Will Penguin remain a long-time threat?

[johnfambrini]

Okay guys with Matt Cutts new statement it seems that Penguin 2.0 is in the offings. Is this just a Google scare tactic or will it leave a lot of devastation in its wake. A lot of SEO guys and companies lost their jobs in wake of first Penguin attack. What hell with this version wrought? If Google punishes all SERP high sites as someone does some optimization will customer be served in Google's quest for vendetta. The resulting sites may not be up to the muster.

[thegodfather]

Well, we never really know till it happens.

I read an article today saying the ongoing Panda updates from last year were rolled out smoothly month-by-month or whenever they were released. The Penguin updates however seem to be jolts and 'updatequakes'.

http://searchengineland.com/google-further-penguin-update-jolts-to-come-panda-is-smoother-monthly-130804

[eddyf]

I would say Penguin is here to stay and will evolve. It's one of many anti-spam countermeasures.

If it "punishes" a site (to use your words), then the site owner needs to change strategy.

As far as putting SEOs out of work, I believe that is true only if the "SEO" has a limited skill set. IMHO, SEO's will also need a full set of SEM skills to be of value to their clients going forward.

Ed

[Dr.Marie]

The main goal of Penguin is to stop rewarding sites that used tricks and spammy tactics in order to rank. So, yes, that's here to stay.

[jimmyn]

Yeah they've been saying recently that once Penguin gets smoother it'll be a regular thing as Panda is now.

[SEO_AM]

Penguin and Panda are just two of the latest filters to find and demote crap content and links. There will be more filters through time as SEOs develop alternate ways to get around existing filters. The secret? Go after EARNED links that want to link to your SUPERIOR content.

[czoom]

Penguin and Panda are just two of the latest filters to find and demote crap content and links. There will be more filters through time as SEOs develop alternate ways to get around existing filters. The secret? Go after EARNED links that want to link to your SUPERIOR content.

Which is almost impossible, when everything on the web has been said and done already. Even for long tail keywords, there are hundreds of pages.

LOL Google thinks you can get a site going just by building it and letting it sit (Which could work if you are willing to wait 4 years). Hope for the Magic Natural links come to you. 80% of people for mid to top terms are still unnatural with there link building.

IF GOOGLE WANTS TO MAKE A MOVE. TAKE LINK EQUATION OUT OF RANKING FACTOR. BASE RANKING PURELY ON CONTENT, BOUNCE RATE and NATURAL SOCIAL SIGNALS.

Nope they rather build algorithms that punish crap links webmasters build. Why not just over look the crap links? instead of punishing? Oh maybe they know those that were hit care a lot about there sites and might buy ads from Adwords?

To me Panda makes sense in a lot of ways, but PENGUIN is RETARDED, and really is here to tell you the links you can't have or you will be Punished. GOOGLE just overlook the CRAP, dont give value to the CRAP, no need to be the evil step mom punishing for every little unnatural link.

I am About through with Google SE. I would Expect something a bit smarter to come from such a huge company.

This is the best they can do to improve SERPS???? LOL

[DarrenHaye]

Which is almost impossible, when everything on the web has been said and done already. Even for long tail keywords, there are hundreds of pages.

That is a ridiculous thing to say..

New & great sites pop up all the time.

Look at pinterest, they came from nowhere and it's massive now, With your attitude they wouldn't have bothered

[czoom]

That is a ridiculous thing to say..

New & great sites pop up all the time.

Look at pinterest, they came from nowhere and it's massive now, With your attitude they wouldn't have bothered

Wow I guess I have to think of something completely new and revolutionary? what ever happened to the little guy trying to build a website about something he enjoys. Very niche based sites are dieing, Google wants them all dead.

[Test-ok]

To me Panda makes sense in a lot of ways, but PENGUIN is RETARDED, and really is here to tell you the links you can't have or you will be Punished. GOOGLE just overlook the CRAP, dont give value to the CRAP, no need to be the evil step mom punishing for every little unnatural link.

Look at it through Googles eyes and not the website owner who can't rank because buying link spam doesn't work any longer.
Google sells positioning in the SERPs, and as long as people were buying spammy links, just to rank, well Google would rather you buy it from them, one of the reasons it's in the TOS..it's really that simple. It was getting out of hand and cutting into their bottom line... I also believe it's the reason notices were sent...I'd call it googles advertising flyer...However they should have added this to the notices:
'Your link buying days are over, for ranking purposes. If you have the need to be seen on page 1 and, instead of buying links (which stopped working) check out adsense.'
Well thats what I see when reading between the lines.

