Etna Interactive

Penguin and Your Practice

First released in April 2012, Penguin reduces rankings of sites that violate rules and manipulate links. It was last updated in May and October of 2013, so we can expect to see an update coming soon. And, the next update may hit hard. Millions of site owners have identified low-quality sites using the “disavow” tool, thereby building Google’s “hit list.”

  • Your backlink profile is like your site’s credit report.
    • You want to build positive signals, avoid fraud, and catch and correct any errors.
  • Craft a practical response to Penguin.
    • Avoid get-links-quick schemes.
    • Monitor your backlink report.
    • Clean up problem links.
    • Disavow what cannot be cleaned.
  • Links are still the key to top rankings.
    • Quality links signal trust and popularity, but they require more effort.
    • Ranking today requires fewer links of greater quality and a balanced backlink profile.
    • You can help! Keep an eye out for linking opportunities.

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