The Real Time Penguin Algorithm is Now Live
In September 2016, Google rolled out Penguin 4.0, moving the algorithm to a real time model in many languages. Instead of waiting for a periodic refresh, Penguin’s data updated continuously, so a ranking change showed up as soon as Google recrawled and reindexed a page. The update adjusted rankings for the specific pages carrying spam signals, rather than penalising an entire site.
Why is it such a big deal?
As you are no doubt aware, the Penguin algorithm is all about capturing and penalising any websites that try to deceive the search engine results by using phony backlinks. These backlinks, if they come from a legitimate source, are imperative to SEO services. In the past, many businesses side-stepped the system, to increase their listing on the Search Engine Results Pages by creating back-links from false web pages. As a result of receiving low-quality back-links, some websites naively suffered radially.
At present, once the Penguin algorithm detects one of these deceptive sites and issues a penalty, the site has to wait until the next Google update, in order to regain their ranking position, regardless of how soon they rectify the error. This can be an enormous issue if you are the website that has been penalised. The aim of this new Penguin update, a real-time algorithm, will permit sites to quickly rebound after they disown or remove the damaging back-link. The Penguin algorithm, of course, will also penalise the site for a poor backlink, if the need arises.
As a result of this Penguin 4.0 update, the data is refreshed in real time, allowing changes to be viewed far quicker, normally as soon as Google re-crawl and re-index a page. Google have stated that this Penguin 4.0 release, will be the last update, as it now operates in real time.
The web has changed significantly over the years, and this new Penguin update signifies an amazing opportunity to maximise and increase your organics search rankings.
So, if an SEO expert offers you ‘backlinks’ remember to just say no!
