<p>Google rolled out its Penguin 2.0 update recently, which will further revolutionize search engine optimization and potentially impact your business’ website.</p>
<p>And, like those cute little birds in the Antarctic, it doesn’t like spam.</p>
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-2817" alt="Penguin 2.0 Google's Latest Gamechanger" src="https://medusamagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Penguin-2.0-Googles-Latest-Gamechanger.jpg" width="300" height="286" /></p>
<p><strong>What is Penguin 2.0?</strong></p>
<p>Like Penguin 1.0, Penguin 2.0 is a means of controlling search engine results and</p>
<p>ensuring that unnecessarily over-optimized sites receive lower page rankings,</p>
<p>and ultimately, less traffic.</p>
<p>The reasoning behind the new penalties is simple: to make websites market to their targeted audiences,</p>
<p>not just any old internet browser who happens to stumble upon their page.</p>
<p>Like the previous Penguin update, users can participate in the revolution as well.</p>
<p>If you see a site that still has a high page rank despite being riddled with spam,</p>
<p>you can fill out Google’s spam report and cut ‘em down.</p>
<p><strong>Is your site over-optimized?</strong></p>
<p>You probably already know if you’re employing the tactics that would cause your page to get hit by Penguin 2.0’s penalties – yes, we&#8217;re looking at you,Mr.</p>
<p>Uses Too Much Exact Match Anchor text – but if you’re not quite sure, there are numerous ways to tell if your site is over-optimized.</p>
<p>Does your page contain an excessive amount of AdWords?</p>
<p>Do many of your inbound links originate from other pages you own? Wikipedia? Or user comments?</p>
<p>Is most of the text on your page ripped from someone else’s page?</p>
<p>These are just a few things that can come back to bite you. Some others can be found here in this Jeff Foxworthy-style list.</p>
<p><strong>Who loses? </strong></p>
<p>Though the update is only a few days old, patterns have already been noticed regarding who is being hit with penalties.</p>
<p>Among these SEO “losers” are gaming sites, big brand businesses and porn sites – and that stands to reason.</p>
<p>After all, who tries to spam you more than people trying to A. waste your time, B. take your money or C. excite you?</p>
<p>Here’s Search Metrics’ first look at the sites that have taken the greatest hit in the early days of Penguin 2.0.</p>
<p>It should be noted that the list doesn’t necessarily reflect the amount of traffic these sites are losing, but a strong correlation does obviously exist.</p>
<p><strong>How to protect yourself?</strong></p>
<p>First and foremost, you can protect your website and your business simply by offering relevant and valuable content to your users.</p>
<p>Eliminate from your page links from “bad neighborhoods.”</p>
<p>Just as hanging out with the wrong crowd puts a damper on you image, “hanging out” with these bad links could ruin the image of your website.</p>
<p>Use a PR checker to determine the validity of the links your page uses, and if you’ve already been penalized, get a well-known, credible site or two to vouch for you and prove you belong at the top.</p>
<p>And if all else fails, remember that you can always get some professional help.</p>
<p>Seeking the aid of someone who already knows their way around a penguin can save you a lot of time and really boost your business.</p>
<p>David Cormier is a blogger for AWOA, a leading web design and SEO company.</p>

Penguin 2.0: Google’s Latest Gamechanger
