As you might have heard and read over the news, Google has unveiled real-time Penguin 4.0.  After all this time, finally, we have the latest update from Google and this must be a fix to the problems that site owners are facing currently.

What’s so interesting about Google’s Penguin 4.0?

There was a time when site owners wished that Penguin would not black mark them. This was a serious issue back then, but not anymore with the real-time Penguin 4.0.

Google made an official announcement with regard to its real-time Penguin 4.0 that will finally put an end to the delay that site owners used to face when Penguin penalizes them.

The new update that has happened to Penguin for the first time in the last two years is quite different from the previous version of Penguin that you are all familiar with as mentioned by Gary Illyes, Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst while making the update official on Google’s Webmaster Blog a few days back.

So, what is real-time Penguin 4.0 and its relation to SEO? Here, is everything that you need to know about the new update:

#1. Global change:

There was a time when the Multi giants and big heads such as Google would be testing out on certain updates and even though these would be officially rolled out; the changes would be limited to just a few countries and languages.

But, this time, the change applies to all countries and languages across the globe. Searchers all over the world can access the new update that has been rolled out worldwide.

#2. More granularized:

There was a time when the Penguin would penalize your entire site if you have been doing something illicit.

But, Google says that “Penguin is now more granular.”

So, what does Granularization mean?

Could it be like impacting a single page for instance if someone has been trying to build spammy links directed to a single page rather than the homepage?

No!

While we were examining Jennifer Slegg’s article on TheSEMPost, it is clearly mentioned what Google means by Granularizing!

On TheSEMPost, we could find Google’s following quote-

“No, it means it affects finer granularity than sites. It does not mean it only affects pages.”

This means it is not just the page but the other components on these pages that would be affected.

#3. What about the linking guidelines?

Google has clearly mentioned that there are no changes to its linking guidelines with regard to the new Penguin update.

Google’s linking guidelines will be the same, and it will apply to all sites in the search results.

#4. Penguin is no longer a filter but core part of the algo:

Penguin joins Panda to be a part of Google’s core ranking algorithm. Now, it will be embedded into Google’s search algorithm that comprises of more than 200 diversifying signals.

Don’t worry now! Penguin being the core part of core ranking algorithm has zero impact on search rankings and will not create any visible changes to searchers.

#5. Could it impact my site negatively:

As we have discussed in # 3 Penguin is no longer a filter but a part of the core ranking algo which means it would start creating a negative impact on your site.

Be careful with what you are doing!

So, if your site has any bad link issues fix it up, or Penguin will mess it up for you.

#6. Disavowing still works:

You can still use Google’s disavows to remove bad backlinks. With Penguin update, there has been no change to how disavows are being used.

A small tip for webmasters and SEO experts who depend on the disavowing tool is that it would be great if you could remove these links from the websites rather t
han using the tool.

@glenngabe OK, clearer: no change on using the disavow file. Use it thoughtfully, as always.

— John Mueller (@JohnMu) September 23, 2016

#7. Instant change:

Another amazing feature of this latest Penguin update is that you will be experiencing the new change as and when it is made.

Whenever you are making a change, it will be visible instantly.

So, whenever links are removed or disavowed the changes will be visible, and you do not have to wait for an update, or refresh to find the new change. It could be visible while recrawling the sites and links.

#8. Penguin Updates:

Google is not seen making any public comments about the real-time Penguin updates.

Google was quoted saying-

“It also means we’re not going to comment on future refreshes.”

This is what Google did when they pushed out Panda’s outdated version to be replaced by the new changes.

Also, the new update being in real-time, it is not necessary that the changes become visible to the SEOs and webmasters until Google recrawls.

#9. So what does it mean by real-time?

We all have been long awaiting for this kind of a change to dawn and fortunately for us, finally, it is here.

As we have already discussed, you need not wait for a Penguin update or refresh to happen for recovering from Penguin.

So, the changes become visible whenever you recrawl or reindex a page since the data is refreshed in real time, thus the name real-time Penguin 4.0.

This is what Google had to say about the recrawling and reindexing:

“We look at the webmaster’s page and devalue incoming spam as we recrawl and reindex the particular page. So it’s the webmaster’s page that we’re talking about, not the spammy site.”

This means your page’s rankings will be reevaluated each time Google recrawls the page and also, the impact brought about by incoming links and spam is instantly visible.

#10. So, when can we recover from the previous Penguin?

The site owners who have been penalized by the previous Penguin have been asking the same question as to whether this update will help them recover soon?

Remove those bad links. And, if you have removed these then, after Google recrawls these pages you are going to see the changes.

#11. When shall we start witnessing the real change in real-time?

It is not necessary that you might start seeing the change the next minute the update is rolled out.

If you cannot find the expected recovery then, it could be mainly due to the following reasons:

• The rollout is still on the go, so you might not be able to witness a visible change.

• Existing bad links that are pointing to your site needs to be cleared soon.

And, with regard to the same Google was quoted saying- The web has significantly changed over the years, but as we said in our original post, webmasters should be free to focus on creating amazing, compelling websites.

Now don’t fret! There is nothing to worry about if you are not ready to embrace the Panda or Penguin update. These are just one of the 200 signals that are bound to change the face of search rankings. So, you can chill and work towards improving your search rankings.

So, do you need help with fixing the Penguin update on your website?

Share your suggestions and comments with us.

Acodez IT Solutions is an SEO agency in India offering all kinds of inbound marketing services in India and abroad. We have helped many of the businesses to attain success by reaching and engaging their audiences. For further inquiries, contact us today.