Ok something weird happened. My site WeSpreadTheWord.net recently was made it to the bottom of the first page in google search for the term "christian search" a few days later we completely disappear for that term. I can pull it up under other terms but not "christian search". Any ideas here?

That is called the Google Dance. Sometimes you just bounce around a bit.

GR

I'm use to being somewhere between the first 3-4 pages but not listed at all is drastic

Oh, you're probably still listed, but on page 12 or 120.

Google is constantly changing their algorithms, changing the value of each link pointing at your site, of different types of content, of really everything. So it's pretty likely some of your links were devalued, and you plummeted deeper than you have patience to dig through the results. You may have also lost some links, or they've been converted to nofollow.

Also, this tends to happen from time to time, it seems like part of "being on the web." I dropped out of the results as far back as I had patience to look for WebMaestro, and that's software I wrote! Less than a week later, I'm the #1 and #2 result again. So unless this goes on for more than a week, don't sweat it.

Assuming you want traffic to your site, this is a good opportunity to try and improve your rank under that phrase, but also to consider other searches and work on those ... diversify.

no such thing as the "google dance" anymore

"bouncing" around is perfectly normal behaviour.

changing the value of each link pointing at your site, of different types of content, of really everything. So it's pretty likely some of your links were devalued

This will be the most probable cause. No doubt the majority of your backlinks use this phrase as well and are from low end directories.

I often wondered about that. There will be time I'm up in the ranks gone for a week and back again. As long as it keeps coming back I'm cool. I would just hate to be delisted/blacklisted.

You'll only get blacklisted if you've done something wrong and got caught for it. Otherwise, it's normal to bounce around. I wish someone could calculate how many new web sites there are every second, minute, and hour, around the world? Every time Google discovers a new site, the rankings change. It's not very likely for a brand new site to get the #1 spot and push everyone else off the page, but a site launched three months ago coming out of the sandbox with plenty-o-links and lots of fans might well push your #10 listing onto Page 2.

And Hirst is right here. Most webmasters submit to a bunch of directories, and then sit back and watch the $$$ pour in. But it would be silly to think your competition can't submit to those same directories for some reason. If they add themselves to the same bunch of directories, but then take it a step further and get even just one quality link, then they'll come up ahead of you.

Will this bounce be drastic? I mean dropping from no 5 or so to like page 10?

As Hirst said, the Google Dance does not exist as such any more. Their data is constantly updated.

As far as the crappy directory syndrome is concerned, his problem is actually that he's running one of the crappy directories.

http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/add.cgi

Any directory that requires a reciprocal link or a buyout to be included is not a real directory...it's just a cheap Yellow Pages. Directories that are legitimate will list all sites that merit inclusion and only those sites, and are usually free. Even DMOZ does a better job than these guys, as useless as their site is.

The reciprocal links would also explain why you're seeing ranking flux, even for what I'm not sure is an overly competitive term (I can't see a lot of market or competition for Christian search as a keyphrase).

I've seen that directory script before, but I can't place it. This is usually a sign of a slap-it-up-quickly cash grab site. Hey Hirst, have you seen it?

Anyway, my suggestion to you would be simply to look at your site from a user point of view. If you're serious about being a "Christian search engine", then index anything that's Christian and worthy of inclusion and forget about trying to stick your hand in someone's wallet at every opportunity. Save it for when it's appropriate. You're running Adsense and various affiliate programs...if you do it right, that should be enough.

Building for your users will solve most of your SEO issues as well, so there's a reason to step back and look at things like this.