how to avoid and recover from google’s penguin penalty€¦ · how to avoid and recover from...
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Jacob BohallVP of Marketing @Virante, Inc
How to Avoid and Recover from Google’s Penguin Penalty
IntroductionJacob Bohall is the Vice President of Marketing at Virante, Inc. - a leading search marketing agency known for white-glove link development services, industry R&D, and their suite of innovative SEO tools.
His 10+ years of experience in founding several start-ups, programming, SEO, and business development has made him adept at identifying practical online marketing strategies to fit a companies growth objectives and available resources.
He frequently speaks at popular industry conferences discussing the latest trends and techniques and also leads search marketing training programs for corporate clients and major conferences.
Virante, Inc.http://www.virante.org1‐800‐650‐0820@virante
Jake [email protected]‐459‐2834@jakebohall
How to Avoid and Recover from Google’s Penguin Penalty
What is Google Penguin?
• Code Name for an Algorithm Update– April 24, 2012 (Penguin 1.0)– May 25th, 2012 (Penguin 1.1)– October 5th, 2012 (Penguin #3)– May 22nd, 2013 (Penguin 2.0 / #4)– October 4th, 2013 (Penguin 2.1 / #5)
• Enforces Google’s Webmaster Guidelines– Specifically the guidelines regarding link
development practices or “link schemes”
Image credit: http://www.seobook.com
What is a Link Scheme?
• Any links intended to manipulate PageRank or a site's ranking in Google search results may be considered part of a link scheme and a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.
Content Source: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/66356?hl=en
What is a Link Scheme?
1. Buying or selling links2. Link exchanges3. Article Marketing or Guest Posting campaigns4. Automated programs or services5. Text ads that pass PageRank6. Advertorials7. Links with optimized anchor text8. Low-quality Directory or Bookmarking sites9. Keyword-rich links in widgets10. Widely distributed links in footers/templates11. Forum and blog comments with optimized anchors
Content Source: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/66356?hl=en
What is the Risk?
Image Credit: http://seo‐website‐designer.com
What is the Risk?
– Algorithmic filter• Noticeable drop in traffic/rankings without receiving
any manual action in Google Webmaster Tools
– Manual Penalty• Notice in Google Webmaster Tools• Action Listed in Google Webmaster Tools
Algorithmic Filter
Image Credit: http://www.billhartzer.com
Algorithmic Filter
Manual Penalty
How do I fix it?
1. Cleanup Bad Links
2. Disavow Bad Links
3. Submit a Reconsideration Request (if Manual)
4. Cross your fingers and wait
Step 1 – Cleanup Bad Links
Create a Master List!
– Google Webmaster Tools– Bing Webmaster Tools– OpenSiteExplorer.org– MajesticSEO.com– aHrefs.com– Yandex Webmaster Tools
What is a Bad Link?
Image Credit: http://www.agentsofvalue.com
http://www.removeem.com/ratios.php
If it is keyword specific, consider PenguinAnalysis.com for guidance.
Step 1 – Cleanup Bad Links
• Review and flag each link to be removed• Obtain contact information for the
webmasters (whois, website, etc.)• Email each webmaster requesting that the
link be removed.• Track the links to see which ones are
removed
Streamline the Cleanup Process
Pay DeleteBacklinks.com to get rid of links from known directories
Check out these link removal companies• Remove’em• Rmoov• LinkDetox
Step 2 - Disavow Remaining Links
Image Credit: http://www.seosandwitch.com
Step 3 – File Recon Request
1. Apologize and take responsibility
2. Why are you so important?
3. Explain cleanup efforts and results
4. Link to spreadsheet with “proof”
5. Outline plans for future SEO efforts
Step 3 – File Recon Request
Step 4 – Wait it out
Google approves request
Google denies request
Image Credit: http://searchengineland.com/
