Google’s latest algorithmic update is known as Penguin 4.0 and we feel it’s a game changer and will radically shift the way people, businesses and SEO companies look at SEO and how it’s implemented.
It is without a doubt a huge algorithmic shift in the way Google indexes and ranks and it is designed to really weed out those spammy SEO agencies and websites.
If out have been penalised by Penguin 4.0 then you rankings would have dropped – we can take a close look at this by conduction a FREE SEO audit – click here for more information!
Let me explain this further and put it into layman’s terms so folks reading this can get a good idea about it’s implications and how it will affect your business.
Let’s start by looking at the evolution of the Penguin update with the original Penguin algorithm 3.0 which is really all about penalising those websites that had over optimised keywords or had some bad SEO company do their SEO and all they did was get shoddy and dodgy back links from dubious websites that had little or no value, authority or relevance. These practices were done en masse and the Penguin algorithm was implemented to weed out these websites that tried to manipulate their page rank through these non compliant methods.
The only issue with Penguin 3.0 was that you could spam your way to the top of the results and stay there for many months until Google did a Penguin algorithmic update and then and only then did your site get penalised. In the interim, there were all these fraudulent websites ranking highly for many months that in reality should not have been there.
There are so many examples of this and I heard the outcome of it over the phone when people would ring me up and say:’ my website was doing so well…it shot right up the rankings and all of a sudden it’s disappeared’. These poor business owners didn’t know that they were subject to the dreaded Penguin update and have now had their website penalised.
What happened was that they signed up with a dodgy SEO agency that used spammy links that gave a temporary rise in the results that have now shown to be unsustainable.
Penguin 4.0 is an evolution of the previous algorithmic updates and is designed to have an immediate effect on spammy back linking practices.
In a nutshell this means that there is no waiting period where you can spam your way to the top. This is finished! Now, if Google detects any type of non compliant back linking activity they will punish your website as soon as it indexes it.
So for example, let’s say you are signed up with an SEO agency that is using any type of ‘black hat’ SEO links, your website will be punished within a few days NOT months!
THIS IS HUGE NEWS! Why?
Because, this will put an end to those SEO agencies that rely on Google’s Penguin 3.0 lag effect. Too often, these guys would boast about how great their ranking efforts have been to their clients knowing that Penguin 3.0 was in the distance and they could fleece money off these people for many months.
Penguin 4.0 being immediate will put a stop to this.
It is fast, accurate and can detect any type or form of fraudulent link building. So all I can say is watch out as this is going to change the way SEO is implemented. I can promise you 1 thing, you will not get away with it and you will be hit with a Google penalty.
From now on you have to be incredibly compliant using ethical link strategies that are seriously relevant. Gone are the days of easy quick wins with Google. Penguin 4.0 has seen to this.
Just to recap, let me point for this to highlight the changes:
# 1: This update is real time. It means that periodic updates do not exist so there is really no flying low under the radar with good results. Penguin 4.0 will punish your site immediately.
#2: We have also seen that new websites with keywords in their domain name like: hotwaterplumbers or lawyersydney who try to rank for those particular keywords will also suffer at the hands of Penguin 4.0. I want to really emphasise the fact that this is for newer sites that feel they can buy a domain name that reflects their core keywords and try to push them online.
It’s about time Google came up with this and starting catching people that did this as it was getting out of hand. People would be registering multiple sites and spamming these to the top of the SERP’s and worst of all getting away with it. Those days are long gone now thanks to the new and improved Penguin 4.0.
# 3: The update will only target specific pages rather than the whole site. Previously any detection of unethical practices and you whole website was penalised, now it’s only single pages that are targeted.
# 4: The good news is that your website and in turn rankings will be rewarded a lot quicker as soon as a great link comes along. This is awesome news for companies such as ours that only implement quality back links. The results are going to be much quicker which is better for our clients.
Related article: 6 Tips for Getting Your Google Manual Penalty Overturned
If you have notice some serious fluctuations in the rankings recently and noticed that your website has suddenly dropped then I’m afraid you have been hit with the new Penguin 4.0 update. The best thing you can do at this stage is get in touch with us here at SEO Sydney Experts on 02 9360 8514 and we can take immediate action to repair this situation.
