Google Penguin and Back-link Profiles
Google Penguin was first released in 2012 as the search engine’s response to “black hat” SEO tactics for link building. Since Penguin first came out there have been numerous updates to the algorithm. Google targeted link building techniques that focused on link schemes.
Some examples of link schemes that Google focused on included:
● Buying and Trading Links
● Comment Spam Links
● Site Building for Link Backs
Google Penguin takes a harsh look at link building and forces site owners to respond accordingly. Each site is expected to know and own its site link profile. This profile encompasses every aspect of linking, such as; the volume, quality, source, and content of the links.
An upcoming update to Google Penguin will bring the version to 4.0, and with it a number of changes. Here’s what you need to know about the latest update coming to Penguin.
Welcome to Penguin 4.0?
This latest version is rumoured to be a real-time update to Google’s algorithm. This means that it will always be on and updating to catch spam link profiles more quickly. This is huge news for the digital marketing community since there are so many spam-filled tactics still taking place.
Yet, some marketing experts are claiming that it’s the real-time Penguin algorithm update has been a headache for Google. The latest version was cited for launch in 2015, so something has been causing these delays.
On April 15, Google said that there will be a formal announcement when Penguin 4.0 is ready to be released. There has been some clear evidence that this version will be the final update to the algorithm.
Similar to Google Panda, there won’t be any updates to the algorithm because of its rolling nature. While some webmasters have noticed minor updates to the algorithm since the last update, there hasn’t been any major changes to Panda since it’s latest release.
Penguin will continuously update, as opposed to SEOs and webmasters having to wait months or even years for Google to update it. The last official Penguin update, Penguin 3.0 happened on October 17, 2014, more than 13 months ago.
Recovering your Website
While there’s a lot to take into account while refining your work, here’s a list of things you can do, to recover from the “Penguin Effect”:
● Optimize the content sent to search engines, and help make your pages relevant to the keywords you submit
● Look out for malicious content being promoted on your site
● Avoid black-hat technique such as keyword stuffing and cloaking
● Avoid automatic-query sending products
● Keep check of broken links, and maintain the quality of content
● Divert your links and keep different anchor texts
● Integrate your site with as many social sites possible
These are just a few examples of ways to improve your website’s ranking on Google. It’s important that you monitor the links on your website closely because they have a large impact on how Penguin impacts it.
For more information about Google Penguin and the coming changes it’s bringing for webmasters, contact Above the Fold Media today. You can reach us at 416-477-1862, or through our Twitter and Facebook channels.