Everything About Google Penguin

Google Penguin is basically a codename for update in Google’s algorithm that was announced first on April 24, 2012. The update’s main focused is to decrease search engine rankings of those websites that violated Webmaster Guidelines set by Google by using what’s now declared as black hat SEO techniques, which involved in boosting the ranking of a website by manipulating links pointing to the page artificially. The way these tactics are described is called as link schemes.

According to estimates made by Google, Penguin is about to affect 3.1 percent of search queries in English, around 3 percent of queries in languages similar to Chinese, Arabic and German and a much bigger percentage of them in highly spammed languages. On the 25th of May 2012, Google has yet again revealed another Penguin update called Penguin 1.1. With regards to this update, it’s about to affect around less than 1/10 of a percent of the English searches.

The guiding principle for this update was intended to penalize websites that are making use of manipulative techniques in an effort to attain higher rankings on search results. Pre-Penguin websites are frequently using negative link building techniques in an effort to get traffic and rank high. As soon as Penguin was introduced, it is meant that content was key and that those with excellent content will be recognized while those with spammy or little content will be penalized and receive no benefits or ranking.

Allegedly, there are several sites that lost their search rankings on Google for utilizing specific keywords during the rollouts of Penguin and Panda. Google has specifically mentioned that doorway pages which are created to only attract search engine traffic contradicts webmaster guidelines.

January of the same year, the Page Layout Algorithm Update or otherwise known as Top Heavy Update was released, which is targeting websites that either have too little content or too many advertisements above the fold.

October 5, 2012, Penguin 3 was released and has affected .3 percent of queries. Penguin 4 or known as Penguin 2.0 was introduced to the public on 22nd of May, 2013 and affected 2.3 percent of queries while the Penguin 5 or Penguin 2.1 was presented on October 4, 2013 and affects approximately 1 percent of queries. Rumors has it that Google might have released Penguin 3.0 on 18th of October 2014 which was confirmed by Google’s Pierre Farr that the new update comes without signals added.

September 23, 2016, Google has announced that Google Penguin is part of core algorithm. In this update, there’s going to be real-time update meaning, websites will be evaluated in real time.

Don’t dare to use black-hat techniques just for your site to gain rankings or else, serious consequences will follow up.

Source: http://businessamongmoms.com/2016/10/28/location-location-location-how-it-affects-your-business/