In the recent few weeks the world of search engine optimization was again thrown into a panic when Google again announced another major algorithm updates code-named Penguin!
Just as it happened in February 24th 2011 when Google’s Farmer update, later known as the Panda update, was announced, April 24 2012 was another day of pandemonium for most of the big sites.
Though the Penguin update impacted just about 3.1% of queries compared to Panda 1.0 (the Panda update has gone through series of other updates since February 2011) 12%, the effect was quite devastating.
Since the announcement both amateur and expert SEOs had been wondering what Google is really up to! And as a search engine optimization enthusiast, I have taken my time to study the situation just as I did in 2011 when I wrote, guest blogging services as detailed here And now, I’m sure it’s time to write something about these updates with special emphasis on the differences between the Google Panda and Penguin algorithm updates. I hope to also give you some tips on what you should be doing with your search engine optimization to stay ahead of the game.
Hey, This Is Not the Old Wild Wild West; it’s The World Wide Web!
Do you know that search engine optimization is really turning into a very dirty game?
Ok, you have heard of blackhat SEO, right? How about ‘negative SEO’?
May be you’ve not heard of that. But frankly, this is a recent form of blackhat SEO tactic being used by blackhat SEOs to sabotage their competitors’ organic search rankings simply by generating tens of thousands of “bad” links to the competitor’s website. The intent? Of course, to beat them at the game!
But this is really scaring. Why would an SEO turn around to target other SEOs because they want to rank high on the search engines? We must understand that this is not the Wild Wild West (WWW). It’s the World Wide Web (WWW)!
Just as a British government's top law officer warned Twitter users recently, the internet is definitely not a lawless zone.
This is one reason why I have always admired Google as regards its algorithm changes. At least, they have so far helped in ensuring that the best practices are employed by SEOs.
Google’s Panda and Penguin Algorithm Updates Compared
Since the announcement of the Penguin Update, many people have been wondering if there are really any difference between the Google Panda Updates and the Penguin Update.
Though this may not be quite open but a careful look shows there are. The two may be aimed at cleaning up Google’s search results, but they are actually targeting different search engine optimization tactics.
You will recall that when Google announced the Panda Update on 24th of February 2011, Google clearly stated:
“This update is designed to reduce rankings for low-quality sites—sites which are low-value add for users, copy content from other websites or sites that are just not very useful. At the same time, it will provide better rankings for high-quality sites—sites with original content and information such as research, in-depth reports, thoughtful analysis and so on.”
And now with the launch of the Penguin Update on April 24 2012, Google was emphatic when it said,
“Sites affected by this change might not be easily recognizable as spamming without deep analysis or expertise, but the common thread is that these sites are doing much more than white hat SEO; we believe they are engaging in webspam tactics to manipulate search engine rankings.”
These official statements from Google clearly show that the updates are Google’s game plan to ensure that high-quality sites are rewarded for their good works while spammy sites pay dearly for their blackhat tactics.
Though the differences may not be obvious at first sight, but we can pick up the following with a little in-depth look:
A. Google Panda Updates’ Target is Site Content and Layout
Notice that Google said, the “update is designed to reduce rankings for low-quality sites—sites which are low-value add for users.”
The qualifying word here is: low-value add for users! If your site visitors do not found your site appealing either because of the layout or content, your site is “low-value add for users.”
Specifically, the following are signs of sites which are “low-value add” for users:
i. Low-Quality Content – Sites that are lacking in in-depth reports, thoughtful analysis and research.
ii. Keyword Stuffing – Content written with too much emphasis on a particular keyword in a bid to trick the search engines into giving undue importance to that particular page in regard to the target keyword has always been known to SEOs as keyword stuffing. If not for anything, keyword stuffing makes the content unintelligible to site users. And Google wants this discouraged.
iii. Content Scrapping – Before the Panda Update most sites, known as content farms, used content scrapping software to republish content from other sites. With a combination of this and some un-ethical backlinking tactics these content farms were out-ranking the original content publishers. Panda was released by Google therefore to deal a death blow to these content farms and many who were hit by Panda 1.0 (aka the Farmer Update), never recover from the death blow!
B. The Google Penguin Update on the other hand, is directed at sites engaged in webspam tactics.
Notice again what Google has to say about this,
“Sites affected by this change might not be easily recognizable as spamming without deep analysis or expertise, but the common thread is that these sites are doing much more than white hat SEO; we believe they are engaging in webspam tactics to manipulate search engine rankings.”
