What does the Penguin update mean for SEO?

The penguin update was a major change when it comes to Google's detection of spammy link practices. Things like buying a link used to be very effective when it came to improving your rank on Google and other search engines; since the penguin update, however, this practice comes with a significant risk.

While some forms of linking had already been of limited use, such as reciprical links and links coming from a page with many links and little real content, since penguin many more links are detected as spammy and are devalued - or even get your site marked for "manual action" which can be VERY hard to recover from!

How can I be sure my website is safe from this penalty?

The best way is to think of your links from a visitor's perspective.

• Does the link come from a related site?
  • If not, the the link may be risky.
    If it is an authentic link that you did not actively work for, you are probably safe - an unrelated website can certainly like the content on your site and want to share it.
    On the other hand, if you paid for it, or otherwise made a deal that included the link, you are at risk of a penalty.
• Does the link represent an authentic "vote" for your site?
  • If so, the link is legitimate and is not spam, though if it looks very spammy, google may still think it is a bad link.
    A link is like a vote for your website - just like a real vote, paying for it or other direct deals to get the vote are not acceptable. If Google thinks the 'vote' was coerced, they may penalize your site.

So how can I get good backlinks? Do they still matter?

Backlinks are still the most important factor for a good ranking in most search engines. They are the single most representative signal of the quality of your website, as a good backlink means a real person felt your site had significant value to their visitors.

Since Penguin, the only links that you can work to get and still know are safe are those you earn. This can be through compelling content on your website, guest blogging, giving a truely exceptional product/experience, or being newsworthy. It's a lot harder than it used to be, but the results are worth the effort!