The Google Sandbox argument has been around for a very long time; it is much loved and loathed by many people trying to do Search Engine Optimisation.
The truth of the matter is Googles Sandbox does not exist.
People doing SEO who refer back to the sandbox as a reason for websites not performing as they should are either naive or are dishonest.
I have recently tested the alleged sandbox theory on a number of sites and at every hurdle the sandbox theory failed.
In one particular test I registered a car insurance domain and slapped up a bunch of content. Now, anyone who has been in SEO circles for any amount of time will tell you that car insurance is a highly competitive industry and Google would have most certainly sandboxed the site.
However, four months later, the site is on the first page of Googles search results for a highly competitive search term.
The site is also moving very quickly on an ultra competitive search term that should appear on the first page within a month or two.
Search Engine Optimisers who believe in the sandbox theory all too often blame their own poor performance for why the website is not ranking highly...