What is Google Penguin? 

Penguin is the codename for a Google algorithm update that was first seen in 2012. Its objective: to seek out and punish websites that try to manipulate the search engine results by building spammy inbound backlinks in contravention of Google's quality guidelines.

Today the emphasis that Google places on quality control – supported by the introduction of Penguin – not only means that building natural, valuable backlinks is one of the most reliable routes to search engine success, but that having a spammy link profile can land you squarely on the business end of a Google penalty.

If you’re not sure why you’ve been penalised, any good penalty diagnosis service will start by looking at whether you've been affected by a Penguin update.

I didn’t build these links.
Why am I being penalised?

The links (these are the hypertext clickable links) from other sites to your own have always been considered a strong influence on the way your site will rank in the search engines for business-critical commercial keyphrases. Google’s algorithm – the insanely complex ranking system that powers the search engine results pages – uses your backlinks as a key indicator of where your site should appear for particular search queries. Even though the algorithm is constantly being tweaked to limit manipulation, backlinks have remained a strong signal of site relevance and quality for the best part of Google’s lifespan.

A decade ago, grabbing as many backlinks as possible was a legitimate way of climbing the search engine results. That’s why backlink spamming is still practiced by some of the more evolutionarily-challenged SEO agencies, or sometimes by agencies that are just plain shady. On the other hand, you may have used an SEO in the past who was simply following the wider industry practice.

How do I fix my Penguin penalty?

Penguin only targets sites it judges to have spammy links. If you clean your link profile, the penalty should be lifted. To achieve this you need to work with an agency with experience of profiling links, appraising the ones that may have caused the penalty, conducting effective link cleaning, and providing conscientious, ongoing link monitoring to keep the profile clean.

Here’s the bad news. If you’ve been hit by a Penguin penalty, you won’t be able to tell if your recovery strategy has been successful until a new Penguin update comes out. Only Penguin has the power to lift Penguin penalties. There have been a further five updates since Penguin 1.0 in 2012, each one refining the search results and levelling the playing field for sites that adhere to the quality guidelines.

The good news is, not only is recovery possible but by cleaning your link profile, monitoring backlinks and building natural quality links your site could be stronger than ever, even performing more effectively than before you began the entire process. 

A Timeline of Google Penguin

Penguin doesn’t update as regularly as Panda. There are still lots of sites trying to recover from the last update. The easiest way to see if you’ve received a penalty is to compare the drop in your traffic and/or rankings with the dates of the algorithm updates.

Here’s a list of all the recent Penguin updates:

Penguin 3.0 – October 17th 2014
Penguin 2.1 – October 4th 2013
Penguin 2.0 – May 22nd 2013
Penguin 1.2 – October 5th 2012
Penguin 1.1 – May 24th 2012
Penguin 1.0 – April 24th 2012

If you’re looking to recover from your Google Penguin penalty, contact us today or call +44 (0) 3301 333480.