Google rolls-out Penguin algorithm update 3.0
Dental websites with poor link profiles relegated again
Google rolled-out the long awaited update to it’s search ranking algorithm over the week-end just passed. The update, named “Penguin 3.0” is targeted at websites which have used poor quality links as the foundation of their SEO campaigns.
Penguin first rolled out back in 2012 and decimated lots of dental sites and whilst this latest update is a little less punitive, many more websites have followed, disappearing down the rankings.
A quick recap – what is the Google Penguin update?
Google frequently updates the algorithm it uses to rank websites in it’s quest to deliver, what it considers, to be the best set of search results to answer a user’s query.
Where Google considers that websites have used aggressive SEO tactics to manipulate search results, it introduces “special” tools to target and penalise the perpetrators. This could be to penalise website owners who have copied text from elsewhere, hidden keywords in their content, or, in the case of “Penguin”, where hundreds of poor quality back-links have been used in an attempt to propel a site upwards.
Penguin identifies where low-quality back-links have been built in excess and moves the site backwards accordingly. Falls from page 1 to page 5, 10 or even worse have been seen and with a huge impact on a website owner’s business.
Why have dental sites been hit badly?
Like any competitive niche, aggressive marketing techniques are unfortunately common-place in dentistry, including some fairly coarse efforts to improve website ranking. Many dentists have suffered as a result of this and have been left wondering where a) their web ranking went and b) how they are going to replace the lost new patient enquiries.
So what can you do if your website has been hit by this latest Google update?
Firstly, this is a subject for the experienced i.e. a search marketing team who understand how Google updates work and have proven success in recovering penalised websites. Secondly, there are no quick fixes; it can take a year or more to recover a site which has been hit badly and where there is a lot to rectify.
There are posts elsewhere on this blog which provide more detail about Penguin recovery but to recap briefly, all of the bad links need to be identified and eliminated. This can be very time consuming indeed. In conjunction with the clean-up, good quality work needs to be done to displace the bad. Only when Google is happy that this has been done, will they consider re-instating your site. The penalty can be quite punitive and long-lasting – Google wants you to realise that you’ve done wrong and give you a clear understanding of the consequences. For many, it simply boils down to lots of lost business.
The days of cheap SEO are gone and many dentists have fallen foul of this. It’s a harsh reality, but if you can’t afford good, ethical SEO, it’s best avoided completely as the risks of penalty are just too high.
Summary
The latest Google Penguin algorithm update has adversely affected more dental websites which had been employing dubious link-building tactics in an attempt to boost their ranking positions.
If you’ve seen your website traffic and search positions decline ominously in the last few days, chances are your website was affected.
If you would like to know more about how to recover an affected site, Dental Media can help you. Please call our search marketing team for a confidential discussion on 01332 672548.