Yet again the new Penguin update is out for the heads of the unethical practitioners of search engine optimization. The latest update rolled out on October 4th, 2014. This time Google is making sure that the heads are going to roll for the SEO miscreants who are into using manipulative link building tactics, back link patterns as well as unethical anchor text uses. The emphasis this time is to eradicate the source of misinformation. This blog post would look into the changes which have been brought through Penguin 2.1 .
1] The Aftermath of Penguin 2.1
The most affected sites are the ones which are related to small businesses. As discussed in the above line the Penguin 2.1 focused mainly on the unnatural and manipulative inbound link profiles. The update has focused on several reasons for penalty. The reasons have been elucidated through the following lines. :
The penalty makers:
a) The links, which are coming for poor quality sites.
b) Topically irrelevant links which does not go with the niche of the business.
c) The links, which you have paid for or the links which you have hired for the betterment of the site.
d) The links, which are populating the keywords.
e) Links, which are built with anchor texts, which are the exact match of the keyword.
The results have been disastrous in many of the small business, dragging a major chunk of the business down the search engine rank pages.
So, what are the remedies which can help the sites recover from the holocaust? Few of the remedies have been elucidated through the following passages of the post.
2] 7 Guidelines to Survive the Penguin Holocaust
Some of the sites catering to small businesses lay waste in the search engine rank pages, as the Google update ravages through the nooks and corners of the search engine. This time the toll has been huge with 2.3% of the US-English queries of the total searches taking most of the heat. So a new standard of strategy can only save these websites from this dilemma. Some of these tactical points have been elucidated in the following lines.
a) Link Building Has Still Not Lost Its Vitality
Though too much link building has by itself tarnished the meaning of the term, but in this scenario link building by itself can prove to be very useful. The first thumb rule of the link building is that whatever link you acquire it should be quality link. Whatever link you acquire it has to be relevant to the site. It has to be kept in mind that you should not acquire too many links in a short time.
b) Audit for the site link
How do you know whether your site has been penalized, has decreased in ranking or de-indexed? How can you learn about the standing of the competitors? Or How would you understand that, which are the areas to work on for the improvement of your site? The site link audit is the answer to all these above-mentioned queries. You can either use a competitive analysis or link research tools, which can help in the standing of the site.
If you find links, which can be hostile for your site, then you can always use the disavow tool. But before even you go on with disavowing links, have a thorough knowledge of the disavow tool.
c) Bringing Balance to the Anchor Text
Prior to the application of the Penguin 2.1, even the seasoned web masters emphasised on using the anchor text, with the exact keyword being including within the text. But the recent Penguin update, has extensively affected the concept of anchor text as well. Penguin has given a cold shoulder to the concept of using the exact keywords as anchor texts for ranking.
But the aspect of anchor texting is still in vogue for the web master. There are methods of utilizing back links which can definitely help in making your anchor text for your site.
d) Authoritative and Branded Back Links Are More Preferable
The Penguin with this update has made one thing absolutely clear, removing the back links alone will not help in the recovery of the site. If you want a legitimate brand building, the trick of the trade involves exchanging guest blogs for traffic generation and better brand reputation.
If you want to survive this Penguin onslaught, it is highly advisable to use back links, which comes from reputable companies.
e) Optimizing the Images
Images speak louder than thousand words.’ Probably, these penguin update has proven this phrase to be true. Images with this update have become a major element in Search Engine Optimization. So how will optimise your images?
It is the best to use an exemplar photo, which can represent your business in the ‘About Us’ and ‘Contact Us’ page. If you are optimising for a particular location, you should include image file name, alt text and title tags. Don’t forget to upload the images on your business page in Google plus page. To top it all be original about the images. It is best to donate the images to Wikipedia. Use the Flickr to share on the local city groups.
f) Utilize the YouTube
A site like YouTube got a major preference through this update. Your YouTube channel is needed to be optimized after this update. Whatever video you are planning to post should be attached with the Geo tags. Don’t forget to write your name, address and phone in the post description. The transcript should also have the name, address and place. Tag your video. It has become mandatory after the penguin update, to embed the video in the companies Google Plus as well as the Google Places listing.
g) Optimising the Schema
When optimising the schema based on the update, keep in mind to put the geographic markup, as well as optimising your reviews and testimonials. It is mandatory that you should make store for each location. If you want to prosper in local SEO, you can always add Keyhole Mark-up Language and give a boost to your online business.
These points might not be enough, but if you are planning to bring prosperity in your business in this scenario, these tips are enough to get you started. If you are still having trouble to get over the latest Penguin predicament, you can always look for the local professional SEO expert in Sydney.
