So it has been confirmed, Google released the latest incarnation of their Penguin Link Checking beastie in mid October. Before the release there was a lot of speculation about what it would all mean and what the damage was likely to be, as sometimes the changes have been quite drastic and the impact, on the unwary site very nasty indeed..
The good news is that for all the sites we are managing SEO wise, only 1 suffered any changes, and that could well be down to other factors on the site (we are not in control of the design or on page SEO just the links). We will be looking in to this very carefully of course, but will wait for a week or two to allow things to settle down, these updates often having the same effect as throwing a large rock into a small pool.
The biggest thing to bear in mind is not the impact of these changes, but the ‘message’ that Google are relaying, which is simply, build links wisely or be prepared to suffer the consequences.
For some more news on the Update, please see the excerpt below or for the full item on Google Penguin Oct 2014 click the link.
What does the Penguin Update mean for me as a business owner?
It is time to redouble your efforts no matter if you have been hit or not.
Remember that SEO is something that needs to be done often, it is not something that is just done once in a while. Your website is your livelihood and you should treat it with the respect you would a physical store or your home. Don’t let the wrong people mess with your livelihood, the right professionals and the right tools are what you need.Recover – Protect – Build
Do not think that if you weren’t hit this time or that you recovered that you are wearing a magic cloak of invincibility and do not rest on your laurels. It is time to protect and build a stronger profile. You/your website will always be in either the Recover – Protect – or Build phase probably a combination of the three.
What might the Penguin future hold?
Over the year I have made some bold predictions, such as mass and unnatural link building will be punished. Seems that one came true!
Now I keep reminding that No Follows can still harm your backlink profile.
So here are a few more that might be interesting to consider for the future:
Is this the moment where Google hits “Unnatural Social Visibility”? – Social Media links might be the next target, this is an extension of the No Follow prediction. Sloppy, quick links generally get punished in the end.
