Fear began to unfold as Google launched yet another web clean-up update; formally named as the Penguin update. With all new algorithms and stringent methods for penalizing the web spam, Penguin update sent a chill through website owners and SEOs on 24th April 2012. Why were we waiting so long to post this? If that’s a question on your mind, here’s what we have to say.
Google algorithms are complex. Although they claim to have affected only a 3.1 percent of the total websites (that too the ones that follow black hat SEO techniques), the update, in a real sense, affects many sites in some or the other way. We waited to see and research on the complete impact of this algorithm and offer tips as to how you can safeguard your websites from the cute-named monster, Google Penguin.
What is Google Penguin?
According to Google, its penguin update—exaggeratedly called monster—penalizes over-optimized sites, otherwise known as spamming. Google explained that the update decreased rankings of those who violated its existing quality guidelines. It claims Penguin is an added effort towards maintaining the quality experience that Google offers to its users. Penguin will not affect those who provide high-quality user experience and put genuine efforts in performing white hat SEO. In fact, Penguin increased the rankings of quality content holders.
How to Lessen the Impact?
Content is King: Content will be the foremost factor. Good content always guides user in a right direction. Avoid Keyword stuffing and add keywords of key relevance. Even if you have to repeat the keywords, make sure it fits the right context and makes sense as the content flows.
Plagiarism: “His work is mine”; Google notices the act of stealing other’s work and lowers the ranking of such websites. The punch line is to create great content, to which people will naturally link. With growth in user-generated content and micro-blogging platforms, a good content is widely shared increasing its SERP ranking.
Back links (over-SEO) and off-page SEO: Search engine optimizers are confused. According to Matt Cuts, head of Google anti-spam team, algorithm impacts sites with over-SEO; however, the perception of over-SEO may differ in Google and SEO performers’ view. There is no way to calculate the right amount of SEO. However, experienced SEO must follow the guideline of ethical practices.
What’s frustrating is that Google wants off page SEO to happen naturally. Google’s assumption of letting off page SEO happen on its own is impractical in the competitive internet marketplace. Google is aggressively working towards clearing dirt from the web. In such a scenario, following tips would prove useful:
- Build sites that are easy to navigate and contribute to wonderful user experience
- Create good sites that naturally bring traffic
- Perform 100 percent (at least close to 100 percent) White hat SEO
- Avoid obvious forced linking
All in all, it is necessary to study some great sites before you perform SEO. Study their techniques and try implementing as many as you can on your site. Although Google is killing, only right practices lead to success.
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