What Are Digital Marketers Saying About the Google Penguin 3.0 Update?
Google constantly updates its search engine algorithms to provide new features and more relevant results to search engine users. The problem is that these updates tend to make websites "dance" in rankings, which is a result of the monumental amount of data that Google's servers has to sort in a slightly different way with each update.
The most recent update is known as Google Penguin 3.0. Much like the Penguin updates rolled out before this one, this update will likely make Google more keen in examining the relationships between linked websites and pages.
Keep in mind that allot of the data and info I present I either pull from client data in Bright Edges SEO Analyitical Platform or pulling from Moz's blog. Also before examining what website owners and marketers are saying about this update, let's explain the basic facts about Penguin 3.0 first.
What Does This Mean for Webmasters?
Google has already warned that the amount of data involved in this update is incredibly large. This means that websites will dance for weeks or may experience a rank change in a few months as a consequence of the altered way the search engine algorithm works. The best way to view this latest Penguin update is to see it as a subtle reworking of how Google's 200-point algorithm works. Expect it to inspect the following things more closely:
- Paid Links: Penguin will likely continue to further devalue paid links while becoming more keen at spotting them. This will make it all the more treacherous to purchase links, as it's likely the risk of manual penalties will become even higher.
- Low-Quality Links: Numerous links that used to be staples of SEO now fall under into the category of "low quality". The idea is that Google will deter website owners from relying on "spammy" practices while encouraging them to make better content.
- Link Schemes: Pyramids and blog networks are examples of link "schemes" that webmasters have been using in the past to boost their rankings. While these types of link setups may still be beneficial, ones that involve having a webmaster pay for their services will likely see a significant devaluation.
- Exact Match Anchor Optimization: Variety is one thing that most people in the field of search engine optimization have begun to introduce into their link building to make their campaigns flow more naturally. Over-optimized anchors that focus on an exact match fo text will be scrutinized and likely far less efficient.
What Are People Saying About Google's Penguin Update?
Given the size of this Google Penguin update, it's hard to discern what movements have been caused by the update itself and not another search engine mechanism. This means that what people say about this update will be both somewhat mixed and hard to sort fact from fiction. The best way to start approaching what has been said is to look at the positives first. Webmasters whom have websites that have well-rounded and good link building practices have seen minimal damage, and a few websites have seen some gains during this update.
The next thing to take note of is the fact that websites that had been hit the hardest by Penguin 1.0 and 2.0 are starting to bounce back with the introduction of Penguin 3.0. One possibility for this is that they have changed their link building practices, or these websites fell into a category where the initial Penguin updates were simply too harsh given metrics like link velocity.
Besides the occasional drop in rankings here and there that could be attributed to almost anything, there's very little that webmasters or marketers are saying about Google Penguin. There's only postulation about what 3.0 will focus on and a cold realization that it may take months before the true effects of Penguin 3.0 are seen. To stay one step ahead of any setbacks caused by the Google Penguin 3.0 update or any foreseeable future updates to the Google algorithm, it's best to adopt an approach that relies on quality content mixed with links from quality websites. This will produce the best long-term gains while minimizing the risk of your search results being forced into the "Google Dance."