Google has confirmed that the latest version of Penguin (which is 4.0) is now live and part of their core algorithm as of 23rd September 2016.

Penguin is the name given to part of the algorithm that deals with web spam – things like keyword stuffing and unnatural link schemes and was first launched in 2012.

What does this mean for a small business’s website?

Well not much if you have high quality content that doesn’t repeat your target keywords lots and lots on your web page.  Here is Google’s explanation of keyword stuffing:

Or this example of totally unnatural links (see the links to loans in an article about getting fit):

While these are extreme examples think about your site – do you link out to any other websites that have absolutely nothing to do with your business area? Are there more than one or two links on each page?

If not you should be in pretty good shape to not be affected by Penguin 4.0.

If you’ve seen a dip in your SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages) I’d love to hear from you!

Jo
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