that has allegedly been created by Google to avoid spamming of search results by webmasters and SEO professionals. For the most part, this theory has been based on speculation regarding ranking of new websites. Before an update to Google's search engine in February 2005, most new sites could rank high rapidly. This allowed "black hat" SEO professionals to spam a new site to the top of Google's index for a highly competitive keyword, and then quickly cash out before Google caught up with them.

Escaping the Sandbox
Webmasters have noted that some SEO strategies have kept them in the Sandbox for only a short duration of time. Here are the strategies that were common to these SEOs:

• Using ethical, natural SEO techniques and avoiding black hat practices such as keyword stuffing and cloaking.


• Obtaining a constantly increasing number of relevant backlinks, with a comprehensive link building plan that includes links from authoritative sources.


• Regularly adding very relevant and original content. Purchasing an old domain and building a new site along the same theme.


• Avoiding web hosting companies that accept spam, porn or doorway pages.

If your website ranks extremely badly for your target list of keywords even with all onsite optimization and inbound links in place, then you could have been sandboxed. Typically, sandboxed domains rank well for the first month or so and then quickly drop down the SERPs (search engine results pages). Even though there is little known of the wait duration, which varies from site to site, there is much a webmaster can do to in this period of waiting. This is the time during which SEOs should thoroughly optimise the site with better content, obtain new and relevant backlinks as well as move to social media outlets.

The Allegra update to Google changed the fortunes of the black hat SEO websites. Webmasters soon concluded that Google's developers had added a filter of sorts to the search algorithm. This ageing delay prevented most new sites from ranking straight away for competitive keywords. Google had quite effectively eliminated the black hat SEO who had only short-term gains in mind. Sceptics of the Sandbox theory have challenged the existence of the sandbox since no controlled experiment involving a large number of websites has actually taken place. The theory, in effect is exactly that - a theory without official confirmation from Google.