Google Penguin Update: A Critical Study

When Webmasters, SEO Experts and Bloggers are still busy with finding out their strategies to be taken for Panda Update, another update in the name of “Penguin Update” has come up to frustrate the websites that practice bad SEO methods. Only a year has gone since Panda Update was introduced by Google on February 24, 2011, another update in the name of “Penguin Update” has been rolled out by Google on April 24, 2012 to bring down the ranking of all such websites that practice black hat SEO methods and violate existing quality guidelines for white hat. This latest-update, targets on webspam tactics (for over optimization) and poor quality content to make the internet a better and safer place. Webmasters prefer to call it a modified and improved version of Panda Update, as panda targets websites with low quality content, while penguin concentrates on the webspam tactics.  To be more precise, with these two updates Google’s stand is very clear, it wants to keep its search engine true and fair both methodically and qualitatively. While panda targets and fights with low quality content, penguin penalizes and demotes the low quality websites that practice tricky webspam tactics.  Side by side, while panda promotes quality websites, penguin penalizes the websites that use black hat SEO methods like keyword stuffing comment spamming (in blogs, articles), etc. In a word, it can be said that in the post penguin period, there is not only a great chance of dropping the web-traffic but also damaging the SERP ranking of a website permanently.

However, in this web scenario, you can ask me what the ways are to be taken to get out of its effects. I can say, if you follow the quality guidelines and practice white hat SEO methods, then you need not be stressful about it. You can stay safe and unaffected.

To avoid being hit by penguin, you need to shun some black hat SEO techniques mentioned bellow.

Now take a look at them:  

·         Avoid stuffing Keyword and key-phrases stuffing within content.

·         Stop comment spamming in blogs and articles.

·         Don’t incorporate unnatural inbound links

·         Don’t get links from low quality websites.

·         Don’t have excessive and unnatural internal links

·         Avoid low quality directory listing

·         Don’t submit article on low quality and low PR article sites.

·         Don’t send automated queries to Google.

·         Avoid using hidden text or hidden links.

·         Avoid cloaking

·         Avoid keyword dilution

·         Never overflow content with same keywords.

Now how you would be able to know that you been hit penguin. It is very simple.

Now have a look at the steps mentioned bellow:

Start checking your keyword ranking on Google. If you find that they are getting same ranks, then it is OK. If you find any sudden drop in them, then you may have been affected by penguin.

Find your traffic status in GoogleAnalytics. If you find any sudden traffic drop, you are likely to be hit by penguin update.

If you fall a prey to penguin, do not hesitate to mail us at indrani@doorsonline.in to recover you from this situation.