Last Friday, October 17, Google officially updated its “Penguin” algorithm, which they use to help determine search engine rankings. This specific algorithm helps Google identify sites that are considered too spammy. Penguin is Google’s way of targeting sites that have violated their strict link building guidelines. This latest update is the 6th release of Penguin but the first since October 2013.
The roll out of Penguin 3.0 was a breath of fresh air for many publishers who may have been penalized for their link building tactics in the past. This update was their first chance to see if their latest adjustments in SEO are what Google wanted to see from them. Ideally, those who aimed to trick Google in the past will now be freed from the depths of the Google index. This latest edition of Penguin is a bit more “spam tolerant” than earlier updates, making it unpopular among many SEOs. Penguin 3.0 is different from Penguin 2.0 in that the algorithm has grown to be even more sophisticated. While some people are seeing ranking drops and others, major increases, it is currently too early to tell what the overall results and changes from the update will be. What we are certain of is that Penguin 3.0 discounted a large variety of sites with fake links or “votes.” Google claims that the latest roll out of Penguin should be a “delight” for web masters and that it should make their lives much easier.
To ensure that your website is not negatively affected by Penguin 3.0, identify and remove bad inbound links to your website. Common bad links include, but are not limited to, paid links or any links on article directories. Once the bad links have been removed, make sure your internet marketing strategy is up to date and in compliance with the restrictions and standards of Google’s latest algorithms. If built correctly, your website will become a link attractor of its own and will, in turn, see a rise in the rankings. Users who publish helpful content on a consistent basis should see an increase in Google’s index. Penguin 3.0 is simply the latest update to ensure that helpful content that users truly want will prevail.
