Google sandbox: what it is and how to get out of it

The Google sandbox is the name SEOs give to a filter that holds new websites back from ranking well in Google’s search results. Google says there is no sandbox, but many new sites see exactly this kind of delay.

If you have just launched a new website, you are probably in it. It is less fun than it sounds, as it can hold back your results by several months, even with good search engine optimisation.

Here I explain what the sandbox is and how to get out of it.

The Google leak in May 2024 gave the debate new evidence. The leaked documentation includes an attribute called hostAge, which records when Google first saw any page on a domain. According to the documentation, this data is used “to sandbox fresh spam in serving time”. Google has denied having a sandbox for years. In 2018, John Mueller of Google said it doesn’t have “this traditional sandbox”, but does have “a number of algorithms that might look similar”. The documentation names spam specifically and does not say whether, or how, the attribute affects legitimate new websites.

This affects how long SEO takes while your website is new and in the sandbox.

The sandbox exists to keep spam and low-quality websites out of the search results. That matches the wording in the leaked documentation, which talks about sandboxing “fresh spam”.

Even if you are launching a legitimate business, many of the new websites that appear every day are not. Google needs to filter them out.

There is no fixed period, but it usually ranges from a few weeks to several months.

The main factor is how much work goes into the website.

1. No results: You have optimised pages and they are indexed, but you get almost no results, especially for more competitive keywords. Easier keywords may have broken through first.
2. Sudden drop in traffic: If your website has been inactive for a long period and you see a sudden drop in organic traffic, it could be the sandbox effect.
3. Gradual rise in rankings: If you notice a slow, steady improvement in your website’s rankings over several months, it may be a sign that it is on its way out of the sandbox.

1. Publish high-quality content consistently: Publish content your audience values. Here is how to write good blog posts for SEO.
2. Focus on quality over quantity: Don’t count the number of posts; concentrate on quality, especially if your website is new.
3. Build E-E-A-T: A broader concept covering Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. Google says E-E-A-T is not a ranking factor in itself, but its systems use a mix of factors to identify content that shows it.
4. Be transparent: Put author names on blog posts and show who is behind the company.
5. Build credible links: Focus on earning links from credible, relevant websites.
6. Use internal links: Create a strong internal link structure to help Google understand your content better.
7. Drive traffic to the website: Google uses aggregated interaction data to judge whether results are relevant. Without traffic, it has little to go on when deciding whether you deserve to rank.
8. Keep your social media accounts up to date: This is no magic solution, but it is quick to set up and gives you an external reference. Most established companies have a LinkedIn page, for example.

In my experience, websites that have been inactive for a long time can see a similar, or exactly the same, sandbox effect. I have not yet seen anything confirmed on this, but I am not the only one who suspects it.

The Google sandbox can be frustrating when you want to see results. But the same filter also works in your favour once your SEO is paying off.

Focus on quality and good usability, and neither the sandbox nor future updates should be much of a problem.

If you would like help getting out of it quickly, read more about our work as an SEO agency or book a free search audit.