Now, the exact signals Google used in the Penguin update to flag these “webspam tactics” are still not clear. But from the experience of those who were hit by the update and from Google’s statement above, these webspam tactics definitely include:
a. Listing of hundreds of phone numbers in your web page with the intention of getting traffic for any of the phone numbers listed. This is common with sites targeting local searches.
b. Spinning articles and auto submitting same to different article submission directories with the intention of building backlinks. This is something that has become too common these days among many of the search engine optimization companies. The spun articles are most times of low quality yet the webmasters benefit with the backlinks.
c. Aggressive use of exact-match anchor text in backlinks. A good number of those affected fall into this category. As you do know, backlinks is one big factor used by search engines to rank sites. It is quite clear that many SEO service providers now use automated link building software to generate backlinks using specific anchor texts. The simple way for the Google Penguin to pick these out is to look for a high volume of exact-match anchor text in your backlinks and your site will be flagged as engaging in webspam.
Of course many have complained about this and Google, wanting to be fair enough, has provided this form for site owners to submit their complaints! 🙂
d. Overuse of exact-match domains with the aim of out-ranking other sites in the same niche – Again this is another one that webmasters are complaining about. But Google understands the game better. You definitely have heard SEOs encourage you to go for a domain name that is focused on your target niche. Now this is very good but unfortunately, most SEOs over do this. Some of the tactics used here include buying different versions of the exact-domain name, e.g. .com, .net, .org, .info, etc. and linking all to one domain. Besides, this same exact-match domain is used in backlinks. This worked very well because the search engines saw your site as “tightly” targeted. But right now Google understands that many SEOs are playing this to the gallery with this tactic and so Penguin is here to put an end to that.
e. Keyword stuffing in internal/outbound links – Of course, the search engines do not just use your in-bound links when ranking your site. Out-bound links also matters. However, where your out-bound and internal links are stuffed full of your target keywords to manipulate the anchor text advantage, Penguin will easily flag your site as being involved in webspam.
Looking at all of these, it is not a wonder that Matt Cutts rightly said the Penguin update is a penalty for overly-optimized sites! That beats your imagination, right? Why in the world will Google penalize you for over optimizing your sites?
Ok, may be Google is simply reminding us what we already know which is, “Too Much of Everything Is Bad!” 🙂
Alright, now you might be wondering, what can one do to avoid Google’s hammer from falling on one’s sites?
Here are my suggestions:
1. Google Panda Update
a. Read my post, “Google's Content Farmer/Panda Algorithm Change: What You Can Do to Stay Afloat!” written last year when Google Panda was launched, I delved deep in with that post and will not want to repeat those points here. More so, this post has stretched too long, running over 2,000 words (the longest I've so far done on this blog!) So, do yourself the favor of reading that post!
2. Google Penguin Update
It is clear that the Penguin Update is mostly targeted at link building activities. This being so, you should note the following:
a. Put a hold to paid link building campaigns – If you’re spending money buying links, you may want to hold on for now. Google has always frowned at buying links and it is clear that this is being targeted with the Penguin update.
b. Instead of buying links, do more of guest blogging – This is a very good way of building natural link backs. And Google will even love you for it! If, for any reason, you are not able to do this by yourself and if you have some budget to invest into this, then you can always get guest blogging service providers to do it for you. It may interest you to know that I offer guest blogging services as detailed here. You can be sure of getting the same type of highly engaging content as evident on this blog – content that will help you build trust with your site visitors and turn them from browsers to buyers. Check out the details here. (Ok, that was a blatant sales plug-in but a necessary one!)
c. Stop building exact match anchor links – As you have read in this article, sites using exact match anchor texts are some of the most hit by this update. Of course many of these ones may not have used un-ethical means in their link building but it does seem that Google is using a certain percentage as its criteria. So if you have been building your backlinks using a few exact match anchor texts, it is time to diversify!
d. Make your link building strategy look natural – Many webmasters are very selective when it comes to building links. Some want to build links only from sites that are PR1 and above or even PR3 and above. If you’re doing this Google will quickly detect that this is unnatural. So whether you’re manually building your links or buying links from SEO networks, make sure you have some from PR0, PR1 etc. Again diversification is the word here.
e. Grow your backlinks with care – it is quite clear that many webmasters have a link building plan or strategy they implement every month. Now whether you’re paying for your links or you’re manually building them, it is important that you diversify the number of links you build each month. If you have set a plan to build a certain number of links every month and you have been meticulously following this plan, you’re an easy target for Google Penguin! Having a certain number of links pointing back to your site every month is an easy way of telling Google that you’re doing something un-natural, possibly buying those links. So again, diversify.
