How to Recover from the Google Penguin Update

The WebMarketing Group is delighted to announce their recent success in helping affected clients recover from Google Penguin.

After a leading jewellery retailer was hit by Penguin, we conducted an in-depth analysis of their site and took appropriate action to aid their swift recovery. As you can see from the Google Analytics graph (fig.1), there is a huge dip in traffic on April 24th when Penguin hit and then a spike on October 5th when the most recent Penguin update occured.

A sharp loss in traffic and rankings indicated that this site had been hit by Penguin. It quickly became clear that this particular site needed to adopt a post-Penguin link building strategy in order to recover from their spammy backlink profile.

Action Taken for Successful Penguin Recovery

• Conducted in-depth site analysis
• Identified damaging directory links built by previous company
• Advised removal of poor quality back links
• Strengthened branded back-link profile
• Used specialist software to identify over-optimisation
• Advised client to make Google-friendly on-site changes

In addition to the drop in traffic, this particular site suffered ranking drops for key phrases (fig.2). Following the Penguin 3 update on Friday, this site has seen their pre-Penguin rankings return. As a result, we also expect the site to return to its pre-Penguin traffic levels over the coming weeks.

Friday’s Penguin 3 update has led many webmasters to question whether or not they will be able to recover from certain algorithmic changes. The first Penguin algorithmic update occurred on April 24th, with a refresh appearing in May. In a bid to prevent sites with spammy back link profiles from performing well in the search rankings, Penguin targeted web spammers. Affected sites with poor link profiles saw drops in rankings and traffic that proved difficult to recover from without sufficient knowledge of why they had been targeted.

Many webmasters sought the help and advice of trusted SEO specialists to recover their traffic and rankings. We have seen an increase in the number of companies looking for specialist advice on Penguin and Google algorithm updates. If you are concerned that your site has been hit by Penguin, speak to our team today to find out how to recover your rankings and lost traffic.