So earlier this month we all noticed a significant change in the rankings of several pages on Google. It was no random update to algorithms like panda and penguin, which has been confirmed by Google, rather an update to the core guidelines of quality. Algorithms like Panda, Penguin and Pigeon focus on specific areas such as content, back links etc. This Phantom update, as being called by webmasters, focuses on the overall quality of the web page. Its being called Phantom as it is not a regular algorithm update, but has been implemented nonetheless, and has no official name by Google.

So how do we tackle with this algorithm? As I have always believed and said, algorithms are not penalties, rather guidelines by Google which will determine the ranking of your page. If we make efforts and adhere to these guidelines, our pages won’t be ‘penalized’. Google has always focused on providing organic and relevant results. In case you have noticed a significant drop in the ranking of your page, you may have to run a troubleshooting process throughout your page or website, for there may yet be certain discrepancies that may have evaded your notice.

There is no particular area that you may start or focus upon, as the new update does not target any specific areas. Though we don’t have much yet by Google as to where and what this phantom update is targeting, we can always make sure that the things we do know are checked and taken care of.

You can start with the content published on your site. There maybe certain pieces of content which may be having a negative impact on the SERP of your page. This can be something which is not too informative or useful for users, even misleading in certain cases, and is just there eating up space. Go through your content and make sure it is updated regularly and is something which would engage users in a positive manner.

Another area you can focus upon is back linking. Often even after heavy scrutinization, we fail to keep a check upon certain inorganic links leading back to our page. This may be due to informative and good quality content or related matter. Whatever may be the reason, certain sites create links routing back to your page. You can use Google tools to check which sites have made links connected to your page. Accordingly, you can ask the respective administrators to remove links. Before removing links you might want to consider the credibility of that page, as organic links from reputed pages can in fact work in your favor.

Regardless of the fact that it was an update to the core algorithm, as opposed to one of the channels like Panda or Penguin, it’s still an “update” in the feeling of delivering observable change. Since it is affirmed, I am naming it the Quality Update, rather than calling it the Phantom.

Google wouldn’t give specifics about how quality is presently evaluated. We know from past proclamations by Google that quality for a specific page or site is controlled by an extensive variety of individual components. It may be the case that Google is currently weighing some of those elements more and others less.

Link removal campaigns are nothing new. Website owners have been forced to comply with numerous campaigns, such as the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act that has forced Google to censor results that show in Google.

What is different is the “right to be forgotten” ruling that was recently implemented as a result of the European Council of Justice’s ruling. It states that search users need to be informed that they have the right to request removal of certain results.

The “right to be forgotten” allows for users to request that information considered “inadequate, irrelevant, or no longer relevant” be taken down by Google and removed entirely from the search results. This means that website with old content that may be outdated might find themselves completely removed from search engine results.

This ruling hasn’t been popular. Google’s Chairman, Eric Schmidt, notes that he sees this ruling as “wrong”. Google has been a company that has historically been against blatant censorship of their search results.

The “right to be forgotten” becomes further complicated by the vague specifications set forth by the ruling. This means that websites that may only vaguely be interpreted as being out of date could be at risk for removal.

This means that news sites, technology- and science-related websites, as well as any other websites that deals with current news needs to keep not only their current stories updated, but also their old ones. Even Wikipedia pages that have slightly outdated information can be removed under this ruling.

It also means that any link building you do perform must be as precise as possible. This means that you should only target search phrases and terms that directly relate to the information found on your page.

The best way to avoid removal due to the “right to be forgotten” link removal campaign is by keeping your website current. You’ll need to update your on-page content, as well as your off-page factors to ensure that your website

The best and most efficient way to do this is by taking a look at SEO Company Guru‘s services. Not only will they create, update and tailor your content to be both accurate and fresh, but they’ll also ensure that it has just the right keyword composition to make your pages rank high in the SERPs.

SEO Company Guru can also provide you with quality links that have the right freshness that will prove to Google that your website is still both relevant and updated.

Prevent having your website removed by the “right to forget” act by making sure that it’s up-to-date with SEO Company Guru’s top-of-the-line services.

Webmasters are noticing changes in how their website ranks. These changes have appeared to hit websites that were previously penalized during the last Penguin update, which has led these webmasters to believe that there has been yet another Penguin update.

 Google has responded to these worries of a new Penguin update by stating there are hasn’t been one.

What Does the Penguin Algorithm Perform?

The purpose of the Penguin algorithm is to devalue sites that have tried to increase their SERPs ranking by building links back to their website using risky and spam-oriented link building methods.

Google was forced to implement the Penguin algorithm as a countermeasure to the ever increasing amount of spam that floods the Internet. Penguin works independently of manual review, which means that it targets websites that display characteristics that Google sees as spam.

Why Do People Think There Has Been a Penguin Update?

Despite Google stating officially that there has been no Penguin update, webmasters are under the false assumption that there has been one.

They believe this because they were either previously penalized by the Penguin algorithm or they have noticed changes in their position due to active link building efforts.

Why are Websites Seeing a Change in Ranking?

While there’s over 200 confirmed factors as to why a website might be seeing a change in rankings, the most logical one is that a large amount of data has been processed again with accordance to a previous update.

The most likely update is likely the Panda 4.0 update that was released a week ago.

The Panda 4.0 update gave websites that focused on quality SEO copywriting, social media marketing and reputation management a major boost in the SERPs. Webmasters were reporting jumps in their rankings that occurred in as little as a day after Panda 4.0 was officially announced by Google.

The other possibility as to why websites are experiencing shifts in their rankings could be attributed to another unannounced update that Google performed. While Google states that there has been no updates to the Penguin algorithm, that doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been at least one update to other algorithms or an entirely new algorithm hasn’t been implemented.

What Can Webmasters Do to Achieve Better Rankings?

The safest bet for webmasters to keep their current rankings and to continue pushing towards top positions in the SERPs is to focus on reputation-oriented activities like content marketing and social media promotion while continuing to build links back to quality content.