So what’s Your Takeaway from This?
Never deceive yourself that search engine optimization is dying a gradual death. No! Search engine optimization still remains your sure strategy of being found by searchers in the search engines. You must understand that rather than killing SEO as many want to believe, Google is only strengthening and restoring confidence in the game.
If you must stay relevant with your search engine optimization strategy therefore you must listen to Google and employ tactics that add value to site users and never engage in webspam. Play by the rules (remember, the internet is not a lawless zone!) and you will be rewarded with good rankings!
So much from this end. Will be glad to know your thoughts. Were you hit by the recent Google Penguin update? Do you support Google’s attempts at bringing some sanity into the SEO game? Let’s know what your opinion is in your comments below.
Google sure knows how to pick names for their programs: Penguin and Panda. Funny caption too “Google’s Panda and Penguin are on the loose, You better not get caught” …should we call animal control?
I also find it a bit ridiculous on how a program is designed to understand aesthetics of a site, beauty is really in the site of the beholder.
@Rob Koenig,
Call animal control? Of course not, the power to control those animals is in your hands! 🙂
But seriously, many people have always wondered how Google’s software will be able to understand anything about their site layout or design. Now, the fact is, the software does not try to understand your site layout “directly.” There are other signals that it aggregates and then gives its judgement.
Some of the things Google will look for here include, how long does your readers stay on your site? Is the interaction within the site vibrant? Is the bounce rate high? etc.
Like you said, beauty is really in the eyes of the beholder and the beholder here is the user of your site. Google reasons that if the beholder loves your site, he will spend more time there and also interact more in the discussions going on.
So, taking care of your site design is actually for the reader and not Google software. The software will only use other parameters and analyze the readers use of the site and come out with a conclusion concerning the site!
It will interest you to know that when Google Panda 1.0 was launched, most of the sites worst hit were sites that had too many ads above the fold! The software simply analyzed these sites and flagged them as low-value add to users. So to give the software the impression that your site is valuable to the user, build a beautiful site that the user will find interesting and as he spend more time on your site, Google will pick up those signals and give your site more points!
Thanks for joining the conversion. It’s really great to see you around always.
You nailed the points on the latest Google updates here Chadrack. Despite all claims by Google that its efforts are aimed at cleaning the web, don’t you get a feeling that everything is being manipulated to encourage paid traffic?
@Dr Kavita Shaikh,
Now, first we must accept the fact that Google is in business. Google is not doing this for humanitarian purposes. Yes, Google is definitely doing this because it knows that when people use the search engines, they expect to get results that will help them. As long as SEOs use different manipulative tactics to game the search engines, Google’s business is being jeopardized.
So, it’s definitely that Google is doing this because it wants to make more business but in doing that, it is also helping to cleanup the web. Or don’t you think we should give Google credit for that?
Hi Chadrack, I really appreciate your effort that you come up with solid solution about these two Google animals. Though I haven’t seen any difference in my website ranking and traffic but still I would follow your suggestions.
@Aasma,
It’s glad to hear that. If you have not seen any difference in your site rankings it means you were not hit by the update which is a good thing. Now, if you will only continue with that thing and of course implement some of these suggestions, you definitely be seeing some good results very soon because as bad sites are falling of the rankings, the good ones are moving up!
The new update sucks ass (if im so free to say). I’ve lost many top positions and I have no clue how to build links anymore. Some how I still hope that they will reverse the update (but they probally wont.).
@Maddie,
Too bad Meddie. But frankly, is it because you were hit that he updates is suck? Don’t you think there is something you did wrong? As I mentioned in the post, Google is giving everyone who thinks they were wrongly hit the opportunity to complain. Maybe you should do so using the form. On the other hand, you could just take this as a lesson and focus on some ethical ways to do it, or don’t you think so?
Wow! That’s actually what I was looking for! had been searching for an article about the new Google algorithms and the change of SEO techniques for a while, when Google lead me to your article. Thanks for sharing the useful information, I think there’s a big fog around these things in the scene.
@Karolina,
Hmm, a big fog you say! Actually Google has always been secretive about its algorithm changes. The only way to stay within Google’s good books is to listen Google! Over the years Google has always advocated for good informative and user friendly content. Follow its suggestions and you forget about trying to clear the fog! 🙂
Thanks for the comment.
White hat SEO and Marketing are recommended for long-term Google Traffic by Mutt Cutt recently.
@Yim,
Yeah, that’s just the truth. As long as you restrict yourself to whitehat SEO tactics, Google will reward you for your works!
