Google Penguin is the most important algorithm update Google released in the first half of 2012. The first part of the update was introduced on April 24, while the latest installment came on May 25. Although not as controversial as Panda – Google’s other major update released this year – Penguin did have a significant impact on many sites. After Penguin went live, many site owners have turned to buying expert SEO services to maintain good rankings.
Google Penguin In a Nutshell
Google Penguin penalized websites that abused keyword cloaking and stuffing as well as those that used article spinning software. Even more importantly, the update hit hard websites participating in big link schemes, and especially low-quality blog networks. It’s estimated that Penguin affected around 3.1% of all English search queries.
Panda Versus Penguin
Google Panda penalized websites that offered a poor user experience, especially those featuring low-quality content. Google Penguin, on the other hand, has been focusing on web spam. Both algorithms have one thing in common — they punished websites built for ads networks and affiliate marketing rather than real people.
Both updates hit hard websites providing content that had little to no value to users. Indirectly, they made expert SEO services even more important for large websites, especially business sites that want to rank well in competitive niches.
How to Protect Yourself from Future Penguin Updates?
Optimize your website for people, not search engines — this is the key. This calls for a lot of work, but it’s not particularly hard. In practical terms, you should:
• Use social media websites to distribute useful content across the Web. Use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest.
• Use social media advertising like Facebook ads to reach your audience – don’t rely entirely on Google’s contextual ads.
• Guest blog consistently, creating top-notch content that links back to your website.
• Create new content regularly, making sure it’s diverse. Use images, videos, presentations, and slideshows.
Google Penguin Don’ts
- Don’t use black hat SEO techniques.
- Don’t do artificial link-building.
- Don’t try to do all the SEO work yourself. You just can’t! Use expert SEO services
- Don’t ignore guest blogging.
- Don’t build a site for Google — built it for people.
In the end, Google Penguin is a good update for Google users. It brings them better, more relevant content. If the update had a significant effect on your site, it’s time to make some SEO changes to ensure you keep a good ranking.