Google updates Penguin algorithm

Google Updates Penguin Algorithm to Improve Link Quality

Google Updates Penguin Algorithm to Improve Link Quality 700 411 Gravitate Digital

Google’s Penguin algorithm, which helps to devalue websites deemed to contain spam links, has been updated in all languages.

Penguin targets web users who buy links in order to boost their rankings on the Google search results page, especially those obtained via link networks.

Through the elimination of poor quality links, Google hope to increase organic content online and improve user experience.

What changes can we expect from the updated Penguin algorithm?

Key differences will include a more granular approach to spam, with Penguin now set to devalue irrelevant content by adjusting page rankings based on spam signals, as opposed to changing the rank of entire websites.

Penguin will now also run in real-time as part of Google’s core algorithm, meaning any changes made to a website will be visible much faster than before – when the list of sites affected by the algorithm refreshed at specific points throughout the year. 

This means webmasters  who improve their sites by ridding them of spam and increasing organic content will be able to regain their former ranking almost instantaneously –  as changes will now take effect as soon as Google has re-crawled and re-indexed a page.

However, there’s also the chance that websites labelled as operating outside of Google’s Webmaster guidelines could automatically be demoted.

When was the Penguin algorithm last updated?

The last update to Penguin was almost two years ago, but more frequent updates are now expected going forward.

First introduced as a standalone algorithm in April 2012, Penguin is just one of more than 200 unique algorithms – sets of rules or processes – which Google rely on to help them provide relevant, high quality, search results. 

These algorithms work together using signals to help track down listings, and include page ranking, freshness of content and keywords.

You can find out more on the Penguin update by visiting the Google blog.