Google Penguin 3.0 released: anti-spam algorithim update confirmed

Don't worry - only SEO wranglers and online publishers are interested

Google has officially released an update to its Penguin filter – a set of algorithms that weed out sites deemed to be spammy from its search results.

It’s the sixth release of Penguin to date and the first in over a year and is being designated Penguin 3.0 (releases only go up whole numbers when they have a significant impact on queries.

Penguin was first introduced in April 2012 to combat black-hat SEO: tactics used by unscrupulous marketers to trick Google into thinking their sites (often full of viruses or scams) are more authentic.

The update then will be only be of interest to publishers and search engine professionals in its full details but will doubtless affect the millions who use Google every hour of the day.

And as to the reactions of the pro’s it all seems a little hit and miss. SearchEngineJournal reports “strange data” as “some reporting stations are showing sharp inclines, some are showing sharp declines, and others aren’t showing much of a fluctuation at all.”