What You Need to Know about Google’s new Penguin Update
In an attempt to cut down on the “Black Hat SEO” tactics of online spammers and unscrupulous, Web-based entrepreneurs, Google has a new algorithm called the “Penguin Update” that attempts to limit certain questionable SEO techniques that are commonly used to jack up Google rankings.
Strong Google rankings increase a company’s exposure to every person who uses the Google search engine to locate websites online. Websites that employ Black Hat SEO techniques have been wounded by these new stipulations, and the people who run these websites are working hard to find loopholes in the system.
So Why Did My Website Get Penalized?
If you find yourself stumped wondering what happened your website may fall into one of these four categories:
1. You initially didn’t understand what Google considers to be “White Hat” and built links according to that misunderstanding. Another posssibility could be spam links that were built to the site in the past.
2. Your White Hat site is being punished for things you did that once were considered to be White Hat, but after the Penguin update now are not.
3. Your site is simply suffering as seo casualty from the update – a glitch in the matrix. If so you can submit feedback on the Penguin Update here.
4. The linking patterns built by users linking to your site may have tripped the algorithm (this happens to perfectly White Hat websites that do not lend themselves to what Google's algorithm is programmed to see as ‘organic’ or 'natural' anchor diversity/linking).
The Common Factors/Link Types Used of Sites that were Penalized
Although this may not be for certain, these do appear to be some across-the-board similarities:
1. Exact anchor text: Are you only linking with your main anchor keyword? Ask yourself, does this appear natural, as if a user did it. A good guideline to go by is:
10% Primary Keyword - (web design, robot force, web designers)
35% Various other Keywords/Long Tail Keywords – (cheap web design companies, robot force web design company, how to find cheap web designers)
25% Click Here/Read More/(variation) - (Click Here, Read More, More, Here, Their Site, Visit them, Visit, Website, Site, Homepage, Company Page, Profile)
30% Raw Links - (roboforce.com, roboforce.com/, www.roboforce.com, www.roboforce.com/web-design-blog, http://roboforce.com, http://roboforce.com/, http://www.roboforce.com/,http://www.roboforce.com/web-design-blog)
2. Extensive link wheeling and link tiering.
3. Spun articles on web 2.0 properties (tumblr, hubpages, wordpress).
4. Extensive article marketing with poorly spun or duplicate content/articles (resulting mainly in link devaluation outside of the instances in which Google deems a directory as part of a spam network).
5. Blog Networks (these kinds of site host hundreds of articles and posts and are constantly being caught more often then not due to their variety of non niche-specific, topically consistent sites = red flag).
6.A greater number of irrelevant links in one’s profile than relevant, quality links. (The threshold for this is appears to be frighteningly low, too. I saw one instance just yesterday of a penalized site whose profile contains no more than 20% of its links from irrelevant sites via high PR blog comments).
Pros of Google’s new Penguin Update
The main “pro” of this new search engine algorithm, which Google tends to be quite secretive about at the moment, is designed to benefit almost everyone who seeks out real, valuable content online. By blocking some of the most annoying elements of conventional Black Hat SEO, Google is now making it possible for Google search engine users to perform Google Web searches that aren’t littered with “marker” pages and other useless Black Hat content that is specifically designed only to artificially inflate Google rankings for companies that operate online.
Typically, online entrepreneurs who use White Hat (“good”) SEO tactics to promote their websites and online enterprises will remain safe from any negative repercussions related to the Google Penguin Update.
Cleaning up search engine results to purge them of useless spam is what Google’s new Penguin Update is all about. If you’ve grown weary of using Google and ending up at pages that are full of garbled keyword stuffing and marker pages that simply direct you elsewhere (as well as a host of other common Black Hat SEO tricks), then you’ll really appreciate what this new update has to offer.
Cons of Google’s new Penguin Update
If you’re used to using Black Hat SEO techniques in order to boost your Google rankings (as well as your bottom line), you’ll likely find that the new Penguin Update is a rather frustrating hindrance.
Googles Penguin Update was a Suprise wake up call for many webmasters
Therefore, the “cons” of this system are largely related to Black Hat SEO aficionados and the way that their typical strategies will now buckle under the weight of Google’s new anti-spam offensive. All over the Internet, Black Hat SEO experts are devising ways to circumvent the new rules and continue their tactics, albeit in slightly different ways that won’t attract negative attention from the search engine’s “spiderbots”, which “crawl” the World Wide Web looking for ways to classify content and enforce Penguin Update regulations.
The New Google Penguin Update is Somewhat Controversial
Some detractors of Google’s new system are convinced that the company’s desire to “level the playing field” actually wounds small companies online. These small players, who used Black Hat SEO in an attempt to try and gain exposure versus some very large competitors, are perceived as having been adversely affected by the new Google algorithm; in the eyes of critics, they’ve been effectively cut out of any chance of competing on an equal level.
In contrast, big-money websites are believed to have a huge advantage in the online marketplace, solely due to the new Penguin Update. For example, these established entrepreneurs will be able to spend freely to promote their interests online, since they have the resources that they need to employ costly “White Hat” SEO techniques that are just not financially feasible for “little fish” in the online pond.
In the fullness of time, the overall impact of the new update will become clearer. Right now, as the transition continues, people on both sides of the White Hat/Black Hat battle are reorienting themselves and pushing themselves to succeed online despite the new restrictions.
In an attempt to hang on to the precious Google rankings that always play such an important role in grabbing vital market share online, many entrepreneurs are altering their online marketing strategies in search of sustained success, or greater success, in the future.
However, it’s certain that some Black Hat SEO entrepreneurs will lose their prominence online due to the new rules. According to many (and to Google’s own executives), this is a good thing which will benefit everyone who uses Google while they search the World Wide Web.
Now that you understand a little more about Google’s new Penguin Update and how it affects online businesses, you’ll be able to create your own strategies for success. Whether you’re an online entrepreneur or just an interested party, you’ll likely be hearing a lot more about this important new update in the future.
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