In April of this year, Google released its latest version of the search engine algorithm, the google penguin. This update, compared to previous updates, aims to lower the ranking of websites and web pages that use black-hat SEO techniques. Google believes that by doing this, more people will be able to find what they really need, without having to sift through hundreds or thousands of results.

How does it affect web businesses?

Different websites have different page ranks given to them by Google. This page rank determines their frequency of appearance in search results, assuming they are related to the search keyword used by the user. For example, if the user is searching for “jewelry and watches”, and your website deals with jewelry and watches, it will have a higher page rank compared to others, which will place you on the first or second page of the results. search.

Through the correct use of various SEO techniques, website owners can “manipulate” the results, earning them a higher page rank so they can appear on the first page. However, with the introduction of the Google Penguin update, users of black-hat SEO techniques (e.g. keyword stuffing, cloaking, etc.) will be penalized and will get a lower page rank, which it will put them in a disadvantageous position (eg, by placing them in the last pages of search results). However, those using Google-enabled SEO techniques are not as affected by this recent update.

The advantages of Google Penguin

This update is especially advantageous for website owners who do not use black-hat SEO techniques and instead use legitimate SEO techniques that are allowed by Google. This will greatly increase their page rank, earning them more customers in the process (since these websites will appear on the first few pages of search results).

This update is also advantageous for customers who rely entirely on the Internet to find websites that offer the particular service or item they are looking for. With this update, they can find more reliable websites, avoiding spam websites in the process, allowing them to find the ones that are more capable of providing the item or service they are looking for.

The disadvantages of Google Penguin

However, this recent update puts small businesses out of business. This is because many of these small businesses rely on SEO techniques to keep up with the larger, more established businesses. With the introduction of this update, they are not only penalized for using SEO techniques, but are given a lower priority in search results, causing them to lose traffic and therefore profits.

This update, according to small business owners, also prioritizes large businesses over smaller ones. This is because large businesses can promote themselves without resorting to SEO techniques and make use of expensive non-SEO techniques, something small businesses don’t have access to. They believe that this update is really unfair and should be reviewed to give small businesses a fighting chance against larger companies. Because of this, a petition has been started for Google to reconsider this update.

Final words for Google Penguin

While it may come with its own share of pros and cons, Google still has to consider that there are plenty of small (and big, too) businesses that still rely on SEO techniques. Therefore, Google should release an update that is not only beneficial for large companies, but also for small ones. This will give companies large and small a fair chance to market their services, allowing them to compete on equal ground.