Google’s Penguin 4.0 Algorithm Update

If you are a search engine optimizer, you already know that Google does their famous updates on search algorithms pretty much multiple times a year. This trend followed in 2016 too and there were more than one updates that actually came out from Google related to search engines.

One of the biggest ones that actually made the most buzz in 2016, was Penguin. Where the name sounds really cute and sweet, the actual update is far away from it and there are some good reasons behind that.

In this article, we are going to tell you what Penguin is, how it is modifying today’s search engine era and how it is dominating the way you want to rank your website on Google. This is something that every Search Engine Optimizer should know about. Well, only knowing won’t help you as you have to make sure that you are working too on top of that. But in short, this is very important and Penguin is something that will not go away for a really long time.

Where independent marketers tell you at least something about Penguin, Google will tell you nothing. Google did not release any information about their Penguin 4.0 update, other than a press release. They kept even the small details such as what is the update and how it is going to effect the search engine, hushed up.

When Penguin 4.0 was rolled first, a lot of the websites were affected. That is when marketers started to figure out what this update targets and also the things that everyone should be careful about from now on. As Google did not provide any details about Penguin in the first place, this was the only method to understand how it works.

Penguin is a regular part of Google’s core algorithm is a live algorithm, which means that it will instantly penalize your website if you’ve made a mistake and also instantly reward your website if you’ve fixed it. Thinking about that, you will realize that Penguin is not actually something to be super scared about and that is true.

The best part about Penguin 4.0 is that it is a real time algorithm. Previously, when you were penalized from Google, you had to wait for weeks or even months to get your site back on track. In many times, you could not do that because Google was slow to respond. The good news is that as Penguin is real time now, you do not really need to worry about applying and re-applying to Google to get your site back on ranking higher. The real time algorithm takes care of things on its own.

Now, there are a ton of things that you should know about Penguin. Currently, the latest version of this algorithm is Penguin 4.0 and it runs real time which you already know. Let’s discuss things that you possibly do not know about.

Previously, when your website was penalized, it was all about penalizing your complete website at once. You did not have the chance to keep the good pages up and the poor pages down. Now with the latest penguin, you have that option. If one of your page has issues, Google will now penalize only that page and nothing else. All the content of your website will still be ranked on Google and the penalty will affect only one page (or the pages that have problems). That is great for the regular marketers out there.

One more thing that you should know that Google will never tell you when the Penguin 5.0 hits the market. Google mentioned it on their press release last time when Penguin version 4.0 was launched. They stated that telling everyone about the updates that are built to be kept secret is not a good idea. Therefore, from now on, you will not know about the latest updates from Penguin. Having said that, there are always marketers out there who will tell you what is happening. Google is not the only source of information anymore.

Another question that people ask is whether Penguin is fully live now or not. This question arises because Google actually never told us that Penguin is live. They kept on telling us that Penguin is rolling out and nobody knew what that meant.

As it is now 2017, we believe that the rolling out phase is completed and Penguin is completely live now. You will notice the changes on your website within a week of you making changes on your website, including positive as well as negative.

Now, let’s end this article with the most important topic. How to make sure that you are not adversely affected with Penguin? How to make sure that you will stay safe in the long run?

Link Search Tools tell us that it all comes down to your link building method and tactics. You have to make sure that you are not just buying links from here and there or building PBNS, rather you have to earn your links. At the same time, make sure that you are staying away from gray On-Page or Off-Page SEO. On-Page SEO is going to play a big part in 2017 as more and more Google updates roll in. If your website is not properly optimized, it is the time to do that. Even the image file name that you upload on your website has something to do with On-Page Optimization, so be as detailed as possible when you are working.

If you can do things right, you will surely have a great year ahead of where you do not need to worry about Penguin updates at all. In case if you fall into Penguin penalty, make sure that you look at your On-Page SEO profile first and then the Off-Page. Correcting these two will make you go back to your position once again.