It was first announced in April 2012 that Google Penguin would update its algorithm. Google’s update targeted webspam by penalizing websites that used black hat techniques to obtain links and manipulate search engine rankings in violation of the Webmaster Guidelines. The update also rewarded sites with high-quality links.
Penalties and recovery from the Google Penguin
Many years ago, Google Penguin penalties affected the rankings of websites. Google’s trust can only be restored if offending links are removed. These links would need to be removed by the website owner or SEO agency. It was necessary to add them to Search Console’s disavow list if they were not removed. Simply put, you would instruct Google not to crawl certain links on the website.
Google Penguin updates were being re-run on a regular basis, which created a problem. When a Penguin update is released, sites that removed spammy links will be reevaluated, but this could take anywhere from six months to a year. Google may wrongly classify websites as spam, forcing them to play a waiting game until they are reevaluated.
Google Penguin 4.0
Penguin 4.0 is Google’s fourth algorithm, and it’s the first that runs in all languages. According to Google, this is the last update of its kind, and that webmasters should be able to focus entirely on making great websites.
Penguin still deals with a lot of the spam problems that it was intended to fight, but it has been given more authority in its latest update. Google, for example, has made it an integral part of its algorithm. More than 200 different algorithms are used by the “core” to determine where a website should rank for a particular search query. The Penguin update is becoming much more important.
What are the effects of Penguin 4.0 on my SEO?
It’s likely that for your SEO agency the optimization process has largely remained the same, despite this being one of the biggest algorithm updates in recent years. Several factors should be taken into consideration, however:
Penalties applied immediately
It would be ideal if you did not engage in any black hat link building, and you should strongly avoid doing so. However, in the event that you do engage in such practices, you will likely face penalties shortly. In addition, you will have the ability to resolve the issue more quickly.
Ranking fluctuations
Due to Penguin 4.0’s real-time reevaluation of link profiles, changes in ranking could happen more frequently. There are many reasons why rankings can change, including Penguin. Whether Penguin 4.0 has affected your rankings can be determined by your SEO agency.
Link evaluation
Despite Penguin 4.0, it has not been confirmed that Google will change its link quality algorithm. However, it’s a good opportunity to re-evaluate your link profiles and make sure you’re not doing anything that could cause a spam alert. If this concerns you, it would be a good idea to ask your SEO firm to perform a link audit, which will highlight any links that could have a negative impact on your ranking.
Content distribution of high quality
The ranking of a website was historically dependent on a particular page or area. Penguin 4.0 takes a more page-specific approach, which necessitates having both high-quality content and links spread evenly across a website. This should not be a problem as long as you are not overlooking any aspects of the website.
