Google Sends "Dear John" Letters...

Late last week, speculation started about whether or not a near "Dear John" letter from the Google team was legitimate, or some type of prank. This week, it's been confirmed...Google is now sending out notice to webmaster when their site has been removed from the index due to a penalty.

While it may not be a fun letter to receive, most small businesses are going to find the new policy to be a good one. With so much information floating around the web about search marketing, it can be tough to figure out what is accurate and what isn't. Thus, a lot of small businesses have found themselves on the ugly side of a search engine penalty, but have no idea what they've done wrong. There have long been calls for Google (and the other engines) to pony up some information when they remove a site for breaking their guidelines.

While this new notification is good news for many within the industry, the real gem is that Google claims the penalties will exist for 30 days. Webmasters that go to the effort of removing the offending techniques can apply for reinclusion via a link provided in the email. If the turnaround on this is quick, it will be a beautiful tool for businesses.

On the other hand, it also provides a reasonable temptation for more people to push the line. After all, if Google is going to slap your hand, but then provide a quick way back into the index, there's little incentive to avoid getting in trouble. Only time will tell how this all plays out, but for now, do it yourself business owners should find the new policy helpful.