Google’s latest algorithm update, Penguin, has had a dramatic effect on many website owners. As with all algorithm changes put out by Google, there are many websites out in the cold with huge drops in traffic but not knowing why.
There was 1 key observation across the SEO industry about the websites that were hit the hardest:
Practically all the sites which got negatively hit by Penguin had a major keyword as the anchor text for over 60% of the links coming into the website.
This means that if you have a broad link pattern with many different keywords used as anchor text, you are unlikely to have seen a drop in rankings. However, if you focus on 1 business area and all of your links contain the same Anchor Text, then you probably are, and will be in trouble.
For example, a big focus for Digital Hothouse is SEO. If we focused all our linking strategies on the SEO keyword, we would no longer be on the first page of Google, we would be way off it. However, we mix this up with a combination of keywords such as Search Engine Optimisation, Web Design, Online Marketing and so on.
From this it is clear that Google has introduced an over-optimisation penalty. If your website is solely about 1 keyword, and product area, then your rankings will be affected and you need to diversify.
If you recognise any of these traits, then get in touch – we can help!