By this time, you may have heard about the Google Penguin update and the havoc that it has created an SEO business. If it is the reason that has brought you here, then you have landed at just the right place. The update has given a big blow to millions of web admins and their websites; before we analyze anything further, let us understand the update better.
Google Penguin Update
Google’s Penguin update was an attempt to combat web spam and penalize all those sites which have used negative search engine optimization techniques to build up their ranking. The update held many websites spamming Google’s search results, concentrating more on those particular websites that did so by obtaining the inbound links with the help of networks designed especially to promote Google rankings or simply buying incoming links that matched the same anchor text. As a result, Google decreased the rankings of all such sites and blocked many others, found guilty of violating Google’s quality guidelines.
Why Should Backlinks be Removed?
With its latest update, Google had put stiffer guidelines on search engine optimization to penalize all such websites and reward those webmasters who are doing things right. So, if this change has clutched you too, here is what you need to do. Now that you know the Penguin update and how it works, check if your inbound link profile is over-optimized.
Since you would be required to remove some unwanted incoming links from your website, start by running an analysis on your backlink profile so that you know which links are unnatural and have to be removed. Remember that the Penguin update is a major algorithm update and directly deals with your website rankings where ‘back link’ and the content it relates to are the prime factors. Hence, you must clean up your website range by removing unwanted backlinks.
How Many Links Should You Remove?
As such, there is no specific number to know how many backlinks you should remove; it will entirely depend on the web spam factors that your website contains, including stuffing of keywords, unnatural or spammy links, cloaking, and content spinning. If incoming links to your website contain any factor, it has to be removed straight away.
Look for all those links which are frequently appearing on your website (sometimes, more than a thousand times), links which you have created by non-organic means, links that match the same anchor text, and those for whom you have paid, find them and remove them.
Which Links You Should Remove?
Buying backlinks is something Google strictly discourages. In recent times, Google has started sending many messages to web admins, warning them about various bad linking structures about their websites. These are automated links are bad for your website and sets off the penalty alarm. So beware of what types of links your website contains.
Another practice that people usually follow is generating backlinks from other sites one might own himself. Several web admins create more than one website to supplement their main site. Of course, these multiple sites are of poor quality, and so are the backlinks that come from such websites. Google will eventually recognize them, no matter how many automated mechanisms one employs to make these low-quality backlinks appear genuine.
If your inbound links contain similar anchor text, then it too hints at automation which happens when you pay for backlinks, and this is why you should avoid doing this. Apart from these, you should never practice cloaking or hidden text techniques, these are cheap and unethical search engine optimization practices, and thus, you should never do that. Also, avoid links with too many keywords and meta descriptions as Google also penalizes the websites with high keyword density.
How to Get Over?
The best way out is to practice white SEO techniques. It is not like removing bad backlinks from your website is not important, but what is more important is not to create such links in the first place since they are against SEO practices. Google has come up with many changes, but an algorithmic update is all about long-term changes.
It is better that you follow the guidelines and shape your website accordingly instead of bending it. So do not waste your time trying to remove all bad backlinks; focus on what you should do for now and play safe for the future.