Anyone who's been in internet marketing long knows the feeling: you go to check your rankings one day and something's different. Your pulse quickens, a cold sweat spreads across your brow, your eyes widen...they're gone. Your precious rankings are gone! Where did they go? What happened?

Penalties. They can bring the strongest of us to tears. But sometimes we can be too quick to blame a penalty on sudden changes in our rankings. There are lots of things that can cause fluctuations (even major ones) in the SERPs and it's importnat to know how to figure out why you've dropped. This week, we'll look at how to identify whether or not you've been penalized, as well as what to do if you have been smacked down by our Google-y overlords.

Check out this week's Whiteboard Friday and next time you're struck with a moment of SERP Shock, you'll know how to handle it in a cool and strategic manner.

If you want more information on penalties, here's a slide deck Rand presented at a recent conference....