Written in 2013
The latest algorithm update, dubbed Penguin 2.0, is now live. The update has been confirmed on May 22nd following an update by Matt Cutts, the head of the web spam team at Google.
And for good reason as the first iteration of Penguin specifically targeted websites engaged in link schemes or shady tactics to manipulate their rankings. Many saw their rankings and traffic reduced practically overnight.
One thing Cutts has made clear is the emphasis on quality. He has also gone on to note that the Penguin update would have a significantly larger impact on spam than prior updates.
But this is also good news.
The update rewards websites that focus on creating content that provides value. Content that people naturally want to share with their own followers. And this makes sense as social signals are having a stronger correlation with rankings in the search engines.
What Google has essentially done is tighten their algorithm to provide users with the most relevant results possible in the search engines. It also means certain SEO practices now require a different approach.
And one important consideration is back links.
Building hundreds of links were once highly effective but doing so now is risky and could even lead to ranking penalties. The following are factors to consider when building links to your pages.
Link relevancy: Links from credible sources will carry far more weight than links from irrelevant sites. Attempting to build links in hordes from questionable sources including forums, blog comments or link networks could result in significant penalties.
Link value: Not all links are equal. And quality links from reputable sources through guest posting or content marketing are exactly the kind of links which rarely get affected during algorithm updates. This is important for future marketing campaigns.
Anchor text: The new update is also likely to punish websites with over-optimised backlinks. And this was a common technique most SEO professionals used to increase their rankings by acquiring links with the same anchor text. Such practices now are largely considered spam and what Penguin 2.0 is likely to target.
If your website has been affected, the following are steps to take moving forward.
Check Your Back links
Backlinks still carry a lot of weight in the search engines, but they can also negatively impact your rankings. The first step to recovering is to conduct a link audit. Tools such as Majestic SEO or Open Site Explorer can be used to give a quick overview of your link profile.
It also equally important to check the quality of the backlinks to your pages. Even a link from a relevant source can still be harmful if it has links from known spam link networks.
Disavow Harmful Links
Links from questionable sources or from completely irrelevant pages could be reducing your rankings. This is why a comprehensive link audit is necessary in the first place. The process is time consuming but absolutely necessary to recover rankings.
One challenge is identifying which links to disavow. This is also another reason why hiring a professional SEO company is necessary for complete analysis.
Focus on Building Quality Links
Links are still an important part of Google’s ranking algorithm. To build your authority and increase your rankings, the focus should now be on acquiring links from relevant sources. Links from spammy sources may work in the short term but could lead to significant penalties in the future.
Guest posting, creating engaging content and participating on social media are highly effective methods for building powerful links.
Penguin 2.0 is similar to prior updates in that the emphasis has always been on delivering high quality results by targeting certain types of websites. And it is increasingly clear that focusing on delivering value every step of the marketing process should now be a priority moving forward.
If you have seen a negative effect from the latest Penguin update, please feel free to contact us