And I believe Penguin has only dropped the juice from the spammy networks, sites, blogs that were caught, I don't doubt there's still some out there that made it, it all depends on how well they were created and used, greed probably got them in trouble, ya know a blog with 6 links on each article, with broken English content. I think the next one could get even more. If the sites that lost rankings started with adsense and Google see's a nice spike in sales, the storm could get worse.

I feel sorry for anyone who's ranked or still ranking on just purchased links, that hasn't been hit yet or caught.
The only thing you can do is make sure your on-page is in order and start getting links the ol fashion way. I've never such tactics, even if I'd be afraid to sigh up for any link building service now days.

[czoom]

Look at it through Googles eyes and not the website owner who can't rank because buying link spam doesn't work any longer.
Google sells positioning in the SERPs, and as long as people were buying spammy links, just to rank, well Google would rather you buy it from them, one of the reasons it's in the TOS..it's really that simple. It was getting out of hand and cutting into their bottom line... I also believe it's the reason notices were sent...I'd call it googles advertising flyer...However they should have added this to the notices:
'Your link buying days are over, for ranking purposes. If you have the need to be seen on page 1 and, instead of buying links (which stopped working) check out adsense.'
Well thats what I see when reading between the lines.

And I believe Penguin has only dropped the juice from the spammy networks, sites, blogs that were caught, I don't doubt there's still some out there that made it, it all depends on how well they were created and used, greed probably got them in trouble, ya know a blog with 6 links on each article, with broken English content. I think the next one could get even more. If the sites that lost rankings started with adsense and Google see's a nice spike in sales, the storm could get worse.

I feel sorry for anyone who's ranked or still ranking on just purchased links, that hasn't been hit yet or caught.
The only thing you can do is make sure your on-page is in order and start getting links the ol fashion way. I've never such tactics, even if I'd be afraid to sigh up for any link building service now days.

Can you let me know what the old fashion way is? What anyone can do that would not be considered SPAM?

Please don't just say great content, that gets passed around.

Not everyone builds websites around content that's popular and gets passed around.

[SEO_AM]

Not everyone builds websites around content that's popular and gets passed around.

That is exactly the point. People searching on the Internet are usually looking for content that can satisfy their search, NOT garbage sites trying to make a buck on Adsense ads or other such dribble. Google is trying to satisfy the needs of their users, NOT the desires of site owners.

[eddyf]

Can you let me know what the old fashion way is?

As the owner/builder of a 10-year-old e-commerce site, I'll share my $0.02

The days of the early Internet are gone. In 1999, just build it and they would come. Today you have enormous competition.

For the most part, the web has a low barrier to entry. Anyone with $25 in their pocket can publish a web site.

$25 will also rent you a spot at the local swap-meet. It cost a bit more to open a store on Rodeo Drive. The point is, many who open a web site expect to compete with sites that are already on the caliber of "Rodeo Drive". "If only my rankings were higher!" Nope. Rankings are one part of a complex business plan.

Any business has to start with a business plan. That includes analyzing the competition and realizing the start-up costs to compete.

I remember the classic problem from Marketing 101 in college: "How many piano tuners can the city of Chicago support?" Yes, that problem is not a trick question, and can be solved with just some very basic assumptions.

The point is, if your market is saturated, and you don't have something unique to bring to the table, look instead for something to do that you CAN be successful at. That is "the old fashion way". Blaming Google is wasted energy.

I wish it were the "good old days" of 1999. But a lot of very successful Internet enterprises continue to pop up. Best wishes.

** BTW 125 piano tuners is a good number for Chicago. If you want to be number 126, might want to try another profession, or find a gimmick.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_problem


Ed

[DarrenHaye]

Wow I guess I have to think of something completely new and revolutionary? what ever happened to the little guy trying to build a website about something he enjoys. Very niche based sites are dieing, Google wants them all dead.

There is always room in the world/market for something new if it's good, be it music, art, or a website.

Google only wants spam to die.

[gazzahk]

A further point to remember is that you are only competing against other sites in your market/niche therefore if link spam is being neutralized then many people who were doing well with it are now much easier to beat. Every time Google reduces the ability to rank with link spam they make competing with a new business easier.

You just need better links then your competitors you are not competing against millions of websites you are competing against 10 to 20 at most for any search phrase.

Getting rid of link spam methods to win SERPs is making winning SERPs easier for those who can create better websites.

On page is becoming relatively increasing in importance. So make sure your on page has the information that potential customers are looking for.

Once again reducing link spam makes SEO an easier process not a harder one is my view…