As of this moment (November 3rd, 2014), the Google Penguin update is still indeed rolling out. This information has been confirmed by Google and the rollout is expected to take “a couple more weeks”. And at that, it was never actually confirmed which day the Google Penguin rollouts will stop updating. It was simply said that webmasters should expect to see a slowdown in the ranking changes in the next couple of weeks.
But with all of the speculation and unknowns about what is really going on with the Google Penguin update, where have I received this information from? See for yourself in this morning’s Google hangout meeting with Gary Illyes, who seems to be the replacement for Matt Cutts as the unofficial Google webspam spokesperson.
That is obviously a longer video but it is worth the watch as Gary gets into several things in addition to the most recent and ongoing Google Penguin update.
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Google Penguin Still Updating – But For How Long?
Once again, the exact time frame is not known and Google continues to be very tightlipped about what is happening with this update. What we do know, is that Gary said the SERPs will continue to fluctuate over the next couple of weeks and after that the Google Penguin update will be less noticeable in the SERPs.
What this tells me is that the Google Penguin update is now going to be a regular part of the algorithm which will continue to be updated over time. It was not said that this rollout would end in a couple weeks but that we would stop noticing the changes. This is a clear indication that Google Penguin will begin to function in the same general way as the Google Panda algorithm.
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What To Expect From Google Penguin As It Continues To Update
Just like in my prior predictions about Google Penguin, I expect a little more of what we have already seen. Many webmasters will continue to feel frustrated that they are not seeing their website return to the prior levels that their site may have been at when they were first hit by the Google Penguin algorithm. Many webmasters were expecting this to be the update to bring them back to the levels they were once at, but of course as I predicted, many are very disappointed to see that while they have seen very minor increases in their search visibility, it is not enough to really take their business to the next level.
The good news, however, is that the Google Penguin update appears to be becoming a part of the regular Google algorithm. This means that the updates will be more common and should be a little bit easier to predict as we forward. The fact still remains that only about 1% of search results have been affected from this latest Google Penguin update which is less than one third of the effect that we saw with prior Google Penguin updates.
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How Will Google Penguin Shape The Future Of SEO?
Most people are beginning to figure out the trends by now but there are still some who are lagging behind. Google will always want to strive for providing the best user experience for people who are using their service and their search engine. If you are simply gaming their system by using private blog networks, link building strategies, and black hat or even gray hat SEO strategies, your time in the spotlight is limited. I am not here to tell you that certain black cat strategies or linking networks no longer work, but what I am telling you was eventually Google will find you out and they will come after you. Everyone can see where the trend is headed… You need to create authoritative and high quality websites that provide great content and a good experience for those visiting our website.
It will continue to be harder to rank a website using any other means than simply creating a quality website. Using certain black Methods may still work such as some private blog networks, but if you factor in the amount of time that it takes to create something like a private blog network, you might as well simply create a legitimate website that is of high quality and attracts links naturally through both outreach and word-of-mouth.
So hold onto your hats, because the Google Penguin update is still updating and will be updating at least for the next couple of weeks and it is likely it will still update beyond that. There is definitely more to come.
Have you seen changes in your search rankings recently? What us know in the comments section below and let’s start comparing our traffic fluctuations in different niche industries.
