Google has released the first update to its Penguin algorithm in over a year. The Penguin 3.0 update was released Saturday 18th October GMT and looks set to roll out worldwide over the next few weeks. Early reports indicate that it will affect less than 1% of English queries and that it is simply a refresh, with no new signals added.
What impact does this have on business owners?
As any Google update does, Penguin 3.0 brings with it an indication that it is time to increase your efforts and focus on your SEO. Whether you are hit by the latest update or not, SEO is a process that needs to be updated and refreshed constantly to ensure that your site doesn’t begin to slip down the rankings.
Google’s Penguin algorithm was introduced to target sites that were deemed to be spammy and punish them. It is safe to say that this latest update will simply build on this process to ensure that high quality online content is rewarded. But, the way that Penguin works does make this latest update one well worth taking note of. If you are hit by a Penguin update, you have to wait until the next update to see if the changes you make have done what Google wanted. In this updates case, publishers have been forced to wait over a year! It is crucial that you understand what Penguin punishes.
One of the algorithm’s main focussing points is on sites which are found to be in violation of Google’s guidelines about linking. It is therefore crucial to ensure your site has a clean backlink profile and that you stay away from mass link building.
By undertaking a full link audit we can look at your backlink status and perform a full Penguin penalty review of your anchor text. Our bespoke recovery plan will then show you how we will remove your problem backlinks and ensure a strong ranking in the search engine results.
Find out about our full range of SEO services today!