Google announced the launch of its Penguin Update in April 2012 for the first time. This was another algorithm launch which aims to better catch sites deemed to be spamming its search results. This is a step by Google to prevent those sites from spamming Google’s search results which were trying to influence their rankings by buying links or obtaining them through link networks. Since then many new Penguin Updates keep getting released to better the search engine results.

Escaping and Regaining Rankings after a Penguin Update Release
Every time a Penguin Update is released, the sites which were caught by its last update but have succeeded in removing the bad links gain their rank back. Also, the sites which previously escaped the Penguin Update might get caught by it this time if any bad links are found. Each Penguin Update release by Google ensures to remove sites that are found spamming and add sites that are found spam free along with making some previously effected sites regain rankings once they are mended properly.

What Influences a Site in the Eye of Penguin
Google’s Penguin Update primarily aims at reducing the trust that Google has in sites that have cheated it to gain rise in the Google search results by creating unnatural back links for itself. The prime focus remains on identifying unnatural back links but there are a few more factors that may influence how Penguin sees a web site. However, links are the most important thing to look at since a link is like a vote for your site. Apart from the links, another important factor in the Google algorithms is the anchor text. This is the text that is being underlined in a link. The words that are used for linking matter and therefore, if it is a link to some SEO blog, the anchor text must be “SEO blog”. The right words and natural links can definitely help the web site gain place in directory listings, self made articles, links in comments and forum posts.

If the Penguin algorithm determines that a number of links to your site are not trustworthy this means that Google will now trust your site less. This will result in reducing your website’s rankings in the Google search results.

Recovering from Penguin Hit
The Penguin algorithm is re run periodically such that all sites are re-evaluated. In order to recover your website from a Penguin hit, you need to identify the unnatural links pointing to your site and remove them. Once all your unnatural back links are removed, you will have to wait for the next Penguin update. The newer Penguin Update can help you regain trust in Google’s eyes if all links to your site are genuine.