Removing a Site from Google Filters🔩 7x Increase in Organic Traffic for an Online Auto Parts Store in the USA

With over 24 years of successful operation, the American online auto parts store encountered significant challenges: Google filters decreased the site’s visibility, and a spam-filled backlink profile and anchor list exacerbated the issue.

The Brandcitations team devised a comprehensive, safe link-building strategy to lift the site from sanctions and ensure its steady growth.

Find out what link-building mechanics we used to promote this online store and the results we achieved in our case study 🤗

Input data

Client project: an online store specializing in automobile spare parts. Brands represented include Race Car Dynamics, Bilstein, Superlift, ICON Vehicle Dynamics, Pro Comp, ARB/OME, FOX, and others.

Domain age: 24 years. Collaboration with Brandcitations began on July 27, 2024.

Promotion region: USA

Language: English

Site link profile: Ahrefs DR 3, 316 unique donor domains, 2K+ links, 583 monthly visitors.

Anchor list: Overloaded with low-quality commercial anchors.

Advantages of the client’s project:

• The company offers many products: suspension parts, lift kits, shock absorbers, and other automotive components.
• The catalog includes well-known brands such as Race Car Dynamics, Bilstein, Superlift, ICON Vehicle Dynamics, Pro Comp, ARB/OME, FOX, and more.
• Provides an optimal balance between price and quality.
• Most orders are processed and shipped within 1–2 business days.
• An order tracking system allows customers to monitor the delivery process.
• Customer support is available via phone, email, or the website, with online requests processed within 12 hours.
• Detailed information about products and the ordering process is readily available.
• Delivery is offered across the USA and Canada.
• Products come with a warranty, including options for exchange and return.

Parallel work on the project by the client: the client undertook efforts to clean the link profile, transferring spam links to the Disavow Tool. This process also influenced the overall dynamics of the backlink profile.

Tasks set by the сlient for the Brandcitations team:

• Remove the site from Google’s filters. Restore the site’s indexing, eliminate the reasons for filtering, ensure traffic growth, and improve rankings for relevant queries.
• Place links on pages with the target audience. Ensure the placement of organic links on thematic platforms visited by the target audience.
• Set a positive dynamic for the link profile. Create a steady increase in the number of quality links to the site from authoritative sources.
• Optimize the anchor list. Select optimal keywords and phrases for anchors to improve the relevance of links and influence the site’s ranking in search engines.

Additional factors that influenced the progress of the project:

The client’s site likely fell under one or more Google filters, leading to a significant drop in its visibility in search results. The reasons include:

• Massive Lack of Traffic: 97.6% of pages have zero traffic. This suggests the site is not indexed or its pages are appearing for very few queries.
• Oversaturation with Spam Links: Links from low-quality sources are one of the main reasons filters are applied.
• Poor Quality Anchor List: An excessive number of commercial anchors and their low quality signal to search engines that positions are being artificially manipulated.
• Predominance of Dofollow Links: The absence of nofollow links can indicate an artificially constructed link profile.
• Geographic Targeting Mismatch: A significant number of links come from sites with a mismatched geographic audience.
• Positions with No Traffic: This paradoxical situation often occurs when filters are applied. The site may be visible in search results, but users don’t visit due to low trust.

Possible Google filters:

• Google Panda: A filter that targets sites with low-quality content, duplicates, and over-optimization.
• Google Penguin: A filter that penalizes sites for poor-quality link profiles.
• Manual Penalties: If violations are particularly severe, Google may impose manual penalties, which are more difficult to remove.

Stages of work

1. Deep analysis of the client’s project: Detailed study of benefits, target audience, and competitors.
2. Comprehensive evaluation of the link profile: Analysis of backlinks to determine their quality and relevance.
3. Formulation of clear goals for link building: Defining the desired results of the campaign (increasing traffic, improving positions in search results, and increasing trust in the site).
4. Segmentation of pages for promotion: Selecting pages that will benefit the most from link promotion.
5. Creation and approval of the list of anchors and surrounding text: Developing unique and relevant texts for links.
6. Development of an individual link building strategy: Choosing effective methods of acquiring quality links, considering the project’s specifics and factors.
7. Coordination of the budget and work schedule: Detailed planning of the campaign, including the number of links, costs, and deadlines.
8. Start of work: Placing the first links to assess the effectiveness of the chosen strategy, with client validation.
9. Step-by-step implementation of the link building campaign: Gradual placement of all planned links.
10. Preparation of a detailed report on the results: Analyzing the effectiveness of the work done and evaluating the achievement of the set goals.
11. Optimization of the link building strategy: Making necessary adjustments to the strategy based on the data obtained.

All work on the approval/revision of posted links was carried out through the personal account.

Link Building with Brandcitations

To remove the website of the American online store from Google filters, establish a positive link profile dynamic, optimize the anchor list, and strengthen priority pages, we selected the following effective link-building mechanics:

• Links from forums: Recommendation comments with active links from relevant forums and communities will significantly boost the trust of both Google and the target audience toward the site, as well as ensure the organic nature of the link profile.
• Links from submission sites: Local directories, job search sites, and social profiles. These will help optimize the anchor list by placing several dozen unanchored links on trusted platforms.
• Exclusive links through the Link Insertion service: Links from existing pages of sites that have authority, visibility in Google search results, and an audience will significantly improve the site’s ranking for key search queries.

Site selection criteria for link placement:

• DR by Ahrefs from 30;
• Site traffic from 1K on Ahrefs;
• Links in the page code;
• Only dofollow / nofollow;
• Priority: automotive-themed sites and related topics.

Distribution of the number of links by terms and methods (summary table)

We continue working on the project.

Site promotion results

In 4 months of active link building for an online auto parts store in the USA, the DR of the site according to Ahrefs increased from 3 to 8:

And organic traffic increased from 583 visitors to 4.2K per month, which is 7 times more than at the beginning of the work:

We have successfully started removing the site from Google filters, as evidenced by the improved positions and new keywords:

We placed links on 52+ trusted sites of relevant topics and target geo, ensuring the growth dynamics of the site’s link mass:

We added 234 nofollow links to the profile for organic growth and safety:

Conclusion

To avoid falling under Google’s filters, special attention must be paid to the quality of the link profile. Using spammy links on irrelevant sites, overloading with poorly crafted commercial anchors, and disregarding the principles of naturalness can lead to sanctions.

What helps you stay safe:

• Working with quality sites. Links should be placed on relevant thematic or related resources with high authority metrics and the appropriate audience geography.
• Organic profile. Balancing dofollow/nofollow links, using unanchored links, and carefully placing well-crafted commercial anchors ensures an organic link profile and increases trust from both Google and the target audience.
• Regular audits. Evaluating your profile for spam and removing harmful links through the Disavow Tool will help avoid sanctions.
• Gradual increase in link mass. Rapid growth and sharp outflows of links can raise suspicions with search engines. Maintain a moderately positive trend and monitor removed links.

Safe link building not only helps avoid filters but also secures long-term results: improved rankings, increased organic traffic, and strengthened brand reputation. This is the foundation of a successful strategy for any project.

The Brandcitations team continues to work with the client’s project, placing quality links and maintaining the site’s position in the rankings 😉