Google Penguin 4.0 was released in September of 2016 after almost two years of waiting. The algorithm has been updated at last after Penguin 3.0 which took place in October, 2014. This is the fourth release of Penguin so it is known as 4.0. This real-time algorithm has been rolled out to all data hubs of Google although it has yet to go live.

Penguin 4.0 brings in a few important modifications to the algorithm. But, before we even talk about these changes, the update was effective in lowering search engine ranking of any website that violated webmaster guidelines of Google.

What are these major adjustments?

  • Google explains 4.0 as realigning Penguin into the core or primary algorithm of Google. This core consists of several independent algorithms that determine the website’s ranking for a particular search query. As part of this nucleus, Penguin becomes more efficient, integrated and more essential as an element of search engine rankings.
  • Google Penguin 4.0 refreshes regularly rather than occasionally (once every few months). Websites that build manipulative links have more chances of being discovered by Google and penalized right away. On the other hand, websites that wish to get rid of penalties do not have to wait until another refresh to bring back their rankings.
  • In the past, Google relied on spam indicators for flagging a website that requires punishment. Penguin 4.0 changes the approach. Individual web pages with spam links are given the penalty instead of the whole domain.
  • With Penguin 4.0, penalties are given quickly especially for those still practicing “Black-Hat” techniques. Victims of penalties who manage to clean up their link profiles promptly can send Google request for reconsideration and get out of the negative situation faster.
  • The new update is not an indication Google will change its approach in evaluating quality of links. Yet, it provides optimization and marketing practitioners a good reason to reassess their link-building strategies.
  • The algorithm impacts search rankings’ volatility which SEO people need to handle well. Quick refreshes and newer updates could possibly modify search rankings more often.

Real Time

Penguin data is now refreshed in real-time which means changes will become more visible within a very short period.  This takes effect after a while before Google re-crawls and re-indexes a web page. Likewise, Penguin becomes more granular and devalue spam by changing rankings depending on spam signals. Thus, the entire site is not affected at all.

Penguin 4.0 is not the first marginal algorithm integrated into the focal point of Google. Panda’s implementation came before Penguin. It looks like Google is striving to merge its algorithms so these will be faster, more organized, less conspicuous, and steadier. This trend can persist over time. Additional updates will not cause and disruptions and find its way to Google’s core eventually.

The Internet has evolved a lot throughout all these years. Webmasters have the liberty to concentrate on building informative and efficient websites. This is precisely the commitment of BEZA.NET. We create websites that will always take into consideration current trends, developments and updates made by search engines like Google.