In 2012, Google released a webspam algorithm that targets bad linking or link spamming and building manipulating links practices. After some time, the Webspam algorithm became known as Google Penguin Update, Now google SERP has ability to ignore a lot of poor-quality links online. This update also analyzes the unnatural links, PBNs, link exchanges, etc.
Quick Facts
- The first Google Penguin update came out on 24 April 2012. They call it Penguin 1.0 too. Later that year, they refreshed the data twice. They didn’t change the main algorithm, just the database it uses.
- On 22 May 2013, the second Penguin update, Penguin 2.0, happened. About four months later, Google refreshed the data again.
- On 17 October 2014, Google started the Penguin 3.0 update. Before that, all updates were done by hand.
- With the Penguin 4.0 update in the Fall 2016, it became part of Google’s main algorithm. After that, they’ve been adjusting Penguin regularly, along with changes to the Panda update, and not by hand anymore.
Link Traffic Volume has a large importance when it comes to indexing, crawling, and last one ranking. Penguin is a revert of Google for those who are manipulating search results and also ranking by the Black Hat SEO.
Under the Penguin update, google only points out incoming links and ignores the outgoing links, google will not question bound links quality.
In May 2013, Google also released the new version of Panda Update 0.2. Now this time google roughly affects 2.3% of Search Engine Ranking Pages. The manipulating links and keyword stuffing methods are mainly targeted this time. Also, Target those websites that use Link Exchanging and unnatural link practices.
Google Penguin Update 1.1 again refreshes the data of SERP, After that google released Penguin Update 1.2 Update, which refreshes the search engine data of websites. Now this time penguin totally affects English user queries on Google as well as its effects on international queries all over the world.
Penguin 2.0, That really much bigger according to the old version of Penguin. Its affects 2.3% on Google search queries.
In Today, Penguin Update is a part of Google’s algorithms and also has the power to affect websites till now.
Google Penguin Update Targeting Factors
Google’s Penguin Update primarily targeted the quality of backlinks pointing to a website. Specifically, it aimed to identify and penalize websites that engaged in manipulative or spammy link-building practices, such as:
- Unnatural Links: Google looked for links that seemed unnatural or irrelevant to the content of the website they pointed to. This included links from low-quality directories, link farms, or unrelated websites.
- Over-Optimized Anchor Text: Websites that excessively used exact-match anchor text (the clickable text in a hyperlink) to manipulate search rankings were also targeted. Natural backlink profiles have a variety of anchor text types, including branded, generic, and partial-match anchor text.
- Link Schemes: Google targeted websites participating in link schemes, where they exchanged links with other sites solely for the purpose of improving search rankings. This included practices like buying or selling links, excessive link exchanges, and participating in automated link-building programs.
- Spammy Guest Posting: Guest posting on other websites as a way to obtain backlinks was also scrutinized. Google looked for guest posts that were low-quality, irrelevant, or included excessive keyword-rich anchor text.
- Keyword Stuffing: Websites that excessively stuffed keywords into their content or meta tags in an attempt to manipulate search rankings were also at risk of being penalized by Penguin.
How to protect a website through Penguin Update
If a website is affected by Penguin, it’s important to analyze its link structure promptly. Links from sources like web catalogs, link farms, or bad neighborhoods can cause the site’s ranking to drop. A clear sign of Penguin’s impact is receiving a warning about “unnatural links” from Google via the Search Console.
To minimize the damage from Penguin, it’s necessary to examine past link-building efforts thoroughly. One option is for the website’s owners to contact the sites linking to theirs and request the removal of those links. Another approach is to use Google’s Disavow Tool, which allows the marking of certain backlinks as invalid, signaling Google to ignore them when evaluating the site’s ranking. To safeguard your website from the Google Penguin update, focus on building a natural and high-quality link profile. Here are some steps to follow
Audit Your Existing Links: Regularly review your website’s backlink profile to identify any low-quality or spammy links. Tools like Google Search Console, Moz, or Ahrefs can help with this.
Remove Unnatural Links: Reach out to webmasters of websites linking to yours and request the removal of any suspicious or irrelevant links. This process can be time-consuming but is crucial for maintaining a healthy link profile.
Disavow Harmful Links: For links that you can’t get removed, use Google’s Disavow Tool to tell Google to ignore them when assessing your site’s ranking. Be cautious when using this tool and only disavow links that you’re certain are harmful.
Focus on Quality Content: Create valuable and engaging content that naturally attracts links from reputable websites. Quality content is more likely to earn organic backlinks, which are highly valued by search engines.
Diversify Anchor Text: Avoid over-optimizing anchor text by using a variety of natural and relevant anchor text phrases in your backlinks. This helps to make your link profile appear more natural to search engines.
Earn Links Organically: Instead of actively seeking out links, focus on creating content that provides value to your audience and naturally earns backlinks from other websites.
Stay Informed: Keep up to date with Google’s algorithm updates and best practices for link building to ensure your website remains compliant with search engine guidelines. By following these steps, you can protect your website from the negative effects of the Google Penguin update and maintain a strong online presence.
What is the Difference Between Panda and Penguin?
Panda and Penguin are both updates to Google’s search algorithm, but they target different aspects of website quality. Panda mainly focuses on the quality of content on a website. It penalizes sites with low-quality, thin, or duplicate content. The goal of Panda is to ensure that websites with high-quality, original content rank higher in search results.
On the other hand, Penguin focuses on the quality of links pointing to a website. It penalizes sites with spammy or manipulative links, such as those from link farms or irrelevant websites. The aim of Penguin is to promote natural and relevant link-building practices.
In short, while Panda looks at the content quality, Penguin looks at the link quality of a website. Both updates aim to improve the overall quality of search results by rewarding websites that provide valuable content and have genuine, high-quality links.
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