For 2016, we challenge you to clean up your links.
Yes, the new year is still a couple of weeks away. But 2016 will be here before you know it. And with it will come a brand new Google Penguin Update.
Why wait to get hit with a decrease in rankings? Or a manual action? You can avoid both if you get rid of any poor quality links you might have right now. And we’ll help show you how.
Why a Clean Link Profile is Important
At SEO Inc., we take links seriously. We recently removed our 21st manual action. That’s the 21st time we’ve put in the effort to go into a client’s website, remove the bad links, enhance the good ones, and get our client back in Google’s good graces.
This sounds like a lot of work, but it’s worth it. Manual actions can decrease a site’s rankings. Even worse, they can even get you removed from Google’s search results entirely. They’re also hard to get rid of; once you get one you’re often stuck with it. But the work to remove it is necessary to ensure your site’s future health and visibility.
With Google Penguin 4.0 on the way, cleaning up your links for the new year is critical. The Penguin update goes after sites that violate Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. It targets sites suspected of black hat SEO like buying links and running link farms.
So whether your links are intentionally violating Google’s guidelines (Penguin) or bad links are linking to you (manual action), getting rid of them is paramount to your site’s success.
2016: The Year of the Penguin
There were rumors the next Google Penguin update was on its way this month. But a Google+ hangout with John Mueller confirms that it’s coming soon:
“I don’t want to make any date promises, but I am hopeful that things are lined up. And since it was kind of on the edge for this year, I’m pretty comfortable that that’s good enough for January. But I really don’t want to make any announcements on that.”
It’s no surprise that Google wouldn’t come right out and give us a release date for the Penguin update. But January is right around the corner. Even that estimate is a good enough sign we’ll likely see Penguin 4.0’s impact in the first few weeks of 2016.
Prepare for the Google Penguin Update
This new update will work much the same way as past Google Penguin updates but with one major difference:
This Penguin update will be in real-time. This means penalties can, theoretically at least, be removed simply by fixing the offending links. With the Google Penguin algorithm rolling out on a regular, automated basis, Google will see your site updated with all the bad stuff taken out. And any penalties you may have incurred from bad links will be removed.
We hope this real-time Google update will turn out well. Not having to wait weeks—or months, even—to see changes will be a huge benefit for all sites.
Make the Change Now
You can, and should, get started on your resolutions now. Why wait until 2016 to make your website better? Google Penguin 4.0 is confirmed as coming early next year. Although it will be in real-time you shouldn’t wait to get hit before you start trying to fix things.
Trust us—eliminating the possibility of getting your rankings decreased is better than having to wait a short time for your site to get fixed. We know it’s a lot of work. But the consequences are just too dire to ignore.
Want to make things easy? Contact us, and let’s take a look at your backlink profile. With 21 manual actions removed to date, we know what we’re doing when it comes to cleaning your links up. So go with the experts—go with SEO Inc. We’ll get you on the road to Google Penguin recovery.
