This led to the birth of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which basically aims to increase the visibility of a website or web page by editing its content, using a set of relevant keywords that could be used by users or by associated coding. Search engines employ specific algorithms to search for relevant pages and to determine relevancy ranking of a website.
SEO try to increase the relevancy of a webpage to these algorithms. It was just a matter of time that things would get ugly and someone would play dirty. Thus, along came spamdexing or black hat SEO, which used unethical techniques to manipulate a search engine indexing system.
But all that could soon become history. As an algorithm update, Google Penguin announced on April 24, 2012. Its aim was to improve the algorithms that are used to rank a website by a search engine. The search engine ranking of websites that violated Google’s Webmaster Guidelines by using black-hat SEO techniques could now be decreased using this algorithm.
Any website found to be manipulating their rankings through keyword stuffing, participating in link schemes, concealing, deliberate creation of replica content, automatically received lower rankings.
It works by inspecting the anchor texts used by SEOs to promote their websites. If these texts seem unnatural, occurring over and over in the content of a webpage or in the incoming links, then the ranking of the webpage is decreased. It also takes into account the link schemes of different websites. If there is a lot of link exchange between two sites then both the sites’ rankings will be affected. If any webpage has duplicate content that automatically leads to a lower ranking.
Recently, Google has launched another update, the Penguin 2.0. Displaying high class websites at the top of any search result is the strategic target of the update. As a consequence, webmasters, SEO agencies and freelancers have to change their approach to link building, since the core focus is more on the quality of the content.
This means that advertorial content (paid-for content) will receive lower rankings because they will most likely be toppled by websites that have a highly shared content source.
Secondly, link spamming or links that are present on a webpage for reasons other than merit will also be reduced. Although if a site with a high ranking has links to other sites with high ranks, then it will receive a higher ranking on the ground of its high quality content.
Thirdly and most importantly, search results will now yield valuable and relevant content.
SEO Solution
1) There isn't any perfect solution to SEO as the algorithm changes soon. The only eternal solution is, Good Content which attracts more and more users.2) Ask your viewers to share your Content around. If you yourself copy-paste your links at various Social Networks, that wouldn't help. Ask them to reach more people, and its acceptable to Penguin too. After all we are not doing anything wrong.
3) Check the Comments posted onto your Blog or Website. People do share links in their comments, that is fine. But if someone is posting comments with the same link again and again, then don't allow that. Because increased occurrence of a particular Link in your content is a red flag for Google Penguin.
4) Also, do not indulge into Link Exchange with non-trusted Websites. It will affect your rankings badly.
5) Keep a sharp eye on Guest Posts. Usually guest posts includes repetitive content which is present in abundance on the Internet.
6) Do not indulge in excessive Keyword Stuffing. Keyword stuffing is considered unethical since always. And now with Google Penguin, you might encounter severe ranking fall due to Keyword Stuffing.
Google Penguin 2.0 will bring another setback to SEO companies, who deploy unethical tricks to bring up ranking for websites. Whether or not these updates manage to make a difference is yet to be seen. But it will definitely be a boon to the varied, strategic and valuable content available on the internet.
