If the term ‘Google Penguin’ leaves you looking perplexed, then it might be the most important thing you don’t know yet.

If you’re a website owner, or working in advertising, search engine optimization, web development, or another similar area, then you should already know about Google Penguin.

What is Google Penguin?

For those of you who don’t know, Google Penguin is the name given to the algorithm that penalizes websites that violate their webmaster guidelines, reducing their position in the search rankings.

Its original purpose was to catch websites that had been using link schemes and other inorganic methods as a way of manipulating website rankings, with these methods coming to be known as black-hat SEO techniques. Since then, Google Penguin has been continually developing, helping to penalize and remove these increasingly innovative black-hat tips and tricks.

No reason to worry

While this may sound like a worrying development in the search engine optimization world, it’s important to remember that unless you are attempting to circumvent Google’s Webmaster Guidelines with unscrupulous link building methods, then you have nothing to fear from the update.

Conversely, the release of Google Penguin 4.0 is likely to help with your search rankings, as long as you continue with good SEO practices and organic link building methods.

Choose experience and knowledge

Search engine optimization (SEO) remains one of, if not the most, important forms of marketing and advertisement for businesses and companies in the modern era.

Consequently, with the update to Penguin 4.0, ensuring that you are using an experienced and knowledgeable company for your SEO work is now more important than ever.

What to Expect

As with much about Google, the algorithms themselves are kept closely under wraps, though there are two particular changes that are highlighted in their most recent update announcement. Firstly, Penguin 4.0 is now operating in real-time for its future updates. Secondly, it’s now more granular with its approach.

Real-time Google Penguin

One of the main developments of Google Penguin 4.0 is that it now has real-time updates, rather than the periodic releases that it previously ran on.

Consequently, it paves the way for Penguin to become even more effective at rooting out violating websites, as the offenders won’t know when a certain update might catch up with their black-hat methods.

Granular approach

The second key development highlighted by Google, is that Penguin now only devalues the specific page that it deems as spam, or for breaching its webmaster guide. Previously, this would have affected the entire website’s rank, which was often regarded as a harsh penalty for a single page’s indiscretions.

In summary

With over 200 unique signals used by Google to determine page rank, Penguin 4.0 is part of the wider project of delivering the best website results for the input provided.

It remains the case that engaging in honest SEO practices, while avoiding potential black-hat and inorganic methods, continues to be the best approach when attempting to boost the ranking of your website.