First the Panda, Now the Penguin - What's Up With Google?

On May 22, 2013, Matt Cutts announced on his blog that they are rolling out Penguin 2.0 . It has actually been the fourth release since the first Penguin. However, Google have been referring to it as Penguin 2.0 since not just minor refreshes on the existing algorithm were made.  They had made some changes on the algorithm itself.  This means, the updates would most likely have a stronger impact in the search results. 

So, what's up with Google this time? What can webmasters expect in the coming months from Google SEO?   On this video, Matt Cutts not only answers this question. He reassures webmasters- who prioritize the benefits of their users, that they should not be affected negatively in any way. On the contrary, the Penguin should bring more good their way because the new algorithms were created to help people find the best sites out there. How?  Here are some of the points given:

Discover black hat webspam. One of the main purposes of Penguin 2.0 is to discover webspam, What is webspam? It is a "black hat", meaning illegal SEO tactic which deceives search engine spiders. Webspam can be done in different ways such as by swamping an entire page with a lot of keywords or key phrases. 

Another strategy is by deliberately inserting keywords in the content, not withstanding the fact that the article is filled with grammatical errors and that some statements do not make any sense at all. Indeed, armed with a Spinning Software, many webmasters can recreate multiple versions of a single article within minutes, simply by altering words and phrases with possible replacements. The result is a poorly "spun" version of the article, stuffed with meaningless phrases which, would often sound ridiculous to a sane human reader. Obviously, the content was not created for people but intended to make-a-fool out of search engine spiders. 

Apparently, the Penguin can tell. In addition, Google encourages more interaction with webmasters. For instance, if you happen to come across a spam site, you can report it at http://bit.ly/penguinspamreport and Google will check on it. 

Distinguish advertorials that violate guidelines. Some advertisers pay to have their links included in a post or to get a positive review. Matt said there's nothing wrong with paid posts and that advertorials should not lower a website's page rank as long as it meets the guidelines accordingly. For example, there should be a clear disclosure stating that it was a paid review so that the reader can be made aware of that fact. 

Detect hacked sites and sites with malware. Searchers are now alerted about websites that have been possibly hacked or may serve malware. Again, Matt emphasized that they are not after penalizing the webmasters of the hacked sites. They are simply protecting internet users from opening potentially hazardous websites or pages. In fact, Google has provided assistance for webmasters who have been hacked (http://www.google.com/webmasters/hacked/) so they can immediately fix the problem.

Matt did not give exact details about the changes or the algorithms. He made it clear though that for those who are working hard to enhance the quality of their websites by implementing "white hat" or legitimate SEO techniques, there is nothing to worry about. In effect, these updates would benefit even webmasters who do not perform SEO tactics at all, but who are focusing on providing great, quality content for their audience.