This is one of the better posts I have read about Penguin so far (and I have read a lot online). You are telling the truth. DO you think that static websites are hit by Penguin more than the blogs or cms based websites? In my experience static sites were hit more, what do you say?
@Zara,
You’re very right there. It may interest you to know that Google is actually giving undue attention to blogs and cms based sites that are constantly updating their content.
Why the static sites are the worst hit by Penguin is because it is these sites that are actually violating the Google Code of SEO Conduct! These statics sites, most of which are sales letters without much informative content, use various link building tactics to push their ways into the search engine top positions. They use very specific keywords (exact-match anchor text) in their backlinks. They use keyword specific domain names (exact-match domains) to rank higher. Etc. So you can see that they are the ones that fail more in the points Penguin is targeting.
I actually believe that adding a blog to a static website and using the blog in promoting the static site will be a better strategy than these paid links most of them are engaged in right now.
Thanks for this insightful comment!
Thank for sharing the tips, for me, branding and quality contents are what works with Google now and tomorrow.
@thegrizasonline,
It’s really my pleasure! And I must say you’re right there. Over the years every update by Google has always been about one thing, quality! If only we can see this and stay within the rules, we’ll always stay relevant no matter the updates Google choose to introduce tomorrow! Thanks for the comment.
Really its a awesome post to all SEO guys.Many companies performing such type of task and form now they all have to re-think about and implement natural link building process.
@top movies,
That really is the truth. It’s unfortunate that many big corporations who depended on these SEO companies got a bashing of their life! 🙂
It all appears that Google really want everyone to focus on natural link building instead of some of the greyhat tactics employed by these SEO companies. The unfortunate thing is that these companies have big budgets and they know their way around any of these Google updates. We definite will see them coming up with other tactics to beat penguin. But till then, some of us are already reaping the good work of penguin! 🙂
It is a good news that there is no change in our site rankings. This means we are not affected by the google’s update.
@buy seo services,
That’s really good news. You must be doing something right! Well, I’m glad to report that the WebIncomeJournal is also doing great on the search engines since the update.
This is one of the better posts I have read about Penguin so far really its a awesome post to all SEO guys i’m glad to read this article thanks a ton for providing useful content.
See getting rid of google panda update you need put unique content on your site don’t use duplicate content or spun content on your site. If you are having unique content then also google panda is affecting your ranking then you need to hire seo services because in this case only a professional seo person can help you.
It all seems to be that Search engines really want everyone to pay attention to organic link-building instead of some of the greyhat methods applied by these SEO organizations. The unlucky factor is that these organizations have big costs and they know their way around any of these Search engines up-dates.
@Restaurants in Delhi,
Your fears are also the fears of many. We know that this is not the first time Google is doing this but these big companies have always find a way around it. The difference this time is that Google is hitting them where they never expected. In fact, Google used human editors to manually removed some of the link building networks!
I think Google is sending the message loud and clear to all that they will go any length to sanitize the system.
Thanks for the comment.
Chadrack!
I HUGE THANK YOU!!! Thanks for writing this post! I’ve been looking all over for someone to explain to me what the difference between the two is.
I’m fairly new to this game and I’m learning things as I go along.
Your blog is heaven-sent!
@Glori,
It’s really a pleasure to be of help! Thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment. Look forward to seeing more of you.
@Glori,
It’s really a pleasure to be of help! Thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment. Look forward to seeing more of you.
@Raheel Mushtaq,
That really is what I have always said. The unfortunate thing is that not many people know what Google truly wants. That is why posts like this one are very helpful. Thanks for the comment.
Happy to hear that there will be change in the site rankings. It also indicates that we will see no change by the google’s update.
Hey first of all you thanks for sharing this great post.Google update two new algorithm which is totally against spammers.and i am agree with you on that making link on pr1 or pr3 and don’t ignore the site pr 0 or pr 1 to making link for your site.if you are doing seo for your site then first make a statargey to create a back links.your content should be unique or good value and don’t drop your link on unrelevant sites because if you doing some spamming then Google may drop you from the ranking.
This is a great post Chadrack, it deserves the mention it got at NoPassiveIncome.
Good job!
@Yeremi Akpan,
Oh thanks. I had to really point him to this post when I saw his list and he was kind enough to include it! Glad that you find it worthy of the mention.
Google Panda need only fresh content. If you have a fresh content then your site is ranked well. Duplicate content is always wrong for the better results.
@TradeXL,
Indeed, the various Google updates are aimed at giving the human searchers content that is not only relevant but fresh. This is where blogs beat other forms of websites. Updating your site constantly will help in this area.
Thanks for the comment.