Google Updates Penguin

| SEO

Google Updates Penguin

Google first released the Penguin algorithm update back in 2012, which aimed to decrease search engine rankings for those websites that didn’t follow Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.

Today, Google’s algorithm relies on more than 200 unique signals to position your website for certain keywords within the search engine results page.

Penguin is just one of the major signals within Google’s algorithm, focusing on devaluing sites that use blackhat tactics, have low quality backlinks, produces thin or duplicated content and/or fails to produce fresh content.

Now Google has announced that Penguin has just got an update!

Here are the main changes to the Penguin algorithm signal:

  • Penguin is now real-time which means that changes will be visible much faster than before and will take affect shortly after the webpage has been crawled or indexed.
  • Penguin is now more granular. This means that the Penguin signal will now devalue spam by adjusting the rankings based on spam signals, rather than it affecting the entire website. So Google will only penalise single pages rather than the entire domain for offenses.

Obviously the update will have had more changes that will impact the way in which Google rank your website; however Google has always been tight lipped regarding their algorithm.

However, they did state that the Penguin update is only one of more than 200 signals used to determine rankings so if you follow white hat SEO tactics and provide your audience will high quality and compelling content, your website isn’t likely to be affected at all by this update. 

Luke Stanley