Last week Google released their new Penguin 2.0 update (as we discussed in May SEO Update: Google Makes Big Changes!). Like it’s predecessor, Penguin 1.0, Penguin 2.0 is targeting link spam. So, you may be wondering, what kind of links does Google consider link spam and how can I avoid them.
To begin, it doesn’t look like Penguin 2.0 is targeting any different links than 1.0 did. Rather, it appears that the latest release is just supposed to be better at detecting link spam than it’s predecessor. That said, it’s still early and we will learn more as time goes on as we see the full effect of Penguin 2.0. But for now, this is what it looks like Google is targeting.
What kind of links is Google looking for with Penguin 2.0?
- Site-wide links. These are links that are on every page of another site that link to you, usually using the same keyword. Google is at least devaluing site-wide links in general, if not penalizing for it if it appears the links are specifically intended to manipulate the search rankings.
- Low quality, keyword-rich links from blog posts, forums, and other sites with user-generated content.
- Paid links or links from a private blog network. Note that paid links themselves are not a problem as long as the no-follow tag is used. It’s when the link does not have the no-follow tag and is passing link juice that Google doesn’t like it.
Unnatural Link Profiles:
At least as much as looking for certain types of links, Google is looking for unnatural link profiles. So, what’s unnatural?
- Lots of links coming from just a few domains or c-classes. This usually indicates site-wide links
- A disproportionate number of keyword-rich links. If you’re over 10%, you’re probably starting to raise some flags. For most sites, the majority of their links are useless keywords, like “home”, “click here”, “info’, etc.” or their domain name/brand name.
- A disproportionate number of links from high-authority pages. For most sites most of their links come from low authority sites, small sites that are referencing some content or a product. A high percentage of high-authority links usually indicates paid links or at least that the website is actively trying to build links.
This is what Google is looking for and they are looking for a clear pattern. A handful of spammy links are most likely not going to get you in trouble, it’s when you have a lot of them and you’ve created for your website an unnatural looking link profile that you’ll get in trouble with Google…well, that and buying any followed links, especially links in private blog networks.
Also, be aware that there are a lot of “professionals” out there who will tell you that they have a method of using these spammy or paid link building strategies which Google can’t detect. They’ll talk about things like buffer sites and not creating a footprint, but the reality is that these schemes always leave a footprint. There’s always a way to figure them out. Maybe Google won’t catch you right away, but you have to ask yourself whether you’re willing to risk being kicked out of Google for the temporary benefits of these link schemes.
So, now you know what to avoid. The key, really, is to have a great product/service and create quality content that people will naturally want to link to and share. If you do that, then you don’t have to worry every time Google releases a new update.
OurChurch.Com Director of Marketing Services
Kurt serves as OurChurch.Com’s Director of Marketing Services, bringing over 20 years of expertise in search marketing, and has developed numerous marketing services and served hundreds of churches, schools, ministries, and businesses.
He has authored more than 500 articles on the subject, contributing to platforms like the Christian SEO Guys blog and Church Marketing University, and is an active participant on LocalSearchForum.com.
In addition to his professional accomplishments, Kurt is an ordained minister, serving as pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Wesley Chapel, FL, demonstrating his commitment to both faith and community. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree from Georgia Southern University. He also holds a Specific Ministry Pastor Certificate and a General Pastor Certificate from Concordia Seminary.
6 Comments
I am really appreciate it.
Penguin is targeting low quality backlinks and also use diverse anchor text to make your work more natural. Many websites are hit by penguin and thank God my website is safe because we provide quality link building services and I hope you will like our work.
Thanks for the comment. Speaking of link building, I changed the name & link in your comment. We appreciate comments, but please use your real name in the "name" field so it does not appear spammy. Thanks!
Google is going many new experiments these days. I have gone through all your points on Google making changes. I have seen many changes that Google is constantly doing for two years. I work as a blogger and I usually notice all such changes very frequently. After Penguin 2.0, I think there would be similar changes as seen before.
Hi Paul,
Thanks a lot for this. Things have yet again changed when Hummingbird arrived though. The results are no longer directly coupled to individual keywords, but rather to the sequence of the queries. The linking of a sequence of queries is what makes it possible to determine the intent of a search query without the need for ‘caveman’ terms. Natural conversation is all that is required. Anyway, I hope this helps.
Louise Fenton from White Label SEO and Advertising
Penguin is an algorithm released by Google which is used to find the spam and paid links. To get rid of all these and recover from problem, first you need to check whether your site have any unwanted links. [link removed] To do this you must check it in Google web master tools. If so delete them.Follow the algorithm and be cautious about spam.