My site got hacked and now i have 1000s of 404 pages and backlinks. Should i transfer my site to a new domain name and start again?
-
My site was hacked and I had 1000s of pages that should not exist created and has had 1000s of backlinks put in. Now i have the same pages and backlinks redirecting to 404 pages. Is this why my site crashed out of google and my SEO fixes since have made no progress to my problem?
-
Its not a big problem and there is no need to start on a new domain. In fact, this is common with WordPress websites that are not updated regularly.
I would advise the following:
-
Try to identify how did the hack take place - if its WordPress you can install the Sucuri Security (free) plugin that will help identify any compromised files.
-
Cleanup the website by deleting all the spam sub-folders & pages.
-
Update your WordPress, Theme and all Plugins (if this is a WordPress website).
-
You can have a quick fix for all the 404s by submitting a 410 response code for these URLs. This can be done through a number of free redirection plugins on WordPress. If its not a WordPress site, there are a number of other options to get this done too.
Hope that helps.
-
-
Are you unable to retrieve your site from your server? Is your domain or site hacked?
-
Its not a problem to have 404-Pages, when they are not linked internally. High amount of pages pointing to your site sounds like you may have to disavow stuff. If your page is known long enaugh for search engines, a new domain with equal content will make the problems move to the new domain (you may can see that happen for dejanseo switching without redirect to dejanmarketing).
Did Google saw the hack and asked you to solve the problem?
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Community Discussion - How can we apply the skills we have as marketers in new, creative ways?
Hi everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful week! This week's discussion question comes from Tuesday's (December 😎 blog post by John-Henry Scherck, The Step-by-Step Guide to Turning Link Prospectors into Lead Generators. From the post: "Digital marketing is a pretty introverted industry. This tends to make us a bit hesitant to embrace sales and outbound selling. There’s no beating around the bush: Sales can be difficult, scary, uncomfortable, and awkward — but if you want to grow your client base, it may require getting out of your comfort zone." John-Henry shows us the opportunity for people who are good at link prospecting to apply those skills to lead generation, improving business opportunities by creatively using the skills they already have. SEOs and marketers wear many hats, and have a diverse skill set at their disposal—how else can we apply the skills we already have in creative ways?
Industry News | | MattRoney5 -
If someone was brand new at all of marketing, where would you send them to get educated?
If someone had no marketing education, where would you send them to get a thorough education covering all aspects of marketing/advertising? Would you say you have to go to school for that? Would you recommend an online course set from CMI or MarketingProfs? If so, which one? Thank you 🙂
Industry News | | Crystalline_151 -
What now?
Hi all What now for optimization projects. this is what I gathered so far with all the changes in the SEO world. No Stop guest blogging activity! no need to stress about directory submission. Yes - create great internal content that engage clients. this jmy problem. Great content OK and what can I do with it to get people engaged. Slogans are not action items. What engagement are beneficial to sites? like and +1 from within the site? sponsors posts on FB and how do they help website? We as agencies and consultant need action items and measurable activities. I like the changes however so far I do not know why or what? Many more Questions for later. Guy
Industry News | | ciznerguy0 -
Are Wordpress sites being dinged by Google? Read a few articles regarding.
I read a couple "SEO" related articles that sites built in Wordpress are going to be dinged by Google because Google sees Wordpress sites as simple to make and a higher potential to be "spammy". Is there any truth to this? Your thoughts? I do give "thumbs up" and "best answer" marks and appreciate receiving thumbs up myself... Thanks
Industry News | | JChronicle1 -
So, Google is the best site on the internet.. Right? Or is that just what most people tend to think off-face?
LOL woah, put the guns away. I'm not about to rant, I just have a question and wanted to present it well. Then again, I might have actually found some easy fixes to some of Google's tools that they could make. So here's the thing. I noticed how annoyed I always getting when I have to sign in every time I go to the adwords keyword tool, or analytics. Why do you have to sign in a million times? I think it is a problem that can be fixed because if you go to check your webmaster tools, you go straight into your account, where you can then select which site you want to explore. It knows that I am already signed in to Google Accounts when I go to webmaster tools, but it doesn't recognize that fact when I go to my Analytics account, or to use the Adwords Keyword Tool. Now, every site has things that they need to work on, but not necessarily that need to be 'fixed'. Google being so commonly accepted as the best site on the net, I thought it was funny/interesting at the least to point out the problem. Even funnier is the fact that I could submit it as a problem to see if they could fix it or not, but they do such a good job of making it hard for people to contact them, that A) I don't feel like wasting my time trying B) I don't even really know if it is possible to do that. Also, why is there no official Google Analytics App / Mobile site?? Google has been pushing how important mobile is to us webmasters, but then it doesn't seem to be very high on their priority list for the tools that we use. I mean you can't view graphs on phones / tablets (mine at least), in webmaster tools, OR google analytics. Also, its a pain in the but to click the sign in button on Google Analytics when using my phone / tablet, it disapears really fast for me (needs more research from others to see if everyone has the same problem) Thanks for the interest / answers everybody. Look forward to hearing from you guys. Also, tips and help would be nice if anybody knows a solution to my sign in issue
Industry News | | TylerAbernethy0 -
Google: 7 Results on First page now (Good or Bad)?
Hi, So what are your thoughts on only 7 results on the first page of a search? Looks like its only in play for brands at the moment with increased sitelinks for the first result. I actually really like it, looks a lot better and its easier to take the overall information in on the page. I hope they role this out onto more generic terms as well. Should mean a higher CTR for those who have 'made it' to the first page. I suppose Google will pickup on a higher CTR on the ads well.
Industry News | | activitysuper0 -
Two Industry giant has occupied the Google SE First Page.
I have seen just two websites on Google SE first page one with 4 and second one is with 6 internal pages on Coupon related question/niche . What it means Is this a Google Dance or temporary fluctuation. ? Why Google don't consider other sites to show on first page? Many pages from askvila.amazon, yahoo answers and facebook pages are shown on second and third pages.? Is this meant that there are a lack of quality websites/pages for this industry or query? What do you say? Here is the SERPs from Google US.(as on July 09) http://bitly.com/Md8JFW http://bitly.com/LaT9yD Thanks Alex
Industry News | | alexgray0 -
Any pointers for my site would be greatly apprecieated and rewarded.
We just started changing all the meta data and adding relevant blog content. Anything I'm missing? Any advise or "after panda" link building strategies? inkfarm.com
Industry News | | ibex0