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Google Penguin 3.0 Algorithm Update Analysis

 
SEO • September 4, 2023
 

Google Penguin algorithm updates aim to decrease search engine rankings of websites that use forbidden link-building techniques. The newest update was released on 17th of October. It’s the 6th refresh of the algorithm so far. It focuses on spammy backlink profiles, and based on the official source – it affected less than 1% of US search queries.

You can read more about Google Penguin updates and how to avoid potential penalties here.

Update History

  • Penguin 1.0 published on April 24, 2012 – 3.1% of search queries affected
  • Penguin 1.1 posted on May 26, 2012 – 0.1% of search queries affected
  • Penguin 1.2 posted on October 5, 2012 – 0.3% of search queries affected
  • Penguin 2.0 posted on May 22, 2013 – 2.3% of search queries affected
  • Penguin 2.1 published on Oct. 4, 2013 – 1% of search queries affected
  • Penguin 3.0 posted on October 17, 2014 – 1% of search queries affected

Penguin Update 3.0 Analysis

We decided to take a closer look at the latest update. We tried to compare its influence on SERPs in several different markets. We also analyzed the backlink profiles of the affected websites for the purpose of finding a correlation to ranking fluctuations.

The study was conducted from 17th – 25th of October. The following results are based on the analysis of 9768 websites that were affected by an update during that period.

See the infographic in full.
Google Penguin 3.0 Analysis - Infographic

Embed the infographic on your website.

<div style="clear: both;"><a href="https://positionly.com/infographics/google-penguin-3-0-infographic"><img title="Google Penguin 3.0 Analysis - Infographic" src="https://positionly.com/infographics/google-penguin-3-0-infographic/images/google-penguin-3-0-infographic.png" alt="Google Penguin 3.0 Analysis - Infographic" border="0" /></a></div>
<div>Source: <a href="https://positionly.com">Positionly</a></div>

If you have any questions about the study, feel free to share them below in the comments section.

The primary function of the Penguin algorithm is to examine and evaluate how well a site’s and blog’s link profile is. It is the reason Google’s Penguin algorithm looks at the quantity and quality of links coming to websites as well as the internal structure of linking on the site. It analyzes the contextual context for the linking (the words surrounding it) and then examines the words that compose it (known in the field of anchor text). It looks at the authority of the website, which has the link, as well as the contents of the page which is receiving the link. Penguin is an algorithm which is specialized in the study of the link profile of your site. Google, as well as the various other search engines, emphasize the profile of links to blogs and websites. Therefore, we must be aware of any updates from Penguin since it could be a significant influence on the position of your site in searches or your actions to build links.   The Penguin upgrade was actually a worldwide update, and Google took several weeks to release it completely. At this time, it is possible to think that the roll-out process is complete.   Google claims that the roll-out has an impact on 1 percent of all search queries. This implies that it will have less effect on the results of searches than previous Penguin versions. Penguin. Google’s official language actually refers to this as “refresh.” This also implies that Google believes that Penguin is functioning properly and that it doesn’t require any major “adjustments” to Penguin.   So, in the end, this appears like a small upgrade. It might even be unsuitable to refer to this as Penguin 3.0, and it might be best to think of it in the context of Penguin 2.2. Since we are not in a position to label the Google updates, we’ll follow the trend and refer to it as 3.0.   Previous statements from Google have used the term “refresh” as a repeat from an older version of the algorithm to position sites that were penalized and have now resolved their issues and also to degrade websites that they hadn’t recognized prior. Google says they haven’t included any new signals in this Penguin algorithm.