What is Google Penguin? What is its impact on natural referencing? And what is its difference with Google Panda?
In order to strengthen the user experience, Google has implemented two algorithms: Google Panda and Google Penguin. The latter will precisely fight against sites that use abusive SEO techniques: keyword stuffing, cloaking, duplication of content, net linking, etc.
Google Penguin: what is it?
Launched on April 24, 2012, Google Penguin refers to a Google algorithm. Penguin’s main goal is to penalize poor quality sites. Google Penguin will sanction abusive practices created solely with the aim of gaining positions in Google and above all, not designed for the user experience, such as the acquisition of too many links (or net linking), fraud on the engine index (spamdexing) or the misuse of internal link anchors. Thanks to Penguin, poor quality sites that try to manipulate Google’s algorithm with fraudulent SEO practices are thus cleaned from the Google index. Penguin also aims to demotivate spammers who will try to carry out SEO practices that do not comply with Google regulations.
If Google Penguin penalizes certain sites, conversely, it also favors sites that favor a natural referencing strategy in accordance with Google’s guidelines.
6 Penguin updates have been made since its launch:
Penguin 1, the first version released on April 24, 2012. According to Google data, this algorithm impacted 3 to 5% of requests;
On May 26, 2012, we witness a first update of Google Penguin which is called Penguin 2 or Penguin 1.1;
Penguin 3, meanwhile, saw the light of day on October 5, 2012. This third update made it possible to increase the sanction rate for websites: from 0.1 to 0.3% for websites with language requests.
The Penguin 4 update, named Penguin 2.0, was released on May 22, 2013. This algorithm was developed in all languages recognized by the Google search engine. In addition, Penguin 2.0 had an impact of 2.3% on requests.
On October 4, 2013, Penguin 2.1 was released and had a strong impact on natural referencing.
Penguin 3.0 or Google Penguin 2.2 or Google Penguin 6, was updated on October 18, 2014.
Google Penguin: what impact on SEO?
Penguin scans every website for SEO scams. It sorts “good” and “bad” sites and applies penalties only on fraudulent pages (not the entire site).
If a page has been sanctioned by Google Penguin, it will lose positions on the search engine results and therefore a lot of visibility. Note: Google Penguin does not remove the indexing of the page.
Which pages are sanctioned by Google Penguin?
Over optimized pages with keyword stuffing
If before, many pages used keyword over-optimization, those days are now over thanks to Google Penguin. Indeed, the algorithm will watch and sanction web pages that use the same keyword too many times (in the URL, in the title tag, in the H1, in all the H2s, in many parts of the text, in places hidden from engines, etc.).
Pages with poor quality internal meshing
Google Penguin will also analyze the internal mesh of a page to ensure that it corresponds to its ethics. If there are too many internal links or if these links are used inappropriately, your web page may be penalized.
Pages with poor quality backlinks
Building backlinks is a great way to drive more traffic to a page. However, if its use is too abusive or of poor quality, Penguin may intervene.
Pages containing links on always identical anchors or on optimized anchors that come from a site without a common theme will be penalized. Likewise, backlinks that lead to directories, press releases, or forums are also considered bad qualities. The best practice in SEO is to get natural backlinks (an official or recognized site that quotes you and links to your site for example)
How do you know if your site has been sanctioned?
Unfortunately, Google Penguin will not notify you if your site or if any of your web pages have been sanctioned. Nevertheless, monitor the position of your pages in the SERPs (Google results). Indeed, if the positioning of your page has dropped considerably, it is possible that Google Penguin has applied a sanction.
In addition, regularly analyze your positions in the SERP and analyze your traffic. Thus, you will know if the visibility of your site has dropped sharply. This could result in a sanction from Google.
Another way to see if your site has been penalized is to perform a Google search with the name of your site. If it does not appear in the results, it is quite possible that Penguin has sanctioned you.
How to avoid Google Penguin sanctions?
Google Penguin sanctions cannot be avoided. You just have to follow Google’s SEO rules. Namely: make good backlinks, have an excellent internal network, create optimized content designed for users, transmit reliable quality information, offer added value to the Internet user, and have a technically optimized site for natural referencing.
The difference between Google Penguin and Google Panda
Before creating the Penguin algorithm, Google had launched (in February 2011), Google Panda. Panda’s goal? Favor sites that offer a good user experience to the Internet user, in terms of content. Thus, it punishes pages with bad content. Although Google Penguin is also looking for better user experience, it mostly hunts for abusive SEO techniques, which is not taken into account by Google Panda.
Together, Panda and Penguin will analyze web pages and highlight those that offer the best possible user experience, both technically and in terms of content (in relation to SEO rules dictated by Google).
For a good positioning on the Google search engine, it is therefore important to adopt a good natural referencing strategy. To do this, contact Just Search. Our agency, specialized in SEO and SEA, helps you develop a website and web pages that meet all of Google’s recommendations. Objective: to reach the top positions of Google’s SERPs!
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