The Sandbox is a filter that Google applies to newly created websites that doesn’t allow them to rank for competitive keywords. If you have your pages optimized for a specific keyword and are exchanging links with that keyword in the anchor text, then you are optimizing your site. I mention this because many webmasters don’t realize they have to be actively optimizing their sites for Google to notice.
At this point, there is a very easy test that can be done to determine if your site is in the sandbox.
1) Search for your site on Google with “your keywords”
2) Search for your site using “allinanchor:your keywords”
3) Compare the difference
If you are more than 10 or so places different between these searches, you are probably in the sandbox. The allinanchor search is an accurate prediction of where you should be ranking. Most of us who are in the sandbox will rank on the allinanchor search, but won’t be anywhere to be found with the normal search.
For example, our best keyword has us ranked at #12 with the allinanchor search, but greater than 1000 in the real search.