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How to Recover and Get Back on Track with the Google Disavow Tool

December 21, 2012

Did you see a massive 30%+ drop in traffic to your website starting from April 24? If so, it’s likely that Google’s latest anti-spam algorithm, Penguin, has affected you.

SEO Before Panda and Penguin

Before the introduction of the Panda and Penguin algorithms, SEO (or at least the practice of positioning a URL against keywords) was relatively straightforward:

• Many keyword-rich anchor texts point from various sources (domains like .net, .org, .edu, etc.)
• A social bookmark blast
• Some basic on-page optimisation

These practices would typically yield good results.

Changes with Panda and Penguin

After the Panda and Penguin updates, SEO became much more challenging and, therefore, more enjoyable. A significant difference between the two algorithms is that while Panda focuses on poor-quality content, Penguin was designed to target spam.

Google Penguin’s Targets

Google Penguin targets several specific practices:

1. Article directories
2. Blog networks
3. Footer and sidebar links
4. Unnatural link-building growth and practices (e.g., branded anchor texts and link velocity)

Next Steps

Here are some strategies to recover and improve your SEO practices:

Guest Posting on Quality, Related Sites

• Research relevant industry blogs
• Aim to become a guest contributor

Press Releases

• Avoid free submission press release websites
• Use reputable services like PRWeb
• Only send press releases when you have genuinely interesting news

Human-Edited Directories

• Submit your website to directories such as DMOZ, Yahoo Directory, and BOTW
• Avoid automated directories unless they are local, niche-focused, or recognised brands like White Pages, Yellow Pages, and HotFrog

Article Submissions

• Stop submitting articles with duplicated content
• Avoid low-quality article submission websites like Ezines

Social Bookmarking

• Cultivate a set of accounts over time instead of scattering large quantities via multiple accounts.
• Good sites to join include Diigo, Mister-Wong, Jumptags, Digg, and Webmark

Link Building

• Vary the link velocity and PageRank
• Do not use the same anchor texts repeatedly
• Use stop words and synonyms for more variation
• Choose sites with good PageRanks, Alexa rankings, and a good number of social bookmarks

.Use Q&A Sites

• Participate in Yahoo Answers and niche forums to become a reputable and trusted source.
• Interact directly with potential customers

Blog Comments

• Engage in targeted commenting on niche and related blogs using your real name.
• Genuine interaction with other commenters will boost your account’s respectability.

Set Up Profiles on Major Social Media Sites

• Create profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube, and frequently update them.
• Share guest posts, press releases, and other content on social media
• Set up profiles on sites like Technorati and Crunchbase

Useful References

Here are some useful references to help you understand more about Google Penguin and SEO strategies:

• 5 Important Things You Need to Know About Google Penguin
• Adjusting Your SEO Strategies During Panda and Penguin
• How to Do Search Engine Optimisation After Penguin Update